The government says it will instead launch a review into Finland's future arena needs following weeks of controversy over the planned subsidy.Prime Minister Petteri Orpo at a press conference on Monday. Image: Henrietta Hassinen / YleYle News15:38Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP) said on Monday that the government has withdrawn its political support for the Garden Helsinki project.The decision means the government will no longer pursue the conditional 35-million-euro subsidy that was approved for the project during last year's midterm budget talks. Instead, it will commission a study into what kind of multi-purpose arena Finland will need in the future.Orpo announced the decision at a press conference after the government discussed the issue during an extraordinary plenary session. He said the leaders of the governing parties had agreed on the move during talks on Sunday."A lot has happened over the past fifteen months. The project has been scaled back and delayed, there have been clear shortcomings in the lobbying process, and the competitive situation has changed from what it was in spring 2025," Orpo said.He added that the public debate surrounding the project had also demonstrated that "the decision should, in any case, have been reconsidered politically."The Garden Helsinki project has faced weeks of criticism over the government's decision to allocate state support, with opposition parties questioning the decision-making process and alleging preferential treatment because of the project's links to senior National Coalition Party figures.Asked by Yle whether the initiative to withdraw support came from him or from the government's coalition partners, Orpo said the governing parties had "collectively concluded" that the project no longer had political backing.The political fallout from the controversy will continue on Tuesday, when Parliament meets in an extraordinary summer session.The government will present a statement on the Garden Helsinki funding decision, after which Parliament will have the opportunity to hold a vote of confidence on the government or on individual ministers.