Minister Henriksson at the international conference, Vilnius, 26 September 2013

Languages open doors. We already know that languages open doors to other cultures, but multilingualism provides certain other benefits as well. If a child learns two languages early in the childhood, it is easier for him or her to learn a third, a fourth or even more languages. In addition, multilingualism trains the brain at all cognitive levels. It can thus be considered a gift if a child gets an opportunity to grow up in a multilingual environment.

Finland has two national languages, Finnish and Swedish, whereas some countries speak about a main language and regional languages rather than official languages. The official bilingualism of Finland brings along possibilities for individuals, but it also imposes challenges when it comes to meeting the requirements set out in the Finnish legislation concerning the linguistic service.

I belong to a linguistic minority myself. That is why I view language affairs from a somewhat different perspective than most people. Language is not just a simple every-day tool, it is also an identity. It would not hurt to have more decision-makers in the European political field with insight into and profound knowledge about the minorities’ needs.

The Constitution of Finland guarantees citizens the opportunity to participate in and influence the development of society and their living environment. The Constitution also guarantees that the population has the right to participate and exercise influence in their own language. To implement these opportunities, the authorities must actively create various channels of communication and influence to promote the population’s linguistic and democratic rights.

According to the Constitution of Finland, everyone has the right to use the national languages, Finnish and Swedish, before courts of law and other authorities, and to receive official documents in that language. The purpose of the Language Act is to ensure the right of everyone to a fair trial and good administration in her or his own language − without an individual person needing specifically to refer to the rights.

In Finland, the state and municipal authorities must provide services and information directed at the public in Finnish and Swedish in bilingual municipalities and in Saami languages in the Saami homeland. The relevant authorities must ensure that all important information is given in both national languages. It is the responsibility of the authorities themselves to monitor and ensure that linguistic rights are secured in their own fields. The Parliamentary Ombudsman and the Chancellor of Justice are the supreme overseers of legality, which means that they monitor the authorities’ compliance with the law in force and ensure the implementation of the fundamental and human rights.

Under the Constitution of Finland, the Saami, as an indigenous people, as well as the Roma and certain other groups, have the right to maintain and develop their own language and culture. Provisions on the right of the Saami to use the Saami language before the authorities are laid down by the Saami Language Act. The Saami Language Act contains clear provisions on the use of Saami before the authorities and when otherwise dealing with matters for which a public authority is responsible.

Provisions on the right to use languages other than Finnish, Swedish or Saami are laid down in the legislation concerning court proceedings, administrative procedure, administrative judicial procedure, education, health care and social welfare and in other legislation governing various administrative branches.

The Finnish legislation guaranteeing the linguistic rights is good in general, but there are some practical challenges.

Under the language legislation, the authorities have a duty to obtain information on a customer’s mother tongue on their own initiative and also to use that language in their services. Despite this, however, the authorities neither always ascertain nor use an individual’s own language when providing their services. In recent years, the outcome has been that the realisation of the linguistic rights has increasingly relied on the individual’s own initiative.

The linguistic rights are an inherent part of an individual’s fundamental rights. Social welfare and health care in a person’s mother tongue is an important part of the individual’s basic security at all stages of life. Despite this, some sectors within social welfare and health care have had difficulties in arranging services in both national languages. It is important that they particularly address the right of an individual to receive nursing and care and information related thereto in his or her own language.

Within the state sector, the emergency response centres, the rescue services, the police and the Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment have received rather poor grades when it comes to fulfilling their linguistic obligations.

As a consequence, the promotion of language issues was included in the latest Government Programme. Recently, a long-term language strategy has also been drawn up under the lead of the Prime Minister. This strategy includes measures aiming to establish the need for language immersion based on the demand and measures to set up teacher training in language immersion. Language immersion is a teaching programme intended for children whose mother tongue is not the same as the immersion language.

Under the Constitution of Finland, the Saami have a guaranteed fundamental right to maintain their language and culture. The Saami Language Act lays down provisions on the right of the Saami to use their own language before the courts and other authorities, and the duties of public authorities to secure and promote their linguistic rights. The obligation to realise the linguistic rights of the Saami mainly applies to the authorities in the Saami homeland in the northern part of Lapland.

In the municipalities of the Saami homeland, services in Saami are best secured within the local education. For example the Saami language skills of the local education personnel in the municipality of Inari have improved. However, it is still difficult to recruit persons with sufficient knowledge of Inari and Skolt Saami, such as teachers who speak Skolt Saami.

The rights of persons using sign language and of persons in need of interpretation or translation aid owing to disability are guaranteed by an act. Provisions on sign language are at the moment included in the special legislation concerning different administrative branches. Under the Government Programme, implementation of the linguistic rights of sign language users is to be developed and the possibility of passing a sign language act is being explored.

The right to service does not depend on the person’s nationality. Foreign citizens have the same rights as Finnish citizens to use Finnish or Swedish before the state authorities and courts and in bilingual municipalities. Persons who do not know Finnish or Swedish have, on the initiative of an authority, the right to interpretation in a matter that becomes pending.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

There is a need for various channels of communication and influence in order to promote the population’s linguistic and democratic rights.

Under the Language Act, the local governments have no obligation to provide information in languages other than the national languages. But an authority may choose to provide better linguistic service than that required under the Language Act. And today it is a rule rather than an exception that the governmental and local authorities are publishing their information in several languages.

The Finnish Government has given a recommendation that underlines the obligation of the authorities to report on their own activities. The main contents produced by the central state authorities must be available in Finnish and Swedish and, in certain cases, also in English and, where necessary, in other languages.

The Ministry of Justice has carried out a study on the languages used on the websites of Finnish authorities and institutions. It was discovered that all ministries and many other authorities have Finnish, Swedish and English versions of their websites and they are developing websites also in other foreign languages.

Most municipalities have translated their websites into English, and some municipalities have also posted information on their websites in other foreign languages, for example in Russian and German. Many municipalities also provide information in English about basic services, such as social welfare and health care services.

Just to mention few examples:

The Social Insurance Institution of Finland (KELA), for example, has a website in Finnish, Swedish, English, and Finnish sign language, and their website contains information also in North Saami, Inari Saami, Skolt Saami, Russian, Estonian and summaries in German and French.

The website of the Finnish Police provides information and forms in Finnish, Swedish and English. Some information about the police is also available in Russian, Estonian, Somali, Albanian, Chinese, German, Vietnamese, Turkish, Thai, Spanish, French, Arabian, Kurdish and Persian.

The Finnish Tax Administration has a website and so-called e-services in Finnish, Swedish and English, as well as certain web pages, concerning for example taxation of foreign workers, in Saami, Russian, Estonian and Polish.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is also important to have the opportunity to preserve one’s own language and identity in the globalised world. Strengthening the position of the mother tongue by all possible means can also contribute to strengthening multilingualism. The principle in the Nordic countries, including Finland, has been that of “parallel lingualism”, which means that the national languages are used in parallel with other languages needed in different connections.

Finland is party to several treaties on linguistic rights. The scope and contents of these treaties vary considerably and are either bilateral, Nordic or more widely international. The Constitution of Finland and other legislation contain provisions compatible with the obligations set out in the international treaties binding on Finland. This means that the linguistic rights guaranteed by the Finnish legislation are subject not only to domestic legality control but also to international observation.

Many minority languages have for a long time been part of the history of Finland, in the same way as they have been part of the history of other European countries. It is forecast that the number of inhabitants with a non-national background and their share of the population will grow rapidly all over Europe. To enable immigrants to adjust to society, it is increasingly important for them to receive information on the activities of the authorities and, for example, instructions on where to get advice, in their own language.

In Finland, many non-governmental organisations actively participate in the development of opportunities for participation and influence. Organisations participate in the social debate, issue statements, provide information, exercise influence and create opportunities for participation for persons who have only recently moved to Finland, for example. But in order for the legislation and the efforts made to promote the linguistic and participatory rights to really have an impact on society, strong political measures are needed.

Equal participation may also be promoted by developing the administration. It is important that the interaction between the public officials and the civil society takes place in compliance with agreed rules. Education and instruction as well as planning of the interaction contribute to successful cooperation.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Thank you for the invitation to this conference and for the opportunity to have the floor.