Policy of the Ministry of Justice for International and EU Activities

The rule of law, democracy and fundamental and human rights form the foundation for all EU activities. Commitment to these common values is a prerequisite for EU membership. In the EU, we participate in the efforts to safeguard the rule of law and develop the EU's rule of law instruments. We promote democracy, the implementation of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the full utilisation of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA). 

The Council of Europe is the most important organisation promoting human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Europe, and therefore it is at the heart of the international activities of the Ministry of Justice. The role of the Council of Europe in democracy issues is growing. We participate in European and international cooperation to strengthen democracy.

We combat corruption through engaging in EU and international cooperation and promote a wide-scale implementation of international anti-corruption conventions.

We promote the international rule of law development, share our expertise on the rule of law, and exchange good practices. We work in close cooperation with the Rule of Law Centre operating under the auspices of the University of Helsinki.

A significant part of Finland's legal order has an EU connection, and it is a priority for the Ministry of Justice to influence EU decision-making in a timely manner, with the aim of strengthening trust and legal certainty and ensuring that EU legislation is proportionate and of high quality. 

We contribute to ensuring that EU legislation is based on real needs and high-quality impact assessments and that Member States are duly consulted during the preparation process. We strive to ensure the consistency of legislation in all areas of justice. 

We are responsible for preparing and implementing EU legislation in our own administrative branch, and we also use our expertise to support other ministries in this work. 

The Nordic countries form Finland's closest reference group, and close Nordic cooperation is important for Finland. We will further develop and enhance our cooperation with the Nordic and Baltic countries. 

The key international organisations in the justice sector include the Council of Europe, the HCCH, the UN (UNODC, UNCITRAL) and UNIDROIT. We participate in the work of these organisations in matters that are of key importance to Finland. We promote the widest possible application of multilateral international treaties and prioritise multilateral treaties over bilateral ones. 

Global model laws and mechanisms will be used to support developing countries' opportunities for trade and development.

We utilise information produced by international organisations (such as the OECD and the Council of Europe) and international research data in the national development work and in the development of our legislative policy. 

Legal protection must also be realised in cross-border matters. We promote people's access to their rights and the realisation of legal protection of businesses in international contexts. We particularly focus on the realisation of crime victims’ rights in international situations.

In the capacity of the Central Authority for several key international conventions, the Ministry of Justice is responsible for tasks related to the international administration of justice. We attend to effective international legal assistance in civil and criminal matters.

The fight against cross-border organised crime and the enforcement of criminal liability require international cooperation and exchange of information. We promote the premise that EU's criminal justice cooperation should primarily be based on the principle of mutual recognition instead of unnecessarily far-reaching harmonisation of criminal laws. We promote the coherence of EU criminal law and support the application of the last resort principle when it comes to EU criminal law. 

We work to improve crime prevention and to prevent cross-border trafficking in human beings.

Eurojust, the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) and the European Judicial Network (EJN) in criminal matters play a key role in the cooperation between authorities.

Effective EU preparation and international cooperation require continuous investments in international expertise and particularly in the maintenance of EU expertise. To ensure high-quality law drafting, we develop and organise training on EU law drafting within the Government, and we will ensure that the relevant law drafting guidelines are up to date.

We develop our international expertise by participating in the work of international and EU judicial networks.

We must closely monitor the constant changes taking place in the international operating environment, and we must develop our foresight expertise. We recognise and anticipate phenomena that may threaten or support our operating environment.