Right of initiative The Constitution lays down provisions on the right of individuals to participate in and influence the development of society and their living conditions. Pursuant to the Constitution, the public authorities shall promote the op...

Influencing the preparation of decisions and legislation Under Finnish legislation, authorities must act in an open and transparent manner. Citizens must be provided with opportunities to protect their rights and interests, receive information abo...

The project providing Whistleblower Act (1171/2022) training aims to increase awareness of this Act, which will transpose the Whistleblower Directive (2019/1937/EU) into national legislation, among private and public sector organisations and among employees and citizens. The project will disseminate information through communications and training.

EU funding programmes for 2021–2027 In 2021–2027, EU funding in the area of justice will consist of two different funding programmes: the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme (CERV) and the Justice Programme. Together, these programmes ...

Finnish and Swedish Linguistic rights are based on section 17 of the Constitution . The Language Act contains more detailed provisions on the linguistic rights laid down in the Constitution, and it applies to the Finnish and Swedish languages. Eve...

Democracy and participation Under the Constitution, the powers of the State in Finland are vested in the people, who are represented by the Parliament. Democracy entails the right of the individual to participate in and influence the development o...

The Government Programme states that preparation of a cross-administrative democracy programme shall be launched. The National Democracy Programme 2025 covers the numerous measures related to civil society and participation outlined in the Government Programme of Prime Minister Marin. It will function as an umbrella for democracy-related projects to be carried out by different ministries.

Linguistic rights The Ministry of Justice is responsible for promoting the realisation of linguistic rights by monitoring the implementation and application of the Language Act and by issuing recommendations. The Unit for Democracy, Language Affai...

From 1 December 2020 to 30 November 2021, the Ministry of Justice will implement the Election Pool project, which will support elections and cooperation between authorities. The project is funded by the European Commission’s Rights, Equality and Citizenship (REC) Programme. The objective of the project is to strengthen cooperation among authorities and cooperation with social media in addressing election interference and improving election preparedness.

Registry and document services Email: registry.om(at)gov.fi Telephone: + 358 2951 50320 Fax: +358 9 1606 7730 Postal address: Ministry of Justice, P.O.Box 25, FI-00023 Government Document delivery address: Documents addressed to the Ministry of Ju...

International cooperation The Ministry of Justice aims to promote a stable rule of law in Finland and especially in its neighbouring areas. International cooperation seeks to reinforce cross-border legal protection, and it also brings new angles t...

Respective responsibilities of joint controllers When the Ministry of Justice processes personal data in the Government's shared information systems, the Ministry of Justice and the Prime Minister's Office are joint controllers. The Ministry of Ju...

Consultation Consultation refers to a stage of the law drafting process where the key stakeholders' views, knowledge and experiences of the matter under preparation are obtained. Stakeholders may participate in the actual law drafting or they may ...

The Ministry of Justice The Ministry of Justice maintains and develops legal order and legal protection, reinforces the structures of democracy, and safeguards citizens’ fundamental rights. The Ministry is responsible for drafting the key legislat...

Democracy policy The goal of the Government's democracy policy is to address topical democracy-related challenges and ensure that citizens are provided with opportunities for participating and exerting influence in society. Promoting democracy is ...

Finland – a state governed by the rule of law Finnish democracy is built on the rule of law. The rule of law and respect for fundamental rights are key principles enshrined in the Constitution of Finland. Finland is also committed to these princip...

One of the objectives set out in the Government Programme is to promote democracy and human rights education and the participation of young people and to reinforce the obligation to consult young people. The task of the coordination group is to monitor and support the planning and implementation of the measures.

The aim of the Well Planned project is to combat structural discrimination and racism in Finland by boosting practical and professional skills of equality planning. The project is co-funded by the European Union’s Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programme (CERV).

The Ministry of Justice maintains and develops legal order and legal protection, reinforces the structures of democracy, and safeguards citizens’ fundamental rights.

The Ministry of Justice maintains and develops legal order and legal protection, reinforces the structures of democracy, and safeguards citizens’ fundamental rights.