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...

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.

Advisory Board for Ethnic Relations ETNO The Advisory Board for Ethnic Relations (ETNO) serves as a national forum for dialogue between immigrants, ethnic minorities, authorities, political parties and civil society organisations. The Government a...

In accordance with the Government Programme of Prime Minister Sanna Marin, an act on a transparency register will be enacted in Finland on the basis of parliamentary preparation and in consultation with civil society. The purpose of the act is to improve the transparency of decision-making and, by doing this, to prevent undue influence and reinforce public confidence.

The Advisory Board for Ethnic Relations (Etno) serves as a national forum for dialogue. The Board brings together migration experts from national, regional and local levels ranging from public officials to civil society representatives. Besides the national Advisory Board, there are seven regional advisory boards for ethnic relations.

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.

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.

The goal of the project is to facilitate the participation of children and young people in policy-making at the national level. The goal is to develop methods, gather best practices and produce training materials on child participation and to provide relevant training for public authorities. The project in Finland is part of the joint European CP4Europe project, which is coordinated by the Council of Europe.

15.6.2022 | The voice of immigrants and multilingual Finns is not being heard in decision-making and public debate. A report published today by the Advisory Board for Ethnic Relations (ETNO) examines what kind of barriers to participation and exerting influence in society there are among immigrants and multilingual Finns and presents solutions for removing them.

3.5.2024 | 1 Po lic y br ie f Finnish democracy policy in the 2020s 3 Po lic y br ie f 2 Po lic y br ie f Policies and proposed measures The government resolution on Finnish demo- cracy policy in the 2020s outlines the long- term goals for democracy policy i...

3.5.2024 | 1 Po lic y br ie f Finnish democracy policy in the 2020s 3 Po lic y br ie f 2 Po lic y br ie f Policies and proposed measures The government resolution on Finnish demo- cracy policy in the 2020s outlines the long- term goals for democracy policy i...

27.1.2022 | The Government appointed today a new Advisory Board on Civil Society Policy (KANE) for a four-year term from 27 January 2022 to 26 January 2026.

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...

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...

Representative actions are a joint EU tool for improving consumer rights. They are based on the EU Representative Actions Directive.

Call for applications for organisations until 7 February 2025 A call for applications for organisations to become members of the Advisory Board for Ethnic Relations (ETNO) for the 2025–2029 term has ended. The member organisations for both the nat...

Family Law Matters This section contains information on the international family law matters for which the Ministry of Justice is responsible in the capacity of the Central Authority under different international treaties. Such matters are, for ex...

Democracy and voting 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 of socie...

Act on the Openness of Government Activities Brochure Which documents are governed by the Act? Public authorities whose documents are governed by the Act on the Openness of Government Activities include, for example state administrative authoritie...

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 ...