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 ...

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 Ministry of Justice has appointed a cross-administrative working group to prepare the National Programme to Promote Democracy and Participation outlined in Prime Minister Petteri Orpo's Government Programme and to coordinate the implementation of the programme within the Government ministries.

Personnel search Department for Administration and Oversight Administrative Support Functions Mirja Al-Khafaji, Administrative Assistant Department for Administration and Oversight, Administrative Support Functions Phone number +358295150197 Email...

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...

Civil society and voluntary activities The Advisory Board on Civil Society Policy (KANE), operating under the auspices of the Ministry of Justice and appointed by the Government for four years at a time, is responsible for fostering cooperation an...

Contact information Niklas Wilhelmsson , Ministerial Adviser Ministry of Justice, Department for Democracy and Public Law, Democracy and Elections democracy policy civic activity civic society participatory rights Telephone: Email Address: [email ...

Contact information the Advisory Board for Ethnic Relations (Etno) Ministry of Justice, Finland PO Box 25 FI-00023 Government Email: etno.om(at)gov.fi (replace (at) with @) Telephone: +358 2951 6001 (switchboard) Secretary General of the Advisory ...

Departments and units There are four departments at the Ministry of Justice: Department for Democracy and Public Law, Department for Administration and Oversight, Department for Criminal Policy and Criminal Law, and Department for Private Law and ...

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...

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...

Advisory Board on Civil Society Policy (KANE) The Government has appointed a new Advisory Board on Civil Society Policy (KANE) for a four-year term from 27 January 2022 to 26 January 2026. The Advisory Board on Civil Society Policy works under the...

Ministry of Justice in social media The Ministry of Justice uses social media to share information, such as news and information about current events, and to encourage discussion. Private matters cannot be instituted on our social media sites. If ...

The organisation of the Ministry of Justice The Ministry of Justice is headed by the Minister of Justice. The Permanent Secretary directs the Ministry's activities together with the Minister of Justice. There are four departments at the Ministry: ...

The rule of law and legal protection Ministry of Justice’s main responsibility is to ensure the operation of the rule of law in Finland. The Ministry drafts also the provisions which aim to ensure fair trials and good governance. The Ministry also...

We work for a strong rule of law The updated strategy of the Ministry of Justice strengthens the role of the Ministry of Justice as the ministry responsible for the rule of law and democracy. The six impact objectives of the strategy form the key ...

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.

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...

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...

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...