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 ...

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...

Fundamental rights » The Ministry of Justice prepares the fundamental provisions relating to the Constitution and the public administration. These include the laws regulating the competency of the President of the Republic, the Parliament and the ...

The national Advisory Board for Ethnic Relations The national level Etno works under the auspices of the Ministry of Justice. Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice , Mr. Antti Leinonen chairs the Advisory Board. The Advisory Board has thr...

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...

15.1.2026 | Today the Government decided in its plenary session to submit to Parliament the Government Report on the Application of Language Legislation in 2025. The report provides important monitoring data on the current state of Finland’s national languages and other indigenous languages and on the realisation of linguistic rights.

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 project aims to improve the effectiveness of addressing racism, discrimination and hate crimes through peer learning with the support of authorities and civil society actors.

Competence development Law drafting is one of the Government's core tasks. In order to develop law drafting competence, a learning path for law drafters has been created, Ministries have drawn up joint induction recommendations for law drafting, a...

According to the Government Programme of Prime Minister Sanna Marin, the Government will draw up a comprehensive action plan for better regulation. The objective of the Action Plan is to improve the quality, planning and transparency of legislative drafting within the Government through various measures.

On 20.3.2025, the Government adopted a resolution on a national programme to promote democracy and participation. The task of the cross-administrative working group appointed by the Ministry of Justice is to coordinate the implementation of the programme in the Government in 2025-2027.

Criminal sanctions Punishments are at the core of the criminal sanctions system. General punishments are a fixed fine, a fine, conditional imprisonment, community service, a monitoring sentence and unconditional imprisonment. Special punishments a...

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.

For media This page contains selected information on current contents as well as operations and contact persons in the Ministry of Justice. The Media and Communications Unit provides help with finding information and contacting the experts on a ce...

Crime and punishment The Ministry of Justice is responsible for drafting the Criminal Code and the legislation concerning the enforcement of punishments. The Ministry steers the enforcement of punishments, is responsible for developing the prosecu...

Equality and non-discrimination Equality is a fundamental right, and guaranteeing equality plays a key role in the implementation of fundamental and human rights. Under the Constitution, everyone is equal before the law, and no one shall, without ...

The Government Programme outlines the preparation of the CSO strategy and its implementation plan. The strategy was adopted as a government resolution in June 2024, and implementation will proceed as planned through legislative projects, reports and other development measures. Implementation will continue until April 2027.

About the website The website of the Ministry of Justice, www.ministryofjustice.fi, provides information on, i.a., the Ministry, its work and duties and on ongoing legislation and development projects at the Ministry. Finnish and Swedish pages are...

7.11.2025 | A new survey will open on Monday 10 November, giving pupils in years 5–9 the chance to share their thoughts on what is important. Their responses will help us as we prepare for the next government term.

20.3.2025 | The judicial website Oikeus.fi has been redesigned and the new website opened on 20 March 2025. The website contains basic information on important, everyday legal matters and links to the websites and e-services of various judicial authorities.