Abolishing national restrictions on cabotage
Act amending section 6 a of the Act on Commercial Goods Transport on Roads
Additional national restrictions on cabotage transport by foreign transport companies will be abolished in Finland. The European Union's common rules will apply directly to temporary domestic transport operations within Finland.
- Status
- Passed
- Submitted
- 17 Dec 2015
- Latest event
- 27 Jun 2016
- Votes
- 1
- Speeches
- 57
- Confirmed
- 29 Jun 2016
- Statute
- 565/2016
- Source
- eduskunta.fi ↗
What is proposed
Finland's own definitions of cabotage transport and temporary nature, such as the requirement of a maximum of 10 transport operations in three months and counting each unloading of cargo as a separate transport operation, will be repealed from the act. They will be replaced by a direct reference to EU regulations.
What it means
The amendment expands the opportunities for foreign transport companies from the EU and EEA to carry loads within Finland in connection with international transport. The reform avoids Court of Justice of the European Union proceedings threatened by the European Commission and possible sanctions against Finland. The act is intended to enter into force in March 2016.
How Parliament voted
2nd reading · 22 Jun 2016Parliament passed the act by 127–45.
The Greens and the SPP voted with the government. 27 MPs were absent. Minutes ↗
Filled dot = yes, ring = no, grey = absent. The seating plan at the time of this vote is not archived, so MPs are grouped by party in indicative seats.
A passed act does not enter into force immediately: the President of the Republic confirms it, and it enters into force on the date set in the act. This act was confirmed on 29 Jun 2016.
Debate in the chamber
What was argued and where each group stood, followed by MPs' speeches verbatim from the parliamentary record. Speeches are shown in their original language.
57 speeches · 3 debates
Key points of the debate
The debate centred on the abolition of additional national restrictions on temporary transport within Finland by foreign transport companies, i.e. cabotage operations. The government parties considered the change necessary to comply with EU rules and avoid legal action in the Court of Justice of the European Union. The opposition fiercely opposed the proposal, citing risks to jobs in the domestic transport sector, the growth of the shadow economy, and inadequate enforcement.
- Should Finland stick to its own cabotage restrictions and see any EU legal proceedings through to the end?
- Will removing national restrictions cause unreasonable harm to Finnish transport operators and drivers?
- Are the authorities' enforcement resources and tools sufficient to prevent illegal cabotage and the shadow economy?
- Finns PartySplit
Views among Finns Party representatives diverged: some considered the proposal harmful to domestic industry and demanded that national regulation be retained, while the committee spokesperson regarded approving the proposal as the only and unavoidable solution.
”Suomella on mahdollisuus käyttää tässä asiassa kansallista sääntelyä, jota mielestäni tulee käyttää.”
— Kari Kulmala - Centre PartyIn favour
According to the Centre Party, dismantling the additional national restrictions was necessary to comply with EU regulation and avoid legal action. The group also pointed out that a free internal market also benefits Finnish transport companies operating abroad.
”Suomalaiset yrittäjät ajavat kabotaasia Euroopan maissa, ja eurooppalaiset yrittäjät saavat samoilla periaatteilla ajaa kabotaasia Suomessa. Tämä on reilua kilpailupolitiikkaa, ja näin toimitaan.”
— Markku Pakkanen - Social DemocratsAgainst
The Social Democrats firmly opposed the bill, arguing that it would take jobs from Finnish drivers, weaken the position of transport companies, and increase the shadow economy on roads. The group argued that Finland should have defended its national legislation in the Court of Justice of the European Union if necessary.
”SDP ei missään nimessä hyväksy hallituksen esitystä, jonka mukaan Suomen lainsäädännöstä kumottaisiin nämä kabotaasia koskevat määritelmät.”
— Satu Taavitsainen - Left AllianceAgainst
The Left Alliance opposed the removal of the restrictions and saw no reason to rush the matter before the EU's upcoming regulatory reform. The group also criticised the lack of adequate safeguards or enforcement measures introduced alongside the liberalisation of cabotage.
”Miksi kiiruhtaa juuri nyt, kun hallituksessa varmasti tiedetään, että EU tulee uudistamaan tätä lainsäädäntöä?”
— Jari Myllykoski - Christian DemocratsAgainst
The Christian Democrats opposed dismantling the national provisions as a hasty move. The group believed that Finland should have defended its national policies and waited for the broader road transport package under preparation in the EU.
”hallitus kyllä tässä nyt hötkyilee näitten kansallisten säännösten purkamisessa ja aiheuttaa mahdollisesti kyllä arvaamattomia vaikutuksia kotimaiselle kuljetuselinkeinolle.”
— Sari Essayah
This digest was generated by AI from 57 speeches 13 Sep 2026. Group positions are read from the speeches, not from votes; quotations were checked verbatim against the record.
Keskustelu päättyi. Asia lähetettiin liikenne- ja viestintävaliokuntaan.
Yleiskeskustelu päättyi. Eduskunta hyväksyi hallituksen esitykseen HE 143/2015 vp sisältyvän lakiehdotuksen sisällön mietinnön mukaisena. Lakiehdotuksen ensimmäinen käsittely päättyi.
Keskustelu päättyi ja asian käsittely keskeytettiin.
Stages of consideration
The bill's path from the preliminary debate to the decision, as recorded by Parliament.
- 17 Dec 2015Eduskuntakäsittelyn vireilletulo · Liikenne- ja viestintäministeriö
- 9 Feb 2016Lähetekeskustelu · Täysistunto
- 9 Jun 2016Valiokunnan mietintö tai lausunto · liikenne- ja viestintävaliokunta
- 15 Jun 2016Ensimmäinen käsittely · Täysistunto
- 22 Jun 2016Toinen käsittely · Täysistunto
- 23 Jun 2016Eduskunnan vastaus ja kirjelmä
Decisions by law proposal1
- 1Laki kaupallisista tavarankuljetuksista tiellä annetun lain 6a §:n muuttamisestaHyväksytty · 565/2016 · 29 Jun 2016
Proposed law text
The law proposals in the bill as the Government presented them. The final act may differ after committee consideration.
The law text is shown in Finnish or Swedish from Parliament's official documents; it is not translated into English.
Laki kaupallisista tavarankuljetuksista tiellä annetun lain 6a §:n muuttamisesta
Eduskunnan päätöksen mukaisesti muutetaan kaupallisista tavarankuljetuksista tiellä annetun lain (693/2006) 6 a §, sellaisena kuin se on laeissa 1283/2011 ja 262/2013, seuraavasti:
6 a §Kabotaasi
EU:n tavaraliikennelupa-asetuksen 8 artiklassa säädetään kabotaasiliikenteen harjoittamisen edellytyksistä. Yhdistettyihin kuljetuksiin liittyvästä kabotaasiliikenteestä säädetään eräistä kansainvälisistä yhdistetyistä kuljetuksista annetussa laissa (440/2000).
§
Tämä laki tulee voimaan kuuta 2016
Main content of the bill (official)
The summary and title were produced with AI on 2 Sep 2026. They are not official documents – check the details in the original bill. The title and summaries are machine translations of the Finnish AI summaries. Speeches and quotations are always shown in their original language.