Raising the Åland equalisation rate
Act amending the basis for equalisation referred to in the Act on the Autonomy of Åland
The central government funding share received by the Åland region, known as the basis for equalisation, will be increased. The change will increase the annual central government funding paid to the region.
- Status
- Passed
- Submitted
- 19 Mar 2020
- Latest event
- 20 Nov 2020
- Votes
- 1
- Speeches
- 14
- Confirmed
- 27 Nov 2020
- Statute
- 911/2020
- Source
- eduskunta.fi ↗
What is proposed
The basis for equalisation laid down in the Act on the Autonomy of Åland will be raised until further notice from 0.45 per cent to 0.47 per cent from the beginning of 2021.
What it means
The change will increase the funding received by the Åland region and raise central government budget expenditure by an estimated 8 million euros at the 2021 level (in total, the combined effect of the new system and the increase is approximately 14.4 million euros). The act will enter into force on 1 January 2021 and will apply starting from the 2021 equalisation.
How Parliament voted
The act ultimately passed without a vote: no MP proposed rejecting it in the final reading. The only vote concerned a detail of the act.
1 §, mietintö / Olli Immonen
Yes won by 46–8.
Only the Finns Party against. 145 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 27 Nov 2020.
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.
14 speeches · 7 speakers · 2 debates
Key points of the debate
The debate centred on raising the central government funding share received by the Åland region, known as the basis for equalisation. The government parties justified the increase by citing population growth and safeguarding services, whereas the opposition opposed the increase and called for reducing the funding share. The proposal sparked strong disagreement between the Government and the opposition.
- Will increasing the funding share lead to unjustified overcompensation for Åland?
- Are Åland's population growth and expenditure a sufficient justification for raising central government funding?
- Social DemocratsIn favour
The group supported the proposal and considered raising the basis for equalisation to be a justified solution and a necessary compromise resulting from a lengthy negotiation process.
”Tämä hallituksen esitys on pohdittu ja perusteltu, ja se on eräänlainen kompromissi niistä keskusteluista, joita on käyty. Sen vuoksi olen vahvasti sen takana.”
— Kimmo Kiljunen - Centre PartyIn favour
The group supported the proposal and emphasised that the statutory basic services of Ålanders must be safeguarded in the same way as those of other Finns.
”On hyvin helppo lausua ja sanoa, että vähennetään rahaa, mutta kuinka ne palvelut sitten toteutetaan?”
— Joonas Könttä - Swedish People's PartyIn favour
The group defended the increase because Åland's population has grown considerably and the costs of autonomy, such as in healthcare and education, have increased.
”En växande befolkning betyder ökade utgifter för Ålands självstyrelse eftersom exempelvis sjukvård, skola, vägar och statsandelar på Åland finansieras av självstyrelsen och inte av staten.”
— Mats Löfström - Finns PartyAgainst
The group opposed the proposal and demanded that the basis for equalisation be reduced to a cost-neutral level, taking the view that the increase would lead to financial overcompensation for Åland.
”Tasoitusperusteen muutos ei saa mielestämme johtaa taloudelliseen ylikompensaatioon Ahvenanmaan maakunnalle.”
— Olli Immonen
This digest was generated by AI from 14 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 perustuslakivaliokuntaan, jolle valtiovarainvaliokunnan on annettava lausunto.
Yleiskeskustelu päättyi ja asian käsittely keskeytettiin.
Stages of consideration
The bill's path from the preliminary debate to the decision, as recorded by Parliament.
- 19 Mar 2020Eduskuntakäsittelyn vireilletulo · Valtiovarainministeriö
- 30 Mar 2020Lähetekeskustelu · Täysistunto
- 5 Nov 2020Valiokunnan mietintö tai lausunto · perustuslakivaliokunta
- 11 Nov 2020Ensimmäinen käsittely · Täysistunto
- 18 Nov 2020Toinen käsittely · Täysistunto
- 19 Nov 2020Eduskunnan vastaus ja kirjelmä
Decisions by law proposal1
- 1Laki Ahvenanmaan itsehallintolaissa tarkoitetun tasoitusperusteen muuttamisestaHyväksytty · 911/2020 · 27 Nov 2020
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 Ahvenanmaan itsehallintolaissa tarkoitetun tasoitusperusteen muuttamisesta
Eduskunnan päätöksen mukaisesti, joka on tehty Ahvenanmaan itsehallintolain (1144/1991) 47 §:n 5 momentissa säädetyllä tavalla, ja Ahvenanmaan maakuntapäivien suostumuksella säädetään
1 §
Ahvenanmaan itsehallintolain (1144/1991) 47 §:n 1 momentista poiketen tasoitusperuste on 0,47 prosenttia.
2 §
§
Tämä laki tulee voimaan päivänä kuuta 20.
Tätä lakia sovelletaan ensimmäisen kerran toimitettaessa vuoden 2021 tasoitusta ja vahvistettaessa kyseisen vuoden tasoitusmäärälle ennakkoa.
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.