Extending the environmental healthcare exemption
Act amending section 65 of the Act on the Implementation of the Reform of Health and Social Services and Rescue Services and the Implementation of Related Legislation
The North Karelia Wellbeing Services County will be able to continue managing municipal environmental healthcare until the end of 2032. The change would prevent the dismantling of services and the establishment of temporary administrative structures ahead of possible nationwide reforms.
- Status
- In progress
- Submitted
- 8 Oct 2026
- Latest event
- 14 Oct 2026
- Votes
- 0
- Speeches
- 4
- Source
- eduskunta.fi ↗
What is proposed
The deadline for the exemption procedure concerning the organisation of environmental healthcare will be extended by five years, from the end of 2027 to the end of 2032. At the same time, the absolute duration of the agreement will be abolished, allowing the arrangement to be terminated earlier if necessary. The possibility will not be extended to new areas; it will remain available only to the current operators.
What it means
In practice, the change applies to the North Karelia Wellbeing Services County and its 13 municipalities, which include Joensuu, Lieksa and Kitee. The county will be able to continue its current operating model, under which the wellbeing services county is responsible for supervision and veterinary care with full municipal funding. The municipalities will not need to rush to set up new co-operation areas, and the act is intended to enter into force on 1 January 2027.
How Parliament voted
Consideration is ongoing: Parliament has not yet voted on the bill in plenary.
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.
4 speeches · 4 speakers · 1 debate
Key points of the debate
The debate addressed North Karelia's possibility to continue organising municipal environmental healthcare within the wellbeing services county until 2032. The proposal met with complete consensus, and extending the exemption period was considered sensible to safeguard well-functioning services and prevent unnecessary bureaucracy. However, the opposition called for clarity on when a permanent nationwide solution will be prepared.
- National Coalition PartyIn favour
Extending the deadline prevents unnecessary temporary administrative arrangements and safeguards the continuity of services in North Karelia ahead of potential nationwide reforms.
”Tavoitteena on turvata palvelujen jatkuvuus sekä mahdollistaa mahdollisten tulevien järjestämisratkaisujen toteuttaminen hallitusti.”
— Karoliina Partanen - Finns PartyIn favour
Extending the exemption period provides peace to work on national policy guidelines, saves tax money and prevents the emergence of unnecessary bureaucracy.
”Tämä on erittäin kannatettava esitys, ja muutenkin se byrokratian purku joka paikassa olisi erittäin järkevää.”
— Minna Reijonen - Social DemocratsIn favour
There is no reason to dismantle a functioning system simply because of a previously set deadline, but an equitable and long-term comprehensive solution is needed for the entire country.
”Pidän perusteltuna, että Pohjois-Karjalassa voidaan jatkaa ympäristöterveydenhuollon nykyistä järjestämismallia vuoden 2032 loppuun saakka.”
— Hanna Laine-Nousimaa
This digest was generated by AI from 4 speeches 15 Oct 2026. Group positions are read from the speeches, not from votes; quotations were checked verbatim against the record.
Keskustelu päättyi. Asia lähetettiin sosiaali- ja terveysvaliokuntaan.
Stages of consideration
The bill's path from the preliminary debate to the decision, as recorded by Parliament.
- 8 Oct 2026Eduskuntakäsittelyn vireilletulo · Sosiaali- ja terveysministeriö
- 14 Oct 2026Lähetekeskustelu · Täysistunto
Decisions by law proposal1
- 1Laki sosiaali- ja terveydenhuoltoa ja pelastustoimea koskevan uudistuksen toimeenpanosta ja sitä koskevan lainsäädännön voimaanpanosta annetun lain 65 §:n muuttamisesta
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 sosiaali- ja terveydenhuoltoa ja pelastustoimea koskevan uudistuksen toimeenpanosta ja sitä koskevan lainsäädännön voimaanpanosta annetun lain 65 §:n muuttamisesta
Eduskunnan päätöksen mukaisesti muutetaan sosiaali- ja terveydenhuoltoa ja pelastustoimea koskevan uudistuksen toimeenpanosta ja sitä koskevan lainsäädännön voimaanpanosta annetun lain (616/2021) 65 §:n 2 momentti seuraavasti:
65 §Ympäristöterveydenhuollon tehtävien siirtäminen hyvinvointialueille eräissä tapauksissa
Edellä 1 momentissa tarkoitettu sopimus ympäristöterveydenhuollon tehtävien hoitamisesta on tehtävä 30 päivään kesäkuuta 2022 mennessä ja se voi olla voimassa enintään 31 päivään joulukuuta 2032. Sopimuksen tulee sisältää määräykset menettelystä sopimuksen päättyessä.
§
Tämä laki tulee voimaan päivänä kuuta 20 .
Main content of the bill (official)
The summary and title were produced with AI on 15 Oct 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.