Government bills47
- HE 99/2026 vpPassed
Video recording of court evidence
Oral evidence presented in district courts will begin to be recorded on video, which can be utilised directly on appeal without rehearing witnesses. At the same time, deadlines for submitting electronic documents to courts will be clarified.
22 Jun 2026 · 1 voteOnly vote · Proposed statement
125 jaa62 ei - HE 36/2026 vpPassed with amendments
Strengthening primary producers' position
Favouring retailers' private labels and unfair contract terms will be prohibited in the food supply chain to protect farmers and food companies. In addition, the protection of suppliers' business information and recipes against demands from buyers will be strengthened.
15 Jun 2026 · passed without a vote - HE 187/2025 vpPassed with amendments
Expanding and streamlining plea bargaining
Plea bargaining will be expanded to cover aggravated narcotics offences, aggravated robberies and aggravated human trafficking. A person suspected of an offence can receive a more lenient sentence by confessing to their act, which speeds up and eases the judicial process.
13 May 2026 · passed without a vote - HE 170/2025 vpPassed with amendments
Protection against cross-border harassment lawsuits
A new act will protect journalists, researchers and civil society organisations from unfounded lawsuits brought with the intention of silencing them in cross-border civil cases. Courts would be able to dismiss a harassment lawsuit at an early stage, require security for legal costs from the claimant, and impose a penalty fee on the claimant.
22 Apr 2026 · passed without a vote - HE 89/2025 vpPassed with amendments
Simplified court procedure for small tenancy disputes
A simplified court procedure for residential tenancy disputes and evictions will be established in the district courts. The reform lowers the threshold for bringing and contesting a claim by capping the losing party's liability for legal costs.
17 Apr 2026 · passed without a vote - HE 188/2025 vpPassed with amendments
Speeding up criminal proceedings
The handling of criminal cases will be streamlined and expedited across the entire criminal process chain, from pre-trial investigation to court. More criminal cases can be resolved in written proceedings without an oral hearing or in the absence of the defendant.
9 Apr 2026 · passed without a vote - HE 103/2026 vpIn progress
Flexible compositions for administrative courts
The decision-making compositions of administrative courts, the Supreme Administrative Court and the Insurance Court will be reformed to speed up case processing. Simpler matters can be resolved in lighter compositions than before, while new reinforced compositions will be established for extensive questions and matters of principle.
10 Sep 2026 · no votes yet - HE 32/2025 vpPassed
Supervising media mergers and ownership
Major media mergers will also be assessed from the perspective of media pluralism and editorial independence. At the same time, information on the ownership of media companies and public sector advertising expenditure in the media will be made more transparent.
17 Jun 2025 · passed without a vote - HE 172/2021 vpPassed with amendments
Forced marriage annulment and child marriage restrictions
A marriage entered into under duress could be dissolved by annulment, returning the person's marital status to what it was prior to the marriage. In addition, marriages entered into abroad while a minor would be recognised in Finland only in exceptional cases if one of the spouses was living in Finland when the marriage was entered into.
20 Feb 2023 · 1 voteOnly vote · Lausumaehdotus, mietintö / Pihla Keto-Huovinen
125 jaa36 ei - HE 152/2024 vpPassed with amendments
Developing the Supreme Court precedent system
The Supreme Court's opportunities to issue precedents that guide judicial practice would be improved by establishing two new procedures. Lower courts could request a ruling from the Supreme Court on an unclear legal issue directly during proceedings, and the Supreme Court could also decide precedent issues in cases where a court of appeal has refused leave for continued consideration.
12 Mar 2025 · passed without a vote - HE 63/2024 vpPassed with amendments
Expanding remote connections in court proceedings
Courts will be able to hold hearings entirely via remote connections, and judges will also be able to participate in hearings remotely. In addition, hearing parties, witnesses and experts via remote connection will be made easier and more flexible.
28 Nov 2024 · passed without a vote - HE 23/2024 vpPassed with amendments
Technical update of appeal provisions
Provisions on appeal in acts under the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment will be updated to correspond to the current Act on Administrative Judicial Procedure. The amendments are mainly technical and will not alter current appeal practices.
29 May 2024 · passed without a vote - HE 3/2023 vpPassed
Correcting fees in summary civil cases
A technical error in the Court Fees Act will be corrected so that the processing fee for certain summary civil cases does not inadvertently increase. The lower fee will be retained for cases decided on the basis of admission or that are discontinued.
9 Jun 2023 · passed without a vote - HE 190/2017 vpPassed with amendments
Centralising uncontested debt collection
The processing of uncontested debt collection and eviction cases will be centralised in nine district courts across the country. At the same time, businesses and professional debt collectors will be required to submit their applications electronically.
9 May 2018 · 1 voteOnly vote · 10 luvun 17 a §, mietintö / Kymäläinen
98 jaa67 ei - HE 93/2022 vpPassed
Harmonising appeal routes for administrative decisions
Appeals against administrative decisions issued by authorities and courts will initially be lodged with an administrative court rather than directly with the Supreme Administrative Court. The reform will clarify appeals and guarantee two-tier legal protection for the parties involved.
2 Feb 2023 · passed without a vote - HE 201/2022 vpPassed
Easier adjustment of litigation costs
Courts will be able to reduce the opposing party's legal costs payable by the losing party in a civil case with a lower threshold than before. The reform will reduce the financial risk associated with litigation and lower the threshold for taking cases to court.
17 Jan 2023 · passed without a vote - HE 111/2022 vpPassed
Class actions by consumer organisations
Organisations promoting consumer interests will be granted the right to bring class actions and claim compensation from businesses on behalf of a group of consumers. In addition, a procedure will be established enabling authorities and organisations to prohibit conduct contrary to consumer protection legislation both domestically and cross-border.
13 Dec 2022 · passed without a vote - HE 71/2019 vpPassed with amendments
Adjusting after-care age limits
The final payout age for child welfare independent living allowance will rise to 25 and the definition of a young person will expand to cover 18–24-year-olds. At the same time, it is clarified that extended after-care applies to children and young people who are receiving support at the start of 2020.
19 Dec 2019 · passed without a vote - HE 131/2022 vpPassed
Reimbursing legal costs of wellbeing services county employees
Employees of wellbeing services counties and joint county authorities for wellbeing services would be entitled to reimbursement of their legal costs if criminal charges or compensation claims brought against them in relation to their work duties are dismissed. The amendment would put wellbeing services county personnel in the same position as municipal employees.
28 Oct 2022 · passed without a vote - HE 93/2019 vpWithdrawn
Correcting the Church Act bill
The earlier proposal for a new Church Act is corrected and supplemented in accordance with a proposal from the General Synod. The corrections concern family leave for officeholders, employer liability for damages, and appeal procedures.
30 Jun 2022 · no votes