Government bills20
- HE 42/2025 vpPassed with amendments
Speeding up renewable energy permitting
Permitting for renewable energy plants will be accelerated by setting binding processing time limits for authorities. In addition, renewable energy acceleration areas will be established in Finland, where environmental assessments and permit processes for projects will be streamlined.
23 Jun 2025 · passed without a vote - HE 41/2025 vpPassed with amendments
Centralising and streamlining environmental permits
Environmental permit and assessment procedures will be brought together under the new national Licensing and Supervisory Agency, allowing different permits to be processed at once in the same place. The reform will accelerate and streamline permitting for investments and extend the priority processing of green transition projects.
19 Jun 2025 · 6 votesClosest vote · Proposed statement 2
121 jaa62 ei - HE 120/2022 vpPassed
Transferring international environmental assessments to Syke
Practical official duties relating to transboundary environmental impact assessments will be transferred from the Ministry of the Environment to the Finnish Environment Institute. At the same time, provisions will be enacted on the online publication of personal data in old assessment documents, and the obligation to assess public authorities' plans will be clarified.
20 Oct 2022 · passed without a vote - HE 196/2024 vpPassed
Accelerating permit procedures for critical raw materials
Raw material projects deemed strategic by the EU will be given priority in the processing of environmental and water permits and before the courts. In addition, the Regional State Administrative Agency for Northern Finland will become a nationwide single point of contact that coordinates permit procedures and monitors their time limits.
11 Dec 2024 · passed without a vote - HE 21/2023 vpPassed with amendments
Specifying environmental requirements for power lines
The environmental impacts of route selection and construction methods will be taken into account more closely in expropriation permits for major power lines and pipelines. Authorities will be able to impose binding environmental conditions on projects, compliance with which will be supervised by the ELY Centres (Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment).
8 Dec 2023 · 4 votesClosest vote · Mietintö / Helena Marttila
119 jaa56 ei - HE 293/2018 vpPassed with amendments
More flexible mining permit applications
An applicant for an exploration permit, mining permit, or gold panning permit will obtain priority to the area even if environmental and Natura assessments have not yet been attached to the application. These assessments may be submitted as supplementary material after lodging the application, before a decision on the permit is made.
19 Mar 2019 · 2 votes89 jaa79 ei - HE 109/2022 vpLapsed
Stricter environmental requirements for power lines
More detailed environmental conditions will be set in the expropriation permit procedure for the route selection and construction of major power lines and gas transmission pipelines. The ELY Centres (Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment) will begin supervising compliance with the environmental requirements that are set.
5 Apr 2023 · no votes - HE 71/2022 vpPassed
Reforming expropriation notification and consultation
Notifications in expropriation permit procedures will be moved from municipal notice boards to official websites. At the same time, the opportunity for members of the public to express their views on expropriation projects will be clarified.
23 Jun 2022 · passed without a vote - HE 197/2021 vpPassed with amendments
Updating aviation rules and drone surveillance
Aviation legislation will be updated to align with European Union regulations, and the powers of authorities and airports will be clarified. Penalties will be introduced for safety infringements involving drones, or unmanned aircraft, and the detection of unauthorised drones at airports will be facilitated.
17 Dec 2021 · passed without a vote - HE 169/2021 vpPassed with amendments
Expanding appeal rights for chemical permits
Environmental and health organisations as well as municipalities will obtain the right to appeal permit decisions concerning dangerous chemicals and explosives. In addition, the flow of information and consideration of transboundary environmental impacts will be improved in permit procedures for industrial, mining and nuclear energy projects.
15 Dec 2021 · 1 voteOnly vote · Perustelut , mietintö / Sanni Grahn-Laasonen
118 jaa25 ei - HE 121/2021 vpPassed with amendments
Renewable energy requirements for construction
A minimum 38 per cent share of renewable energy in purchased energy will be required for new buildings and buildings undergoing major renovation. In addition, environmental organisations will be granted a right of appeal against building permits in projects requiring a statutory environmental impact assessment.
29 Oct 2021 · 3 votesClosest vote · Lausumaehdotus, mietintö / Petri Huru 2
101 jaa72 ei - HE 138/2021 vpPassed
Extending main road safety requirements
Safety assessment and monitoring of key highways will be tightened. Road safety inspections and planning must also take better account of pedestrians and cyclists.
27 Oct 2021 · passed without a vote - HE 50/2021 vpPassed
Clarifying environmental impact assessments and consultations
Legislation on environmental impact assessment will be specified to better align with the requirements of the EU directive. Procedures will be clarified, particularly regarding the consultation of authorities and transboundary projects.
2 Jun 2021 · passed without a vote - HE 241/2016 vpPassed
Clarifying assessment of cross-border planning impacts
Finnish land use planning rules will be clarified in the event that a plan has significant environmental impacts on the territory of another state. Notification of and consultations with neighbouring states will be regulated in greater detail than before.
7 Dec 2016 · passed without a vote - HE 9/2020 vpPassed with amendments
Revising water management and data collection
Deadlines for achieving the environmental objectives of river basin management plans could be extended beyond 2027 if improvements in the status of waters are delayed due to natural conditions. In addition, the act will lay down clear rules on the right of authorities and private operators to collect environmental data on land and water areas.
27 Mar 2020 · passed without a vote - HE 73/2019 vpPassed
Digitalising environmental administration public notices
Public notices and notifications by environmental authorities will be transferred from physical notice boards to the authorities' websites. At the same time, the old procedure of posting decisions on notice boards will be discontinued.
11 Dec 2019 · passed without a vote - HE 269/2018 vpPassed with amendments
Coordinating and streamlining environmental permit procedures
At the applicant's request, different official permits for projects with an environmental impact may be coordinated in time on a one-stop-shop principle. The reform will combine consultations, requests for statements and processing stages for several permits into a single unified process.
22 May 2019 · passed without a vote - HE 102/2018 vpPassed
Updating the environmental impact assessment list
The list of projects requiring an environmental impact assessment (EIA) will be updated to better correspond to the EU directive and current technology. Certain large projects will fall directly under the assessment procedure, while the size thresholds for some projects will be raised.
17 Dec 2018 · 5 votesClosest vote · Lausumaehdotus, mietintö / Silvia Modig 2
117 jaa66 ei - HE 10/2017 vpPassed with amendments
Streamlining mining permit procedures
Permit procedures and official obligations in the mining and exploration sector will be eased and streamlined. Authorities will be given more discretion over the scope of procedures, and unnecessary administrative burdens will be dismantled.
28 Apr 2017 · 1 voteOnly vote · Perustelut, mietintö / Satu Hassi
88 jaa33 ei - HE 259/2016 vpPassed with amendments
Streamlining environmental assessments and permits
Environmental impact assessments and permit processes for large projects would be streamlined under a new act. The assessment procedure could be combined with land-use planning and assessments under the Nature Conservation Act to avoid overlap.
10 Apr 2017 · passed without a vote