Law of Finland
The
As a member of the European Union, European Union law is in force in Finland, and Finland implements EU directives in its national legislation. The Court of Justice of the European Union is the ultimate authority in matters in the competence of the European Union.
As in Sweden, administrative law is interpreted by a separate administrative court system. Besides law proper, i.e. acts of parliament (laki), permanent government decrees (asetus) form an important body of law. Issued if permitted by an act of parliament, the decrees may clarify acts and guide implementation thereof, but not contradict them.
History
Finnish law and legal traditions are based on
Due to
Enacting laws
Acts of Parliament form the main body of the law. In the typical procedure, the Finnish Government proposes a bill to the Parliament of Finland. When the act is amended and approved by the Parliament, the act is submitted to the President of Finland for presidential assent. Once the President signs the act, it becomes law. The President can exercise a right of veto, but the veto can be overridden by the Parliament with a simple majority.
Decrees are based on an authorization for delegation stipulated in an act of parliament. Decrees can be issued by the Finnish Government, President of Finland and individual ministries. They are enacted by the President in session with the Government (presidentin esittely).
The European Union can issue both Regulations, which immediately become law in the member states, and Directives, which are implemented as Acts of Parliament by the Parliament of Finland.
Publication of laws
Finland does not have a single unified civil code, unlike e.g. France or Germany. All laws are published in the official journal Suomen säädöskokoelma (the Statutes of Finland) when promulgated. Most law is available from the online Finlex database, published by Edita Publishing Oy, and in a two-volume book set Suomen laki, published by Talentum Media. These collections are however not exhaustive.
See also
References
- Sarvilinna, Sami. In Winterton and Moys (eds). Information Sources in Law. Second Edition. Bowker-Saur. 1997. Chapter Ten: Finland. Pages 163 to 176.
- ^ Oy, Edita Publishing. "FINLEX ® - Ajantasainen lainsäädäntö: 1734". www.finlex.fi.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-09-29. Retrieved 2017-09-29.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Oy, Edita Publishing. "FINLEX ® - Ajantasainen lainsäädäntö: Rikoslaki 39/1889". www.finlex.fi.
External links
- Guide to Law Online - Finland from the Library of Congress.
- Finlex database - official translations of statutes and ordinances on Finlex