ASSESSMENT OF LOBBY RULES/FINLAND

Finland

• Mandatory
• Broad definition of lobbying
• Minimum 5 lobby contacts per calendar year. Register has been operational since the 1st of January 2024 (130 registrations as of February 2024). No Code of Conduct foreseen on the register. Disclosure of interactions available from 1st of July 2024.
• Register of lobbyists- Scope Legislative & Executive Branches
• Register categorties: Identificfation, activity field, connected organizations, intermediaries, client names and turnover.
• Key information available

Recommendation

The Transparency Act is scheduled to enter into force following parliamentary approval and an electronic register is currently being developed.

Note

In 2024, Finland was the first Nordic country to establish a statutory transparency register. The Finnish Parliament approved the contents of the proposed act on a statutory transparency register on 21 February 2023. The new act is aimed at increasing the transparency of lobbying that targets preparation and decision-making at the parliamentary and ministerial level. The act also affirms the role of lobbying as a valid and respectable part of democratic law- and decision-making.