FINLAND Law and Practice Contributed by: Jussi Laasonen and Saara Järvinen, Ruoholahti Law
caused by nuclear accidents in so far as liability for such damage falls within the scope of international conventions ratified by the member states. The new Product Liability Directive expands the scope of compensable damage under product liability to cover, in addition to personal injury and property dam - age, damage to property used partly for professional purposes. Furthermore, there will no longer be a lower limit on compensation for damages. The new Directive does not introduce particularly sig - nificant changes to the currently applicable Finnish Product Liability Act, as many of the amendments are already included in existing legislation. For example, under current law, damages already cover both tan - gible and intangible losses. Under the new Directive, the circle of liable parties is also extended to include the importer of a defective products or components, the manufacturer’s author - ised representative and, where there is no importer or authorised representative established within the EU, the fulfilment service provider. In addition, the new Directive introduces changes to limitation periods in product liability matters. Along - side the existing three-year and ten-year limitation periods, a new final maximum limitation period of 25 years will apply in situations where the injured party has been unable to bring proceedings within ten years due to the latency of personal injury. The Directive also introduces procedural reforms, such as obligations relating to the disclosure of evi - dence, presumptions, and alleviations of the burden of proof in certain circumstances. These changes are justified, among other reasons, by the disadvantaged position of claimants seeking compensation com - pared with product manufacturers in terms of access to and understanding of relevant information. Product Safety In Finland, national product safety legislation was reformed in 2025 following the entry into force of the new EU General Product Safety Regulation (EU) 2023/988 (GPSR). The previous Product Safety Direc - tive had been drafted before the widespread emer -
gence of digital commerce and smart devices, which led the EU to recognise the need for a modern regula - tory framework. Under the GPSR, the concept of safe - ty is expanded beyond physical hazards to include cybersecurity risks, impacts on mental health, and software modifications. 3.2 Future Policy in Product Liability and Finland is currently undertaking a legislative reform project to implement the new Product Liability Direc - tive (EU) 2024/2853. The implementation of the Direc - tive into the laws of member states will require national amendments, in Finland at least, to the Product Liabil - ity Act (649/1990) and the Consumer Protection Act (38/1978). The legislative amendments are scheduled to enter into force on 9 December 2026. Product Safety Product Liability The purpose of these reforms is to modernise product liability legislation so that it reflects the contempo - rary digital era and extensive distribution networks. In future, the definition of a “product” will be broader and will also encompass, for example, various forms of software and artificial intelligence systems. The new legislation also expands the range of parties liable for damage beyond its previous scope. In addition, the new regulatory framework will ease the burden of proof borne by injured claimants in legal proceedings. Product Safety The EU General Product Safety Regulation (EU) 2023/988 (GPSR) entered into force on 13 December 2024. The Regulation has introduced changes to the requirements applicable to general consumer goods and to the obligations of economic operators. It is closely connected with other relevant EU legislation, such as the Market Surveillance Regulation and the Digital Services Act. Although the GPSR is directly applicable law in all EU member states, Finland has, as a result of the Regula - tion, also enacted new national legislation, the Con - sumer Product Safety Act (184/2025) and the Con - sumer Services Safety Act (185/2025), while repealing previously applicable legislation. These provisions do not cover risks to property, meaning that the obliga - tions and supervision established under this legislative
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