FINLAND Law and Practice Contributed by: Tarja Pirinen, Marius af Schultén, Fiiu Linninen and Konsta Peussa, Castrén & Snellman
Castrén & Snellman Attorneys Ltd Eteläesplanadi 14 00131 Helsinki Finland Tel: +358 40 350 7797 Email: tarja.pirinen@castren.fi Web: www.castren.fi
1. Mining Law: General Framework 1.1 Main Features of the Mining Industry Geological Foundation and Scale Finland sits on the Fennoscandian Shield, which pro - vides strong geological potential for mineral explo - ration. In 2024, mining activity was reported by 22 operators at around 44 mines, comprising both metal - lic ore and industrial mineral operations. Exploration activity was reported by 60 operators, and activity was particularly concentrated in Northern Finland. Production and Commodities Mining production in Finland is dominated by a few large operations, which account for the majority of the total volume. Finland produces base metals including chromium, zinc, copper, cobalt and nickel, precious metals such as gold, silver and platinum group met - als, and industrial minerals including apatite, lime - stone, talc and soapstone. Several of these minerals are designated as EU critical or strategic raw mate - rials. Finland also has a strong refining sector, pro - ducing processed metals in greater quantities than the amount of the raw materials mined domestically. Despite significant domestic production, Finland also imports metal concentrates on a large scale to sup -
Business Finland has stated that 80% of mines world - wide have a Finnish component. This highlights Fin - land’s technological expertise and global influence in mining equipment and technology, which extends the economic benefits beyond direct mining operations to include machinery manufacturing, equipment, tech - nology services, research, and training. According to the 2023 mining sector report, in 2022 the mining sector in Finland employed approximately 6,000 people and generated around EUR3 billion in turnover. According to the Finnish Mining Association, it has just under 60 member companies. These include mining operators, contractors, suppliers of machin - ery and equipment, service providers and exploration companies, which employ a total of approximately 8,000 people. 1.2 Legal System and Sources of Mining Law Legal System Finland operates a civil law system, with the Adminis - trative Procedure Act ( Hallintolaki 34/2003) as a gen - eral law governing procedures across permit applica - tions in addition to a number of special laws, and the Administrative Judicial Procedure Act ( Laki oikeuden- käynnistä hallintoasioissa 808/2019) governing judicial proceedings in the general administrative courts. Core Mining Legislation The Mining Act ( Kaivoslaki 621/2011) entered into force on 1 July 2011 and has been amended several times. The most recent substantive reforms (Act 505/2023) strengthen municipal planning requirements, envi - ronmental and community provisions, protections for the Sámi people, and public information duties. The
port its refining industry. Economic Contribution
The mining sector clearly makes a substantial con - tribution to Finland’s economy, both directly through employment and sales, and indirectly through its sup - port of advanced manufacturing, technology develop - ment, and regional economic resilience.
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