FINLAND Law and Practice Contributed by: Tarja Pirinen, Marius af Schultén, Fiiu Linninen and Konsta Peussa, Castrén & Snellman
with a designated contact authority co-ordinating the procedure, ensuring proper scoping and facilitating public participation through hearings and consultation rounds. The EIA process produces a reasoned conclu - sion that summarises the anticipated environmental impacts and proposed mitigation measures, which must be annexed to all relevant permit decisions. The Finnish Supervisory Agency is required to integrate this conclusion into its decision-making and ensure it remains current throughout the permitting process, with the EIA serving as a critical information-gather - ing tool that informs both the authority and the public about potential environmental consequences rather than itself constituting a decision. Permit Co-Ordination Certain mining permits can be co-ordinated with envi - ronmental, water and mineral aggregate permits under co-ordination legislation, streamlining the approval process. Binding municipal land-use plans (general and detailed plans) govern permitted uses, with build - ing permits administered by municipal building super - vision authorities. 2.2 Impact of Environmentally Protected Areas on Mining Strict Protection Zones National parks, nature reserves and Natura 2000 sites receive strict protection under Finnish law. Exploration permits cannot be granted for national parks or nature reserves under the Mining Act’s statutory exclusions. Extraction activities are prohibited in these areas, though limited geological research may be authorised if it does not endanger the protection purposes. The Nature Conservation Act provides for exemp - tion permits in exceptional circumstances, allowing derogations from strict protection requirements where imperative reasons of overriding public interest can be demonstrated and no alternative solutions exist. Mining Act Permit Obstacles The Mining Act establishes several statutory grounds that prevent the granting of mining permits in protected areas. A mining permit cannot be granted if the activ - ity would conflict with binding land-use plans, pose national security risks, or cause substantial harm to another livelihood. For exploration permits, the activity
must avoid significant environmental harms, material changes to natural conditions, or essential damage to rare or valuable natural occurrences. Environmental impacts are governed by the Environmental Protec - tion Act and the environmental permit. However, the Environmental Protection Act and Nature Conserva - tion Act will also be considered when granting permits under the Mining Act. Wilderness Areas Wilderness areas, which largely overlap with Natura 2000 designations, require Government authorisation for mining permits on state-owned land. Reservation Area Restrictions Reservation areas designated for mining purposes must exclude national parks and nature reserves. When establishing reservation areas, the Finnish Supervisory Agency must assess potential conflicts with protected areas and ensure that reservation does not undermine existing conservation objectives or restrict future protection measures. 2.3 Impact of Community Relations on Mining Projects Statutory Public Participation The Mining Act requires statutory public notice of applications, with documents accessible for at least 30 days and opportunities for objections and opinions from affected parties. Tukes must hold a public meet - ing for mining permit applications or modifications and continuations unless clearly unnecessary. These meetings provide an opportunity for the applicant to present the project, for authorities to explain the permitting process, and for affected parties to raise concerns and ask questions directly. Operator’s Duty to Organise Annual Meetings Annual public meetings are mandatory for both exploration permit holders and mining permit hold - ers. Exploration permit holders must report on com - pleted research work and results, environmental and other impacts of completed research, future research work, and estimated environmental and other impacts of future research. Mining permit holders must pre - sent the exploitation schedule, scope and results of the deposit, notify of any material changes to mineral
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