FINLAND Trends and Developments Contributed by: Tarja Pirinen, Marius af Schultén, Fiiu Linninen and Noora Ahonen, Castrén & Snellman
In the future, the processing of an exploration permit, mining permit or gold panning permit under the Mining Act may, at the applicant’s request or with their con - sent, be co-ordinated with the processing of a permit application under the Environmental Protection Act or the Water Act. In practice, separate applications are still submitted for the matters and separate decisions issued, but the permit processes can be streamlined through a joint hearing procedure. In addition, authori - ties must co-operate as necessary to ensure the com - patibility of permit conditions, which can clarify the relationship between mining permits and environmen - tal permits and mitigate the issue that has so far been associated with the fact that permit conditions can partly overlap, or even counter one another. As part of the single-window approach, the Ministry of the Environment has also been working on improving the efficiency of the EIA procedure. The aim is that the procedure, as originally intended, should focus only on the significant environmental impacts of the pro - ject, their identification and assessment. In addition, for upgrading existing installations, the EIA assess - ment should be more limited to the effects of a change compared to the original project. This would acceler - ate processes and ease the administrative burden on both operators and the relevant environmental author - ities as, currently, the scope of EIA procedures has continuously been expanded and the detail required in related documentation has been excessive. The aforementioned legislative projects on the new permit and supervisory authority and the single- window approach have been part of a larger project concerning permitting service implementation. Work to streamline permitting procedures has also been carried out across numerous other projects including: • the contact point for net zero industry projects and prioritisation of strategic projects; • the contact point for projects concerning critical raw materials and prioritisation of strategic pro - jects; • environmental targets for water resources manage - ment and the process for derogation from these; and
• several other projects implementing the Govern - ment Programme entries concerning permitting procedures and streamlining. Increased Focus on Environmental and Social Responsibility and the Goal of Responsible Mining Operations At the same time, with the efforts to streamline per - mitting and other administrative processes related to mining operations, aspects of environmental and social responsibility have gained in importance in min - ing projects, and sustainability and the circular econ - omy are enduring drivers for the industry. Ensuring effective integration of mined and recycled material loops will be one of Finland’s next challenges, and recycling has become one of the key focuses of R&D. The legislation governing mining has been amended in various ways in recent years. The most recent major reforms came into force in June 2023, driven particu - larly by objectives to enhance environmental protec - tion and strengthen local participation (which can be seen as broader responses to challenges regard - ing the social acceptability of the mining sector), as well as by the evolving role of mining within interna - tional geopolitics and the clean transition materials economy. The need for raw materials and associated environmental, processing and recycling solutions is growing, which has also been identified as a signifi - cant growth opportunity for Finland. The reforms sought to strengthen local participation, safeguard business prospects and enhance environ - mental considerations. Since the reforms, the granting of a mining permit has been subject to a land-use plan approved by the local municipality, and other econom - ic activities must be given greater weight in permit assessment. The conditions for extending explora - tion permits were tightened to strengthen the posi - tion of property owners and reduce inconvenience to local residents. To enhance national security, mining and exploration permits may not be granted if activ - ity is deemed to endanger national defence, security of supply or the operation of infrastructure essential to society. Transparency and information rights have been improved through mandatory annual open public meetings. The reforms have also consolidated land - scape, environmental and biodiversity considerations
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