FINLAND Trends and Developments Contributed by: Tarja Pirinen, Marius af Schultén, Fiiu Linninen and Noora Ahonen, Castrén & Snellman
in the permit assessment process. The regulatory framework governing financial guarantees and mine closure was also tightened. The phased closure of mines will now be better integrated into operational planning, and final mine closure must be carried out responsibly. An evaluation study has now been launched to assess the impact of these reforms. The study will evalu - ate the effectiveness of the regulatory framework, improvements in environmental protection standards, the operating conditions for mines, and local accept - ability and participation. It will also examine the com - bined effects of other legislative initiatives affecting the sector. The findings of the study will be used to make proposals for improvements to the legislation if considered to be necessary. The increased focus on environmental responsibility has already been reflected in greater emphasis on the precautionary principle and the tightening of permit conditions in certain respects. In permit assessments, groundwater conditions, the adequacy of structures for preventing the risk of environmental pollution and assessment of long-term impacts, especially with respect to extractive waste and possible water dis - charges, are increasingly considered. In addition, permit assessments have emphasised closure dur - ing operations in areas where this is possible. Closure of areas during operations may indeed be critical for obtaining permits for new areas to be brought into use and for changes in operations. Finland’s water protection legislation was reformed in late 2024 to incorporate binding environmental objectives from the EU Water Framework Directive into national law, amending the Water Management and Marine Management Act, the Environmental Pro - tection Act, and the Water Act. The legislation now allows derogations from the environmental objectives during permit procedures for projects of overriding public interest, whereas, previously, such exemptions were only possible every six years when water man - agement plans were updated. Stricter environmental quality standards are expected following the EU Com - mission’s 2022 proposal for updated surface water quality norms, with standards for substances such as nickel being lowered, and Finland’s Environment
Institute proposing national standards for sulphate, aluminium, zinc, and copper. In addition, amend - ments to Finland’s environmental protection legisla - tion are currently being prepared to incorporate the revised Industrial Emissions Directive (“IED”). The key amendments to the IED concern, among other things, emission limits for industrial plants. The draft of the government’s proposal regarding the national amend - ments was published in December 2025 and the gov - ernment’s proposal is expected to be presented in spring 2026. The social acceptability of mining projects and the opportunities for local people to have an influence have been promoted by, among other things, the requirement that, since 1 June 2023, a precondi - tion for granting a mining permit has been that the mining activity is based on a master plan or detailed plan approved by the municipality. Although, in many cases, mine projects have also, in the past, been based on a master plan, planning processes could delay development as long the land-use planning procedure itself, and possible further appeals take time. In addition, the preparation of plans is based on political decision-making, and municipalities have a strong monopoly position regarding the kind of land- use plans they prepare for their areas and on what timetable, ie, the type of operations they wish to have in the municipality. It may be that mining projects are competing in the area – eg, with wind power or solar projects. However, in the new Land Use Act regulating land- use planning that is currently being prepared, efforts have been made to streamline the planning process by adding provisions on initiatives for preparing detailed and master plans, as well as on preparing plans involving co-operation between the municipality and the landowner. A landowner would have the right to submit a reasoned initiative to the municipality for the preparation or amendment of a detailed plan or a master plan that directly guides construction for an area they own. The municipality would be required to decide on accepting or rejecting the initiative in its multi-member body without undue delay and no later than four months from the receipt of the initiative.
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