The Finnish Ministry of Justice has a broad remit with respect to EU matters. This page contains information on some of the sectors where the Ministry of Justice is competent or participates. Ministry of Justice's EU files are comprehensively listed in the Valmisteilla section of the Ministry's website (in Finnish).

Cooperation in civil law matters

EU civil law cooperation aims to ensure that borders between member states do not prevent the taking of decisions in civil law matters, the initiation of civil proceedings, or the enforcement of decisions issued in civil law matters. The Ministry of Justice considers it to be especially important that the EU regulation in civil law matters forms a clear and consistent entity.

Measures taken in the EU over the past few years include the facilitation of civil litigation in cross-border situations. The focuses of the EU civil law cooperation for 2010-2014 are defined in the Stockholm programme.

The Ministry of Justice also participates in the preparation of EU legislation in the fields of contract and tort law, such as compensation for environmental damage.

European Judicial Network in civil and commercial matters - information on the legal systems of EU member states and EU regulations in civil and commercial law.

• European Judicial Atlas in Civil Matters - national information and standard forms required for applying EU regulations to judicial cooperation in civil matters.
• Judicial cooperation in civil matters on the European Commission's web pages

Judicial cooperation in criminal matters

As concerns criminal justice, the Ministry of Justice's primary goals in the EU are: increasing the risk of arrest for those who have committed a crime, and the prevention of crime. The cornerstone of judicial cooperation in criminal matters is mutual recognition which, in practical terms, means that a Finnish court of law will recognise a decision taken by a court in another member state without examining it in substance.

The focuses of the EU judicial cooperation in criminal matters for 2010-2014 are defined in the Stockholm programme.  

• Judicial cooperation in criminal matters on the European Commission's web pages

Fundamental rights

The EU's legal system and all areas of its activity are based on the respect of fundamental rights. This is also the objective of the Ministry of Justice. In 2007, the European Parliament, Council and Commission signed and solemnly re-proclaimed the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. The Charter is meant to strengthen fundamental rights and to make them more visible in the EU. The Treaty of Lisbon, which entered into force on 1 December 2009, gives the rights, freedoms and principles listed in the Charter of Fundamental Rights the same legal value as the other provisions of the Treaties have.

The establishment of the European Fundamental Rights Agency was agreed in December 2006, during Finland's EU Presidency. The Ministry of Justice is still responsible for the preparation of EU regulations concerning data protection as well as for the preparation of the international commitments of the EU in Finland.

• Charter of Fundamental Rights of The European Union
• Fundamental Rights Agency website
• Fundamental Rights on the European Commission's web pages

Openness in the EU

The Ministry of Justice is responsible for files related to the transparency of EU operations. The regulation on access to EU documents, which came into force in 2001, is the cornerstone of transparency and openness in the Union. This regulation confirms the general principles of, and restrictions on, access to EU documents. The Ministry of Justice prepares every stance Finland takes on requests for documents based on this regulation. The requests may concern documents of either the European Parliament, the Commission or the Council.

In 2008, the Commission started a reform of the regulation on access to documents. Finland considers that the current regulation has worked well, and there is no reason to alter the basic solutions adopted therein. Finland's aim in the reform project is to ensure that EU institutions do not become less open.

• Seminar on the reform of Regulation on access to documents, arranged by the Ministry of Justice and the Finnish Parliament

Consumer protection and company law

Both the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Employment and the Economy are responsible for the preparation of EU consumer protection affairs. The matters falling under the Ministry of Justice's competence include the legal protection of consumer, contracts between a business and a consumer, and marketing. The duties of the Ministry of Employment and the Economy comprise inter alia general consumer policy, consumer information, consumer education as well as product safety.

• Consumer protection in the EU [www.europa.eu]
• Internal market [www.europa.eu]

EU programmes providing for grants

The EU supports the development of the area of freedom, security and justice through a number of programmes. The Ministry of Justice participates in the administration and management of three EU programmes:

- Specific Programme Civil Justice,
- Specific Programme Criminal Justice,
- Specific Programme Fundamental Rights and Citizenship.

• Programmes on the European Commission's web pages

Updated 26th January 2010