Governance and citizenship

Finland has embarked on a self-government experiment in the region of Kainuu. For the first time on the Finnish mainland, a democratically elected regional council will be granted administrative power that has traditionally been the domain of the state administration and its regional representatives.

 

A number of reasons have led to the self-government experiment in Kainuu: declining and ageing population, declining entrepreneurial activity and employment, and a weakening municipal economy. In addition, existing administrative and budgeting practices were not considered sufficient to provide support for the initiation of major industrial and business development projects in the region.

 

The Act relating to the regional self-government experiment in Kainuu was passed in the Finnish Parliament in February 2003, and will take force on 1 January 2005.

 

As of that date, the region will be responsible for health care and social services, as well as vocational and upper secondary education and professional adult education. Also, regional industrial policy, regional planning and development will fall under regional authority. Regional administration will also apply expediency consideration to pass decisions on the use of significant national development funds and EU structural funds, allotting these to their designated purposes. In the national budget for 2005, all national funding for the development of Kainuu will for the first time be grouped into a single subsection.

 

A new body : The regional council

 

The highest authority at the regional level will reside with the regional council, elected for a four-year term. 39 councillors will be elected by secret and direct ballot, in accordance with the principles of proportional representation. The first election will be arranged at the same time as the municipal councillors' election in October 2004.

 

The Kainuu region has 9 municipalities with an area nearly equalling Belgium, but only a population of 85,000.

 

Note : There is one autonomous province in Finland : the island of Aland has its own legislative assembly whose members are elected by direct universal suffrage.

 

Link to Kainuu region website

 

Contact the association of Finnish local and regional authorities