Preparation of transparency register begins

The Government has appointed a parliamentary steering group and a working group operating under its authority to prepare a proposal on a statutory transparency register (lobbyist register) to be established in Finland.

The purpose of the transparency register is to supplement Finland's legislation on the openness of government activities and to improve the transparency of public administration. In the first stage, the register will concern decision-making at the central government level, but it may later be extended to also cover local and regional government.

The legislation to be prepared will impose a registration obligation on organisations and individuals engaged in lobbying activities.

During the legislative project, the following will be defined:

• what constitutes lobbying, in other words, what kinds of influence activities oblige actors to register
• what kinds of actors are obliged to register
• who are the targets of such influence activities that are considered lobbying
• information to be entered in the register
• technical implementation and oversight of the register.

Citizens’ fundamental rights and freedoms will be taken into account in the preparation. The transparency register must not hinder grassroots civic engagement or prevent Members of Parliament from carrying out their duties as representatives. In addition, the transparency register must be easy to use, public and accessible.

A strong emphasis will be placed on active communication and extensive consultation during the preparation of the transparency register. The project will be carried out in close cooperation with relevant stakeholders, and the entire preparation process will be as open and transparent as possible.

The act on the transparency register is scheduled to enter into force in 2023, and the aim is to introduce an electronic register at the same time.

The project for establishing a transparency register is part of the national democracy programme outlined in the Government Programme of Prime Minister Marin (National Democracy Programme 2025), which will bring together the numerous measures of the Government Programme concerning civil society and participation. 

Inquiries:
Malin Brännkärr, State Secretary, tel. +358 40 534 7727, [email protected]
Markus Lohi, Member of Parliament, chair of the steering group, tel. +358 400 692 682, [email protected]
Niklas Wilhelmsson, Head of Unit, chair of the expert working group, tel. +358 2951 50348, [email protected]

Follow the progress of the project in the Gateway to Information on Government Projects

Government decisions (in Finnish)