The Finnish Legal System

1.

THE FINNISH
LEGAL SYSTEM
F inland has a R omano-German law system based
on laws and precedents.

2.

FUNDAMENTALS OF THE
LEGAL SYSTEM
The Constitutional law of Finland
The Constitution of F inland of 1 999 is the fundamental law of the
S tate.
Finnish civil law
Finnish civil law regulates property and non-property relations based
on the principles of freedom of contract and protection of private
property.
Finnish criminal law
The F innish Criminal Code of 201 2 defines a list of crimes and
penalties to which they may entail.

3.

THE JUDICIAL S Y S TEM
Courts of general jurisdiction
Administrative courts
F inland has a two-tier system of courts of
general jurisdiction. They consider criminal
and civil cases.
Administrative courts consider disputes
between citizens and public authorities.
S pecial courts
The S upreme Court
S pecial courts - labor, tax and insurance resolve disputes in their industry.
The S upreme Court is the highest judicial
authority that oversees the correctness of the
interpretation and application of laws by other
courts.

4.

LE GIS LATION
The Constitutional law of Finland
The 1 999 Constitution is the fundamental law of the country, defining
the foundations of the S tate and the rights of citizens.
Finnish civil law
Civil law regulates property and non-property relations based on the
principles of freedom of contract and protection of private property.
Finnish criminal law
The Criminal Code of 201 2 establishes a list of crimes and types of
penalties for committing offenses.

5.

HUMAN R IGHTS
Constitutional rights of citizens
The 1 999 Constitution guarantees the fundamental rights and freedoms of F innish
citizens.
The Finnish judicial system
The country's judicial system includes a two-tier system of courts of general jurisdiction
and specialized courts for resolving industry disputes.
Human rights legislation
F innish legislation fully complies with international human rights standards.

6.

CURRENT ISSUES
The Constitutional law of
Finland
The 1 999 Constitution defines the
foundations of the S tate structure,
the separation of powers and the
basic rights of citizens.
Finnish civil law
Finnish criminal law
Civil law regulates property and nonproperty relations between
individuals and legal entities on the
principles of freedom of contract.
Criminal law establishes a list of
crimes and punishments, and the
investigation of crimes is conducted
by courts of general jurisdiction.