Europe Day is celebrated annually on 9 May. The date marks the anniversary of French foreign minister Robert Schuman’s declaration in 1950, which laid the foundation for European cooperation. The ‘Schuman Declaration’ was made against the backdrop of the devastating World War II and cooperation was
Healthcare and social welfare are the most extensive local government functions and a central part of the Finnish system of welfare services. Everyone has a fundamental right to healthcare and social welfare services, and local authorities have the statutory responsibility to organise the healthcare
The goal for the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities' immigration policy is to ensure that cities and municipalities can function locally, regionally and internationally. To this end, they need to fully harness the skills of immigrants and see to that Finland's humanitarian
The Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities (AFLRA) has engaged in lobbying at EU level for a long time: the year 2022 marks 30 years since the opening of our Brussels Office. We led the way already before Finland joined the EU. Active lobbying in the EU is an increasingly important
Finland has 18 regions and the autonomous province of the Åland Islands. There are 309 municipalities and cities: 293 in continental Finland and 16 in the Åland Islands. Local authorities cooperate on a voluntary basis in various thematic areas that support regional development, for example in
Local government finances are an important part of Finland’s general government finances. Finnish cities and municipalities have a large degree of autonomy, for example the right to levy taxes and freedom to manage their own finances. The strategic objective of the municipalities’ policy on
The network started as a project in November 2021. It is funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment and coordinated by the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities. The network consists of Finland’s six largest cities: Espoo, Helsinki, Oulu, Tampere, Turku and Vantaa. The
The Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities (AFLRA) is a national lobbying organisation with expertise in almost all areas of life. We protect the interests of Finnish cities and municipalities, and an important part of that work is EU lobbying. Whenever I have a chance, I wish to
In early November, the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities (AFLRA) organised a remote meeting for the Finnish delegations of the European Committee of the Regions, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, and CEMR, the umbrella body of local
Municipal elections are held to elect councillors to municipal councils. The elections take place every four years, and the next municipal elections will be held in 2025. Then Finnish citizens aged 18 or over can choose who they want to represent them in municipal decision-making bodies. Municipal