Finnish court overturns Tampere’s €25.7m Särkänniemi investment

A Finnish administrative court has overturned Tampere’s decision to invest nearly €25.7 million in Särkänniemi, ruling the city failed to adequately assess whether the funding violated EU state aid rules.

The Hämeenlinna Administrative Court found the investment may constitute prohibited state aid, as the city did not demonstrate a private investor would have made the same decision under comparable conditions. The court had already suspended enforcement of the decision in March 2025.

The investment, approved by Tampere’s city council in December 2024, included land and cash to develop Särkänniemi’s amusement park area, with plans for a hotel, spa, cable car, water park, and multipurpose arena. The city had commissioned two consultant reports claiming the investment was market-compliant, but the court deemed them insufficient.

Tampere must now pay €390 in legal costs to the complainant. The ruling can be appealed to the Supreme Administrative Court if leave is granted.