Finnish government to review future of regional councils

Finland’s Minister of Local and Regional Government Anna-Kaisa Ikonen has announced an assessment of the role and future of the country’s 18 regional councils, public broadcaster Yle reports.

The councils, funded primarily by municipal membership fees, are tasked with promoting regional vitality, advocating for local interests, and coordinating inter-municipal cooperation. In 2023, membership fees totalled €55.8 million, with additional funding from EU and state sources. The councils employed 715 people that year.

Ikonen told Yle the review will support the work of a parliamentary working group on the future of municipalities, which is due to deliver an interim report in December. Final conclusions are expected by autumn 2027, before the current government’s term ends.

“We are not starting with a predetermined number,” Ikonen said. “It’s important to assess, with an open mind, what the core functions of the regional councils are and what opportunities lie ahead.”

The move follows recent reforms that reduced Finland’s state regional administration from 15 ELY centres to 10 regional vitality centres, and consolidated social and health oversight into a single national authority.

Opinions within the parliamentary working group vary. Some members advocate reducing administrative layers, possibly transferring statutory tasks to central cities or dissolving regional councils entirely. Others propose strengthening the councils or integrating them into well-being services counties, while some see no need for significant change.