Established in 1994, the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) participates in the EU’s legislative process by issuing opinions on affairs handled by the European Commission, Council and Parliament. The CoR brings the voice of local and regional authorities to EU decision-making. Its aim is to
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The research activities of the Association of Finnish Cities and Municipalities (AFCM) encompass projects to research, analyse and assess the local government. These projects are implemented by the AFCM independently or in cooperation with other organisations conducting and promoting municipal
The goal for the Association of Finnish Cities and Municipalities' 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
At the Association of Finnish Cities and Municipalities (AFCM) the aim of our EU lobbying work is to secure and improve the conditions in which Finnish local authorities operate. To do that we influence the EU in a timely and proactive manner, also taking advantage of the opportunities for
The Association of Finnish Cities and Municipalities (AFCM) Brussels Office brings the views of Finland’s regional and local governments into EU debates and decision making. It seeks to raise the profile of Finnish local authorities and make known the Finnish welfare services and special features of
The Association of Finnish Cities and Municipalities (AFCM) is active in various international networks, which offer opportunities for peer learning between municipalities and cities, for joint development projects and for lobbying the EU.
A powerful advocate for all Finnish municipalities, the Association of Finnish Cities and Municipalities (AFCM) promotes local self-government and the modernisation of municipal services. The AFCM's core tasks are to advance the interests and development of municipalities and their partner
The strategy of the Association of Finnish Cities and Municipalities ‘An impactful partner for local government’ outlines the Association’s priorities and goals. It sets out the key measures we intend to take to advance the interests and development of local authorities and to reinvent ourselves
The network project Strategic Management of SDGs in Cities involves six of Finland's largest cities: Helsinki, Espoo, Tampere, Vantaa, Oulu and Turku. The project partners include Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Council, the Prime Minister's Office, the Secretariat and National Commission on Sustainable
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
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
The Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities has two office locations. Our headquarters are in Helsinki, Finland and we also have an office in Brussels, Belgium. Helsinki office (House of Municipalities) Toinen linja 14 00101 Helsinki, Finland Telephone: +358 9 7711 E-mail: info(at
Finland has 309 municipalities (2021). They tend to be small, more than half of them have fewer than 6,000 residents. These small municipalities account for about half of the land area, but only for 15 per cent of the population and for about 10 per cent of all jobs. The smallest municipalities have
The role of local authorities as organisers of employment services will be strengthened in line with the Government Programme. In March 2021, local government pilots on employment will be launched in which local authorities will have responsibility for the service process for jobseekers and for the
A partner in development The Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities (AFLRA) partners with local authorities in development. We undertake research, development and innovation (RDI) activities to promote the modernisation of local authorities and the entire local government sector. We
The new research programme Finnish Local Government in Transition 2025 coordinated by the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities (AFLRA) explores the heterogeneity, dissimilarity and divergent development of Finnish cities and municipalities. The research programme’s objective is
Municipalities’ service arranging responsibility and service provision are two different matters. The first means that, by special legislation, municipalities are required to ensure the availability of and the financing for the services. Municipalities have the financial responsibility for the
The Finnish Local Government Act requires that municipalities advance the well-being of their residents and promote sustainable development in their areas. Gender equality, non-discrimination and the observance of human rights are central to well-being and socially sustainable development. As the