The Finnish secondary environmental responsibility regime under scrutiny – mere complementary, yet necessary part of sustainable environmental protection

Picture a situation where a company engaged in mining activities has gone into bankruptcy. Preconditions for a profitable mining business are no longer present; no new operators for the mine have been found either. The applicable mining laws provide that the decommissioned mine, including its surrounding areas, should be cleaned, remediated and landscaped into a …

EU Water Framework Directive from a Finnish perspective: Evolution from a paper tiger to a beast with transformative potential

On 19 December 2019, the Supreme Administrative Court of Finland (SACF) ruled against Finnpulp, an intended 1,4 billion-euro industrial bioeconomy investment in Kuopio. In this landmark ruling (SACF 2019:166), the court overturned earlier decisions granting an environmental permit. The reasoning of the SACF was to a considerable degree based on article 4 of the Water …