Local and Regional Governments in Europe

Finland
Finland
is a unitary state
composed of municipalities (kunta)
and regions (maakunnan liitto).
State structure
unitary
Number of
Sub-national governments
2012 2016
LOCAL 336 313
REGIONAL 2 18
Capital city
Helsinki
Population
5,451,270 (1.1% EU)
Geographical size
338,435 km²
Currency
Euro (EUR)
Vote
non-compulsory
EU Member State since
1995
13
Seats in the
9
European Parliament
Seats in the
European Committee
of the Regions
Local level 313 municipalities (kunta)
The municipal council
(kunnanvaltuusto) is composed of
members elected via a proportional
representation system for a period
of four years. This deliberative body
appoints the executive board and
elects the mayor.
The executive board (kunnanhallitus)
is composed of members appointed
by the municipal council. It is
responsible for running the municipal
administration and managing its
finances. The executive board is
assisted in its work by sector-specific
committees.
The mayor (kunnanjohtaja) is elected
by the municipal council for a
fixed or indefinite term of office,
as decided upon by the municipal
council. He/she is at the head of the
municipality's administration and
prepares the decisions to be adopted
by the executive board. The mayor
can be appointed from amongst
the members of the council. As of
December 2015, two cities have done
so.
Competences
• Health care (primary, secondary,
and dental services)
• Social services (child day care,
services for the aged and the
disabled)
• Education (pre-school, primary,
secondary, vocational training,
adult education and libraries)
• Culture and leisure
• Sports
• Territorial planning
• Building and maintenance of
technical infrastructure and
environment (roads, energy, water
and sewage, waste, harbours and
public transport)
• Business and employment
• Independent taxation rights and
finances
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