Private interests

Useita eri ihmisten käsiä yhdessä kasassa.

According to section 84 of the Local Government Act (410/2015), certain elected officials and local government officials in a municipality must submit a declaration of private interests to the Local Authority Audit Committee, which shall oversee compliance with the obligation to declare and shall forward the declarations
to the local council for its information. The declarations are published in a public information network. This provision applies from 1 June 2017. The declaration must be made within two months of the person
being elected to their position.

The Local Authority Audit Committee will send more detailed instructions to the parties subject to the declaration obligation after the elections.

A declaration must be submitted of private interests concerning managerial duties and positions of trust in enterprises engaged in business activities and in other corporate entities, about significant assets and about other private interests that could be of significance in attending to a position of trust or in public posts.

The obligation to declare private interests is limited to the key elected officials and leading local government officials.
The obligation to declare private interests applies to the following elected and local government officials:

chairperson and deputy chairpersons of the local council

city board members, deputy members, rapporteur
corporate governance section members, deputy members, rapporteur
local democracy section members, deputy members, rapporteur
board chairpersons and deputy chairpersons, rapporteurs
for Urban Structure Board and Environmental and Building Board also members and deputy members

A declaration of interest does not remove the obligation to declare a disqualification in municipal decision-making. Disqualifications are resolved on a case-by-case basis in accordance with the provisions of the Local Government Act and the Administrative Procedure Act.

Kuntaliitto (Association of Finnish Municipalities) has updated its guidelines on the declaration of interests. The new guideline replaces the guide published in 2016: Guidelines concerning declarations of interest and the related register (pdf, in Finnish)

Declarations of interest

If there are any changes in interests, please contact the Audit Office, tarkastustoimisto@kuopio.fi