Law of Finland

The law of Finland (Finnish: Suomen laki, Swedish: Finlands lag) is based on the civil law tradition, primarily consisting of statutory law promulgated by the Parliament of Finland. The constitution of Finland, originally approved in 1919 and rewritten in 2000, holds supreme authority and establishes key procedures for enacting and applying legislation. As is typical in civil law systems, judicial decisions are generally not authoritative, and there is limited development of precedent. Supreme Court decisions may be cited, but courts are not bound to follow previous rulings.

As a member of the European Union, European Union law is in force in Finland, and Finland implements EU directives through national legislation. The Court of Justice of the European Union is the ultimate authority on matters within the competence of the European Union.

Similar to Sweden, administrative law is interpreted by a separate system of administrative courts. Besides acts of parliament (laki), permanent government decrees (asetus) constitute an important body of law. Issued when permitted by an act of parliament, decrees can clarify acts and guide their implementation but cannot contradict them.