ELY Centres

There are 15 Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment in Finland. Together with the six Regional State Administrative Agencies they function as the country’s regional state administrative authorities.

The Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY Centres) promote regional development by managing the central government’s implementation and development tasks in the areas coming under them.

The tasks of the ELY Centres include:

  • advisory, financing and development services for enterprises
  • rural affairs
  • matters concerning the fisheries sector
  • road maintenance, road projects, transport permits and licences, traffic safety, public transport and island traffic
  • promotion of competence and lifelong learning
  • employment-based aid and labour market training
  • immigration matters
  • environmental protection, steering of the use of regions and construction, nature protection, monitoring of the state of the environment, use and management of water resources
  • EU’s structural fund projects