Government proposes amendments to Mining Act
On 6.11.2025, the Government submitted a proposal to Parliament on amending the Mining Act. The proposal would specify the obstacles to granting an exploration permit. In this context, provisions would also be laid down on compensations to safeguard the rights of landowners in situations where activities under the Mining Act continue on their land.
According to the proposal, a mining authority could for a special reason grant an exploration permit concerning a mining area where the mining right has expired or been cancelled and the applicant was the previous holder of the mining right. This would be possible in cases where the impediment to the permit is based on the transitional provisions of the Act.
The aim is to facilitate the transfer from operations based on old mining rights to the permit system under the current Act. This would make it possible to continue exploration when grounds exist for exploring the exploitation potential of the deposit but the criteria for starting extraction are not yet fulfilled.
The amendments would clarify the activities of the mining authority, improve the predictability of the environment where the sector operates and strengthen Finland’s position as a reliable investment environment. Besides these, the aim is to ensure the realisation of landowners’ rights in situations where operations under the Mining Act continue in areas owned by them.
Mining activities require long-term investments and thorough exploration of the areas before extraction is started. The development of the legislation and transitional provisions concerning the amendments to different statutes have led to situations that have been difficult to anticipate from the perspective of both the authorities and the operators.
The amendments are scheduled to enter into force on 1 March 2026.
Inquiries:
Teo Kangaspunta, Chief Specialist, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, tel. +358 295 504 7325,