Motor vehicles
- Duties of the Ministry of Transport and Communications
- Vehicles and the Ministry's administrative branch
- Vehicles and other Ministries
1. Duties of the Ministry of Transport and Communications
The Ministry of Transport and Communications is responsible for drafting legislation on how motor vehicles are constructed, equipped and loaded, and regulates vehicle inspections, registration and so on. The Vehicles Act (1090/2002) provides a basic framework for Finland's current legislation in the area. The Ministry is also engaged in international cooperation.
In relation to vehicles the Ministry aims to:
- safeguard the interests of consumers and Finnish businesses,
- improve vehicle safety and reduce environmental impacts by developing different fuel options, and
- engage in open and forward-looking cooperation both inside Finland and in international forums.
There are some five million road traffic vehicles in Finland, and decisions concerning these have direct impacts on the everyday existence of businesses and people. Vehicles play a variety of roles in our society from providing jobs for inspectors and generating tax revenue for the government to impacting the environment through emissions and their effect on climate change.
The majority of decisions affecting vehicle use are made at EU level and by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.
2. Vehicles and the Ministry's administrative branch
The Finnish Transport Safety Agency is responsible for the approval of vehicles and components, vehicle registration and tax, supervision of vehicle inspections, the organisation of driving tests and driving licence registration. The activities of the Transport Safety Agency are supervised by the Ministry.
3. Vehicles and other Ministries
Legislation concerning vehicles is drafted not just by the Ministry of Transport and Communications but by a number of other Ministries, too:
- Ministry of Employment and the Economy - competitiveness and vehicle-related energy issues
- Ministry of Finance - vehicle and fuel taxation
- Ministry of the Environment - regulation of transport fuels
- Ministry of Education and Culture - training for professional heavy-duty vehicle drivers
Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Justice - traffic surveillance and summary penal orders