Rural proofing in Finland
The conditions vary greatly in different regions in Finland due to factors such as geography, economic structure, socio-economic as well as cultural differences. Rural areas function differently from cities in many respects, and decisions, programmes and statutes have different impacts in rural areas and cities. Rural proofing helps identify how proposal affects different rural areas.
Rural proofing: a tool for integrating rural perspectives into decision‑making
Rural proofing ensures that people living in different rural areas, companies operating in rural areas and rural communities, and their structures and interrelationships are taken into account. The rural proofing method combines research data, cross-administrative cooperation and a participatory process. This characteristic has been seen as a strength that can be used to improve stakeholder dialogue and to shed light on otherwise hidden impacts. In Finland, the method has been developed based on The New Rural Paradigm introduced by the OECD in 2006 and international models.
Research and development work has been carried out under the leadership of national rural policy (Rural Policy Committee YTR and the current Rural Policy Council MANE). Research and development work has been done since 2007 in close cooperation with the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities.
Rural proofing as part of the legislative review
The Government already recommended in 2009 that ministries use the rural proofing method as part of the Government's Rural Policy Report Countryside for Vigorous Finland. In its communication, the Parliament required that "the Government -- take measures to create more effective cooperation between the authorities in different administrative branches, while at the same time prioritising the rural proofing in all national decision-making that has regional impacts".
In 2021, the Finnish Parliament's Committee on Agriculture and Forestry expressed its position and "considers it important that the assessment of rural and territorial impacts be clearly included in the impact assessment guidelines currently being reformed under the leadership of the Ministry of Justice. In the guidelines and the training for legislative drafters, impact assessments and their requirements should also be more clearly linked and related to the subject area, their societal significance and impact of the Government proposal.
“Rural proofing of legislative proposals: Guidelines for law drafters for rural proofing” was published in 2022.