Govt to pilot special economic zone in Eastern Finland

The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment on Monday appointed a working group to prepare a fixed-term experiment on a special economic zone in eastern Finland, said the ministry in a press release.

The working group will prepare the necessary framework and draft legislation for the experiment.

The aim is to prepare a special economic zone model, which will accelerate company investments, increase the availability of skilled labour and speed up the launch of projects in eastern Finland.

At the same time, the preparation will support Finland’s long-term regional and industrial policy objectives.

The working group will define the areas, objectives, means and duration of the experiment and create a plan for assessing its impacts.

It will prepare a draft act and a memorandum assessing the key content of the legislation by 31 March 2027. After that, the draft bill and the memorandum will be sent out for public consultation.

During the preparation, the working group will ensure the experiment is compatible with the EU’s National and Regional Partnership plan that strives to promote regional vitality.

Key ministries are represented in the working group, which is supported by a group of experts and a secretariat.

The working group will report on the progress of the preparations to a steering group consisting of State Secretaries. The term of the working group will end on 31 December 2027.

The Government decided in its spending limits discussion in April 2026 to launch a project for draft legislation for the preparation of temporary special economic zones.