Water protection

Most of Finland’s surface waters – lakes, rivers and coastal waters – are classified as having an excellent or good ecological status. © Jouko Lehmuskallio

Finland's water protection policy aims at improving and protecting water quality in lakes, rivers, groundwater and in the Baltic Sea. The objective is that the state of the Baltic Sea and inland waters is not degraded any further by human activities.

Most of Finland’s surface waters – lakes, rivers and coastal waters – are classified as having an excellent or good ecological status. In general the ecological status of lakes are better than the status of rivers and coastal waters. Two thirds of the assessed lakes in Finland have at least "good" ecological status. About half of the assessed rivers and just under half of the total area of coastal waters have at least "good" ecological status.

Three national water protection programmes

Water policies have been based on long-term-strategies. Three national water protection programmes identifying targets, measures and instruments have been prepared since the beginning of the 1970s. The Government adopted the November 2006 a new set of national Water Protection Policy Outlines to 2015.

In 2002, the Government adopted Finland's Programme for the Protection of the Baltic Sea. Under the programme, steps will be taken to combat eutrophication, decrease the risks caused by hazardous substances, reduce the risks of maritime traffic, protect biodiversity, and increase environmental awareness and research. Discharges will be cut in Finland, and through international cooperation, in other countries in the Baltic's catchment area. In June 2005, the Ministry of the Environment approved an action plan that presents the actions needed to meet the objectives of the programme.

The European Union Water Framework Directive (2000) gives guidelines for water management policy for many years to come. In Finland an act on organising river basin management planning was adopted in 2004. The objective of the river basin management plans is to achieve a good state of surface waters and groundwater by the end of 2015. The first river basin management plans were completed by 2009. 

Finland has signed several international conventions related to the protection of the marine environment and watercourses. The protection of the Baltic Sea is one of the priorities of Finnish environmental cooperation. Finland also has good experiences and results from long-term cooperation on protecting transboundary waters with the Russian Federation, Sweden and Norway.