Finland

[FI] Merger of Several Administrative Authorities

IRIS 2019-2:1/8

Elena Sotirova

European Platform of Regulatory Authorities

As of 1 January 2019, the Finnish Transport Safety Agency (Trafi), the Finnish Communications Regulatory Authority (FICORA) and certain functions of the Finnish Transport Agency have been merged in order to form the new Finnish Transport and Communications Agency (Traficom).

Traficom will be responsible for serving people and businesses in licence-, registration- and approval-related matters. The Agency will also be entrusted with promoting the transport system and safety of traffic and ensuring that Finish citizens have access to high-quality and secure communications connections and services. It will also monitor and promote the transportation and communications markets and services. Also within Traficom’s remit will be the boosting of digitalisation by means of, for example, experiments in the fields of automation and robotics, which will create new businesses and services.

The reform constitutes part of the Government's efforts not only to create digital transport services, but also to ensure reliable and well-functioning transport and communications networks, to streamline regulation and to improve the productivity and impact of administration through the more versatile and effective use of the resources and expertise of the administrative authorities.

The functions and services of the merging organisations will continue without interruption and will be further developed. The reform responds to the major changes taking place in the transport and communications sectors. Digitalisation, robotisation, the growing role of services and the increasing importance of data are changing customers’ needs. The structures of the administrative branch are being changed to provide improved services and to enable a favourable business environment and the improved utilisation of data.