Finland's environment ministry replies to an enquiry from Argentina

CEDHA sent their enquiry to Finland's Environment Minister Jan-Erik Enestam and the Ministry on 20th March, referring to their right to environmental information on the basis of Finnish legislation on the openness of government activities, and the international Århus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters. A similar request for information was sent later to the Finnish Ministry of Trade and Industry.

The request lists 19 issues on which CEDHA would like information. Some of these issues fall within the administrative spheres of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Trade and Industry. The Ministry of the Environment has worked together with these other ministries and the Ministry of Justice to prepare a joint reply on behalf of the Finnish Government.

Many of CEDHA's questions were passed on to the financing company Finnvera Plc, who manage the export credit guarantees provided for the Metsä-Botnia project. Finnvera is State-owned, but acts as an independent company, and the Finnish State does not directly finance Metsä-Botnia's project in Uruguay.

CEDHA's enquiry asks whether the Ministry of the Environment is in possession of any documentation related to the project's environmental, economic or social risks. The Ministry's reply points out that Finland's environmental authorities are not empowered to deal with this project's environmental permit or environmental impact assessment procedures; nor are the Finnish State and authorities otherwise empowered to control investments made by Finnish companies overseas in such respects. Consequently the Ministry of the Environment does not draft or receive environmental impact assessments or other such reports about such investments.

Even though the Finnish Government is not directly involved in the pulp mill project, the Ministry of the Environment has provided the Uruguayan authorities with training assistance related to the supervision of pulp and paper mills at their request - and is also willing to provide similar training for Argentina's environmental authorities.

Finnvera's own detailed reply to CEDHA states that all projects- environmental impacts are taken into account as part of Finnvera's overall evaluations for the purposes of granting export credit guarantees. Finnvera also observes internationally accepted principles and procedures related to environmental impact assessments, and operates according to the guidelines applied by the export credit guarantee agencies of the OECD countries with regard to environmental policies.

Finnvera's environmental policies specify that any projects environmental performance should be assessed with regard to the requirements set out in both the respective national legislation, and international environmental standards.

Projects must fully comply with local legislation, and also meet the environmental standards defined by the World Bank Group wherever these are stricter than the national legislative standards.

For more information:

Ministry of the Environment

Senior adviser Eija Lumme, Tel. +358 9 160 39479; mobile +358 50 3647 358, first [email protected]
Senior adviser (legal issues) Tuomas Kuokkanen, Tel. +358 9 160 39720; mobile +358 50 3790 429, first [email protected]

Finnvera Plc

Seniro Vice President Marja Karimeri, Tel. +358 20 460 7200
Communications manager Eila Alajoki, Tel. + 358 20 460 7235