New legislative proposal on priority connection procedure for the electricity grid – Consultation open until 9 October 2026
On 18 September 2026, the Finnish Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment sent out for consultation a draft amendment to the Electricity Market Act (588/2013) (Fi: sähkömarkkinalaki) that would introduce a new prioritisation model for grid connections. The proposal responds to a fundamental shift in Finland’s electricity landscape. Grid connection demand has increased due to […]
Environmental risks hit European economies hard – Banks and insurers must have a plan
Critical time for transition planning Few topics are as pressing right now as the management of environmental risk. Heat waves during the spring and summer across Europe, together with devastating wildfires, have kept the concrete and ever-increasing impacts of climate change in the headlines. Beyond the damage to nature and people, the economic consequences of […]
Expert determination in Finnish M&A: A clause that may backfire in dispute resolution
Expert determination clauses are frequently encountered in Finnish M&A transactions, particularly in relation to purchase price adjustment mechanisms. The rationale is straightforward: avoid full-blown litigation, get a binding answer quickly, and keep costs down. In many jurisdictions, this works as intended. In Finland, there are significant reasons to doubt that it does, and practitioners should […]
HPP adds financial regulation expertise with a former regulator
Applying for a financial sector licence. Navigating a supervisory inspection. Preparing for a corporate reorganisation subject to supervisory authority’s approval. In each of these processes, the way you engage with the regulator matters ‒ and the right preparation can save considerable time and uncertainty. Silvaliisa Virri knows this better than most. She spent years on […]
The Strait of Hormuz: A legal flashpoint for global maritime trade
Few waterways on Earth carry the geopolitical weight of the Strait of Hormuz. Stretching barely 29 nautical miles (54 kilometers) at its narrowest point between the coasts of Iran to the north and Oman and the United Arab Emirates to the south, this slender passage connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and, […]
Finland plans to reduce tax burden on offshore wind farms
On 19 March 2026, the Finnish Government submitted to Parliament a legislative proposal (the “Proposal”) on property taxation for offshore wind farms. The Proposal seeks to amend the property tax legislation with the aim of aligning the property tax burden on offshore wind farms with that applicable to onshore wind farms. In addition, the amendments […]
Finland’s pension reform opens up new opportunities in real estate finance
Due to concerns about the development of its economy and its dependency ratio, Finland is preparing a reform of its pension system (Reform). A negotiation group consisting of labour market organisations reached an agreement on the main themes of the Reform in January 2025. This agreement functions as the basis for a government proposal, which […]
Meta’s WhatsApp AI ban: Why the European Commission’s interim measures matter for digital markets and innovation
The European Commission (“Commission”) has sent Meta a Statement of Objections on interim measures for blocking third-party AI assistants from WhatsApp. The Commission’s preliminary view is that Meta has breached EU antitrust rules by excluding third-party AI assistants from accessing and interacting with users on WhatsApp. In October 2025, Meta announced an update to its […]
Reforming the Finnish Arbitration Act: New UNCITRAL Model Law-Based Act Proposed
Finland is set to modernise its arbitration framework with a comprehensive reform of the Finnish Arbitration Act. The Ministry of Justice’s working group has issued a report proposing a new Arbitration Act to replace the current legislation from 1992. The reform aims to align the Finnish Arbitration Act with the UNCITRAL Model Law on International […]
An arbitration award made in a third country must not prevent national courts from examining the application of fundamental rules of Union law
On 1 August 2025, the Court of Justice of the European Union delivered its judgment in Case C-600/23 Royal Football Club Seraing1, in which the Belgian Supreme General Court had made a reference for a preliminary ruling. The question was whether the principle of res judicata could prevent the courts of the EU Member States […]