Reforming the Antiquities Act
The Antiquities Act has been in force in its current form for over 60 years. However, society has faced significant structural changes since the Act entered into force. Furthermore, legislation on use of the environment, official operations and administrative procedures has been updated substantially. Due to the changes in the operating environment, the Antiquities Act from 1963 needs to be updated as a whole.
The reforms to the Antiquities Act were prepared by the working group and follow-up group appointed by the Ministry of Education and Culture. The working group’s task was to prepare a proposal for overall amendments to the Antiquities Act, in cooperation with the follow-up group.
In the reform, the objectives for the protection and research as well as access to information on relics were assessed and defined. The definitions and legal consequences related to archaeological sites, movable relics and other types of archaeological cultural heritage were clarified. In addition to this, the interfaces with other legislation were assessed. Furthermore, the procedures for implementing the law and the division of responsibilities between authorities were updated and regulated more specifically.
The reform took into consideration the realisation of Sámi autonomy regarding their languages and culture, as well as the rights of the Sámi as indigenous people. Because of this, a separate review was carried out during the work regarding the autonomy regarding Sámi languages and culture and the rights of indigenous peoples in the protection of relics.
The Finnish Heritage Agency had appointed its own representatives for the working and follow-up groups and the secretariat.
You can find current information about the reform of the Antiquities Act on the website of the Ministry of Education and Culture (in Finnish).