Finland: More flexibility for meetings of road maintenance associations and pilotage permit procedures

NordenBladet — The Government proposes modifications to the Private Roads Act and the Pilotage Act to introduce more flexibility. The modifications would facilitate easier remote participation in the meetings of road maintenance associations. In addition, the validity period of personal pilotage permits could be extended during the Covid-19 pandemic, and new personal permits could be granted on terms that differ from those applied under normal conditions.The Government submitted the legislative proposals to the Parliament on 28 January 2021.

The goal of the proposal for modifying the Private Roads Act is to enable road maintenance associations to hold online meetings even if they are not permitted in the association’s own rules, and no decision to that effect has been made in a previous meeting of the association.The change contributes to the prevention of the spread of Covid-19 by organizing meetings as wholly or partly online meetings, in which members of the association would be able to speak and make proposals.

The temporary modification of the Pilotage Act would extend the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom’s discretionary power to decide on granting new pilot licences and pilotage exemption certificates, as well as on extending the period of validity for currently valid personal pilotage permits. For example, piloting tests could be postponed.

The modification aims to ensure uninterrupted marine transport operations during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Next stepsA parliamentary debate will be conducted in plenary session on the proposition submitted by the Government to the Parliament. The time of the debate will be announced on the Parliament’s website in the Tulevat täysistunnot (Upcoming plenary sessions) section.

After the parliamentary debate, the proposition will be processed by the Transport and Communications Committee. Once its report is completed, the matter will be further processed in plenary session.

It is intended that the acts’ modifications will enter into force as soon as possible. The modified Pilotage Act is intended to be valid only temporarily, until 30 June 2021.

Additional information:Senior Ministerial Adviser Mervi Karhula, tel. +358 40 041 5976 (Private Roads Act)Senior Officer Katja Peltola, tel. +358 50 530 2175 (Pilotage Act)
Materials for Government plenary sessions
Project site: Hallituksen esitys laeiksi yksityistielain 58 §:n muuttamisesta ja luotsauslain väliaikaisesta muuttamisesta (LVM063:00/2020)