The projects of the Rule of Law Centre have been developed in collaboration with partners in such a way that each project includes one or more of the following elements of rule of law work: strengthening institutions, supporting the legislative process, anti-corruption efforts, promoting cybersecurity and the information society, as well as education and raising awareness on rule of law issues. We also examine rule of law work in Finland through these elements.
The projects are implemented in cooperation with established actors. The Rule of Law Centre carries out projects in Albania, Uzbekistan, and Ukraine. Project descriptions will be added to the website as the projects are launched.
The Rule of Law Centre and International IDEA started their partnership in 2022 with a joint project to support the Albanian Central Election Commission in increasing the transparency of political campaign financing, regulating ICT in elections and supporting the integrity of electoral institutions. Based on the positive results of the project, a two-year (2024 – 2025) second phase was launched to deepen the engagement by building on previous experience. Kosovo electoral institutions are also involved in the project to increase synergies.
The overall goal of the project is credible and well-run elections in Albania and Kosovo. Its main objectives are:
Target groups are electoral policymakers, electoral management bodies, civil society and political parties. Activities include the Rule of Law Centre rule of law clinics, a combination of national and regional events; communication products; advisory services; trainings, dialogues, and publications in Albania and Kosovo.
Budget € 400 000 is funded by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland development cooperation funds.
Having applied for EU membership in February 2022, Ukraine was granted EU candidate status by the European Council in June 2022. The Council endorsed seven conditions for moving to the next stage of the process, identified by the European Commission. The seven criteria largely revolve around the rule of law and anti-corruption issues.
The Rule of Law Centre has teamed up with Democracy Reporting International (DRI), and the Kyiv-based Centre of Policy and Legal Reform (CPLR) to implement ACCESS – Ukraine initiative that aims to bolster Ukrainian legal capacity to meet EU justice standards in preparation for EU accession negotiations.
Over a two-year period, technical support will be provided to the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) of Ukraine, focusing on Chapters 23 and 24 (Judiciary & Fundamental Rights; Justice, Freedom, and Security) of the negotiation agreement, with special focus on the EU accession Rule of Law Roadmap.
The project activities:
The initiative, with its full support from the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, aims to significantly improve Ukraine's legal capacity and bring it closer to EU standards, thereby accelerating the EU accession process. The estimated budget for the project is approximately € 455 000,00 augmented by in-kind contributions from Finnish legal experts.
This project supports the ongoing efforts by the Uzbekistan government to strengthen the integrity and legal certainty of the Uzbek institutions central to the implementation of the rule of law principle. The institutions involved in the project implementation are the Ministry of Justice in Uzbekistan, Uzbekistan’s Anti-Corruption Agency, Tashkent State University of Law and the Ombudsman’s office.
The project supports the following outcomes of the Rule of Law Centre:
The project activities are
Budget 290 000 € is funded by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland development cooperation funds.
The Chair is Vice-Rector Hanna Snellman University of Helsinki. Members are Vice-Dean Juha Raitio Faculty of Law of University of Helsinki, Research Director, Professor Kimmo Nuotio University of Helsinki and Academy Research Fellow and University Lecturer Eija Ranta Faculty of Social Sciences University of Helsinki.
The steering group of the Rule of Law Centre meets no less than twice a year. The steering group is in charge of strategic guidance and supports the work of the Centre by assisting its national and international networking efforts and helping to identify legal experts necessary for the work of the Centre. In addition to representatives of the founding institutions, a representative from the Ministry of Justice is invited to the steering group along with other experienced experts in the rule of law and international cooperation from various institutions, universities and research institutes.
The Chair is Research Director, Professor Kimmo Nuotio University of Helsinki. Members are Head of the Unit Eeva Aittoniemi Ministry of Justice, Under-Secretary of State Pasi Hellman Ministry for Foreign Affairs, President Niilo Jääskinen Court of Justice of the European Union, Executive Director Anu Juvonen Demo Finland, President Kari Kuusiniemi Supreme Administrative Court, Chair Fingo, Senior Researcher Liisa Laakso The Nordic Africa Institute, President Tatu Leppänen Supreme Court, Committee Counsel Parliament of Finland - Constitutional Law Committee, Professor, Director Elina Pirjatanniemi Institute for Human Rights, Åbo Akademi, Deputy Chancellor of Justice Mikko Puumalainen The Office of the Chancellor of Justice, Deputy Prosecutor General Jukka Rappe National Prosecution Authority, Chair Eero-Pekka Uotila Finnish Bar Association, Deputy-Ombudsman Maija Sakslin Office of the Parliamentary Ombudsman, Deputy Director General Juha Savolainen Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Director General Johanna Suurpää Ministry of Justice and Director General Laura Yli-Vakkuri Ministry of the Interior.