Lag om strukturstöd för renhushållning och naturnäringar

Chapter 1: General provisions.

The law’s aim is to improve reindeer husbandry and other natural livelihoods, support related business activity and area development, and require special attention to Sámi opportunities to maintain and develop their traditional livelihoods in the Sámi homeland.

This section says when the law applies to support for reindeer husbandry and other traditional livelihoods, certain fisheries benefits, and some related projects, and when it does not apply.

This section defines several types of support schemes and gives the Government a power to regulate which of the listed activities can receive support under the law.

This section sets where the law applies: it covers reindeer husbandry in the reindeer management area and certain other traditional livelihoods in specified municipalities and areas north of a named boundary line.

This section says the law applies to EU-funded subsidies for granting, paying, monitoring, inspecting, and recovering them, unless EU law provides otherwise.

This section defines key terms used in the law.

Tukea saa myöntää vain, jos siihen on budjetoitu tai rahastossa osoitettu valtuus tai määräraha, eikä tukea saa myöntää yli sallitun enimmäismäärän.

Support included in the programme is governed by the Act on the Administration of Rural Development Programmes (532/2006).

Support may be granted only if, overall, the measure is appropriate; in the Sámi home region, its impact on reindeer husbandry and other traditional livelihoods may also be considered.

This section says which recipients can be granted different forms of support, and sets age-based limits and conditions for some applicants.

Tukea ei yleensä myönnetä, jos toimenpiteen toteutus on jo aloitettu. Nuoren elinkeinonharjoittajan aloitustukea voi saada, jos hakemus tehdään 24 kuukauden kuluessa tilanpidon aloittamisesta.

If the supported measure needs an official permit, the applicant must present it; if the measure includes a construction investment, the applicant must also submit a construction plan.

Aid is not granted for a construction investment if the amount would be at most 1,000 euros; for other measures, the corresponding limit is 500 euros.

Tukea valittaessa etusijalla ovat toimenpiteet, jotka edistävät lain tavoitteita; investointi-, nuoren elinkeinonharjoittajan aloitustuki- ja asuntorahoitushakemuksissa sovelletaan tai huomioidaan lisäperusteita.

Support may be granted to applicants who carry on or start reindeer husbandry or other traditional livelihoods if the income and other conditions in this section are met.

Hakijan täytyy olla tuen tarpeessa tulojen perusteella; myös puolison tulot voidaan ottaa huomioon, ja yhdessä hakevien puolisoiden tulot lasketaan yhteen.

Support can be granted only if the applicant has sufficient competence in the business concerned; a young new entrant without sufficient competence must commit to meet the requirement within 36 months, and the Government may issue more detailed rules.

Aid can be granted only if the applicant lives in the reindeer-herding area, or, for aid for another rural livelihood than reindeer husbandry, in the area referred to in section 4(2).

Reindeer husbandry and natural livelihood farms must be located in the specified areas, and a community applicant’s domicile must be in the EU.

Aid requires the applicant to control the target farm through ownership or a lease. For certain leased parts used for construction investments or essential business continuity, the lease right must be registered, transferable, and valid for at least 10 years.

Tuen myöntämisen edellytyksenä on, että porotalous- tai luontaiselinkeinotoiminnalla voidaan osoittaa jatkuva kannattavuus. Tietyissä tilanteissa hakijan on myös osoitettava, että hän pystyy kattamaan hankkeen kustannukset tuloillaan sekä julkisen ja yksityisen rahoituksen avulla.

Hakijan on yleensä esitettävä liiketoimintasuunnitelma tuen saamiseksi, mutta vähäisessä investoinnissa sitä ei vaadita.

Tuen saaminen edellyttää, että porotalous- tai luontaiselinkeinoyritys noudattaa alaa koskevia pakollisia ympäristö-, hygienia- ja eläinten hyvinvointivaatimuksia.

Reindeer husbandry operators and other natural livelihood operators may be granted support for necessary investments, including movable and immovable property acquisitions, and only necessary and reasonable costs can be supported.

Investment support is paid as a percentage of the acceptable costs of the supported measure, and the measure may be financed by a grant, state loan, or interest subsidy loan.

Start-up support may be granted to eligible reindeer husbandry or other natural livelihood operators, but not to applicants who have turned 41.

Aloitustuki may be granted as a flat amount, as a percentage of eligible costs, or as a combination, and its form, level, and maximum amount may be set by government decree within EU-law limits.

Housing construction support may be granted for investments that improve housing conditions on reindeer husbandry or other traditional livelihood farms, unless the same purpose can be funded from public funds.

Housing construction subsidy should be granted only if it is appropriate in light of the applicant’s financial circumstances, and the applicant’s and spouse’s total income is examined.

Housing construction support is granted for necessary and reasonable costs arising from housing construction and related electrification and water supply measures.

Paliskunnalle voidaan myöntää investointitukea poronhoidon kannalta tarpeellisiin investointeihin, kuten aitoihin, teurastamoihin, muihin rakennuksiin, liittymiin ja irtaimistoon.

A paliskunta may be granted support for maintaining the fence referred to in 31 § 2 mom. 1 kohta.

The law allows funding for certain reindeer husbandry and traditional livelihoods research and studies, may establish an advisory board, and lets the Government Decree issue more detailed rules on the funding.

This provision lists the forms of support that may be granted under the Act.

Hyväksytty luotonantaja saa myöntää lainan tietyssä tukimuodossa, kun tukipäätös on tehty.

Valtionlainan myöntämisessä on noudatettava tässä pykälässä annettuja ehtoja ja rajoja.

State-loan support may include interest relief, interest-free periods, repayment holidays, or waiving the collateral requirement. After support ends, the recipient must pay interest equal to the loan’s full interest. The Government may issue more detailed rules by decree.

Interest subsidy may be granted only for loans that meet three conditions: a maximum term of 25 years, a total interest limit tied to approved comparable loans plus extra subsidy-related costs, and combined support that does not exceed the subsidized measure’s eligible costs.

Interest subsidy is set at 4 percentage points, but only if the borrower pays at least 1% annual interest. After the subsidy ends, the borrower must pay the loan interest agreed with the lender.

If there is reason to suspect a loan interest rate exceeds the rate referred to in section 38(1)(2), the ELY Centre may ask the Rural Agency to assess it, and the lender must provide any requested clarification.

Valtiontakaus voidaan myöntää vain rahaston vuosittain vahvistaman pääomakaton puitteissa, ja valtiontakauksen kohteena olevia lainapääomia saa olla samanaikaisesti maksamatta enintään 80 miljoonaa euroa.

A state guarantee may be granted for certain loans if the applicant lacks sufficient collateral, the activity is not significantly risky, counter-security is set, and the lender gives a favourable statement.

Muu kuin tutkimus- tai selvityshanke on toteutettava kahden vuoden kuluessa tuen myöntämisestä, with some special timing rules and possible extensions.

Tuen saajan on noudatettava 5 vuoden käyttö- ja luovutusrajoituksia sekä hankittava ELY-keskuksen lupa ennen määräajan aikaista luovutusta.

Tuen saajan on pidettävä kirjaa tuettavasta toimenpiteestä, järjestettävä kirjanpito niin että se voidaan erottaa muusta kirjanpidosta, ja säilytettävä kirjanpitoaineisto säädetyn ajan.

The subsidy recipient must give the granting authority correct and sufficient information, promptly report certain changes to the competent ELY Centre, and help inspectors when a section 93 or 94 inspection is carried out.

Maaseutuvirasto must, as appropriate, inform people about how to apply for support under chapters 5–8, including the application deadline, procedure, and main grant conditions.

Tukihakemus tehdään pääsääntöisesti sähköisesti, ja hakija tunnistetaan vahvalla sähköisellä tunnistamisella. Hakemukseen on liitettävä tarpeelliset asiakirjat, selvitykset ja suunnitelmat; lomakehakemus voidaan tehdä vahvistetulla lomakkeella ja se arkistoidaan sähköisenä, ellei erityistä syytä ole.

Aid applications must be submitted to the ELY Centre. The Food Authority may issue detailed instructions on how applications are received and processed. The Government may issue more detailed rules on application deadlines and support periods.

Before granting support, the ELY Centre may ask for opinions and may inspect the site, but it must ask for an opinion from the Reindeer Herders' Association in certain cases, must also ask the Sámi Parliament in Sámi Homeland cases, must record and notify site-visit findings, and must not inspect permanent living quarters during a farm visit.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry may suspend grant payments in the entire reindeer herding area or in part of it if EU law requires it.

Elinkeino-, liikenne- ja ympäristökeskuksen on käytettävä vuosittaiset määrärahat saatuaan neuvoteltava saamelaiskäräjien kanssa tuettavien kohteiden periaatteista.

Elinkeino-, liikenne- ja ympäristökeskus päättää tuen ja valtiontakauksen myöntämisestä, ja tukipäätökseen on sisällytettävä määrä, ehdot sekä maksun ja takaisinperinnän edellytykset.

An opinion from Saamelaiskäräjät must be requested for certain research or survey funding applications.

A support decision right can be transferred to another eligible recipient, the transferee must apply for the transfer, and the regional ELY Centre decides on the transfer.

The start-up subsidy is paid without a separate application and at most in two annual instalments.

Tuen maksamista haetaan verkkopalvelussa tai vahvistetulla allekirjoitetulla lomakkeella, ja hakemus on toimitettava tuen myöntäneelle ELY-keskukselle.

Elinkeino-, liikenne- ja ympäristökeskus decides on certain grant payments and sends payment-decision information to Maaseutuvirasto, which checks, approves, and carries out the payments technically.

Luotonantaja saa myöntää valtionlainan tai korkotukilainan vasta tukipäätöksen jälkeen, mutta lainaa ei saa antaa tukipäätöksestä poikkeavin ehdoin.

The recipient of a state loan or interest-subsidy loan must obtain a drawdown permit and show it to the lender before drawing the loan or an installment.

ELY-keskus myöntää nostoluvan hakemuksesta, ja luvan saamiseen sekä lainan nostamiseen liittyy määräaikoja, liitevaatimuksia ja ehtoja.

State loans must have ordinary banking security when the loan is drawn, unless the ELY Centre grants an exemption for a special reason.

Valtionlaina maksetaan takaisin puolivuosittain, ja korko maksetaan puolivuosittain lainan nostopäivästä alkaen.

Korkotukilainaa on lyhennettävä säännöllisesti ja korko maksettava puolivuosittain tai neljännesvuosittain; luotonantaja ja tuen saaja voivat sopia lisälyhennyksistä, ja luotonantaja voi tietyin edellytyksin myöntää lykkäystä.

Valtionlainan tai tuen kohteena olevan lainan siirto ja ehtojen muuttaminen on sallittua vain tässä pykälässä kuvatuin ehdoin; tietyissä tilanteissa ELY-keskuksen lupa tai hyväksyntä vaaditaan.

Maaseutuvirasto may issue detailed procedural rules for how a lender uses loan-related support for a state loan, and the lender must follow those rules when using the support.

Maaseutuvirasto decides on loan applications from lenders and can issue detailed procedure rules; loans may be applied for through a central finance institution.

The lender must pay overdue state loan principal and interest to the State, and must also pay decision-based amounts under a Maaseutuvirasto decision.

Lainanantajille maksetaan korvausta valtionlainojen hoitamisesta aiheutuvista kuluista, ja Maaseutuvirasto voi periä korvauksen takaisin luottolaitokselta osaksi tai kokonaan tietyissä laiminlyöntitilanteissa.

Maaseutuvirasto pays certain state-loan amounts through a central money institution, lenders must repay principal and interest through that institution, and Maaseutuvirasto may set cases where lenders can do these tasks without it.

Luotonantajan on haettava korkotuen maksua jokaiselta korkojaksolta erikseen, enintään kerran kuukaudessa.

Small state loans and interest subsidy loans must be repaid in one or two installments on the next or second next due date.

The State is liable for certain final principal and interest losses on state loans, and the lender must manage the loan and collateral properly and protect the State’s interest in enforcement situations.

Maaseutuvirasto decides and pays compensation to the creditor for state-liability loan losses, and can recover it from the borrower in some cases.

Maaseutuvirasto must process a State-loan compensation application within three months, and the State must pay default interest if the deadline is exceeded.

The state guarantee is a supplementary guarantee, and the beneficiary must get the required permit and show it to the lender before drawing the loan or instalment.

A qualifying nature-livelihood operator may use state land and water areas for certain bases and related activities, but only if Metsähallitus grants a permit on application.

Metsähallitus may revoke a granted special benefit if it is no longer justified, after obtaining a statement from the ELY Centre, and may require buildings and structures to be removed within a deadline after the benefit ends.

The subsidy recipient must submit reports to the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment on how the business plan’s goals and measures are being carried out.

Luotonantajan on seurattava tiettyihin lainoihin liittyviä tapahtumia, raportoitava määräajoin tiedot Maaseutuvirastolle ja päivitettävä tietojärjestelmänsä viivytyksettä.

Ruokavirasto keeps the monitoring registers for support administration, and the system may store specified applicant, beneficiary, project, and support-use data.

Information in the system must be kept for specified periods, usually tied to aid decisions, payments, loan drawdowns, guarantees, recovery rights, or EU funding payments.

The ministry, the Rural Agency, and the ELY Centre may inspect subsidy grantors, payers, intermediaries, and recipients to check compliance, and they may obtain information despite confidentiality rules.

Tarkastus saa koskea tuen kannalta merkityksellisiä tiloja, laitteita, tietojärjestelmiä ja asiakirjoja, mutta pysyvään asumiseen käytettyihin tiloihin ei saa tehdä tarkastusta.

The Centre must suspend and recover support if listed conditions are met; recovered support must be repaid within one year of the decision.

The Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment may order a lender to terminate a state loan if certain conditions are met, and a terminated state loan must be repaid within six months in no more than two instalments.

The aid recipient must promptly report relevant changes, and may request binding advance information from the ELY Centre about whether a planned measure would trigger sanctions.

If the housing subsidy is ordered to be recovered by a final decision, the lender may terminate the housing subsidy loan in part or in full.

The aid recipient must pay annual interest on amounts to be repaid or recovered, at the statutory annual rate plus three percentage points.

If a recoverable amount is not paid by the due date, annual late interest must be paid at the interest rate referred to in the Interest Act.

The ELY Centre may waive all or part of recovery of an overpaid amount or its interest if full recovery would be unreasonable in light of the recipient’s circumstances and activities.

The Centre must decide on recovery, suspension of support payments, and termination of a state loan, and must set the amount, interest, and due date.

Maaseutuvirasto handles execution of a support recovery decision, and the recovered amount with interest may be deducted from other support payable to the recipient; a granted state loan and its interest are handled by the lending credit institution.

People employed by a lender or central credit institution are subject to criminal official-liability rules when performing tasks assigned by this law, and damage caused in performing those tasks is handled under the Tort Liability Act.

Luotonantajan on ilmoitettava tietyistä lainasiirroista ja lainaehtojen muutoksista viranomaiselle, ilmoitettava viivytyksettä tietyistä olosuhdemuutoksista Maaseutuvirastolle, annettava pyydetyt tiedot valvontaa varten ja käytettävä luovutettuja tietoja vain siihen tarkoitukseen, johon ne on luovutettu.

The beneficiary must pay a state-guarantee fee, the lender must forward it to the state, and the Rural Agency must pay compensation to the lender.

Maaseutuvirasto handles matters about the state guarantor’s liability and recourse rights, and it may decide not to collect a recourse claim from a support recipient in certain hardship cases.

Luotonantajan on säilytettävä tietyt laina-asiakirjat vähintään laina-ajan ja tietyissä tilanteissa pidempään.

Tietyillä viranomaisilla on oikeus saada ja luovuttaa tukiasian käsittelyyn ja valvontaan tarvittavia tietoja salassapitosäännösten estämättä.

Decisions under this law may be served under section 59 of the Administrative Procedure Act; aid-recovery decisions must be served under section 60.

Tämän lain mukainen päätös on maksuton hakijalle ja tuen saajalle.

Maa- ja metsätalousministeriö vastaa tietyn määrärahan tai myöntämisvaltuuden suuntaamisesta tässä laissa tarkoitettuihin tukiin ja päättää sen osoittamisesta ELY-keskuksen käyttöön.

The development fund may be used, in addition to other rules, for the listed purposes.

Technical aid used to implement support under this Act must follow section 65 of the Rural Development Support Act.

Some appeal decisions may be challenged in court, and a decision-making authority must promptly forward any appeal documents it receives to the administrative court.

This section says the law starts on 1 January 2016, repeals the Reindeer Husbandry and Natural Livelihoods Financing Act (45/2000), and applies to subsidy schemes under section 3 that were introduced by Government Decree.

The Rural Development Fund’s money may still be used for certain ongoing projects, and property acquired for reindeer husbandry or natural livelihoods must be used for the purposes set out in section 3 of the Act.

Pending matters under earlier laws must be finished by the authority handling them, grants are paid by the authority that granted them, and some ELY Centre matters are transferred to the Lapland ELY Centre.

For payment-relief conditions under earlier reindeer husbandry and rural industries financing rules, the prior rules in force when this Act entered into force apply; for granting payment relief for interest subsidy loans, section 64(4) applies to the procedure.

EU co-financed program-based grants and other support are handled under the rules and regulations that were in force when this law entered into force, for the relevant program period, unless EU law says otherwise.

Credit institutions are paid a reasonable compensation for managing certain state loans, and the Government issues more detailed rules on how the compensation is calculated and how much it is.

Kun laki on tullut voimaan, tietyistä ELY-keskuksen, Maaseutuviraston ja maaseutuelinkeinojen valituslautakunnan päätöksistä haetaan muutosta 115 §:n mukaisesti, vaikka asiasta olisi aiemmin säädetty toisin.

If another law refers to the Reindeer Husbandry and Natural Resources Finance Act, that reference is treated as a reference to the corresponding provisions of this Act, unless this Act says otherwise.

Metsähallitus may allow a paliskunta to move an unsuitable or unnecessary building site area to a suitable place, and the paliskunta must move its buildings within two years of the decision.

This provision says earlier laws still apply to certain implementation-related matters, while specific powers over state receivables, grants, and loans are assigned to named authorities.

Valtioneuvosto voi antaa asetuksella poikkeuksia 118–126 §:n menettelyihin, ja Maaseutuvirasto voi antaa tarkempia määräyksiä tarvittavista asiakirjoista.