The Åland autonomy reform has entered a decisive phase after the public consultation on a proposed new Self-Government Act closed on 4 August 2026. More than 40 institutions and organisations submitted opinions on a text intended to modernise relations between the autonomous archipelago and the Finnish state.
The proposal would replace the current act adopted in 1991 and become the fourth Self-Government Act in Åland’s history. The reform does not seek to change the islands’ constitutional status, but to update the legal framework through which powers are divided between the Parliament of Finland (Eduskunta) and the Parliament of Åland (Ålands lagting).
The consultation began on 12 May, following years of negotiations and preparatory work. According to the Finnish Government’s legislative project, the government proposal is currently scheduled to be presented during week 39 of 2026, at the end of September.
What the Åland autonomy reform would change
The draft preserves the existing basic system for allocating legislative powers between Helsinki and Mariehamn, but rewrites and modernises many of its provisions.
One of its main objectives is to clarify the relationship between the Self-Government Act and the Constitution of Finland. The proposal would also update the terminology used to identify the institutions and legislation of the autonomous territory.
Under the draft, the Government of Åland (Ålands landskapsregering) would be formally renamed the Government of Åland (Ålands regering). Laws adopted by the regional parliament would be called Acts of the Parliament of Åland (lagtingslagar) rather than landscape laws.
The proposal would also revise the procedure used to examine legislation adopted by the Parliament of Åland. The grounds on which the President of Finland can exercise a veto would remain unchanged, but the content and organisation of the legislative review process would be modernised.
The working group’s report also proposes expanding Åland’s role in international obligations and strengthening its ability to influence matters prepared within the institutions of the European Union.
Swedish-language protections would be strengthened
Language is one of the central elements of the proposed reform. Åland is officially monolingual Swedish, while Finland has both Finnish and Swedish as national languages.
According to the Government of Åland, the draft would give the Parliament of Åland the authority to legislate on language in areas falling within its competence.
Digital services provided by Finnish state authorities to the public in Åland would have to be available in Swedish. Employees on the islands would also be entitled to receive information about the essential conditions of their employment in Swedish.
The reform would further guarantee the continued presence in Åland of both a district court and an administrative court acting as courts of first instance.
Harry Jansson, chair of the high-level reference group that supported the drafting process, said in May that the proposal had not achieved all of the Åland side’s original objectives. He nevertheless argued that it would strengthen both Swedish-language protections and the islands’ self-government.
More than 40 opinions now have to be assessed
The consultation produced more than 40 submissions, according to the local newspaper Nya Åland.
The respondents include Finnish ministries, judicial and constitutional institutions, local authorities, trade unions, universities and organisations based in Åland. The opinions must now be assessed by the Finnish Ministry of Justice (Oikeusministeriö) in cooperation with the Government of Åland before the final government proposal is submitted.
The current draft was prepared by a joint working group established in January 2025 by the Government of Åland and the Finnish Ministry of Justice. It was chaired by Supreme Court Justice Gustav Bygglin and built on earlier reform attempts, including proposals circulated for consultation in 2021 and 2022.
The long preparation reflects the unusual constitutional procedure required to amend Åland’s autonomy framework. The reform cannot be approved solely by the Finnish parliamentary majority.
The reform needs approval in Helsinki and Mariehamn
The new act must be considered by the Parliament of Finland under the procedure used for constitutional legislation. It must also receive a qualified majority in the Parliament of Åland before it can enter into force.
This requirement gives the autonomous institutions a decisive role and means that the final text must command broad political support on both sides of the Åland Sea.
Premier of Åland (lantråd) Katrin Sjögren has urged the Finnish Government and national political parties to move quickly with the proposal. When the draft was presented in May, she described it as the result of an extensive effort by politicians and officials over many years and called for a Self-Government Act adapted to the 21st century.
The timetable published by the Finnish Government indicates that the proposal could reach Parliament during the 2026 autumn session. The legislative project itself remains active until the end of 2027, leaving room for a potentially lengthy parliamentary process.
The outcome will affect one of Europe’s oldest functioning systems of territorial autonomy. It may also shape how Åland protects its Swedish-speaking institutions and represents its interests within Finland and the European Union without altering its existing constitutional status.
