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Contractualisation of Family Law - Global Perspectives pp 193–215Cite as

Towards a Negotiatory Ideal? Contractualization of Family Law in Finland

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Part of the book series: Ius Comparatum - Global Studies in Comparative Law ((GSCL,volume 4))

Abstract

This chapter offers an overview of contractual arrangements and agreements in family matters in Finland. Finnish law does not offer much scope for personal autonomy regarding status relations, and contractual options in substantive family law are mostly focused on financial issues like matrimonial property and maintenance. However, there are some noteworthy exceptions regarding paternity, adoption and filiation. The legislation on assisted reproduction, for instance, recognizes consent to treatment as a possible foundation for filiation.

While contractual options in substantive family law are rather scarce, procedurally speaking there is more room for agreement. The number of options for mediation and negotiation has increased greatly in the last few decades, beginning with legislative reforms in the 1980s. Thus the contrast between substantive and procedural family law suggests a shift away from status-based and financial provisions, towards a negotiation-based model of regulating families. Such a model also emphasizes the best interests of the child, and presumes that divorcing spouses will reach an agreement and share parental responsibilities after divorce.

I would like to thank Kirsikka Salminen and Riikka Koulu for their comments on this article.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    All legislation and case law referred in this chapter is available on the internet at http://www.finlex.fi/ [10.10.2014]. Some of the databases can be browsed in English and translations of key acts and decrees are available in several languages.

  2. 2.

    The ombudsman institution also provides important oversight of legality and constitutionality; see eg. the jubilee book Parliamentary Ombudsman 90, and Kurki-Suonio 2010 in it.

  3. 3.

    The chapter is based on a large reform in the 1990s, and can be considered part of a larger shift in legal thinking and argumentation. See for instance Nieminen 2013.

  4. 4.

    A reform is being prepared in the Ministry of Justice as of autumn 2014; in all likelihood it will be limited in scope and will mainly help clarify the legal parenthood of children born to two women in a registered partnership (see also below in section “Partners”).

  5. 5.

    The new Act will enter into force on 1 January 2016. While the main content of the provisions will remain practically identical to those of the 1975 Act, there are controversial issues involved. One of them is the legal position of persons born before or during the transition period of 1976 to 1981, which was at hand in the ECtHR cases Grönmark v. Finland and Backlund v. Finland 6.7.2010.

  6. 6.

    The new Paternity Act will improve the parties' personal autonomy [etc]. For instance, acknowledgement of a child will become possible also before birth, when the parents visit a maternity clinic during pregnancy. This advance acknowledgement will be subject to a special revocation period of 30 days from birth.

  7. 7.

    The law also recognizes adoption within the family (step-parent adoption), in which a parent’s new spouse adopts the child as his or her own. In this case, only the relationship with the “outside” parent is dissolved.

  8. 8.

    During the marriage, this obligation is considered primary with regard to social security, though after divorce the assumption is effectively reversed.

  9. 9.

    In the following, the word “mediation” will be used as a generic term for any mechanisms and techniques that focus on achieving a sustainable arrangement or a solution to a conflict between two or more parties.

  10. 10.

    See government proposal HE 186/2013 vp. More information on the mediation process is available in a brochure by the Ministry of Justice, at http://www.oikeus.fi/en/index/esitteet/expert-assistedmediationofcustodydisputes_2.html [10.10.2014].

Case Law

European Court of Human Rights

Finnish Supreme Court

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Child and Family Law, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

    Sanna Koulu LLD

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  1. Sanna Koulu LLD
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Correspondence to Sanna Koulu LLD .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Law, Research Group Personal Rights & Property Rights, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium

    Frederik Swennen

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Koulu, S. (2015). Towards a Negotiatory Ideal? Contractualization of Family Law in Finland. In: Swennen, F. (eds) Contractualisation of Family Law - Global Perspectives. Ius Comparatum - Global Studies in Comparative Law, vol 4. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-17229-3_9

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