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Member Profile

Aland

Åland is an autonomous, demilitarised, Swedish-speaking region of Finland. Åland consists of more than 6,700 islands and skerries, of which 6,400 are larger than 3,000 m2.

The largest island is the main island of Åland, which makes up 70 per cent of the Islands’ total land area and is home to 90 per cent of the population. The longest distance from north to south is 50 km and from east to west 45 km. Despite its relatively small size, there are 912 km of public roads in Åland.

Population

The population of Åland is currently at an all-time high. According to a travel memoir written by F.W. Radloff in the 18th century there were 11,000 people in the Islands at this time, spread across 80 different islands. In 1905 the number had grown to 22,000, living on 150 islands. Over the centuries many islands have been linked to each other or with the main island through bridges and embankments while others have been depopulated. The current population of 27,000 live on only 65 islands. Over 40 per cent live in the only town, Mariehamn.

The Parliament
Lagtinget – a Parliament

Åland’s autonomy gives it the right to pass laws in areas relating to the internal affairs of the region and to exercise its own budgetary power. Åland’s legislature, its “parliament”, is known as lagtinget. The Parliament appoints the regional Åland Government, landskapsregeringen. Åland’s autonomy is regulated by the Act on the Autonomy of Åland passed by the Parliament of Finland. An amendment of the Autonomy Act must follow the same legislative procedure as constitutional amendment and requires the consent of the Parliament of Åland. The division of power between Åland and Finland can thus only be changed on a consensual basis. The current Autonomy Act, the third in line, entered into force on 1 January 1993.

In which areas is the Parliament entitled to pass laws?

The Autonomy Act lists the areas where the Åland Parliament has the right to pass legislation. The most important of these are: education, culture and the preservation of ancient monuments; health and medical care, the environment; promotion of industry; internal transports; local government; policing; postal communications; radio and television.

In these areas Åland functions practically like an independent state with its own laws and administration.

In which areas is the Finnish State the competent authority?

In those areas where the Åland Parliament does not have law-making powers, Finnish State law applies in the same way as in other parts of the country.  These include: foreign affairs; most areas of civil and criminal law; the court system; customs; State taxation.

To ensure that Åland’s interests are taken into account also in these areas, Åland has a representative in the Finnish Parliament. Åland’s Member of Parliament is elected in the same way as other Finnish MPs.

How is the Åland Parliament elected?

The Parliament has 30 members, who are elected every four years by secret ballot under a system of proportional representation. The voting age is 18, but the right to vote and stand for election is also dependent on possession of right of domicile in Åland (see below).

Åland’s political parties are independent from parties outside Åland, but have similar ideological foundations as their counterparts in Finland and other countries.

Economic Autonomy

Apart from passing laws, the main task of the Parliament is to distribute the budget of Åland. The income consists of Åland’s own revenues and a lump sum received from the Finnish Government, which constitutes a form of repayment of a part of the taxes paid by Åland to the Finnish State.

The Åland budget

If the income and wealth taxes raised in Åland exceed 0.5 per cent of the corresponding tax revenues for Finland as a whole, the excess amount is transferred to Åland in the form of a tax redemption (“carrot”). In 2007 Åland received a tax redemption of €35 million relating to fiscal 2005.

Legislative Control

The President bases his decision on the opinion of a body known as the Åland Delegation and occasionally also on the opinion expressed by the Supreme Court. Half the members of the Åland Delegation are appointed by the Finnish Government and half by the Åland Parliament.

Demilitarisation

Åland is demilitarised. This means that there may be no military presence here and that the Islands may not be fortified. Åland is also neutralised, and must therefore be kept outside the theatre of war in case of conflict. When Åland was incorporated into the Russian Empire in 1809 the Islands’ new rulers initiated the construction of a large fortress at Bomarsund on the eastern side of the main island. During the Crimean War French and British troops attacked and seized the fortress, and at the ensuing peace negotiations held in Paris in 1856 Åland was demilitarised through a one-sided commitment from Russia.

When the League of Nations resolved the issue of Åland’s constitutional affiliation in 1921 a decision was also taken to draw up an international convention. The convention, which confirmed the demilitarisation of 1856 and also neutralised Åland, was signed by ten states. Russia is not a party to the 1921 convention, but the 1940 Moscow Treaty on the Åland Islands and the 1947 Paris Peace Treaty contain provisions on the demilitarisation of Åland. Neutralisation is not mentioned, however.

Those who have right of domicile and moved to Åland before the age 12 are exempt from military service. A person with the right of domicile may in place of conscription for military service serve in a corresponding manner in the pilotage or lighthouse services or in other civil administration. Until such service has been organised, the residents of Åland shall be exempt from conscription for military service.

Åland’s Autonomy – the Background

How can such a small population have such a wide autonomy?

As far back as we know the people of Åland have spoken Swedish and had a culture that is similar to that in Sweden. Åland was also a part of the Swedish kingdom, enjoying periods of relative independence, up until the war of 1808-09, when Sweden was forced to relinquish Finland and Åland to Russia. As a result, Åland became part of the Grand Duchy of Finland. When the Russian Empire began to fall apart in 1917 representatives of Åland’s municipalities held a secret meeting at the Åland Folk High School, where they decided to seek reunification with their Swedish motherland.  A delegation presented this request, which was backed by a mass petition signed by an overwhelming majority of the local adult population, to the Swedish King and Government.

In December 1917 Finland declared itself an independent republic, referring to the same principle of popular self-determination as had been invoked by the Ålanders in support of their claim for reunification with Sweden. Yet Finland was not prepared to meet the Ålanders’ demands, and instead offered a form of internal self-government. The Finnish Parliament adopted a law regulating the proposed autonomy, but the Ålandic representatives rejected the initiative.

Due to the international character of what had now become known as the Åland Islands Question, the issue was referred to the newly formed League of Nations. In June 1921 the League’s Council presented a compromise decision which offered something to each of the three parties to the conflict – Finland, Sweden and Åland. Finland was granted sovereignity over Åland, but was placed under an obligation to guarantee to the population of the Islands their Swedish culture, language, local customs and the system of self-government that Finland had offered Åland in 1920. The decision was supplemented with an agreement between Finland and Sweden on how the guarantees were to be realised. The League also decided that a treaty governing Åland’s demilitarisation and neutralisation should be drawn up to ensure that the Islands would never become a military threat to Sweden.

In 1922, after the 1920 Autonomy Act had been supplemented with a number of provisions relating to voting rights and the acquisition of land, the first elections to the Åland Parliament were held. The landsting, as it was known at the time, convened for its first session on 9 June, and this day is now celebrated in commemoration of Åland’s autonomy. The Autonomy Act has since been completely revised on two occasions, in 1951 and 1993.

Sport and Leisure activities

Åland has about 60 sports societies, whose activities are largely funded from local gaming revenues. The societies are very active and cover a wide range of winter and summer sports. Youth activities are well developed, and the various societies also devote a lot of energy to drug prevention.

Åland does not perform as a separate nation in international competitions, but many local sportsmen have represented Finland either individually or in the national team. Many Ålanders have also achieved considerable international success, notably in athletics, football, indoor bandy, sailing, weight-lifting and shooting.

Island Games

Aland has been represented at the Island Games since its inception in 1985 in the Isle of Man and is one of the founder members of the Association. Åland had the honour of hosting the Fourth Games in 1991, and the NatWest Island Games XIII in 2009. Both under leadership of HLM Dick Ekström.

The Economy

Åland is a small society with an open economy that is dependent on trade with neighbouring regions. The Islands’ location midway between two expanding economic centres, southern Finland and the Stockholm region, is a major advantage, but also makes Åland sensitive to economic fluctuations in its two neighbouring markets. Åland has a large number of businesses and a long entrepreneurial tradition. There are currently about 2,100 businesses, of which about 600 are agricultural enterprises. About 20 companies, mainly shipping firms, banks and insurance companies, have more than 50 employees. More than 90 per cent have less than 10 employees, and many are one-man businesses. Åland’s economy is dominated by the service sector, particularly the maritime industry, which accounts for 30 per cent of local GDP. The capital-intensive shipping industry helps to raise Åland’s GDP per capita, but income levels in Åland are not higher than the average for Finland. As Åland’s shipping companies offer more workplaces than the local labour market is able to provide, the crews also include many people living in other parts of Finland and Sweden. Underpinning the strong growth of tourism in Åland are the frequent ferry services. In the last few years the number of arrivals has been around 2.2 million. Most return the same day, but about 530,000 guest nights are registered each year. Åland’s hotels and guesthouses have about 2,600 beds, and there are more than 2,000 holiday cottages. In the summer, many visitors arrive in their own sailing or motorboats, and stay in one of Åland’s 20 or so guest harbours.

The industrial sector in Åland is small in comparison with those of neighbouring regions, but still plays an important role from an export perspective. As local industries process local farm produce and fish, their indirect employment effect is also significant. Åland also has an interesting high-tech plastics industry with worldwide exports, as well as metals, engineering, carpentry, printing and electronics businesses.

Despite their relatively modest returns, the primary industries, agriculture and fishing, play a vital role as providers of raw produce for the food industry in the archipelago and other sparsely populated areas. Small unitscombined with a favourable climate has encouraged local producers to specialise in crops like onions, Chinese cabbage, sugar beets, potatoes and apples.

Since the economic slump in the mid 1990s Åland’s employment situation has been very good. One reason for this is the Islands’ geographical location. The proximity to Stockholm and Helsinki has enabled many young people, in particular, to work and study even in times of economic weakness at home. Unemployment has long been low, with open unemployment currently at 2.2 per cent. A long-term need for staff in health and medical care as well as education is a problem that Åland shares with the rest of the Nordic region. Because of the large number of tourists who visit Åland in the summers the service sector is dependent on seasonal workers from outside Åland during high season.

In modern times shipping has been the dominating industry in Åland, and it has greatly contributed to the Islands’ current wealth. The changes faced by the Ålandic shipping industry pose a clear threat to Åland’s labour market and economy.

Education

Åland has complete autonomy in the area of education. The language of tuition in all local schools is Swedish. The nine-year school, which is run by the municipality authorities, provides a broad general education. English is obligatory, while Finnish, French and German are optional. Åland’s schools are relatively small.

The tiny secondary schools in the archipelago, which enable children to study in their home parish until the end of their statutory period of schooling, have proved a successful local initiative.

Åland provides college/upper secondary-level education in shipping, commerce, tourism, medical care, domestic economy, technology and farming, all of which are important to the local economy. An exam from Ålands lyceum, a school offering three-year theoretical courses, prepares students for university studies. Most local youths who go on to pursue university-level studies leave Åland for a while to attend a university in Sweden or Finland.Today Åland also has its own college of higher education. The Åland Polytechnic offers a wide range of courses leading to vocational degrees.

Communications and IT

Because of Åland’s geographical location, the local economy, and the people who live here, are very dependent on good communications. In winter-time 20 ferries depart from Åland to Sweden and the Finnish mainland every day, but in summer the number rises to almost the double. As from spring 2004 there is also a service to Estonia. Although ferries are the dominating form of transport to Åland, there are also flights between Mariehamn and the Swedish and Finnish mainlands. Locally, the archipelago is served by publicly owned regional ferries which depart several times a day.

Åland has always been at the forefront of developments in information technology, and now has a broadband network that is accessible to almost the entire population. The mobile telephone network covers the main island as well as the archipelago.

Media

Åland is a media-intensive society, with about 60 active journalists. There are two local newspapers, Ålandstidningen, which was founded in 1891, and Nya Åland, founded in 1981. Ålandstidningen is published Monday to Saturday, six days a week, while Nya Åland is published five times a week, Månday to Friday. Both newspapers are published six times a week.  The publicly owned Ålands Radio och TV Ab produces Ålands Radio and distributes Swedish and Finnish public-service radio and television. There are also two commercial radio channels. The majority of Ålandic households have access to satellite channels via cable, yet surveys show that a majority prefer locally produced radio programmes and Swedish television.

Nature and Wildlife

The Ålandic landscape was forged many millennia ago by powerful natural forces, which are still at work today, into a distinctive archipelagic landscape consisting of thousands of islands, holmes and skerries. The rapid changes in the landscape – from land to water, and from fields and meadows to dense, dark woods – as well as the large number of different habitats and the striking wealth of species give Åland its special character. The mosaic-like skärgård, or archipelago, and its inspiring waterways, unusual land formations and rich bird life is perhaps the natural experience that most visitors associate with Åland, as well as the red rock, rapakivi granite, which gives the Ålandic landscape its distinctive hue. In terms of plant geography Åland lies within the Nordic “oak zone”, which is characterised by a relatively high share of broad-leaf trees such as oak, ash, elm, maple and lime as well as more southerly species of flowering plants. The mild sea climate and chalky soil also help to create a rich flora. Åland has many species of orchids and is widely known for its wooded meadows, which are richer in species than anywhere else in the country. Nature conservation is relatively well developed in Åland, which has its own nature conservation laws, including special provisions relating to the protection of wild plant and animal species. About 50 plants, including most orchids, are protected, and so, of course, are most mammals and birds, except for those game species which may be killed during their respective shooting seasons.

Under an Åland Government resolution, all amphibians and reptiles, except the common adder, as well as some endangered butterfly species, are protected. The so-called “every man’s right”, or public right of access to privately owned land, is more limited than in other parts of the Nordic region.

There are about 40 nature reserves in Åland, which are intended to preserve different types of nature for future generations. The woodedmeadows of Ramsholmen and Nåtö just outside Mariehamn are two wellknown examples.

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