natgillin/translations-raw huggingface dataset:
Disse høje tal skal ses i lyset af, at 61% af kommunerne samtidig ikke fandt EF-spørgsmål relevante for kommunen.
These figures are particularly high as at the same time 61 per cent of the municipalities claimed that EU matters were of no interest to the municipality.
Finland var ikke medlem på det pågældende tidspunkt, men mange lokale myndigheder forberedte sig altså på et medlemskab.
Despite Finland not being a member at that time, a large number of local authorities made provisions for a future membership status.
Tidligere internationale forbindelser - pga. tilstedeværelsen af store eksportindustrier eller én veludviklet turisme - har f.eks. også spillet en vis rolle. Strukturelle forhold er imidlertid ikke hele forklaringen.
Previous international links, for example, due to the presence of large export industries or tourism, have also played a role.
En afgørende faktor er også holdningen til EU blandt de ledende politikere i kommunen. Forskning viser interessant nok, at finske frikommuner synes at være mindre villige til at udvikle aktiviteter med tilknytning til EU.
A significant factor is also the attitude of the political leadership of the municipality towards the EU.
253 det mindste fra starten var samarbejdet koncentreret om miljøspørgsmål, kultur, medicinsk behandling, turisme og transport.
Later, Russia and the Baltic states were also included. At least initially, cooperation concerned environmental issues, culture, medical care, tourism, and transport.
Den europæiske integration har bidraget til en yderligere styrkelse af denne tendens i såvel Finland som andre lande (Östhol 1996).
However, European integration has contributed to further reinforcing this tendency, in Finland as well as in other countries (Östhol 1996).
Udviklingen er sandsynligvis fortsat, efter at Finland blev medlem i 1995, ligesom det må antages, at et større antal lokalmyndigheder i dag gør en aktiv indsats i forhold til EU. Det er endnu ikke klart, hvilke konsekvenser disse aktiviteter har for det lokale demokrati.
It is likely that this development has continued after membership status was obtained in 1995 and that a larger number of local authorities are now active vis-à-vis the EU.
Baggrunden er dog næppe et stærkt krav fra befolkningen. Snarere er der tale om initiativer fra den politiske og administrative elites side.
However, it is unlikely that they are a response to strong popular demands, but rather are initiated by political and administrative elites.
Forholdet mellem det centrale og det lokale niveau
4.2 Central-Local Relations
Forholdet mellem centralforvaltningen og den lokale forvaltning har ændret sig, efter at den centrale regulering er blevet lempet.
The relationship between central and local government has changed as central regulation has been relaxed.
En vigtig kontakt mellem de to niveauer foregår via de årlige forhandlinger mellem repræsentanter for henholdsvis ministerierne og Finlands Kommunförbund.
An important channel bringing the. two levels together is the annual negotiation, which involve representatives of government ministries and the Association of Local and Regional Authorities.
Disse forhandlinger har fundet sted siden 1975 og vedrører hovedsagelig de kommende økonomiske betingelser for de lokale myndigheder, herunder eventuelle kommunale skattestigninger, men også initiativer fra centralforvaltningens side, som kan få konsekvenser for den lokale forvaltning.
These have taken place since 1975 and are mainly focusing on the economic preconditions for local authorities, including prospects for local tax increases, but have also concerned centralgovernment initiatives that may affect local government.
De aftaler, der herigennem opnås, ses som kraftige henstillinger til parterne, men de er ikke bindende.
The agreements reached in these negotiations are seen as strong recommendations for the different parties, but they are not compulsory.
Det menes dog, at de har forhindret unødvendige skattestigninger, ligesom de har skabt et forum for en åben dialog mellem repræsentanter på de to niveauer.
Nevertheless, they are considered to have hampered excessive tax increases as well as creating a forum for confidential dialogue between representatives of the two levels.
Kommunemes udgifter svarede i 1994 til 18% af BNP, mens deres andel af de samlede offentlige udgifter var 30% (Council of Europe 1997).
Municipal expenditures represented 18 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) and their share of total public expenditures was 30 per cent (1994 figures) (Council of Europe 1997).
De vigtigste indtægtskilder er skatter (40%), statstilskud (29%) og brugerbetaling (15%) (1994).
cent), central government grants (29 per cent), and user fees (15 per cent) (1994 figures).
Den vigtigste lokale skat er en proportionel indkomstskat, som for øjeblikket i gennemsnit er 18% af den skattepligtige indkomst.
The main localgovernment tax is a proportional income tax, which at the moment, on average, is 18 per cent of taxable income.
Den varierer dog fra 15 til 20% afhængigt af kommunen.
However, it ranges from between 15 to 20 per cent in different municipalities.
Kommunerne fastsætter skatteprocenten, men fra 1975 har centralforvaltningen og de forskellige organisationer for de lokale myndigheder truffet aftale om et anbefalet skatteniveau.
Local authorities set the tax rate, but from 1975 onwards agreements have been made about a recommended level of taxation between central government and the different associations of local authorities.
Overførslen mellem stat og kommune bestod indtil sidst i 1980'eme overvejende af særlige tilskud.
The transfer system from national to local government was, until the late 1980s, dominated by specific grants.
Efter en reform i 1993 er der nu hovedsagelig tale om bloktilskud.
However, following a reform in 1993, it now mainly consists of block grants.
Tilskudssystemet omfatter en række foranstaltninger, der skal kompensere dårligt stillede kommuner, selvom den udjævnende faktor er blevet svækket efter reformen i 1993 (Ståhlberg & Oulasvirta 1996). 4.3
The grants system includes a number of measures aiming at compensating disadvantaged local authorities, but the equalising factor has become weaker since the 1993 reform (Ståhlberg and Oulasvirta 1996).
En vigtig ændring, der påvirker det lokale demokrati i Finland, er de stramninger, der skyldes færre ressourcer.
A major change with consequences for Finnish local democracy is the strain related to decreasing resources.
Som i andre vestlige lande har de lokale myndigheder været nødsaget til at tage tidligere opgaver op til overvejelse, men i Finland gør særlige forhold sig gældende.
As in other Western countries, local authorities have been forced to reconsider previous commitments, but the Finnish background is somewhat different.
I det meste af efterkrigstiden var såvel størrelsen af den offentlige sektor som de lokale myndigheders andel heraf
For most of the postwar period, the size of the public sector as well as its localgovernment share was smaller in Finland than in the other Nordic countries.
254 mindre i Finland end i de øvrige nordiske lande.
However, during the 1970s and 1980s, the Finnish economy and the public sector experienced a phase of 'catching up' with its neighbours, which also had an effect on the relative size of local government (Mouritzen and Nielsen 1992; Naschold 1995).
Årsagen var til dels et sammenbrud i østhandelen efter Sovjetunionens fald.
To some extent, this was triggered off by a breakdown of eastern trade, following the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Økonomisk tilbagegang med et massivt fald i BNP, nedskrivning af den finske mark og stigende arbejdsløshed tvang regeringen til at reducere den offentlige sektors størrelse.
Economic decline, with a massive fall in GDP, a depreciation of the Markka, and increasing unemployment, forced central government to'reduce the size of the public sector.
I 1994 blev de statslige tilskud til kommunerne f.eks. beskåret med 10%.
For example, in 1994 the national-government grants to local government were cut by 10 per cent.
Selvom en stigning i kommunalskatten delvis kunne opveje tabene, var de lokale myndigheder nødt til at forbedre effektiviteten, prioritere og afskaffe visse tjenesteydelser.
Even if an increase in municipal taxes managed to compensate for some of the losses, local authorities were still faced with demands to enhance efficiency, prioritize, and abandon services.
Disse problemer vil formentlig fortsætte fremover (Niemi-Iilahti 1995), selvom der fra midten af 1990'eme er tegn på en forbedring af økonomien.
It is expected that these problems will continue in the future (Niemi-Iilahti 1995), even if the economy shows signs of improvement during the mid-1990s.
Under alle omstændigheder er der skruet ned for befolkningens forventninger til, hvad de lokale myndigheder kan tilbyde.
Nevertheless, popular expectations about what local authorities can provide have to be reduced.
En anden udvikling, der påvirker det lokale demokrati, er omorganiseringen af lokalforvaltningen.
A further change with implications for local democracy is the ongoing reorganization of local government.
Kommunesammenlægninger har været sjældne, men andre ændringer har fundet sted.
Amalgamations of local authorities have been rare, but other changes have been more common.
Det var i høj grad på statens vegne, som kommunerne udviklede velfærdssystemet i 1980'eme.
The growth of the municipal welfare system in the 1980s was, to a large extent, undertaken on behalf of central government.
For at kontrollere kommunemes præstationer havde man en nøje regulering og fine overvågningsmekanismer, som satte nogle praktiske grænser for det lokale selvstyre.
In order to control the performance of the municipalities, detailed regulation and monitoring devices set effective limits to local self-government.
Navnlig tilskudssystemet var meget detaljeret med opgavespecifikke tilskud til forskellige tjenesteydelser.
In particular, the grants system was highly detailed with task-specific grants for various services.
Efter en række decentraliseringspolitiske tiltag er magten dog blevet ført tilbage til det lokale niveau, og en mere generel form for regulering er blevet indført.
However, through a number of decentralization policies, power has been relocated to the local level and a more general form of regulation has been introduced.
Hvad angår det lokale demokrati har omorganiseringen i mange tilfælde givet mere plads til lokal indflydelse på lokale spørgsmål.
In terms of local democracy, several of the reorganisations have provided greater scope for local influence over local matters.
Samtidig har de lokale myndigheders større frihed dog medført sammenlægninger af udvalg og en reduktion i antallet af kommunalpolitikere (Ståhlberg 1994).
However, at the same time, the greater freedom for local authorities has resulted in mergers of committees and a reduction in the number of municipal politicians (Ståhlberg 1994).
Navnlig ændringerne af tilskudssystemet har medført decentralisering (Oulasvirta 1992).
The changes with regard to the grants system have been particularly significant as decentralization measures (Oulasvirta 1992).
Så sent som i 1987 var 99% af statens tilskud øremærket til bestemte formål.
As late as in 1987, 99 per cent of the state grants were targeted to specific purposes.
I 1993 indførte man i stedet et mindre antal generelle tilskud, herunder to brede sektortilskud til social-/sundhedsvæsen og uddannelse/fritid.
In 1993 these were replaced by a few general grants, including two broad sector grants for social services/health care and for education/recreation.
Kommunerne har stor frihed til selv at bestemme, hvordan disse midler skal anvendes.
Local government exerts considerable discretion in the use of these resources.
Overraskende nok var navnlig kommunerne modstandere af det nye system, eftersom de mente, at det ville gøre det lettere at reducere tilskuddet.
Somewhat surprisingly, the municipalities were the main opponent to introducing the new system, as they expected it to make grants more susceptible to cuts.
Sådan gik det da også kort tid efter reformens gennemførelse.
Indeed, not long after the reform this actually happened.
Privat tilvejebringelse af de tjenesteydelser, kommunerne har ansvaret for, er mest udbredt i byområder og - en smule overraskende - i kommuner, hvor venstrefløjen står stærkt, uanset kommunens størrelse.
Private provision of services for which municipalities are responsible is most common in urban settings and, somewhat surprisingly, in local authorities of different sizes dominated by left-wing parties.
Dette skyldes, at det opfattes som en pragmatisk snarere end en ideologisk løsning at overlade opgaverne til private (Granqvist 1997).
The reason is that private provision is seen as a pragmatic, rather than ideological, solution (Granqvist 1997).
Generelt har omorganiseringen kun i meget ringe omfang ført til privatisering af offentlige tjenesteydelser, selvom man har hentet visse forvaltningsmæssige idéer fra den private sektor.
However, on the whole, reorganisational measures have only to a very limited extent included privatization of public services even if managerial ideas have been borrowed from the private sector.
Indførelse af nye forvaltningssystemer, såsom målstyring og resultatstyring, skete forholdsvis sent i Finland.
The adaptation of new steering systems, such as management by objectives and management by results, came comparatively late in Finland.
De økonomiske problemer i begyndelsen af 1990'eme medførte en pause i reformerne.
The economic problems in the early 1990s marked a halt in this reform movement.
I dag benytter både central- og lokalforvaltningen en blanding af nye og gamle forvaltningsmetoder (Naschold 1995).
Now both central and local government combine new and old means of steering (Naschold 1995).
En vigtig ændring inden for det subnationale styre i Finland er sket på det regionale niveau.
A major innovation in Finnish local government is the transformation of the regional level.
Grundloven af 1919 indeholdt bestemmelser om folkevalgte råd på regionalt niveau, men af forskellige årsager blev dette aldrig ført ud i livet.
The 1919 Constitution made provisions for a level of elected county councils in Finland, but for several reasons this never came into effect.
Den nødvendige politiske støtte til en gennemførelse af reformen blev aldrig skabt, navnlig fordi man mente, at Finland var for lille til at have et folkevalgt mellemniveau.
gathered as, in essence, it was believed that Finland was too small for an intermediate level of elected government.
I stedet opstod der forskellige former for samarbejdsarrangementer mellem kommunerne, og dette system er løbende blevet ændret.
Instead, various forms of cooperative arrangements between municipalities emerged, and have been reformed, over the years.
Den seneste og hidtil vigtigste reform er etableringen af indirekte valgte regionalråd i hver af de 19 landskabsforbund i 1994.
The latest and so far the most important of these reforms concerns the establishment in 1994 of indirectly elected regional councils in each of the nineteen regions.
Selvom disse råd overvejende består af kommunalbestyrelsesmedlemmer, har rådene ikke den demokratiske legitimitet, som direkte valgte organer har.
Even if these councils, to a large extent, consist of members of municipal councils, they, nevertheless, lack the democratic legitimacy of directly elected bodies.
De varetager ikke desto mindre opgaver, der i mange andre europæiske lande varetages af et mellemniveau (Sharpe 1993), idet de f.eks. har rollen som regionalstyre i forhold til EU.
However, they still perform tasks which are similar to the meso level in many other European states (Sharpe 1993). They fulfil a regional government role vis-à-vis the EU.
Tilpasningen til kravene fra EU's strukturfonde var rent faktisk en vigtig drivkraft bag indførelsen af disse råd, ligesom den har spillet en vigtig rolle for de opgaver, rådene har fået (Lindström, Hedegaard & Veggeland 1996). Regionalrådene har ansvaret for den regionale udvikling, som før 1994 henhørte under den regionale statsadministration.
The councils are responsible for regional development, which was a task for regional state administration before 1994.
De har også andre opgaver, alt efter hvad medlemskommunerne finder relevant.
They may also perform other functions that the member municipalities regard as feasible.
De nye organer er meget vigtige ud fra et demokratisk synspunkt, selvom befolkningens indflydelse kun er indirekte.
The new bodies are clearly important from a democratic point of view, even if popular influence is indirect.
Ligesom i de øvrige nordiske lande har man i Finland lavet et frikommuneeksperiment - for Finlands vedkommende i 1989.
In the same way as in the other Nordic countries, a free commune experiment programme was initiated, in the Finnish case in 1989.
Dette var inspireret af svenske (1984) og danske (1985) forsøg.
This was inspired by the Swedish (1984) and Danish (1985) experiments.
I alt 56 frikommuner blev udvalgt og fik mulighed for at blive fritaget for visse dele af lovgivningen.
A total of fifty-six 'free communes' were selected and given the opportunity to be exempted from specific legislation.
Det finske forsøg tog navnlig sigte på administrative spørgsmål og er mere blevet set som en reform end som et forsøg (Ståhlberg 1994).
The Finnish experiment was mainly focused on administrative matters and has been regarded as more of a reform than an experiment (Ståhlberg 1994).
Man ønskede at forbedre effektiviteten inden for den lokale produktion af tjenesteydelser (Ståhlberg & Oulasvirta 1996). CdR 222/98
An important reason was to increase the efficiency of local service production (Ståhlberg & Oulasvirta 1996). However, the experiment has had a significant impact on the formulation of a new Local Government Act. Certain parts of this Act came into force in 1995 and the rest in 1997. A number of changes were introduced in the new legislation. Municipal responsibility for sustainable development was emphasized as a specific task of local government. The position of the chief administrative officer was clarified. Local authorities were provided with greater freedom to decide the structure of their committee system. Also, a committee that lost the support of the council could from now on be dismissed during its term of office. The role of the council was also affected by changes in the Local Government Act. The minimum required size of the local council was reduced, which has led to fewer elected representatives. Majority constellations in the local councils may be less stable, as previous two-third majority requirements have been abolished. The new Act may also affect local democracy in other ways. Provisions for new forms CdR 222/98
Forsøget har ikke desto mindre haft afgørende indflydelse på udformningen af den nye kommunallov. Visse dele af denne lov trådte i kraft i 1995 og resten i 1997.
of user influence have been included as local authorities now are permitted to delegate decisionmaking powers to, for example, groups of parents on boards of day nurseries or schools (Finlands kommuntidning, no. 10, 1994).
Desuden kan et udvalg, der mister kommunalbestyrelsens støtte, nu opløses i løbet af en mandatperiode.
A special feature of Finnish local democracy is the citizens' written motion.
Kommunalbestyrelsens minimumsstørrelse er blevet reduceret, hvilket har ført til færre folkevalgte repræsentanter.
If anyone suggests a measure that he/she thinks the local authority should undertake, the municipality is obliged to respond with a decision.
Et særligt træk ved det lokale demokrati i Finland er borgemes mulighed for at indsamle underskrifter.
If the measure is supported by 2 per cent of the electorate, this decision becomes a matter for the full council and not just a committee.
Hvis nogen har et forslag til de lokale myndigheder, er kommunen forpligtet til at svare med en beslutning.
A further innovation, tested by several municipalities, are youth councils.
En anden nyskabelse, der har været afprøvet af flere kommuner, er ungdomsråd, der skal styrke de unges indflydelse på kommunale anliggender.
These aim at improving young people's influence over municipal matters.
I Esbo (en af de fire kommuner i Storhelsingfors) vælger de 13-20-årige 30 repræsentanter til ungdomsrådet.
In Esbo 13-to-20-year-olds elect thirty representatives to the youth council.
Rådet skal fremsætte forslag, når kommunen behandler spørgsmål, der vedrører de unge.
Its role will be to make suggestions whenever the municipality is considering matters affecting young people.
Lignende råd er blevet etableret i kommunerne Malax, Lappo, Alahärmä og Vichtis (Finlands Kommuntidning, nr. 11 1997).
Similar councils have been set up in, for example, the municipalities of Malax, Lappo, Alahärmä, and Vichtis (Finlands kommuntidning, no. 11, 1997).
Det finske lokaldemokrati adskiller sig på en række punkter fra det, man finder i andre lande.
A number of specific features characterise Finnish local democracy compared to other countries.
F.eks. har man ikke noget direkte valgt mellemniveau, og deltagelsen i lokalvalg er relativt lav.
The absence of a directly elected intermediate level of local government is one such feature, and the relatively low level of participation in local elections is another.
Ikke desto mindre har lokalstyret en stærk stilling i det finske samfund.
Nevertheless, local government enjoys a strong position in Finnish society.
Da befolkningen er politisk interesseret, og da der til stadighed afprøves nye metoder til forbedring af det lokale demokrati, kan der stilles store forventninger til det finske lokaldemokrati.
Further, as there is considerable popular interest in political participation and as new ways of improving local democracy are constantly tested, a great deal can be expected from Finnish local democracy in the future.
Spørgsmålet om det regionale niveaus stilling vil formentlig vække yderligere debat.
The question of the position of the regional level is likely to cause further debate.
I 1997 udtalte den finske statsminister, at antallet af regionalråd yderligere skal reduceres, og han var villig til at tage direkte valg til et mindre antal råd op til overvejelse.
In 1997 the Finnish prime minister indicated that the number of regional councils should be reduced, and he is also prepared to consider direct elections to the new, amalgamated, councils.
Det antages, at rådene dermed vil blive bedre til at varetage de udvidede opgaver, der er forbundet med deres europæiske rolle.
In this way, they are expected to be more able to carry out the extended tasks that are associated with their role in a European context.
Regionalt demokrati vil uden tvivl også fremover være et aktuelt spørgsmål i Finland.
Regional democracy clearly continues to be a topical question in Finland.
Den historiske baggrund
1 Historical Background
Den økonomiske, sociale og politiske udvikling i Sverige i slutningen af det 19. århundrede foregik langsomt sammenlignet med resten af Europa.
The economic, social, and political development of Sweden was slow at the end of the nineteenth century, compared with the rest of Europe.
Sverige var stadig et fattigt land og befolkningen var i alt for høj grad afhængig af landbruget for livets opretholdelse. Industrialiseringen og urbaniseringen var langt bagefter, og de politiske rettigheder var begrænsede.
Sweden was still a poor country with a population overly dependent on subsistence farming.
I de første årtier i det nye århundrede tog en gennemgribende ændring af det svenske samfund imidlertid sin begyndelse.
However, the first decades of the twentieth century witnessed the beginning of a complete transformation of Swedish society.
Industrier udvikledes hurtigt på grundlag af de naturlige ressourcer af træ og malm, fattigdommen på landet forsvandt gennem udvandring og urbanisering, de sociale problemer blev gradvis mindsket, og svenskerne fik nye politiske rettigheder.
Industries developed rapidly based on the natural resources of timber and ore, rural poverty was eliminated by emigration and urbanisation, social problems were gradually reduced, and the Swedes gained new political rights.