Finnish Mining Association

FinnMin has just under 60 members. These include mining operators, contractors, suppliers of machinery and equipment, service providers and exploration companies.

The association’s operations are fully financed by its membership fees. The association was founded in 1999 and was originally called the Finnish Extractive Industries Association. FinnMin has a partnership agreement with the Technology Industries of Finland. The association’s office is located at Eteläranta 10 in Helsinki. Moreover, FinnMin represents its members in international bodies such as Euromines, which is located in Brussels.

The association’s highest governing body is its Annual Meeting, which is convened twice a year.

FinnMin’s board has approximately 10 members representing exploration, underground mines, open-pit mining, mining technology, contractors, and manufacturers. A new Chair is appointed every two years.

Working groups

FinnMin pursues its objectives through a number of working groups, which include an Environmental Committee, an Exploration Network, a Communications Group and an Advisory Board on Mining Safety.

The working groups provide members with opportunities for networking, having their voices heard, and working together to improve industry practices. The working groups host events and training courses relating to their areas of expertise. The working groups also seek to anticipate legislative reforms by following legislators’ work and coordinate various kinds of development projects.

The Environmental Committee is responsible for staying up to date on the laws governing the mining industry and drafting opinions and statements to the authorities. The Environmental Committee aims to increase members’ awareness of HSE (health, safety, and the environment) by, for example, hosting thematic seminars. It can set up specialist teams to work on legislative or operative initiatives and studies.

The Advisory Board on Mining Safety is a discussion and development forum that promotes the safety of Finnish mines and the competence of and networking between the individuals responsible for safety. The Advisory Board hosts seminars, training events, and thematic excursions and publishes information relating to mining safety.

The Communications Group plans and coordinates communications relating to the industry. Its mission is to encourage networking between the industry’s communications professionals, ensure that the industry sends out a consistent message, and promote coordination in this respect.

The Exploration Network is responsible for promoting and protecting the exploration rights of mining and exploration companies operating in Finland.

Our key focus areas

Lobbying

• Regular meetings with politicians and key government officials
• Representatives in the industry’s most important working and steering groups
• Opinions and statements on topical issues.

Communications

• Framework for the communications of FinnMin and its members
• Events for representatives of the media
• Dissemination of information about the mining industry and our members
• Keeping our members up to date on current affairs and events on a weekly basis.

Corporate citizenship

• Founding member of the Finnish Network of Sustainable Mining
• Coordination of our members’ interactions with the network
• Mining companies observe a sustainable mining standard, which is based on the Canadian TSM
• Both exploration and mining companies are committed to promoting sustainability.

Legislation

• Efforts to influence the decision-making process proactively
• We mostly operate through FinnMin but also in cooperation with other organizations
• Lobbying on an EU level is based on cooperation with Euromines and other partners across the EU
• Create favorable operating conditions for the mining industry in general
• Increase awareness about the environment and occupational safety among mining companies
• Promote good corporate citizenship
• Raise the industry’s profile and generate positive publicity for the sector
• Represent its members in international bodies
• Organize and coordinate joint research projects between its members and provide training and research opportunities
• Encourage cooperation between its members
• Answer its members’ queries about the industry and advise them on, for example, how to find suitable partners.