The Swedish Assembly of Finland

Svenska Finlands folkting/Folktinget

The Swedish Assembly of Finland (Svenska Finlands folkting/Folktinget in Swedish), established in 1919, is a statutory organisation of cooperation for the Swedish-speaking population of Finland. Folktinget operates across political lines, and all parliamentary parties with operations in Swedish are active within the organisation.

According to the Act on the Swedish Assembly of Finland, the organisation’s mission is to safeguard and promote the rights and interests of the Swedish-speaking population as well as actively share information about the Swedish language in Finland and the bilingualism of the country. Folktinget is also working to support and strengthen the status of the Swedish language and culture in Finland.

Protecting the linguistic rights of the Swedish-speaking population is a core task of Folktinget. The public can contact the organisation in issues relating to linguistic rights and the obligation of the authorities to respect these rights. Folktinget is actively working to safeguard the rights of Swedish-speakers within both state and municipal administration and the education sector as well as within social services and healthcare in Finland.

Folktinget is a recognised referral body and issues statements to various authorities. It has thereby been able to impact the drafting of legislation and reforms that are of central importance for the Swedish-speaking population. The parliamentary committees consult Folktinget on a number of issues concerning the Swedishspeaking population.

Folktinget is a member of FUEN since 2024.