Water protection programme

In 2018 the Finnish Government decided to allocate EUR 69 million in funding to enhance water protection in 2019–2023. The programme to enhance water protection brings together the relevant actors, ensures funding for the measures and creates continuity to water protection. The programme funds the most effective measures to improve the status of waters, strengthens cooperation between the different actors and introduces new practices and methods.

With this programme, we are taking action for the benefit of waters that will make an impact:
- we reduce the discharge of nutrients from agriculture to waters,
- we develop the management of water economy in agriculture and forestry,
- we restore water bodies,
- we develop the management of urban waters,
- we clean up shipwrecks that are hazardous to the environment, and
- we fund research and development

The next steps after the programme period are also under preparation. The work for the benefit of waters will be even more effectively linked to the other elements of environmental policy, such as mitigating climate change, halting biodiversity loss, achieving carbon neutrality, and nutrient recycling. Water protection with a long-term perspective will be a permanent part of the activities and objectives of municipalities, companies and civil society.