The Government will not submit to Parliament a proposal that would have made it possible to recognise higher education degrees in the construction sector obtained outside the EU and EEA. The Finnish Association of Architects (SAFA) and the Association of Finnish Architects’ Offices (ATL) consider the decision unfounded and discriminatory. It also narrows the opportunities of many Finns to work in the field.
Prime Minister Orpo’s Government has decided not to propose to Parliament an amendment to the act on verifying the qualifications of persons working in design and supervision tasks in construction (the Qualifications Act). The amendment would have made it possible to apply for a certificate of qualification also for those who obtained their degrees outside the EU or EEA.
“Unfortunately, the Government’s decision once again postpones a solution that the entire construction sector has long been waiting for,” says Asko Takala, Chair of SAFA.
A large proportion of architects and other construction professionals who obtained their degrees outside the EU or EEA currently cannot apply for the certificate of qualification required under the Construction Act. The certificate is a prerequisite for acting as a responsible designer or supervisor in projects that require a building permit.
This places many professionals who were educated abroad, and who have worked in Finland for a long time, in an unequal position.
“A large share of those falling through the cracks are Finnish architects. The situation is untenable. All construction professionals must be guaranteed an equal opportunity to practise their profession and demonstrate their professional qualifications, regardless of the country where they obtained their degree,” Takala says.
“Unfortunately, the Government’s decision once again postpones a solution that the entire construction sector has long been waiting for.”
The new Construction Act entered into force at the beginning of 2025. In April 2026, the Ministry of the Environment decided on a transition period under which the qualifications of designers and supervisors approved by municipal building control authorities in 2020–2024 will remain valid until the beginning of 2030.
However, the transition period does not help those who have no previous approval from the building control authority and no suitable project from that period. Nor does it resolve the inequality in the recognition of foreign degrees.
The decision to drop the amendment also contradicts the Orpo Government’s own objectives. In line with its Government Programme, the Government has instead been promoting the streamlining of the recognition of other higher education qualifications obtained abroad. The new regulation on this will enter into force on 1 January 2027.
“It is highly contradictory that the recognition of skills acquired abroad is being made easier in other fields, while in the construction sector the country where a degree was obtained becomes a barrier to practising the profession. This is a significant problem for companies in the sector,” says Kalle Euro, Executive Director of the Association of Finnish Architects’ Offices (ATL).
The decision is justified by the need for a broader review of the qualification system, and by the claim that the proposal would not have resolved all the problems related to the recognition of foreign degrees. The Ministry of the Environment’s own lack of resources is also cited as a reason.
According to SAFA and ATL, it may be necessary to assess how well the qualification requirements work, and the regulation can be developed further. However, this is no justification for preventing a particular group from practising their profession.
Recognition of a degree and demonstration of professional qualification are different matters. An assessment of the equivalence of a degree does not mean an automatic right to work in all roles; in every case, the person’s competence and the qualification requirements of the task are also taken into account.
The consultation feedback from the construction sector has also stressed the need for a solution. Of the nearly forty statements submitted during the summer consultation round, well over half addressed the assessment of the equivalence of degrees obtained abroad. All of them emphasised that a solution is both necessary and urgent.
SAFA and ATL demand that, to safeguard equal treatment of construction professionals, the Government submit a proposal for regulation on the recognition of foreign degrees during the current parliamentary term.