Media Capture Monitoring Report: Finland 2025

Measuring EMFA Compliance: Can EMFA Capture-Proof the Finnish Media?

This page presents the 2025 Media Capture Monitoring Report: Finland, an annual assessment by the International Press Institute (IPI) and the Media and Journalism Research Center (MJRC) that measures Finland’s compliance with the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) and identifies key media capture risks.

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Executive Summary

Although the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) entered into force on 8 August 2025, Finland has taken targeted legislative steps to align with the new framework. The government adopted the Act on the Supervision of Media Markets and amended several existing laws, including the Act on Yleisradio, to incorporate EMFA obligations. However, Finland’s long-standing “media welfare state” model faces mounting pressure from market concentration, digital platform dominance, and intense political debate around public service media (PSM).

Finland’s media regulators, Traficom and KAVI,are legally and operationally independent, and cooperation with stakeholders during EMFA alignment was extensive. Traficom now holds new responsibilities, including maintaining a public database on media ownership, overseeing state advertising transparency, and assessing mergers for their potential impact on pluralism and editorial independence. Yet, these assessments cannot block transactions, raising concerns about the effectiveness of the mechanism in highly concentrated markets.

Public service media (Yle) remains broadly independent but is increasingly exposed to political and commercial pressures. The parliamentary working group’s decision to freeze the funding index for 2025–2027 has resulted in organisational restructuring and potential weakening of Yle’s long-term capacity. Meanwhile, amendments to the Act on Yleisradio introduced greater transparency and reporting obligations, though some stakeholders fear these changes may be used politically.

Misuse of state funds is not a systemic risk in Finland. State advertising plays only a minor role, mostly involving municipal announcements, and new EMFA-driven requirements introduce basic transparency obligations.

The biggest structural risk identified in the report is media market concentration. The Finnish market, small and linguistically fragmented, is dominated by a handful of major players, with consolidation particularly visible in print media. The assessment of concentration has traditionally focused solely on competition, not pluralism, leaving a large gap that EMFA only partially addresses.

Overall, Finland is formally aligned with EMFA across the four core areas, regulator independence, PSM governance, state advertising transparency, and ownership disclosure. However, effectiveness varies, particularly regarding PSM funding stability and the practical safeguards for media pluralism.

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Media capture mechanisms and safeguards

The table below summarises the key media capture mechanisms as well as the existence and enforcement of legal safeguards, and their alignment with the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) identified in the countries covered by the project. To see Finland, click on the respective country tab.

Questions & Answers

This section provides short, structured answers to key questions arising from the Finland 2025 Media Capture Monitoring Report. These entries support journalists, policymakers, researchers and educators who need fast, clear access to findings without reading the full report.

What is the core finding of the report?

Finland complies with EMFA at the legislative level, but media pluralism risks persist due to market concentration, political pressure on Yle and the limited ability of regulators to influence mergers.

Why has Finland’s EMFA implementation been relatively smooth?

Finland’s legal framework already met many EMFA standards. The government opted for minimal legislative changes, mainly administrative additions, except for more extensive updates to the Yle Act.

How independent are the media regulators (Traficom and KAVI)?

Both regulators are legally and operationally independent, with no recent controversies. Traficom now acts as the EMFA supervisory authority and Digital Services Coordinator.

How are regulatory appointments carried out?

Traficom’s Director General is appointed by the government for a five-year term; KAVI’s leadership is appointed by the Ministry of Education and Culture. There is no NGO or opposition representation on the boards.

Does Traficom have the resources needed to oversee EMFA compliance?

The report highlights that Traficom received new responsibilities but no new resources, raising concerns about long-term capacity, especially for European Board for Media Services engagement.

What is the situation of public service media (Yle)?

Yle remains broadly trusted and structurally independent but faces political scrutiny, funding constraints and commercial criticism, conditions that weaken editorial autonomy over time.

Is public service media funding independent and predictable?

Partially. The legally mandated index normally ensures predictable funding, but the 2025–2027 funding freeze undermines EMFA’s requirement of adequate, sustainable support.

How transparent is state advertising?

State advertising plays a small role in Finland. EMFA requires authorities and media providers to report spending to Traficom, which will publish its first annual summary in 2026.

How transparent is media ownership?

Finland traditionally lacked a centralized media ownership register. Under the new act, Traficom must now maintain a public database, complementing company-level disclosure requirements.

What is the main systemic risk identified?

Media market concentration, which threatens pluralism in a small linguistic market and is exacerbated by global platforms and shrinking newsroom resources.

What key reforms does the report recommend?

Key recommendations include strengthening Traficom’s resources, clarifying safeguards around Yle governance, ensuring predictable PSM funding, developing pluralism-focused merger methodologies, and restoring reliable national media consumption statistics.

Resources & Reference Materials

Citation

Horowitz, M., Söderström, A. & Neuvonen, R. (2025). Media Capture Monitoring Report: Finland 2025. Media and Journalism Research Center (MJRC): London/Tallinn/Santiago de Compostela. International Press Institute (IPI): Vienna.