ALTERNATIVE (NON-MILITARY) SERVICE MODEL IN FINLAND: STRUCTURE, MECHANISMS AND CHALLENGES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.34132/pard2025.28.01Keywords:
religious organizations, freedom of conscience, alternative service, religious beliefs, legal regulation, national security, military service, Finland.Abstract
The aim of the article is a comprehensive study of the system of alternative (non-military) service in Finland, its legal regulation, appointment procedures, features of passage and forms of performance of duty in case of emergency situations and mobilization. Particular attention is paid to comparison with European standards on the implementation of the right to conscientious objection to military service. The study uses Finnish legislation, in particular the Law on Alternative Service (Siviilipalveluslaki 1446/2007), by-laws, official materials of the Alternative Service Center, as well as data from the official website of Siviilipalveluskeskus. The methodological basis of the study is comparative legal, formal legal and system-analytical methods. The article establishes that the alternative service system in Finland is clearly regulated and institutionally supported. It includes a basic training period, community service, additional service, as well as special forms of service in emergency situations and during mobilization. The mechanisms for implementing the obligation are determined, the role of the Alternative Service Center as the main administrative body, the procedure for dismissal, deferment, disciplinary liability and registration of persons obliged to serve. The Finnish model of alternative service is an example of an effective balance between the constitutional right of an individual to freedom of conscience and the general obligation to protect the state. The system allows for the realization of the right to refuse military service by participating in civilian activities that are of a socially beneficial nature, while maintaining the state's readiness to act in times of crisis and emergency. Finland's experience in aspects of legal regulation, social security, financing and control over the completion of alternative service is important for Ukraine, which is in the process of reforming its own alternative service system during the Russian-Ukrainian war.
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