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Open Ministry Crowdsources Laws In Finland

Posted by samzenpus on from the power-of-the-group dept.

First time accepted submitter emakinen writes "The new Citizens' Initiative service started today in Finland. On the Open Ministry website, anyone can present an idea for a law or initiative. If the idea wins enough support, the ministry's volunteer workers will work on it and turn it into a presentable bill for the MPs to chew over. If 50,000 citizens of voting age agree on a bill Parliament has to take it up."

2 of 181 comments (clear)

  1. Although nobody is yet able to register support... by solarissmoke · · Score: 5, Informative

    There is, however, one obstacle that the Open Ministry and the entire citizens’ initiative law is already facing.

    The Ministry of Justice should have a website where people can sign the initiatives. To be legally valid, the signing of an initiative requires a bank identifier code or some other form of accepted online signature to prove the signee is who he or she says he is.

    The Ministry of Justice has not even commenced the constructing of such a system. It will not be up and running before the end of the year at the earliest.

  2. Re:Although nobody is yet able to register support by Luckyo · · Score: 4, Informative

    So I will sign with my banking credentials (pretty much everyone has them here nowadays, they're offered for pretty much any new bank account). You just get a series of links containing "confirm your identity with your bank", click your bank, it takes you to the page of your bank where you enter your banking credentials and confirm that you want to be recognised by that site.

    Whole process takes about 30 seconds.