Erityislaeissa

Erityislaeissa is the inessive plural form of the Finnish term erillislaki, meaning a law designated as a “special law.” In legislative language, the expression refers to provisions that are contained within a subset of statutes that are classified as special laws rather than part of the general body of legislation. An erillislaki is a law enacted for a particular purpose, sector, or temporary situation, often with its own rules, procedures, or transitional provisions.

In practice, erityislaeissa signals that a rule or provision applies within that specialized legal domain rather than under general law. Special laws may modify or override general rules within their scope and can have distinct validity periods, enforcement mechanisms, or regulatory authorities. They coexist with general laws, and questions of priority are determined by statutory interpretation and constitutional principles.

Common contexts for special laws include emergency or exceptional legislation, sector-specific regulation (such as health care, education, or security), and transitional arrangements accompanying reform processes. The concept is primarily encountered in formal legal writing and is less common in everyday language. It is typically used in phrases such as erityislaeissa säädetyt or erityislaeissa voimassa to indicate that particular provisions are drawn from or remain in force under the special-law framework.

Examples: Erityislaeissa säädetyt määräykset ovat voimassa toistaiseksi. Erityislainsäädäntö on tarkoitettu kattamaan poikkeustilanteita ja tiettyjen toimialojen erityistarpeita.