Deklarationen
Vorbehalte
Artikel: 4,8,16,17,23,35
Reservations:
"In conformity with Article 33, Finland enters a reservation to paragraph 2 of Article 4 to the effect that Letters of Request in the English or French languages will not be accepted."
By Note dated 11 December 1980 and received on 12 December 1980, the Government of Finland communicated the withdrawal in part of the reservation to Article 4, paragraph 2, made at the time of ratification. The Government of Finland hereafter accepts the Letters of Request done in or translated into the English language. In accordance with Article 35, sub c, the Finnish Government made the following declaration:
"By accepting Letters of Request in English, the Republic of Finland does not undertake to execute the request, or transmit the evidence thus obtained in the English language; nor to have translated the documents which establish the execution of the Letter of Request."
Declarations:
(...)
2. Swedish is the second official language of Finland. Finland will therefore in accordance with paragraph 1 of Article 4 accept Letters of Request in the Swedish language. The answer shall be given in the Swedish language if in connection with the Letter of Request this has been specifically requested.
3. A member of the judicial personnel of the requesting authority may in accordance with Article 8 be present at the execution of a Letter of Request, provided that the Finnish Ministry of Justice has given its consent.
4. The evidence referred to in Articles 16 and 17 of the Convention may be taken without the prior permission of the Finnish authorities.
5. Finland is not going to execute Letters of Request referred to in Article 23 issued for the purpose of obtaining pre-trial discovery of documents as known in common law countries.
The Government of Finland modified the declaration concerning Article 23 of the Convention made at the time of ratification. The modified declaration is worded as follows:
"The declaration made by the Republic of Finland in accordance with Article 23 concerning "Letters of Request issued for the purpose of obtaining pre-trial discovery of documents" shall apply only to Letters of Request which require a person:
a) to state what documents relevant to the proceedings to which the Letter of Request relates are, or have been, in his possession, custody or power; or
b) to produce any documents other than particular documents specified in the Letter of Request, which are likely to be in his possession, custody or power."
19-09-2018
The Government of Finland takes note of the Declarations submitted by Ukraine on 16 October 2015 regarding the application of the Convention on Civil Procedure (1954), the Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents (1961), the Convention on the service abroad of judicial and extrajudicial documents in civil or commercial matters (1965), the Convention on the taking of evidence abroad in civil or commercial matters (1970), the Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (1980) and the Convention on Jurisdiction, Applicable Law, Recognition, Enforcement and Co-operation in Respect of Parental Responsibility and Measures for the Protection of Children (1996) and the Convention on the International Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance (2007) to the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol and of the Declarations submitted by the Russian Federation on 19 July 2016 in relation to the Declarations made by Ukraine.
In relation to the Declarations made by the Russian Federation, Finland declares, in line with the conclusions of the European Council of 20/21 March 2014, that it does not recognise the illegal referendum in Crimea and the illegal annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol to the Russian Federation.
As regards the territorial scope of the above Conventions, Finland therefore considers that the conventions in principle continue to apply to the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol as part of the territory of Ukraine.
Finland further notes the Declaration by Ukraine that the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol are temporarily not under the control of Ukraine and that the application and implementation by Ukraine of its obligations under the Conventions is limited and not guaranteed in relation to this part of Ukraine's territory, and that only the central authorities of Ukraine in Kyiv will determine the procedure for relevant communication.
As a consequence of the above, Finland declares that it will not engage in any direct communication or interaction with authorities in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol and will not accept any documents or requests emanating from such authorities or through the authorities of the Russian Federation, but will only engage with the central authorities of Ukraine in Kyiv for the purposes of the application and implementation of the said conventions.