Espoo: The European Commission has referred Finland to the Court of Justice of the EU for failing to apply the Seveso III Directive correctly, according to its October 2026 infringement package published on 1 October 2026. The case, registered as INFR(2020)2218, concerns Directive 2012/18/EU on the control of major-accident hazards involving dangerous substances.

The Commission points to four problem areas in the Finnish rules. They cover inspections, public access to information because parts of inspection reports are treated as confidential, access to justice, and the coordination of inspections between authorities. The Commission summarises the decision in its press release on the Finland referral.

The step ends a long procedure. The Commission sent Finland a letter of formal notice in July 2020 and a reasoned opinion in December 2025. After Finland failed to fix the shortcomings to the Commission’s satisfaction, the file moved to the Court, as the October 2026 infringements package overview shows.

The Seveso III Directive sets the safety framework for industrial sites that handle large quantities of dangerous substances, such as chemical plants and storage depots. It applies from 1 June 2015 and replaced the earlier Seveso II regime. The name goes back to the 1976 chemical accident at Seveso, Italy, which prompted the first EU rules on industrial hazards.

Inspections and public information sit at the centre of the framework. National authorities must check that operators keep major accidents under control, and the public living near these sites must be able to reach safety information and challenge decisions in court. The Commission argues that the Finnish rules fall short on exactly these points.

Safety rules of this kind depend on regular, independent checks. If authorities coordinate inspections poorly, an operator may face gaps or overlaps, and neighbours may not learn what inspectors found. The Seveso III Directive tries to prevent both outcomes by setting common duties for every member state.

The referral is one of many decisions in the October package, which covers member states across the Union. The Commission also closes 87 cases in the same round, which shows that many disputes end once governments correct their national law. Finland did not take that route in this case.

Referrals under Article 258 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU follow a fixed sequence of letter, reasoned opinion and referral. The Seveso III Directive case has now completed that sequence, which took more than six years from the first letter in July 2020.

The Court of Justice will now examine whether Finland breached the directive. If the Court rules against Finland and the government does not comply, the Commission can return to the Court under Article 260 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU and ask for financial penalties.

For Finnish operators and residents, the practical question is whether the government changes its inspection and information rules before a judgment arrives. A change could settle the dispute, but the case remains open until the Court decides. The Seveso III Directive judgment will set a reference point for how the rules apply in all member states.