The Regional Council of Lapland is a joint municipal board formed by its 21 member municipalities. Its basic administrative principles are governed by the Local Government Act (Kuntalaki), no. 365 (1995) and in the basic agreement approved by the member municipalities. The Regional Council of Lapland is one of the 19 regional councils in Finland. The decision-making processes of the regional councils are based on municipal democracy.
The highest decision-making body in the Regional Council of
Lapland is the Assembly of the Council, which is selected
for a term of office lasting one municipal election term. The
Assembly of the Council is selected every fourth year after the
municipal elections by representatives of the constituent
municipalities. The Assembly meets twice a year, and decides on,
for instance, the financial plan and the budget of the Regional
Council, approves the financial statements and the annual report,
and selects the
Board of the Council.
The Assembly of the Council also selects a Board of Controllers whose task is to monitor that the objectives set for the operations of the Regional Council by the Assembly of the Council are met. The Assembly of the Council also selects the Regional Rescue Board of Lapland. The Regional Rescue Services of Lapland launched operations under the Regional Council of Lapland on 1 January 2004.
The Board of the Council is responsible for the administration and management of finances in the Regional Council of Lapland. For the term of office of the Assembly of the Council, 15 members are selected for the Board of the Council. The constitution of the Board must reflect the outcome of the most recent municipal elections. The Board of the Council meets approximately once a month, and its task is to manage and supervise the operations of the office of the Regional Council of Lapland.