The research project of the University of Lapland Faculty of law will explore administrative sanctions. Administrative sanctions are legal reactions used instead of criminal penalties in many fields of law. For instance, corporations participating in a cartel may be liable to pay administrative fines of hundreds of millions of euros. In the EU and in Finland, the number of administrative sanctions has soared without an overarching theory of their fairness. It is rather unclear how one should understand the requirements of human rights in the context of administrative sanctions. The project aims at developing such a theory based on European case-law and other legal sources. The project will also shed light on the origins and functions of administrative sanctions. The project will produce research that is useful for agencies and courts ordering administrative sanctions. Furthermore, our research will contribute to better-informed legislative choices.

2023

2027