National Languages Board

On this page

The National Languages Board reports on the realisation of bilingualism and the development of the city’s language reserves in terms of services and personnel. Elected members of the Board are Swedish-speaking.

Between 31 August 2011 and 31 December 2022, the City of Helsinki had a Bilingualism Commission. The National Languages Board continues the work of the Bilingualism Commission.

The tasks of the National Languages Board

  • Assessing how decisions of the City Council affect the realisation of the linguistic rights of Helsinki residents.
  • Assessing the need for services in Swedish and monitors the availability and quality of these services. The National Languages Board may propose measures for the development of services in Swedish and for the development of the language skills of the personnel.
  • The Board submits an annual report to the City Board on the realisation of services in Swedish.

Read more about the duties of the National Languages Board:

National Languages Board

Member Deputy
Björn Månsson, pj. (RKP) Emma Ringbom (RKP)
Kimmo Sasi, vpj. (Kok) Silva Mertsola (Kok.)
Hanna Lähteenmäki (Kok.) Yaron Nadbornik (Kok.)
May Högdal (Vihr.) Anders Brandt (Vihr.)
Simon Bergman (SDP) Marianne Laxén (SDP)
Stina Sjöblom (Vas.) Frank Lundgren (Vas.)
Kristiina Michelsson (RKP) Joakim Horsma (RKP)

National Languages Board Minutes

Minutes are only available in Finnish and Swedish.