The Finnish Competition Authority ('the FCA') has published guidelines on the application of the newlyamended Finnish Competition Act. The most significant of these are the guidelines on the application of exemptions to horizontal and vertical agreements, which will no doubt prove useful tools for undertakings in selfassessing the legality of their conduct The leniency guidelines will provide much needed details on the operation of the new national leniency policy.Christian Wik and Anna Roubier Roschier Holmberg, Attorneys Ltd Helsinki

Amendments to the Finnish Competition Act may have been passed through Parliament too quickly. The Act may require further changes if it is to function well.

Mikko Eerola, 31, has been appointed partner at Finnish firm Waselius & Wist.

On 31 March the Finnish Competition Authority (FCA) made a proposal to the Market Court for the imposition of heavy fines on seven Finnish companies for the violation of competition rules. The proposal contains the highest ever single fine on an undertaking in Finland, totalling €68 million. The FCA’s decision follows its two-year investigation into the market sharing, and price and bidding cooperation between asphalt firms.

The Finnish firm Luostarinen Mettala Raikkonen has recruited 46-year-old Janne Tuulos, who has spent the last seven years as vice-president for project finance at Nokia Networks Oy.