Advising businesses is an important part of supervision. The Finnish Consumer Agency has several ways of producing and disseminating information for businesses about the application of consumer law:

• The Consumer Agency's website, especially the Businesses section
• Meetings, announcements and reports on current problems for particular business sectors
• training events, seminars
• joint campaigns and information dissemination with associations representing various fields

The Consumer Agency must supply consumers and entrepreneurs with information about the content and procedures for application of legislation that involves the Consumer Agency's and Consumer Ombudsman's activities (Decree on the Consumer Agency, Section 11). This task is fulfilled by various policy guidelines, which may be generated

• in cooperation and negotiation with entrepreneurial and other partners
• as supervisory letters and memos written from a business sector's or a subject-specific point of view
• as summaries of decisions made by the Market Court and supervisory authorities, or of the need to interpret how regulations will be applied in a new situation due to new regulations or changes in marketing (memo)

Basic supervision – planned efforts to exert sector-wide and subject-specific influence

Reports are bundled by subject and business sector, organisations representing the different sectors are informed of the reports, and training and education for businesses in the field is planned jointly with the organisations. 

Projects in special areas of emphasis

The Consumer Agency and the Ministry of Trade and Industry agree each year on special areas in which supervision, improvement and communications will be emphasized.