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11.3.2026 | Minister of Science and Culture Mari-Leena Talvitie has signed a joint statement from the ministers responsible for culture from 22 European countries, sent to the organisers of the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia. Allowing the Russian Federation’s participation is unacceptable, and the ministers call on the Venice Biennale to reconsider its decision.

16.3.2026 | The EU Environment Council will meet in Brussels on Tuesday 17 March. Minister of Climate and the Environment Sari Multala will represent Finland at the meeting. Minister Multala stresses that now it is highly important to defend a consistent climate policy and, in particular, the emissions trading system.

18.8.2025 | By decision of the Ministry of the Interior, Finland has sent a module for ground forest firefighting to Spain to help manage wildfires raging across the country. The module will be deployed in Spain for about a week.

12.11.2025 | The Sports Ministers of 33 countries and the European Commission have expressed their grave concern about the decision of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) in September to discontinue the partial suspensions of the National Paralympic Committees of Belarus and Russia from the Paralympic Games.

27.4.2025 | Finland’s Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio will visit Morocco with a business delegation on 28–30 April 2025.

27.1.2025 | The EU General Affairs Council (GAC) will meet on Tuesday 28 January in Brussels. In the meeting, the GAC will continue its annual rule of law dialogue with country-specific discussions on the rule of law situation in Hungary, Portugal, Romania and Slovenia. The Council will also discuss the priorities for Poland’s Presidency of the Council of the EU. Finland’s Permanent Representative to the European Union, Jori Arvonen, will represent Finland at the meeting.

11.4.2025 | According to preliminary data, a total of 5,291 votes were cast in advance in the 2025 county elections and 8,310 votes in the municipal elections at Finnish missions abroad. In the dual elections, a total of 180 votes were cast on board Finnish vessels. In the 2022 county elections, 2,923 advance votes were cast, and about a hundred crew members cast their vote on board ships. In the 2021 municipal elections, 2,693 advance votes were cast, and over a hundred crew members voted on board ships.

23.1.2025 | In its meeting on Thursday 23, the Ministerial Committee on European Union Affairs outlined Finland’s positions for three council meetings and one informal ministerial meeting taking place next week.

31.1.2025 | Finland and the majority of the EU Member States have sent a joint letter calling on the European Investment Bank (EIB) to increase its financing for the European defence industry. The letter, drawn up at the initiative Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, is endorsed by France and Germany as well.

9.4.2024 | The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) delivered its decision today in a case brought by six Portuguese young persons against 33 states, including Finland, concerning the harmful effects of climate change. The decision is final.

27.9.2024 | Finland has joined the US-led multilateral declaration on submarine cable security. The parties to the declaration agreed on common objectives and means for improving the security and resilience of submarine cables.

5.6.2024 | Press release by the Ministry of Transport and Communications, the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom and the Finnish Border Guard:

15.7.2024 | The Agriculture and Fisheries Council met in Brussels on 15 July 2024. The main topics discussed were the viability of rural areas and trade-related agricultural issues. Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Sari Essayah represented Finland at the meeting.

28.6.2024 | At its meeting in Brussels on 27–28 June, the European Council decided on appointments to three high-level roles in EU institutions. The Council proposed that Ursula von der Leyen from Germany continue as President of the Commission, selected Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas as the candidate for High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and elected former Prime Minister of Portugal António Costa President of the European Council.

10.5.2023 | Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto will visit Stockholm, Sweden, from 11 to 13 May. He will attend the Road to Vilnius seminar, the Gymnich Informal Meeting of EU Foreign Affairs Ministers and the EU Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum. Minister Haavisto will also have a number of bilateral meetings in Stockholm.

12.4.2024 | At the presidential session on 12 April, the President of the Republic appointed eight new Ambassadors and three new non-resident Ambassadors.

6.5.2021 | Prime Minister Sanna Marin met with Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa on Thursday 6 May in Porto. The main themes of their bilateral meeting were increasing economic cooperation between the countries and topical EU issues. Finland and Portugal have traditionally had good relations, which have been further deepened by EU partnership.

29.6.2022 | The UN Ocean Conference, which will be held for the second time, brings together representatives of states, researchers, civil society, and businesses to discuss the oceans’ role in climate change mitigation as well as the future of a sustainable blue economy.

21.2.2023 | In their statement published on 20 February, the ministers of sport from 34 countries state that the International Olympic Committee should not change its decision of 28 February 2022 concerning the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in international sports. According to the ministers, the situation in Ukraine has deteriorated over the past year.

4.5.2023 | Ministers of sport from 36 countries have issued a fourth collective statement on the exclusion of Russia and Belarus from international sports.

7.5.2021 | Minister of European Affairs and Ownership Steering Tytti Tuppurainen met with Ana Paula Zacarias, the Portuguese State Secretary for European Affairs and President of the General Affairs Council, in connection with the EU Social Summit in Porto, Portugal. In their bilateral meeting, they discussed the informal General Affairs Council meeting taking place in Coimbra, Portugal on 17 May, the agenda for which will include the rule of law and the upcoming Conference on the Future of Europe.

1.11.2022 | The EU Ministers responsible for Sports, submitted a letter to the President of the International Olympic Committee Mr Thomas Bach, have expressed their concern about the deteriorating situation in Ukraine caused by the ongoing Russian war of aggression supported by Belarus. In the letter, the Ministers reiterated the requirement to exclude Russia and Belarus from all international sports activities.

13.1.2021 | The EU health ministers will hold an informal videoconference on Wednesday 13 January. The theme of the conference will be the rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations in the EU Member States. Minister of Family Affairs and Social Services Krista Kiuru will represent Finland at the conference.

12.12.2022 | The EU General Affairs Council (GAC) will meet in Brussels on Tuesday 13 December. Topics on the agenda will include preparations for the December European Council, transparency and targeting of political advertising, the Commission’s enlargement package and the annual rule of law dialogue. Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering Tytti Tuppurainen will represent Finland at the meeting.

11.5.2021 | On 11 May, the EU Member States and a group of African countries invited by Portugal met via a video conference at the Ministerial Conference on Management of Migratory Flows. The Conference was organised at the initiative of the Portuguese Council Presidency, and Finland was represented by State Secretary Olli-Poika Parviainen.  The Conference was also attended by the European Commission, the Europ...

21.6.2021 | With the declaration signed in Portugal on 21 June 2021, the EU Member States make the commitment to take determined action to eradicate homelessness by 2030.

24.9.2021 | Minister of Defence Kaikkonen to attend defence minister meeting of EI2 countries Ministry of Defence Publication date 24.9.2021 8.29 Type: Press release On 24 September 2021, Minister of Defence Antti Kaikkonen will attend a defence minister meet...

26.10.2021 | Ministers from digitally advanced EU countries will meet in Luxembourg to discuss how digital technologies can contribute to the green transition and the achievement of the Paris climate objectives.

19.5.2021 | Portugal, which currently holds the Presidency of the Council of the EU, has invited the EU health ministers to a videoconference to be held on Thursday 20 May. Minister of Family Affairs and Social Services Krista Kiuru will represent Finland at the conference.

13.1.2021 | Slovenian Foreign Minister to visit Finland Ministry for Foreign Affairs Publication date 13.1.2021 8.24 Type: Press release Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto will meet Slovenian Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar in Helsinki on Thur...

10.5.2021 | The Conference on the Future of Europe is a unique and topical opportunity to discuss Europe’s challenges and objectives. Wherever you come from and whatever you do, the conference provides an opportunity to reflect on what kind of future you want for the European Union.

10.5.2021 | The Conference on the Future of Europe is a unique and topical opportunity to discuss Europe’s challenges and objectives. Wherever you come from and whatever you do, the conference provides an opportunity to reflect on what kind of future you want for the European Union.

29.3.2021 | On 30 March 2021, Minister of Transport and Communications Timo Harakka will attend an informal video meeting of transport ministers organised by the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

9.4.2021 | The Ministry of Justice has launched a two-year project, Voice of Children and Young People in Europe, to support the participation of children and young people in policy-making at the national level. The project will develop methods, gather best practices and produce training materials, and will also provide training on the participation of children and young people for public authorities.

27.5.2021 | European digital identity and joint identification solutions were topics of discussion at the Coalition of the Willing virtual meeting arranged by the Netherlands on Thursday 27 May 2021. Finnish Minister of Local Government Sirpa Paatero spoke at the meeting about developing a cross-border digital identity for individuals and European preparatory work to date.

27.1.2021 | At their virtual meeting on 27 January, the group of ministers from digitally advanced EU countries (D9+) discussed Europe’s goals on digitalisation for the 2030 targets of the Digital Decade. According to the countries’ joint declaration published at the meeting, Europe’s technological competitiveness is based on digital development, innovations and a functioning internal market.

29.3.2021 | On 30 March 2021, Minister of Transport and Communications Timo Harakka will attend an informal video meeting of transport ministers organised by the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

20.5.2021 | The European Capital of Culture for 2026 will be selected in Helsinki at the beginning of June. The cities of Tampere, Oulu, and Savonlinna all qualified in the first round of the competition last summer and are now shortlisted for the final selection. The selection will be made by a nine-member European panel of experts, with five panel members visiting the applicant cities next week.

21.1.2021 | The group of ministers from digitally advanced EU countries (D9+) will discuss the European Commission’s goal of making the 2020s a Digital Decade. The virtual meeting will be held on 27 January 2021 and chaired by Minister of Economic Affairs Mika Lintilä.

13.4.2021 | Finland's development cooperation expenditure in 2020 amounted to EUR 1 119 million. This represented 0.47 per cent of Finland's gross national income (GNI). Last year, the total amount of the exclusive ODA budget item administered by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs was EUR 708.4 million.