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31.5.2021 | Minister of Economic Affairs Mika Lintilä will participate in a virtual Team Finland visit to China in June 2021. The aim is to strengthen relations between Finnish and Chinese companies, particularly within the low-carbon and circular economy, the bioeconomy and maritime industry.

9.9.2021 | The budget proposal of Prime Minister Sanna Marin’s Government for 2022 builds sustainable growth for the future in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. The budget proposal aims to support post-pandemic recovery, accelerate investments, enable environmentally sustainable growth and increase the availability of skilled labour. The goal is to safeguard people’s wellbeing and to ensure favourable conditions for sustainable economic growth in the long term.

9.2.2022 | Finland and Morocco have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on energy. The aim of the document is to develop technical and economic cooperation between the two countries in the energy sector and promote the access of Finnish companies to the Moroccan market.

21.12.2022 | “Even though this year will go down in the history books for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, we have still been fortunate enough to record some favourable developments,” writes Pekka Haavisto, Minister for Foreign Affairs, in relation to the 2022 year in foreign policy.

26.3.2021 | The situation with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccines featured prominently on the agenda at the video meeting of European Council members on 25 March. Other themes discussed at the meeting were the single market, industrial policy, the digital transformation and the economy, the Eastern Mediterranean and an information point on Russia. Yesterday’s programme also included a Euro Summit meeting and a separate discussion with United States President Joe Biden.

11.1.2021 | On 11 January, Prime Minister Sanna Marin and Estonian Prime Minister Jüri Ratas discussed bilateral relations between Finland and Estonia, the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and progress on vaccine coverage in the EU, other topical EU matters and international issues.

22.4.2021 | On 22 April 2021, the Government appointed Minna Kivimäki, Master of Laws, as Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transport and Communications.

12.8.2021 | Akseli Koskela, Master of Social Sciences, was appointed as State Secretary to Minister of the Interior Maria Ohisalo on 12 August 2021. The position was earlier held by Olli-Poika Parviainen who will take up the duties of the Mayor of Hämenlinna.

1.2.2022 | The Government and regional councils will hold discussions on regional development on 1–17 February 2022. The discussions will strengthen the dialogue and cooperation between the Government and regions in order to achieve the regional development goals. After the discussions, cooperation documents will be drawn up, based on which the Government will grant regional councils a total of EUR 16 million in national regional development appropriations for the agreed measures.

6.4.2021 | Climate and economic policies were discussed by the finance ministers of over 60 countries at the meeting of the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action on 6 April 2021. In its spring meeting, the Coalition acquired eight new member countries, including the United States, Japan and South Korea.

24.11.2021 | Finland joined the Export Finance for Future coalition (E3F) at its meeting on 24 November 2021. The E3F is part of the strategy work to combat global warming. It allocates funding to sustainable projects and defines the most suitable measures for phasing out export finance in projects that are not in line with sustainable development.

28.4.2021 | Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari will attend the EU development ministers’ informal video conference on 29 April 2021.

16.11.2021 | Tim Walz, Governor of Minnesota, will visit Finland on 17–19 November. This is the Governor’s first visit abroad since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

9.2.2021 | The State has concluded agreements with 16 urban areas to strengthen innovation activities. The objective of the agreements is to build innovation ecosystems, in other words, to intensify cooperation within networks, strengthen key competences and increase effectiveness of RDI activities. The content of the agreements is based on the local strengths of urban areas and they relate to comprehensive and current topics of carbon reduction, digital technology, and wellbeing and health.

1.6.2021 | Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari will visit St Petersburg on 2–5 June. Minister Skinnari will attend the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF). The International Economic Forum will bring together influential leaders from the world of business and economics from various parts of the globe, offering an excellent platform for exchange of views with representatives of business and political life.

6.5.2021 | Prime Minister Sanna Marin will attend several meetings hosted by the Portuguese EU Council Presidency in Portugal on Friday 7 May and Saturday 8 May. On Thursday 6 May, Prime Minister Marin will have a bilateral meeting with Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa.

22.4.2021 | On 22 April 2021, the Government appointed Minna Kivimäki, Master of Laws, as Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transport and Communications.

9.9.2026 | Prime Minister Petteri Orpo spoke at the Google press conference in Helsinki on 9 September 2026. Check against delivery.

26.5.2021 | The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment and government agencies under its purview will open calls for funding applications from companies under Finland’s Sustainable Growth Programme in autumn 2021. The funding will support energy transformation, circular economy and energy solutions in industry, and investments in research, development and innovation (RDI).

5.10.2021 | On 6 October, the EU environment and climate ministers will meet in Luxembourg to discuss the EU climate package (Fit for 55), the EU Forest Strategy and the negotiating objectives of the EU for the Glasgow Climate Change Conference. Finland’s representative at the meeting will be Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Krista Mikkonen.

17.3.2022 | The new national event on working life will provide a platform for developing the Finnish world of work in the long term. 

3.2.2022 | The Fit for 55 package of climate measures proposed by the European Commission will have a significant impact on shipping, effectively reducing emissions while increasing the cost of shipping in EU countries. These costs may well be higher in Finland than in comparable countries.

10.11.2021 | Commissioner Mairead McGuinness will visit Finland on 10–12 November on the invitation of Minister of Economic Affairs Mika Lintilä and Minister of Finance Annika Saarikko. The Ministers and the Commissioner will discuss the EU’s sustainable finance classification system, or the EU taxonomy, with special focus on themes related to energy and forests. The Commissioner will also meet Prime Minister Sanna Marin and Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Jari Leppä in Helsinki.

7.1.2021 | Finland's Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2021 Ministry for Foreign Affairs Publication date 7.1.2021 15.34 Type: News item Finland assumed its one-year Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers on 1 January 2021. The main tas...

29.6.2021 | On 29 June 2021, the Government granted EUR 2 million to the Regional Council of Lapland for the development of the Kemi-Tornio region. In all, the Government has allocated EUR 12.75 million to the area to manage the sudden structural change caused by the closure of the Veitsiluoto paper mill in Kemi.

5.4.2022 | Prime Minister Sanna Marin’s Government has agreed on the General Government Fiscal Plan for 2023–2026. In its spending limits discussion, the Government decided on extensive measures that will strengthen security, create a vision for the future and build sustainable growth.

28.5.2021 | The ministerial council meeting of the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) will be held virtually on 31 May–1 June 2021. The meeting will focus on the economic recovery after the coronavirus pandemic and the future priorities of the OECD.

19.2.2021 | The UN Environment Assembly UNEA-5 brings together the UN Member States and representatives of the business sector and civil society organisations to a session conducted virtually on 22-23 February. The themes of the meeting are the role of nature in reaching the Sustainable Development Goals and green rebuilding and sustainable recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic.

2.3.2021 | Prime Minister Sanna Marin and the leaders of three EU Member States have sent a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The joint letter calls on the EU to speed up its digital transformation. The other signatories of the letter are German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas.

27.5.2021 | The Report on Development Policy across Parliamentary Terms strengthens the long-term approach in Finnish development cooperation from the perspective of principles, values and goals, and makes development policy more focused. In order to achieve results, development policy must be conducted in a coherent manner.

31.5.2021 | Almost two thousand people took part in the process to create a Nordic perspective for the European Commission’s New European Bauhaus initiative. The participants considered that Nordic values such as sustainability, closeness to nature, equality and inclusion provide a good basis for housing and building. The final report on the outcomes of the Nordic co-design process has now been published and submitted to the European Commission.

3.2.2022 | The Fit for 55 package of climate measures proposed by the European Commission will have a significant impact on shipping, effectively reducing emissions while increasing the cost of shipping in EU countries. These costs may well be higher in Finland than in comparable countries.

4.4.2022 | In its report published on 4 April, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) points out that emission reduction measures must already be accelerated during the next decade to achieve international targets for limiting climate warming. Greenhouse gas emissions are growing in all sectors, and in the past decade the average GHG emissions were higher than ever before. The pace of growth in emissions has, however, slowed.

5.4.2022 | Prime Minister Sanna Marin’s Government has agreed on the General Government Fiscal Plan for 2023–2026. In its spending limits discussion, the Government decided on extensive measures that will strengthen security, create a vision for the future and build sustainable growth.

27.5.2021 | The third draft supplementary budget for 2021 will accelerate growth, bring forward investments and respond to the needs caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The supplementary budget will also launch reforms and investments under the EU’s recovery and resilience facility.

23.8.2021 | Excellencies, Distinguished Colleagues, It really feels good to be Finnish right now. Our team may not have brought home gold from the Olympics in Tokyo, but our efforts to tackle the Covid crisis are surely worth a few medals. This is a good opportunity for me to extend my thanks to you for your hard work. This is also a chance to for us to take a look ahead together.

11.4.2022 | Ministers and senior representatives met in Lahti, Finland – the Green Capital of Europe 2021 – on 3–4 April to put climate adaptation finance at the forefront of climate discussions in 2022.

21.10.2021 | On 21 October 2021, the Government approved the EU regional and structural policy programme, Innovation and Skills in Finland 2021−2027, and decided to submit it to the European Commission. The programme supports industrial, energy, climate, innovation, education and employment policies as well as the work against exclusion and poverty.

1.4.2021 | What is good, sustainable housing in the Europe of the future? What can we learn from the legendary Bauhaus school of architecture and design to find solutions to the present challenges? What do the Nordic countries have to offer to this co-design process? How do we get everyone involved?

12.8.2021 | The 2022 budget proposal of Minister of Finance Annika Saarikko implements previous Government decisions.