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22.12.2021 | The COVID-19 pandemic has affected tourism in many ways, and even experienced travellers may encounter unexpected situations. We recommend that you plan and find out about matters in advance to make sure that your journey proceeds as planned. The Consular Services of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs approaches travellers in a letter with a number of tips on how to cope in various situations.

10.11.2021 | Sergei Silkin from Helsinki, Marko Oikarainen from Kouvola and Dan Wickholm from Sipoo were today awarded the Father of the Year Prize. The Prize was presented by Minister of Family Affairs and Social Services Krista Kiuru.

31.12.2024 | Fellow citizens, The last few days of the year have brought our security into focus. We all went off to celebrate Christmas, each in our own way.  But even during the holidays, Finland kept an eye out for trouble.

23.8.2023 | "The exceptional times we have been living in recent years have emphasised the importance of Nordic cooperation. Finland has also a lot to offer to other Nordic countries, and we should learn from others in many sectors of society. Through Nordic interaction, we will be able to effectively advance various matters," says minister Anna-Maja Henriksson in her speech.

30.11.2021 | Are you planning to travel abroad? The Foreign Ministry’s Consular Services want to remind travellers of the importance of a passport. This letter gives tips on what to do if you lose your passport during your journey.

19.5.2022 | COVID-19 also spread widely among the older population in early 2022. This led to a rise in the number of COVID-19-related deaths occurring within 30 days of testing positive. However, this trend took a downward turn in late April–early May. Despite the considerable number of infections, the mortality rate among those who have received at least three vaccine doses has clearly remained at a lower level when compared to the rest of the population.

19.1.2023 | In 2022, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the missions abroad provided consular services to a total of approximately 256,000 customers. The demand for advisory services, in particular, continued to grow. During the year, the ministry’s 24/7 service received more than 8,000 contacts in total.

10.2.2022 | The need for hospital care due to COVID-19 has stayed at a high but stable level for two weeks now. The burden on intensive care has reduced considerably since mid-January. Getting a third vaccine dose is an important way of preventing the more serious forms of the disease and curbing the burden on hospital care.

30.3.2023 | The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment has commissioned two studies to support future decisions and measures to promote international recruitment in the healthcare and social welfare sector. The reports survey the experiences on international recruitment among healthcare and social welfare sector employers and those who have moved to Finland to work or study in the sector. The conclusion is that employees hired from abroad will be needed in great numbers in the next few years.

24.2.2022 | The need for hospital care has remained at a high but stable level. It is recommended that everyone aged 18 years or over take a third vaccine dose. The epidemiological situation is still serious. For that reason, the focus will be on people’s own measures to prevent the spread of infections as the restrictions are eased.

10.3.2022 | The virus that causes COVID-19 continues to circulate through the population. However, vaccines provide effective protection against severe forms of the disease. It is particularly important that people aged 60 or over and those belonging to risk groups get a third vaccine dose. As the restrictions are eased, the focus will be on people’s own measures to prevent the spread of infections.

14.4.2023 | The Non-Violent Childhoods Action Plan contains 93 different measures to combat violence against children and young people in 2020–2025. The aim is also to help victims of violence. According to a recent mid-term evaluation, the implementation of the Action Plan is progressing well.

10.12.2021 | The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health has updated the national strategy for COVID-19 testing and contact tracing. The principles for testing are still to detect infections quickly, curb the spread of infections among the population and protect particularly people who are at an increased risk of contracting a severe case of COVID-19.

18.1.2023 | The revised EU Drinking Water Directive has been implemented in Finnish national legislation through statutory amendments that took effect on 12 January 2023. These amendments concern a wide range of laws and regulations. The main goal of the reform is to safeguard the quality of water intended for human consumption and to provide more information on water quality.

22.2.2022 | The responsibility for organising healthcare and social services will be transferred to the wellbeing services counties at the beginning of next year. For this reason, amendments of mainly technical nature are proposed to two acts. The proposals sent out for comments would enable the compensation of integration costs to the wellbeing services counties and would define the responsibility for organising accommodation for unaccompanied children.

24.1.2022 | The 2022 Winter Olympics will be held on 4–20 February 2022 and the Paralympic Games on 4–13 March 2022 in Beijing, China. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, participation in the Beijing 2022 Games is strictly restricted. The COVID-19 situation means that audience participation in the Beijing 2022 Games is limited to invited guests from continental China. Athletes, official guests and media representati...

3.9.2020 | The HIMSS & Health 2.0 European Health Conference & Exhibition, which is a top digital healthcare event in Europe, will be held entirely online on 7–11 September. Finnish healthcare and social welfare innovations and operators in the sector will be strongly featured at this event. More than 3,000 visitors from around the world are expected to attend the event.

16.9.2021 | The aim of the family leave reform is to increase the wellbeing of children and families and to strengthen gender equality and non-discrimination in working life and in the daily lives of families. The measures to achieve this aim include more flexible and longer family leaves and equal quotas of daily allowance days for both parents, some of which can be transferred to the other parent. The new family leave model treats all children equally, irrespective of the type of the family.

27.10.2022 | COVID-19 cases are spreading widely among the population, but especially vaccinated people have a lower risk of developing the severe form of the disease. The number of people in hospitals with COVID-19 has increased. However, a large number of these patients are treated mainly for some other reason than COVID-19. Multiple COVID-19 variants are circulating in Finland, but their impact on the epidemic is not yet clear. 

15.4.2021 | The number of new COVID-19 cases reported in Finland has decreased noticeably over the past few weeks. The number started to fall before Easter. The current restrictions and recommendations and the closure of businesses serving food and beverages have clearly been effective and prevented infections. Vaccinations have also reduced infections, particularly among older people. It is imperative that t...