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3.5.2023 | On 3 May 2023, a steering group appointed by the Ministry of Transport and Communications to examine the possible establishment of a Finnish space situational awareness centre issued a report recommending that the centre be established. It could be started by 2026.

12.5.2022 | As a Member State of the European Union, Finland will take responsibility for the migratory impact of the situation in Ukraine, and especially for protecting those fleeing war. Finland is also prepared to receive beneficiaries of temporary protection transferred from other countries as a part of joint EU measures. The Government expressed its position on such transfers in a Union communication to Parliament on 12 May.

17.5.2023 | A decision on the overall level of business subsidy expenditure could serve as a tool for maintaining policy discipline. A clear exit strategy is needed to abolish the more flexible state aid rules. According to the annual report of the Research Division on Business Subsidies published on 17 May 2023, R&D activities should be expanded to more sectors and aid policy should be targeted more efficiently in order to achieve the R&D objectives.

14.3.2023 | The Ministry of Finance has launched an extensive research project to study the relationship between and the management and central government guidance of wellbeing services counties and local government.

15.9.2022 | The European Commission proposes a number of measures to help EU Member States prevent and combat child sexual abuse. The Government informed Parliament of the European Commission’s proposal for a Regulation by submitting a Union communication on 15 September. 

3.10.2022 | The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health has launched an international audit of the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare as agreed in the Institute's performance agreement. Completed in early spring 2023, the audit will provide the Institute with a basis for developing its operations.

13.10.2023 | A recent survey commissioned by the Embassy of Finland in Moscow reveals that more than one in three Russians feel positive about Finland, compared to one in two a year ago. Researchers ascribe the decline in Finland’s reputation among Russians mainly to the negative media coverage of Finland’s membership in NATO. Young people hold the most positive attitudes towards Finland.

5.9.2022 | The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom has completed a study on how the 2018 reform of the Driving Licence Act has affected road safety. The driving licence reform was not found to have a significant impact on the number of injuries sustained by young people aged 15-20.

15.12.2022 | On 15 December, the Government decided to appoint the Expert Panel for Sustainable Development for a new term. The Sustainability Panel, which operates as part of the Prime Minister’s Office, is an independent scientific panel tasked with promoting sustainability in Finnish society.

5.9.2022 | The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom has completed a study on how the 2018 reform of the Driving Licence Act has affected road safety. The driving licence reform was not found to have a significant impact on the number of injuries sustained by young people aged 15-20.

10.4.2023 | The Good Friday Agreement was signed on 10 April 1998 after lengthy negotiations, bringing to an end three decades of violence in Northern Ireland.

6.6.2023 | Boosting the value added of the bioeconomy in general and from the perspective of different sectors was the focus of a seminar held in Helsinki on 6 June 2023, where the main guest was Magda Kopczynska, Deputy Director General of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development. More than 130 invited guests followed the event on location and online. The seminar ...

27.2.2023 | Statement by Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto at the High-Level Segment of the United Nations Human Rights Council's 52nd session on 27 February 2023.

14.11.2022 | Utrikesminister Pekka Haavisto har sammankallat en internationell konferens som handlar om feministisk utrikespolitik och jämställdhet. Konferensen hålls i Helsingfors den 16 november. Syftet med konferensen är att diskutera och utbyta kunskap om frågor som rör innehållet i och metoderna för en jämställdhetsfrämjande utrikespolitik. Ett ytterligare mål är att öka debatten om feministisk utrikespolitik i Finland.

17.11.2022 | More than half of Russians still have a positive attitude towards Finland, according to a country image survey carried out by the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. However, the proportion of Russians who are positive towards Finland has dropped compared to previous years. Finland and Finnishness are associated with nature, quality and a high standard of living. The best-known Finns in Russia are Ville Haapasalo, Mika Häkkinen and Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim.

1.9.2023 | Turku 1.9.2023 “Politics of the Zeitenwende: The Baltic Sea, Europe and the Transatlantic Alliance”

20.3.2023 | The EU General Affairs Council (GAC) will meet in Brussels on Tuesday 21 March. The meeting will focus mainly on preparations for the March European Council. The ministers will also discuss EU-UK relations and continue their annual rule of law dialogue. Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering Tytti Tuppurainen will represent Finland at the meeting.

4.5.2022 | President of the European Court of Human Rights Robert Spano will visit Finland on 5–6 May.

22.9.2022 | Finland, like many other States, has decided to take part in two sets of international judicial proceedings in which Ukraine demands that Russia be held responsible for violations of international law.

6.6.2023 | Permanent secretary Jaana Husu-Kallio gave the opening speech at the Bioeconomy seminar: How to speed up the value added in innovative bioeconomy – steps to strategy implementation, held on the June 6th 2023 in Helsinki.

8.2.2023 | The Ministry of Transport and Communications has called for comments on a draft Government Decree on discretionary government grants for communications and news media in 2023. The decree is scheduled to take effect in April. Total funding of EUR 7 million is proposed.

23.1.2023 | “In addition to the 12-year long conflict, poverty is now another obstacle to Syrian families and their children’s education,” says Eva Hinds, the Finnish Chief of Communication at UNICEF’s country office in Syria.

21.12.2022 | The start of 2023 will see the entry into force of amendments to acts and decrees. This press release provides a summary of the most important changes. 

13.6.2022 | The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) will hold its 50th regular session from 13 June to 8 July 2022. It is the UN’s most important intergovernmental body protecting and promoting human rights.

3.11.2022 | EU:n innovaatiorahaston suurten hankkeiden kolmas hakukierros on avattu 3.11.2022. Haussa on jaossa kaikkiaan kolme miljardia euroa vähähiili-investointeihin, teollisuuden sähköistymiseen, vetyyn sekä energiateknologioiden valmistukseen ja pilotointiin. Haku sulkeutuu 16.3.2023. 

15.12.2022 | On 14 December 2022, the National Forest Council adopted Finland’s new National Forest Strategy, which extends until 2035. The new National Forest Strategy is a growth strategy that seeks growth of both forests and business and, first of all, growing wellbeing both from forests and for forests.

8.2.2023 | The Ministry of Transport and Communications has called for comments on a draft Government Decree on discretionary government grants for communications and news media in 2023. The decree is scheduled to take effect in April. Total funding of EUR 7 million is proposed.

6.9.2022 | In future, the Ministry of the Environment will focus even more strongly on three themes: comprehensive solutions to the ecological sustainability crisis, leading the green transition and living environments that support wellbeing.

28.6.2022 | Through the Foreign Ministry’s funding for development cooperation Finnish CSOs and their partners promote poverty eradication, reduction of inequality and the fulfilment of human rights. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has awarded approximately EUR 21 million in discretionary government grants for Finnish CSOs’ development cooperation projects in 2023–2026.

27.10.2022 | More and more countries around the world are calling their foreign policy ‘feminist’. The concept has been discussed in Finland, too. Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto will convene an international conference at the House of the Estates in Helsinki in November, discussing foreign policy that promotes gender equality.

31.8.2021 | An independent working group of experts examined regulatory needs concerning good end-of-life care, patients' right to self-determination, and terminal care and euthanasia. The working group has now completed its final report and submitted it to the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.

22.8.2022 | "In times of crisis, decision-making capacity is weighed up. Through good cooperation between various actors, Finland has made the necessary foreign and security policy decisions. In the middle of difficult times, we have made rapid but deliberate progress."

14.10.2021 | The three-year term 2022-2024 is Finland’s first full membership in the Human Rights Council. Finland will continue its long-term work to promote universal human rights.

18.1.2023 | Misuse of development cooperation funds has been the subject of much public debate recently. One of Finland’s key principles is to investigate all alleged misuse of funds and to recover any misappropriated funds, according to Director General of the Department for Development Policy Titta Maja-Luoto.

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16.6.2022 | “Terrafame’s battery chemicals plant is a good example of how we are developing the Finnish mining and battery industry towards production of higher value added. Finland is introducing advanced processes and technologies and improving competences in a new area that will enable a responsible green transition,” Minister of Economic Affairs Mika Lintilä said at the opening of the plant in Sotkamo on 16 June 2022.

11.4.2022 | The Ministry of the Interior has sent out for comments a draft bill which lays down provisions on the authorities competent to counter terrorist content online. The proposal is related to the EU Regulation which aims to improve detection and removal of online content that incites to terrorist acts. The deadline for submitting comments on the proposal is 25 May 2022.

8.3.2021 | Today, on 8 March 2021, the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) issued its recommendations on Finland’s seventh periodic report concerning the implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

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.

16.6.2022 | The Government has decided which regions will belong to support areas I and II in accordance with the EU regional state aid guidelines. The aim is to allocate aid to areas where the economic situation is disadvantaged either nationally or relative to the Union as a whole. In the support areas, the maximum amount of investment aid granted to companies is higher than in the rest of the country.

11.11.2022 | Opening statement by Minister Pekka Haavisto at the Fourth Universal Periodic Review of Finland at the UN Human Rights Council on 9 November 2022.

31.1.2022 | Anni-Kristiina Juuso, Master of Laws trained on the bench, has been appointed to serve as Secretary General of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Concerning the Sámi People. Juuso will take up her duties on 1 February 2022.

29.9.2023 | Pääministeri Petteri Orpo puhui Helsinki Security Forumissa perjantaina 29.9.2023. Puhe muutosvarauksin. Vain englanniksi.

8.4.2021 | A working group appointed by the Ministry of Transport and Communications to study forms of media support is proposing permanent forms of assistance for media operations that provide news and current affairs content. These forms would be editorial production assistance and development assistance. The assistance will seek to promote communications that are reliable, diverse, wide-ranging and socially meaningful.

30.3.2022 | Integration programmes and language training increase employment of immigrants. An active labour market policy is most effective for people who have the greatest difficulty in securing employment. Financial sanctions, on the other hand, are likely to work best for the highly educated. These are the findings of a study completed by Labore, the Labour Institute for Economic Research som beställts av arbets- och näringsministeriets Kompetenscentret för integration av invandrare.

28.11.2022 | According to a recent evaluation, Finland’s influencing towards the EU’s development policy has been relevant and successful. However, the evaluation identified deficiencies, too, such as gaps in the strategic guidance of activities at different levels.

6.9.2023 | Prime Minister Petteri Orpo gave a presentation speech to Parliament on the government statement on promoting equality, gender equality and non-discrimination on 6 September 2023. Speech to be checked against delivery.

31.3.2021 | Ten years ago, millions of Syrians took to the streets of Dara’a, Aleppo and Damascus, calling for democracy and respect of their fundamental rights and basic freedoms. The brutal response by the regime triggered over the span of a decade one of the most serious criminal enterprises and humanitarian crises since the Second World War resulting in more than 400 000 deaths and in countless violations of human rights.

8.4.2021 | A working group appointed by the Ministry of Transport and Communications to study forms of media support is proposing permanent forms of assistance for media operations that provide news and current affairs content. These forms would be editorial production assistance and development assistance. The assistance will seek to promote communications that are reliable, diverse, wide-ranging and socially meaningful.

13.3.2024 | Prime Minister Petteri Orpo spoke at the European Parliament in Strasbourg on 13 March 2024. Check against delivery.

8.7.2022 | The EU home affairs ministers will hold an informal meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council on 11 July in Prague. The meeting will be the first during the Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The Ministers will discuss the effects of the war in Ukraine on the EU’s internal security, fight against child sexual abuse, and interoperability between EU information systems in the justice and home affairs sector.

10.12.2021 | The Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II is Finland’s next multi-role fighter Ministry of Defence Publication date 10.12.2021 14.37 Type: Press release The Government of Finland has 10 December 2021 authorised the Finnish Defence Forces Logistics Co...

5.12.2023 | Findings of the OECD’s PISA 2022 (Programme for International Student Assessment) show that while the performance of Finnish young people has deteriorated, it remains above the OECD average. PISA 2022 focused on mathematical literacy.

27.10.2022 | Israelin miehittämällä Palestiinalaisalueeella asuu yli viisi miljoonaa ihmistä: kolme Länsirannalla ja kaksi Gazassa. Palestiinalaisalueella kytee nuorten turhautuminen niin miehitykseen kuin omaan hallintoonsa.

27.8.2024 | Speech by Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering Joakim Strand at the Annual Meeting of Heads of Mission in Helsinki on 27 August 2024. Check against delivery.

9.11.2022 | Kai Rinkinen from Rovaniemi, Jere Jokinen from Kerava and Janne Pihanperä from Masku were today awarded the Father of the Year Prize. The Prize was presented by Minister of Social Affairs and Health Hanna Sarkkinen

18.6.2021 | An audit commissioned by the Ministry of Employment and the Economy of grants made by Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY Centres) for SME development projects has been completed. The audit sought to provide information on the guidance, oversight and reporting of financing granted due to the COVID-19 epidemic. It was conducted by BDO Audiator Ltd for the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment.

7.6.2022 | “Due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, we are in a historical situation where we have to find energy solutions independent of the imports from Russia. Together with climate change, this poses an enormous challenge. We need to make use of all tools and capabilities to find solutions to these challenges and increase our resilience,” Minister of Economic Affairs Mika Lintilä said in his speech at the opening event of the Nordic Nuclear Forum 2022 in Helsinki on 7 June 2022.

15.9.2022 | The government proposal lays the foundation for the introduction of a digital identification application, a digital service authenticator for foreign nationals and an electronic identification means for natural persons. The digital identification application will be introduced alongside passports and identity cards and will improve the ability of citizens to manage their own information. The Government submitted the proposal on 15 September.

3.5.2022 | 1 / 4 Talousneuvoston sihteeristö / P. Sinko & A. Kyrölä 21.4.2022 Laskelma geotaloudellisten blokkien merkityksestä Suomen taloudelle Taustamuistio talousneuvoston 27.4.2022 kokoukseen Jo pidempään jatkunut USA:n ja Kiinan hegemoniakamppailu uhka...