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29.1.2025 | Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen's speech at the SecD-Day conference and exhibition on 29 January 2025 Publication date 29.1.2025 13.49 Type: Speech Ladies and gentlemen, I want to thank the organizers of the SecD-Day for this great event and fo...

8.11.2024 | In its informal meeting on 8 November in Budapest, Hungary, the European Council adopted a declaration highlighting the need to strengthen the EU’s economy and competitiveness. The leaders of the EU Member States also discussed EU-US relations and the situation in Georgia. Prime Minister Petteri Orpo represented Finland at the meeting.

13.3.2025 | Opening Remarks by Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland Elina Valtonen at the Helsinki Roundtable on AI and International Security at Aalto University on 13 March 2025.

6.11.2024 | It its meeting on Wednesday 6 November, the Ministerial Committee on European Union Affairs outlined Finland’s positions for the informal meeting of the members of the European Council on 8 November and the meeting of the European Political Community to be held in connection with it on 7 November. The Ministerial Committee on EU Affairs also discussed the EU’s multiannual financial framework and migration issues.

11.6.2024 | Ministry of Defence to host Allied Foresight Conference of Allied Command Transformation in Helsinki on 11–12 June 2024 Ministry of Defence Publication date 11.6.2024 8.08 Type: Press release Finland’s Ministry of Defence will host the first ever ...

5.12.2024 | Prime Minister Petteri Orpo will visit Japan on 9–12 December. The purpose of the visit is to deepen cooperation between Finland and Japan, to discuss the current foreign and security policy situation and to strengthen contacts between Finnish and Japanese businesses. A business delegation put together by Business Finland will accompany the Prime Minister on the visit.

13.11.2024 | New trilateral arrangement formalizes collaboration on the production of Arctic and polar icebreakers

22.11.2024 | In its meeting on Friday 22 November, the Ministerial Committee on European Union Affairs discussed Finland’s positions on the European Commission's annual EU enlargement package.

22.5.2024 | The EU ministers responsible for competitiveness will meet in Brussels on 23–24 May 2024. Minister of Economic Affairs Wille Rydman will be Finland’s representative at the meetings of the ministers responsible for space, research and innovation on 23 May. Meanwhile, Minister of Employment Arto Satonen will represent Finland at the internal market and industry meetings on 24 May.

25.9.2024 | Minister of Economic Affairs Wille Rydman will attend a formal meeting of EU competitiveness ministers in Brussels on 26 September 2024. The ministers will discuss the future of European competitiveness and the development of state aid.

10.9.2024 | Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen's speech at the Responsible AI in the Military domain Summit on 10 September 2024 Publication date 10.9.2024 10.12 Type: Speech Finland would like to thank the Republic of Korea, and our co-hosts the Kingdom of N...

4.12.2024 | Finland must improve the competitiveness of its investment environment with the help of predictable regulation and sufficient incentives. Companies must increase their intangible investments to enhance the value added and productivity. Public funding must be used more efficiently to boost new sectors and diversify the economic structure.

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.

29.8.2024 | On 29 August 2024, the Government appointed a new Board for the National Nuclear Waste Management Fund for the term of 1 September 2024–31 August 2027. The chair of the new Board will be Chief Risk Officer Jarkko Heikkilä from the Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Company.

25.8.2025 | Speech by Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen at the Annual Meeting of Heads of Mission on 25 August 2025 Publication date 25.8.2025 15.05 | Published in English on 31.10.2025 at 15.26 Type: Speech Distinguished Ambassadors, ladies and gentlemen, D...

26.4.2024 | The action plan on closer cooperation on forests and the bioeconomy between the province of Nova Scotia in Canada and Finland was signed in Helsinki on 26 April 2024. The parties to the five-year action plan are the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Finland and the Department of Natural Resources of Nova Scotia.

5.2.2026 | On Thursday 5 February, the Government submitted a supplementary budget proposal for 2026 to Parliament. The supplementary budget focuses on boosting growth and investments with the goal of supporting employment. The proposal also includes a decrease to revenue estimates.

15.1.2024 | Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen will meet in Stockholm on Friday 19 January. In the discussions, Prime Minister Orpo will highlight issues of national importance that Finland wants to see promoted in the EU. Finland and Sweden will also deliver their joint messages to the President of the Commission.

26.8.2024 | Speech by Prime Minister Petteri Orpo at the Annual Meeting of Heads of Mission in Helsinki on 26 August 2024. Speech to be checked against delivery.

20.12.2023 | The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment has appointed a steering group to prepare a minerals strategy in accordance with the Government Programme. Kimmo Tiilikainen, Director General of the Geological Survey of Finland, will chair the steering group. The strategy will be completed at the end of 2024..

30.6.2025 | The United Nations’ fourth International Conference on Financing for Development will take place in Seville, Spain, from 30 June to 3 July. The aim of the conference is to reform the international financial architecture for development cooperation and accelerate funding for sustainable development. Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio will represent Finland at the conference.

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

12.12.2023 | The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment has appointed a steering group to prepare an industrial policy strategy in accordance with the Government Programme. The strategy will be drawn up in close interaction with Finnish business and industry and other key interest groups. Permanent Secretary Timo Jaatinen from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment will serve as chair of the steering group.

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

25.6.2024 | Europe is facing strong economic headwinds. With vulnerable supply chains, high energy costs, and substantial investments needed to reach net-zero, the EU has reached a point where we cannot afford to ignore our competitiveness problems.

2.11.2022 | On 2 November 2022, Minister of Economic Affairs Mika Lintilä invited representatives of companies, organisations, and higher education and research institutes to discuss the launch of work to create a vision for development for eastern Finland. Forming a vision for development is one of the recommendations in the final report of the Working group of State Secretaries, which examined the vitality of eastern Finland.

15.11.2022 | Strengthening of civil societies is an important goal in Finland’s development policy and a means to achieve other development policy goals.

11.7.2024 | On 11 July 2024, Finland, the United States and Canada published a trilateral declaration concerning cooperation in the production of icebreakers (ICE). The initiative was signed by the Presidents of Finland and the United States Alexander Stubb and Joe Biden and Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau.

11.12.2023 | A project at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) is working on a proposal for a well-being economy steering model for Finland that would strengthen wellbeing-oriented policymaking in Finland. A workshop, organized by THL and the OECD WISE Centre on 21–22 November 2023, brought together officials from pioneering countries to discuss the functionality and application of governance practices for a well-being framework.

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

21.8.2023 | The focus of the Government Programme is on promoting exports and investments, which will support the access of Finnish companies to the growing markets, says Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio in his speech.

2.12.2022 | Prime Minister of Finland Sanna Marin spoke at the Lowy Institute in Sydney, on 2 December 2022. Check against delivery.

2.12.2022 | Prime Minister of Finland Sanna Marin spoke at the Lowy Institute in Sydney, on 2 December 2022. Check against delivery.

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 ...

21.8.2023 | A new era has begun in Finland's foreign and security policy. NATO membership will strengthen not only our security, but also the stability of Northern Europe. Finland's strong defence capability and resilience will strengthen the whole Alliance, says Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen in her speech at the Annual Meeting of Heads of Mission.

17.2.2023 | Aalto University and the Ministry of Transport and Communications are implementing the extensive Cyber Citizen Project to create a common model for teaching cybersecurity skills to citizens in the EU Member States. As part of the project, on 17 February 2023 Aalto University published a comprehensive report on the current state of teaching cybersecurity skills to citizens throughout the European Union.

17.2.2023 | Aalto University and the Ministry of Transport and Communications are implementing the extensive Cyber Citizen Project to create a common model for teaching cybersecurity skills to citizens in the EU Member States. As part of the project, on 17 February 2023 Aalto University published a comprehensive report on the current state of teaching cybersecurity skills to citizens throughout the European Union.

23.11.2022 | The Ministerial Council of the European Space Agency (ESA) was held in Paris on 22–23 November 2022. At the Ministerial Council, which is organised every three years, the Member States decide on the priorities, programmes and funding of ESA’s activities for the coming years.

29.12.2022 | On 29 December 2022, the President of the Republic approved the Act on the National Implementation of the Brexit Adjustment Reserve. Funds from the Reserve will be used to support companies that have been negatively affected by the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. The support is channelled as business development aid from the Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY Centres). 

3.3.2023 | Commerce accounts for most of Finland’s imports from China, while exports to China are centred around large industrial companies, according to a report on Finland’s trade dependence on China. The report was coordinated by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. It is a collection of information and figures to support discussions on Finland’s dependence on China.

21.12.2021 | New Unit Directors, the Director of Strategic Affairs and the Director of Legal Affairs will take up their duties on 1 February 2022. At the same time, the Ministry's reformed organisation will come into force.

21.12.2021 | New Unit Directors, the Director of Strategic Affairs and the Director of Legal Affairs will take up their duties on 1 February 2022. At the same time, the Ministry's reformed organisation will come into force.

12.9.2022 | How do we guide Finland forward in the midst of global uncertainty? Ministries’ futures review provides tools for decision-makers Ministry of Defence Publication date 12.9.2022 12.06 Type: Press release Government Communications Department, Minist...

12.9.2022 | The prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine and accelerating climate change have led to a situation in Finland and globally where the future seems rather uncertain. In the midst of uncertainty, decision-making is difficult. Finland will hold parliamentary elections in spring 2023, and the new Government Programme will outline policies for the next few years.

27.9.2021 | The Competitiveness Council will discuss the EU’s climate package, ‘Fit for 55', from an industrial perspective, the role of better regulation in developing competitiveness and the internal market, and the governance reform of the European Research Area. 

1.12.2022 | At its plenary session on 1 December 2022, the Government confirmed the national objectives for organising healthcare and social welfare for the years 2023–2026. The objectives are strategic in nature and apply to healthcare and social welfare activities throughout Finland. The objectives form an essential part of the national guidance and direction of healthcare and social welfare, and they support the current needs to reform and further develop services.

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.

29.4.2022 | Cooperation in maintaining and developing civil preparedness is an important part of the joint preparedness of Finland and Sweden. The heads of the authorities responsible for preparedness in the two countries will meet in Helsinki on Friday 29 April. The bilateral meeting is the first of its kind, and the topics on the agenda will include civil preparedness, security of supply and cyber matters. 

18.2.2022 | Sectoral organisations, companies, counties, municipalities and other stakeholders are invited to participate in the preparation of a voluntary agreement on a low-carbon circular economy and to become partners to it. The agreement is part of Finland’s National Circular Economy Programme, and the aim is to promote the transition to a low-carbon circular economy society in different sectors.

25.5.2022 | Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto will visit Washington DC on 25–27 May. He will meet US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and speak with representatives of the US administration and Congress. In addition, Minister Haavisto will discuss Finland’s views on transatlantic security at an event held at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), which is a non-profit policy research organisation focusing on security policy.

24.2.2022 | The new Client and Patient Safety Strategy and its Implementation Plan for 2022–2026 have been published. The vision of the Strategy is to make Finland a model country for client and patient safety in 2026 and to prevent avoidable harm.

17.5.2022 | Business cost support granted during the coronavirus crisis increased companies’ turnover, turned them profitable and lowered the risk of debt restructuring. Due to the support for business costs, some of the loss-making companies became profitable during the coronavirus epidemic. However, the new rounds of support have slowed down a beneficial structural change of the economy. These are the conclusi...

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.

21.8.2023 | Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s speech at the Annual Meeting of Finnish Heads of Mission 2023 in Helsinki. Check against delivery.

2.3.2023 | On Thursday 2 March, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Maria Ohisalo and Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Antti Kurvinen convened a roundtable to discuss the role of the forest sector in climate policy. The aim of the discussion was to clarify the shared understanding of the situation and find solutions to strengthen sinks and reduce emissions.

24.3.2022 | The Minister of Family Affairs and Social Services Aki Lindén will attend a meeting of the Nordic Council of Ministers in Stavanger, Norway, on 24–25 March. The ministers will discuss Nordic cooperation in preparing for crisis and providing support to Ukraine. Also on the agenda is the prevention of social exclusion among young people.

15.12.2023 | Finland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will visit Washington D.C. on 18 December. She will meet U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. A Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) between Finland and the United States will be signed during the visit.

9.7.2021 | Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto will attend the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on Monday 12 July. The main topics of discussion will be Ethiopia, the Strategic Compass, and the geopolitics of new digital technologies. In addition, the meeting will approve conclusions on a Globally Connected Europe. The foreign ministers will meet Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs at a working lunch and Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs at a working breakfast.

18.11.2021 | The Government proposes that the President of the Republic approve the designation of the National Cyber Security Centre operating under the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency as Finland's National Coordination Centre in the EU network of coordination centres.

18.11.2021 | The Government proposes that the President of the Republic approve the designation of the National Cyber Security Centre operating under the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency as Finland's National Coordination Centre in the EU network of coordination centres.