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13.3.2026 | The EU ministers responsible for energy issues will convene in Brussels on 16 March 2026. The meeting agenda will include the European grids package for 2028–2034, the action plan for affordable energy, and energy security. Finland will be represented by Minister of Climate and the Environment Sari Multala.

20.3.2026 | The leaders of the European Union met in Brussels on 19 March to discuss the war in Iran and its effects on energy prices. The EU is making preparations to mitigate the war’s effects on energy prices, while Finland’s energy system remains stable due to its low dependency on fossil energy.

17.4.2026 | In their meeting on Friday 17 April, the President of the Republic and the Ministerial Committee on Foreign and Security Policy discussed the current situation in Ukraine and the need to continue to provide strong support for Ukraine and increase pressure on Russia.

15.1.2026 | In their meeting on Thursday 15 January, the President of the Republic and the Ministerial Committee on Foreign and Security Policy discussed support for Ukraine and the ongoing peace process.

17.4.2026 | Tasavallan presidentti ja valtioneuvoston ulko- ja turvallisuuspoliittinen ministerivaliokunta keskustelivat perjantaina 17. huhtikuuta Ukrainan ajankohtaisesta tilanteesta ja tarpeesta jatkaa vahvaa tukea Ukrainalle sekä lisätä painetta Venäjää kohtaan.

20.3.2026 | EU-ländernas stats- och regeringschefer diskuterade kriget i Iran och energipriset torsda-gen den 19 mars 2026 i Bryssel. EU förbereder sig på de effekter som kriget har på ener-gipriset, men Finlands energisystem är stabilt tack vare det låga fossila beroendet.

17.4.2026 | Fredagen den 17 april diskuterade republikens president och statsrådets utrikes- och säkerhetspolitiska ministerutskott det aktuella läget i Ukraina samt behovet av att upprätthålla det starka stödet till Ukraina och öka trycket på Ryssland.

14.3.2025 | EU foreign ministers will convene in Brussels on 17 March. Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will represent Finland at the meeting.

15.1.2026 | Torsdagen den 15 januari diskuterade republikens president och statsrådets utrikes- och säkerhetspolitiska ministerutskott stödet till Ukraina och hur fredsprocessen framskrider.

21.2.2025 | EU foreign ministers will convene in Brussels on 24 February. Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will represent Finland at the meeting.

25.7.2023 | The EU adopted a new regime of sanctions, prohibiting the export from the European Union to Iran of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and their components. The new regime complements the previously adopted EU sanctions against Russia and Iran.

14.3.2025 | EU:s utrikesministrar sammanträder i utrikesrådet i Bryssel den 17 mars. Utrikesminister Elina Valtonen representerar Finland vid mötet.

21.2.2025 | EU:s utrikesministrar sammanträder i utrikesrådet i Bryssel den 24 februari. Finland representeras av utrikesminister Elina Valtonen.

9.12.2022 | EU Foreign ministers to meet in Brussels on Monday 12 December. Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto to represent Finland at the meeting.

15.4.2024 | Republikens president och statsrådets utrikes- och säkerhetspolitiska ministerutskott samlades till ett extra möte måndagen den 15 april för att diskutera Irans attack mot Israel natten mellan lördag och söndag samt situationen i Mellanöstern.

25.7.2023 | EU har beslutat om ett nytt sanktionssystem mot Iran som förbjuder utförsel av obemannade luftfartyg och luftfartygskomponenter från EU-länderna till Iran. Det nya systemet är ett komplement till de gällande sanktionerna mot Ryssland och Iran.

9.12.2022 | EU-ländernas utrikesministrar samlas till rådsmöte i Bryssel måndagen den 12 december. Utrikesminister Pekka Haavisto företräder Finland vid mötet.

15.4.2024 | The President of the Republic and the Ministerial Committee on Foreign and Security Policy held an extraordinary meeting on Monday 15 April to discuss Iran’s attack on Israel in the night between Saturday and Sunday and to discuss the situation in the Middle East.

17.6.2026 | The EU heads of state and government will meet for the European Council in Brussels on 18–19 June. Discussions at the meeting will focus on Ukraine, the Middle East, global economic challenges for European competitiveness and the EU's multiannual financial framework (MFF) for 2028–2034. Prime Minister Petteri Orpo will represent Finland at the meeting.

5.3.2026 | The foreign ministers of the EU and the Gulf countries will hold an informal video conference on 5 March. Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will represent Finland at the meeting.

4.5.2026 | Prime Minister Orpo represented Finland at the eighth summit of the European Political Community (EPC) in the Armenian capital of Yerevan on Monday 4 May. The theme of the summit was building the future through unity and stability in Europe.

24.3.2026 | In their meeting on Tuesday 24 March, the President of the Republic and the Ministerial Committee on Foreign and Security Policy discussed the current situation in Ukraine and the need for Europe to continue its strong support to Ukraine while increasing pressure on Russia.

30.4.2026 | The security situation in the Middle East affects the operation of Finland's missions and VFS application centres in the region. The availability of services may be temporarily limited.

20.4.2026 | EU foreign affairs ministers will convene for a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg on 21 April. Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will represent Finland at the meeting.

16.6.2026 | The Finnish economy is gradually recovering but is overshadowed by the crisis in the Middle East, higher energy prices and an uncertain economic outlook. Economic growth is boosting general government revenues, but the deficit remains wide according to the Ministry of Finance's economic forecast published on 16 June.

13.3.2026 | EU foreign affairs ministers will convene for a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on 16 March. Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will represent Finland at the meeting.

20.3.2026 | Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering Joakim Strand will be in Umeå, Sweden, for Nordic Day on 23 March. During the visit, Minister Strand will meet with Swedish Minister for EU Affairs Jessica Rosencrantz, and the two will take part in a panel discussion on the importance and future of Nordic cooperation in an age of global instability.

20.2.2026 | EU foreign affairs ministers will convene for a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on 23 February. Political Secretary of State Pasi Rajala will represent Finland at the meeting.

12.3.2026 | Finland and seven other EU Member States have signed a non-paper that stresses the important role of a strong emissions trading system in the EU. The non-paper is their response to the discussion where certain Member States hope for major changes to the emissions trading system and a lower price for emission allowances.

21.5.2026 | Special Address by the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development of Finland, H.E. Ville Tavio at the LDC Future Forum on 20 May 2026, Helsinki, Finland.

5.2.2026 | According to the Government Programme, Finland’s annual refugee quota is 500 persons. In its plenary session on 5 February, the Government decided on which refugee groups would be included in this year’s quota and how many places would be reserved for each group.

9.6.2026 | Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen held a speech at the meeting of the Council of Europe’s Committee on Social Inclusion and Human Dignity in Kouvola on 9 June 2026.

28.1.2026 | EU foreign affairs ministers will convene for a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on 29 January. Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will represent Finland at the meeting.

23.6.2025 | In their meeting on Monday 23 June, the President of the Republic and the Ministerial Committee on Foreign and Security Policy discussed the current situation in the Middle East.

25.2.2026 | Statement by Permanent State Secretary Jukka Salovaara at the High-Level Segment of the United Nations Human Rights Council's 61st session

17.6.2025 | EU ministers of foreign affairs will hold an informal video teleconference on Tuesday 17 June. Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will represent Finland at the teleconference.

19.6.2025 | EU foreign affairs ministers will convene in Brussels on Monday 23 June. Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will represent Finland at the meeting.

13.6.2025 | In their meeting on Friday 13 June, the President of the Republic and the Ministerial Committee on Foreign and Security Policy discussed the current state of the Ukraine peace negotiations, proposals to achieve peace and bring an end to Russia’s unlawful war of aggression, and support for Ukraine.

27.6.2025 | The EU heads of state and government made important decisions to enhance security at the European Council in Brussels on 26 June. Support for Ukraine will continue and measures to strengthen European defence will be accelerated. The leaders also discussed the EU’s relations with the rest of the world and European competitiveness. Prime Minister Petteri Orpo represented Finland at the meeting.

29.4.2025 | Finland’s Ministry of Defence to host NATO Nuclear Policy Symposium in Helsinki Ministry of Defence Publication date 29.4.2025 15.49 Type: Press release NATO’s annual Nuclear Policy Symposium will be held in Helsinki on 29–30 April. Held annually ...

14.5.2025 | In the Foreign Ministry's Sanctions e-Service at palvelu.um.fi you can ask about sanctions, submit an application for an authorization, report on the implementation of sanctions and report on the circumvention of sanctions. The service makes it easier for companies, authorities and citizens to approach the Sanctions Unit with sanctions matters. The European Commission has also launched a Sanctions Helpdesk for small and medium-sized enterprises.

12.9.2025 | Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen's keynote speech at Kouvola Security Conference on 12 September 2025 Publication date 12.9.2025 10.25 Type: Speech Ladies and gentlemen, Thank you for the warm welcome. It is great to be back in Kouvola, and to s...

18.4.2024 | In the evening on Wednesday 17 April, the special European Council discussed the security situation in Europe and the Middle East. The European Union condemned Russia’s attacks on Ukraine and called for swift military assistance. Ukraine is in urgent need of support, especially when it comes to air defence. The EU leaders also expressed their concern over the tense situation in the Middle East and called on all parties to avoid the use of force.

10.2.2025 | During its membership of the UN Human Rights Council between 2022 and 2024, Finland defended universal human rights and the multilateral rules-based system. Finland’s key priorities were to ensure accountability and gender equality and to promote and defend the rights of women and girls, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities and LGBTI persons.

16.8.2024 | On Friday 16 August, the President of the Republic and the Ministerial Committee on Foreign and Security Policy discussed Finland’s preparations for its chairpersonship of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in 2025 and the priorities of its chairpersonship programme.

28.11.2024 | Finland will receive 500 refugees under the refugee quota in 2025. In its plenary session on 28 November, the Government decided on which refugee groups would be included in the quota and how many places would be reserved for each group.

8.3.2024 | At the presidential session on 8 March, the President of the Republic appointed an Ambassador to Tehran, a non-resident Ambassador to New Zealand and an authorisation of a Roving Ambassador based at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

4.10.2024 | On Friday 4 October, the President of the Republic and the Ministerial Committee on Foreign and Security Policy discussed Finland’s Middle East policy, the situation in the Middle East and the security of Finns in the region.

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...

19.4.2024 | In their meeting on Friday 19 April, the President of the Republic and the Ministerial Committee on Foreign and Security Policy discussed the situation in the Middle East, especially the strike launched on Iran early this morning.

8.5.2025 | Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen's speech at the NATO Nuclear Policy Symposium on 29 April 2025 Publication date 8.5.2025 11.50 | Published in English on 31.10.2025 at 15.24 Type: Speech Distinguished guests, experts and friends of nuclear polic...

26.2.2024 | In accordance with established practice, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs invited civil society organisations (CSOs) to comment on Finland’s activities at the 55th session of the UN Human Rights Council on 12 February. Representatives of more than 40 CSOs participated in a discussion with Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen. The discussion focused on the rights of children and the safety...

16.4.2024 | Prime Minister Petteri Orpo will represent Finland at the extraordinary European Council on 17–18 April in Brussels, where discussions will focus on the tense situation in the international arena. Items on the EU leaders’ agenda include the ongoing events in the Middle East and Ukraine, relations with Türkiye and Europe’s long-term competitiveness.

16.6.2023 | The UN Human Rights Council convenes for its 53rd Regular Session from 19 June to 14 July in Geneva, Switzerland.

23.10.2023 | Border States met in Vilnius to discuss EU sanctions circumvention, especially trade routes and patters, and agreed on concrete common measures to further strengthen implementation of sanctions and prevention of sanctions circumvention.

17.4.2024 | In its meeting on Wednesday 17 April, the Ministerial Committee on European Union Affairs outlined Finland’s positions for the special European Council to be held in Brussels on 17 and 18 April. Items on the agenda for the meeting include the ongoing events in the Middle East and Ukraine, relations with Türkiye and Europe’s long-term competitiveness.

11.9.2024 | Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen's speech at the Seoul Defense Dialogue on 11 September 2024 Publication date 11.9.2024 11.22 Type: Speech It is a great honour and my pleasure to address today the 2024 Seoul Defence Dialogue and discuss the mult...

20.1.2023 | EU foreign ministers will convene in Brussels on 23 January. Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto will represent Finland at the meeting.

26.2.2024 | Statement by Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen at the High-Level Segment of the United Nations Human Rights Council's 55th session on 26 February 2024.

21.4.2023 | EU foreign ministers will convene in Luxembourg on 24 April. Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto will represent Finland at the meeting.