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10.12.2024 | Finland has ranked eighth in the Gender Equality Index for the European Union (EU). The position is the same as last year. The Index measures gender equality in various domains, such as work, health and power.

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.

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.

7.9.2023 | The Third Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen was held in Kyiv on 6 September 2023 on the invitation of Olena Zelenska, the First Lady of Ukraine. The summit also brought together health ministers from EU Member States and WHO European Region who signed a statement at the event. 

15.11.2023 | On Tuesday 14 November, Prime Minister Petteri Orpo attended a European Council dinner discussion on the EU’s forthcoming Strategic Agenda and policy guidelines for 2024–2029 in Copenhagen. In addition to Prime Minister Orpo, the prime ministers of Sweden, Denmark, Latvia, Bulgaria, Ireland and the Czech Republic took part in the discussion.

24.10.2023 | Minister of Youth, Sport and Physical Activity Sandra Bergqvist will represent the EU on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Foundation Board.

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.

9.10.2023 | The Government proposes amendments to the Act on Student Healthcare for Higher Education Students and the Act on the Social Insurance Institution of Finland. The Student Healthcare Act would be harmonised with the relevant EU Regulation in respect of reimbursements regarding students from certain European countries, and the provisions of the Act on the financial process would be specified.

8.11.2023 | Many of the guests invited to former president Martti Ahtisaari’s state funeral reflect his decades-long international career. The state funeral on Friday 10 November will be attended by several international dignitaries.

13.4.2022 | On Wednesday 13 April, Minister for European Affairs Tytti Tuppurainen travelled to Dublin, where she met with her colleague, Irish Minister for European Affairs Thomas Byrne, and attended a local meeting of heads of mission. The ministers’ discussions highlighted Europe’s support for Ukraine and the importance of the rule of law for the European Union.

3.2.2023 | The EU General Affairs Council (GAC) will meet in Brussels on Monday 6 February. The meeting will focus on preparations for the February Special European Council. The GAC will also discuss relations between the EU and the United Kingdom and receive an overview of Sweden’s priorities for its Presidency of the Council of the EU. Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering Tytti Tuppurainen will represent Finland at the meeting.

23.10.2023 | The EU General Affairs Council (GAC) will meet in Luxembourg on Tuesday 24 October. The meeting will focus mainly on preparations for the October European Council. The GAC will also continue its annual rule of law dialogue with country-specific discussions. Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering Anders Adlercreutz will represent Finland at the meeting.

12.4.2022 | Minister for European Affairs Tytti Tuppurainen will travel to Dublin on Wednesday 13 April. During her visit, Minister Tuppurainen will meet with her colleague, Irish Minister for European Affairs Thomas Byrne, and attend a local conference of heads of mission in Ireland.

1.7.2022 | Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering Tytti Tuppurainen will visit Kosovo, North Macedonia and Albania on 3–5 July. The purpose of the visit is to discuss ways to accelerate the EU integration of the countries of the Western Balkans and the security situation in Europe. Minister Tuppurainen will visit the region together with Thomas Byrne, Ireland’s Minister of State for European Affairs.

6.6.2022 | Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto will meet Ireland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney in Helsinki on 7 June.

19.1.2024 | In 2023, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the missions abroad provided consular services to approximately 244,000 customers. The demand for advisory services remained high. Over the course of the year, the Ministry’s 24/7 service was contacted around 8,000 times in total.

1.3.2023 | In a joint letter to the presidents of the European Commission and European Council, Finland and nine other EU Member States call for a long-term strategy to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness and global influence. The countries hope that the European Council can adopt the strategy this spring. The European Council will discuss the European economy and competitiveness in its meeting at the end of March.

3.6.2022 | On 3 June, Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering Tytti Tuppurainen travelled to Bratislava, where she participated in the GLOBSEC 2022 Bratislava Forum, one of Europe’s leading conferences on security policy. The programme for her visit also included several high-level meetings.

17.11.2022 | The healthcare fee charged from higher education students for using student healthcare services will be EUR 73.60, or EUR 36.80 per term, in 2023. Compared to 2022, the fee will increase by EUR 2 to improve the availability of services. The late payment fee and the charge for an unattended appointment will remain unchanged.

1.3.2023 | In a joint letter to the presidents of the European Commission and European Council, Finland and nine other EU Member States call for a long-term strategy to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness and global influence. The countries hope that the European Council can adopt the strategy this spring. The European Council will discuss the European economy and competitiveness in its meeting at the end of March.