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11.6.2026 | The Government proposes a comprehensive reform of the legislation on basic education in the arts. The aim is to clarify the structure of basic education in the arts and improve access to instruction across different art disciplines and fields. The proposal would also introduce a single syllabus and reform the criteria for central government transfers to municipalities.

Governments and ministers You can browse the information on the site by government, minister, ministerial title and ministry. All ministers are listed for each government, along with their terms of office. The information on individual ministers i...

Governments and ministers You can browse the information on the site by government, minister, ministerial title and ministry. All ministers are listed for each government, along with their terms of office. The information on individual ministers i...

Ministerial portfolios and deputising At its first plenary session, the Government decides on the division of responsibilities between ministers, for ministries with more than one minister. Ministers are of equal status within the ministry. Each m...

3.5.2024 | On 3 May, the Ministry of Education and Culture published the 2024 Bildung Review, which compiles statistical and other information on the administrative branch of the Ministry, its development and situation in international comparison. The themes for 2024 are regionality, life cycle and the fields of education and culture. The objective of the annually published review is to create an overall picture of the extensive administrative branch as a whole.

12.6.2025 | The Government appointed Director Heidi Backman, M.Soc.Sc. as Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Culture on 12 June. The appointment is for a five-year term beginning on 4 August 2025.

Ministerial committees and working groups The Government has four statutory ministerial committees with different areas of responsibility: the Ministerial Committee on Foreign and Security Policy the Ministerial Committee on European Union Affairs...

History and buildings History of the Finnish Government The War of Finland in 1808-09 brought the transfer of Finland from Swedish rule to become an autonomous grand duchy of the Russian empire. In 1809 the new Grand Duchy of Finland received its ...

9.5.2025 | The topics on the agenda include the joint European degree label and the role of education in preventing inequality. The Council will also discuss the impact of disinformation, manipulation and cyber threats on young people and delve into the future strategic priorities for the cultural sector in the EU. Council conclusions are expected on the promotion of sport and physical activity in the educational context.

Governments and ministers You can browse the information on the site by government, minister, ministerial title and ministry. All ministers are listed for each government, along with their terms of office. The information on individual ministers i...

Governments and ministers You can browse the information on the site by government, minister, ministerial title and ministry. All ministers are listed for each government, along with their terms of office. The information on individual ministers i...

Governments and ministers You can browse the information on the site by government, minister, ministerial title and ministry. All ministers are listed for each government, along with their terms of office. The information on individual ministers i...

Research and Innovation Council The Research and Innovation Council is an advisory body led by the Prime Minister. Its goal is to develop research and innovation policy that supports wellbeing, education and culture and promotes economically, soci...

Governments and ministers You can browse the information on the site by government, minister, ministerial title and ministry. All ministers are listed for each government, along with their terms of office. The information on individual ministers i...

Governments and ministers You can browse the information on the site by government, minister, ministerial title and ministry. All ministers are listed for each government, along with their terms of office. The information on individual ministers i...

14.4.2025 | Minister of Education Anders Adlercreutz has appointed Eeva-Riitta Pirhonen, Director General of the Department for Early Childhood Education, Comprehensive School Education and Liberal Adult Education, as Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Culture for a fixed term starting on 1 May 2025.

22.11.2024 | The EU ministers responsible for education, youth, culture and sport will meet in Brussels on 25–26 November. Topics on their agenda include boosting Europe's skills and competitiveness through higher education, opportunities for young people in rural and remote areas, role of libraries in media literacy development, and key features of the European Sport Model, which are based on the values of free...

12.12.2024 | The Finnish Government has appointed Thomas Sund, Master of Political Science and Communications Manager, as the Director of Communications at the Ministry of Education and Culture. Sund will begin his five-year term at the start of 2025.

8.1.2026 | On Thursday 8 January, the Government appointed Pia Nyblom as Director General of Administrative Services at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

23.9.2024 | The Ministry of Education and Culture’s proportion of the 2025 budget proposal is EUR 8.45 billion, which is some EUR 411 million more than in the 2024 Budget. The proposal implements the Programme of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo's Government, which aims to invest, even in a difficult economic situation, in raising the level of education and training and improving the conditions for conducting science, research and development.

28.11.2024 | On Thursday 28 November, the Government submitted to Parliament a cultural policy report that outlines the long-term objectives and action plan for cultural policy until the 2040s. The report emphasises the efforts to preserve and renew the foundations of culture and make them economically viable, and to reinforce the impact of cultural and creative sectors on society. The long-term strategy, wh...

11.3.2025 | The working group on responsible international cooperation set up by the Ministry of Education and Culture has published recommendations that emphasise openness, reciprocity and risk management in international cooperation in higher education and research. The recommendations aim to safeguard academic freedom while also ensuring that international cooperation upholds democracy and ethical choices.

9.10.2023 | The Ministry of Education and Culture’s proportion of the 2024 budget proposal is EUR 8.0 billion, which is EUR 274 million more than in the 2023 Budget. The budget proposal implements the Programme of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo's Government by raising the level of education and competence of the entire population. The measures in the budget proposal aim to strengthen the effectiveness of science and improve the conditions for conducting research and development.

15.2.2023 | The Ministry of Education and Culture published on Wednesday 15 February an Outlook Review of the Officials of the Ministry of Education and Culture on the Next Government Term.  In the future, too, Finland’s success, wellbeing and sustainable growth can only be based on the growth of human and social capital and innovation.

9.11.2023 | Minister of Science and Culture Sari Multala has launched a report on cultural policy. The preparatory work will be carried out with broad-based involvement of the cultural sector. The report is included in the Programme of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo's Government. The Government aims to submit the report to Parliament in autumn 2024.

12.9.2023 | The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has published its annual Education at a Glance (EAG) publication, which consists of internationally comparable indicators of education systems. This year’s report focuses on vocational education and training. The report mainly covers 2021.

24.1.2025 | On 24 January, the President of the Republic appointed Minister of Science and Culture Sari Multala, Master of Science in Economics, to the post of Minister of Climate and the Environment and Member of Parliament Mari-Leena Talvitie, Master of Science in Engineering, as a member of the Government and as the new Minister of Science and Culture.

12.1.2023 | The Ministry of Education and Culture has published the first bildung review, which provides an overview of development in the Ministry’s administrative branch over the past decades. The latest stage, which began in the 1990s, is characterised by a decline in the achieved learning outcomes, the plateauing of the rising level of education among Finns, as well as a gradual decrease in public input into education.

23.9.2024 | The Finnish Government proposes about EUR 15.2 billion in appropriations for the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and its administrative branch for 2025. This is about EUR 1.1 billion less than in 2024.

5.12.2023 | Findings of the OECD’s PISA 2022 (Programme for International Student Assessment) show that the learning outcomes of young people in Finland have deteriorated. Anna-Maja Henriksson, the Finnish Minister of Education, says restructuring of educational policies and resources for implementing the changes will be needed to improve learning outcomes.

20.12.2022 | The Ministry of the Interior has commissioned an external study on the organisation of migration administration. Requested by the leaders of the five government parties, the study aims to provide an overall picture of migration legislation, processes related to entry into and stay in Finland, and the roles of national authorities.

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21.5.2026 | In its meeting on Wednesday 20 May, the parliamentary research, development and innovation (RDI) monitoring group discussed the role of RDI in the renewal of the public sector. The monitoring group received briefings from experts from the Defence Forces, wellbeing services counties and the healthcare sector.

11.10.2023 | The latest EUROSTUDENT report provides an overview of the progress of studies, wellbeing, employment and livelihood of higher education students in different life situations. This time, the study focused specifically on digitalisation in higher education studies. For the first time, the EUROSTUDENT survey, carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic in spring 2022, focused on students’ experiences related to the amount of remote education.

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.

6.9.2021 | The Government is adopting a single email suffix in stages during the remainder of 2021. Once the harmonisation process is complete, the email addresses of all staff members at the ministries will end in ‘gov.fi’. The Ministry of Transport and Communications, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of the Environment will adopt the new suffix on 6 September 2021.

11.2.2022 | Taking diversity into account at work is increasingly important as society becomes more diverse. A new electronic training course for public administration employees will provide information and tools for increasing diversity and strengthening a culture that includes everyone. 

Ministries The Government consists of 12 ministries. Each ministry is responsible for the preparation of government matters that fall within its sphere of authority and for ensuring the functioning of administration and government within that sphe...

28.6.2023 | The Ministry of Education and Culture has drawn up an action plan to promote diversity in the arts and culture. The action plan is based on the final report which a working group appointed by the Ministry published in 2021. The action plan aims to take into account the diversity of the Finnish population in all planning and decision-making in the arts and cultural policy.

27.10.2023 | Minister of Science and Culture Sari Multala will visit New York and Los Angeles from 30 October to 3 November 2023. Her aim is to deepen cooperation between Finland and the United States in culture, science and the creative sectors. Multala will meet with leaders of local cultural institutions and businesses, visit several universities, and talk to people playing key roles in culture, science and higher education.

28.4.2022 | Finnish universities and universities of applied sciences will open up new study opportunities to help Ukrainians entering the country. Students will be given opportunities to start or continue their studies, and researchers will be offered the opportunity to continue their research work in Finland.

9.9.2021 | Finland needs more work-based and education-based immigration to help companies find enough experts and to strengthen Finland’s vitality and public finances. The roadmap for education-based and work-based immigration is a long-term action plan to achieve the objectives set for immigration of specialists, entrepreneurs, researchers and students.

4.2.2022 | A new working group of State Secretaries has been set up to drive the achievement of Finland’s goal to significantly increase the immigration of skilled labour. The group will oversee the implementation of the extensive action plan presented in the roadmap for education-based and work-based immigration, and support related cross-administrative cooperation. 

22.4.2026 | Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s Government has agreed on the General Government Fiscal Plan for 2027–2030. Both the global economy and Finland’s finances are facing challenges. In its spending limits session, the Government focused on new targeted measures to strengthen people’s confidence in the future and improve the conditions for growth and employment.

27.9.2021 | The Government submitted its budget proposal for 2022 to Parliament on 27 September. The proposed appropriations for the administrative branch of the Ministry of Education and Culture total EUR 7.41 million. Next year’s budget will continue to focus on improving quality and equity in education and on safeguarding funding for science and research. Funds will also be allocated for rebuilding the cultural sector in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

27.5.2021 | The Government appointed Dr Minna Kelhä as Director General of the Finnish National Agency for Education. The duration of the position is for five years, beginning on 7 June 2021 and ending on 6 June 2026.

9.1.2026 | The Research and Innovation Council has outlined five national strategic choices for research, development and innovation (RDI) policy and activities with a view to boosting sustainable growth and promoting economic and societal renewal while strengthening comprehensive security. The Research and Innovation Council published a report on the strategic choices on 9 January.

10.2.2022 | The working group set up by the Ministry of Education and Culture to monitor and assess the introduction of tuition fees in higher education has completed its work. The working group monitored and evaluated between 2017 and 2021 how the introduction of tuition fees impacted the international dimension and student flows in higher education institutions. It also collected information on tuition fees used by higher education institutions and their grant and scholarship practices.

13.8.2021 | The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health proposes appropriations of about EUR 16.5 billion for the Ministry and its administrative branch for 2022. This is about EUR 1.3 billion less than in the 2021 Budget. The decrease is mainly due to one-off payments to compensate for the costs caused by COVID-19 to the healthcare and welfare service system. The biggest increases arise from the dismantling of the backlog in treatment and services and the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines.

Government Communications The Government Communications Department at the Prime Minister’s Office is responsible for the external communications of the Government and its ministries and for the coordination of central government communications. Th...

26.5.2025 | In an era marked by an increasing frequency and complexity of crises, the eight Nordic governments share a commitment to foster resilience and ensure effective civil preparedness. Leveraging our unique geographical, cultural and historical bonds, we highlight our unwavering commitment to peace, security and stability.

1.3.2021 | The Constitution safeguards the autonomy of universities and the Universities Act secures the general administrative framework in universities. The working group that carried out the assessment of administrative autonomy in Finnish universities deemed it unnecessary for legislation at the level of an act of Parliament to be more specific than it currently is. The working group considers that many...

15.4.2026 | Riikka Pellinen, PhD., has been appointed as an expert in higher education and science policy at the Embassy of Finland in Seoul. Her three-year term begins on 1 August 2026. With this appointment, the Team Finland Knowledge network’s geographical scope is extended to South Korea.

12.6.2025 | On 12 June, the Government appointed Kirsti Laine-Hendolin, Master of Arts (Education), to the post of Director General of the Ministry of Education and Culture for the period from 1 September 2025 to 31 July 2030. The Director General is the head of the Ministry’s Department for Youth and Sport Policy.

17.6.2025 | On 17 June 2025, the Ministry of Transport and Communications published the national 6G roadmap to promote sixth-generation communications technologies. The roadmap sets milestones for the development and implementation of next-generation mobile communication technologies in the 2030s.

18.6.2025 | Senate Properties will begin a major renovation of the National Archives’ main building at Rauhankatu 17 in spring 2026. At the same time, the building will be adapted into a shared workspace for the National Archives, the Institute for the Languages of Finland, the Finnish National Agency for Education, the Accessibility Library Celia, and the Research Council of Finland. These agencies will move into the premises in autumn 2028.

12.3.2025 | A survey by We Foundation shows that groups for extracurricular activity organised by municipalities free of charge as part of the school day provide the majority of the participants with a safe space that is free of bullying, discrimination and racism. The results confirm that groups based on the Finnish model for leisure activities increase student wellbeing and are the only opportunity for many children and young people to have a hobby. The survey covers 20 municipalities of different sizes.

30.12.2024 | schools The Basic Education Act is being amended. With the amendments, the use of telephones and other mobile devices during lessons will only be allowed in certain situations. Regional State Administrative Agencies will also be able to investigate, on their own initiative, whether education is being organised in line with the Basic Education Act. In addition, promoting a physically active lifestyle will be added to the objectives of pre-primary, primary and lower secondary education.

4.7.2024 | In its plenary session on Thursday 4 July, the Finnish Government appointed Kristiina Kokko, Master of Theology and Bachelor of Business Administration, to serve as State Secretary to Minister of Local and Regional Government Anna-Kaisa Ikonen and Minister of Science and Culture Sari Multala as of 1 August. The term of the state secretaries is linked to that of the ministers.

8.5.2026 | In its meeting, the Ministerial Committee on European Union Affairs discussed the Commission communication on security threats posed by drones and the Commission’s proposal for a regulation to boost EU industry. The ministerial committee also outlined Finland’s positions for four council meetings taking place next week.