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11.2.2026 | The Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Finnish missions abroad provided consular services to approximately 245,000 customers in 2025. In addition, the Ministry’s 24/7 service was contacted around 6,700 times over the course of the year.

13.11.2025 | On 16 July, the European Commission put forward a proposal for a reform of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. The reform is one of the key measures to implement the EU Preparedness Union Strategy. The Government informed Parliament of the proposal by submitting a Union communication on 13 November.

20.11.2025 | The Government proposes amendments to the Act on Healthcare Professionals that will make it possible to receive international assistance for healthcare in different kinds of crisis situations. The aim is to facilitate and speed up the operations of humanitarian assistance providers in Finland when assistance is needed fast.

21.3.2025 | Finnish Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio will attend a high-level forum in Oslo on 24–25 March. The forum is organised by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). The event will discuss accelerating financing to reduce disaster risks and to improve global preparedness for risks.

18.8.2025 | By decision of the Ministry of the Interior, Finland has sent a module for ground forest firefighting to Spain to help manage wildfires raging across the country. The module will be deployed in Spain for about a week.

4.4.2025 | Minister of Science and Culture Mari-Leena Talvitie will attend an informal meeting of EU ministers of culture in Warsaw on 7 and 8 April. The meeting will continue the discussion on the protection of cultural heritage, especially from the perspective of the situation in Ukraine.

26.2.2025 | Opening Remarks by OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland Elina Valtonen, Reinforced Permanent Council of the OSCE, 24 February 2025.

8.9.2023 | Recent news has shown that countries in Europe also need to be increasingly prepared for serious, protracted and large-scale crises. Even in the EU, Member States have the primary responsibility for preventing, preparing for and responding to natural and man-made disasters.

16.4.2020 | Humanitarian assistance is not a solution to problems caused by conflicts and disasters but is often the first step towards normality Ministry for Foreign Affairs Publication date 16.4.2020 12.07 Type: Press release “The purpose on humanitarian as...

24.7.2024 | Finland will participate in a rescue service deployment by sending 48 experts in international civil protection to Portugal. These experts will be tasked with helping local authorities manage wildfires. The first of two groups will leave for Portugal at the beginning of August.

5.3.2024 | Ukraine has requested assistance through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism in preparing for threats related to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear agents. Finland responds to the request by sending an expert to join the EU’s international team.

1.3.2024 | Czechia has requested assistance in preparing for wildfires through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. Finland responds to the request by sending a risk management expert to join the EU’s international team in the country. 

23.2.2024 | The world’s highest-level decision-making body for matters related to the environment, the United Nations Environment Assembly UNEA, will convene at its sixth session in Nairobi, Kenya on 26 February–1 March. UNEA-6 will bring UN Member States and representatives of civil society groups, the scientific community and the private sector together to seek solutions to acute environmental challenges. Finland’s UNEA delegation will be led by Minister of Climate and the Environment Kai Mykkänen.

21.9.2023 | The floods in Libya and the earthquake in Morocco have killed thousands of people. How is Finland supporting the relief efforts? How will Finland’s assistance reach its destination and why is Finland’s support important? Niklas Saxen, Senior Adviser for Humanitarian Assistance at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Teemu Sepponen, Finland’s Ambassador in Tunis, and Marjaana Sall, Finland’s Ambassador to Morocco, answer these questions.

11.12.2023 | The 75th anniversary of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights will be celebrated on 11–12 December in Geneva, Switzerland. The Global Refugee Forum will be held in Geneva on 13–15 December. State Secretary Lauri Tierala will represent Finland at both events.

17.1.2023 | The European Commission is funding the EU’s first chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear strategic reserve in Finland, under rescEU, which includes personal protective equipment, measuring equipment, pharmaceuticals and antibodies in Finland for chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear accidents.

25.7.2023 | By decision of the Ministry of the Interior, Finland is preparing to send 48 rescue workers to Portugal to help manage wildfires. The Emergency Services Academy Finland is the employer of the rescue service personnel who will be deployed to Portugal.

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. 

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.

17.12.2020 | Finland’s humanitarian aid increases by 46 per cent from last year – support for education, school meals, rights of women and girls, and disaster risk reduction Ministry for Foreign Affairs Publication date 17.12.2020 8.43 Type: Press release Finl...