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3.5.2026 | World Press Freedom Day is celebrated on 3 May. The day reminds us of the importance of free and independent media as the foundation for democracy, the rule of law and an open society. Finland promotes media freedom, which is fundamental to freedom of speech and expression, as part of its foreign and security policy.

19.12.2025 | In a meeting that began on Thursday 18 December, the EU leaders reached an agreement on significant additional funding for Ukraine. In line with the agreement, the European Council will provide a EUR 90 billion loan to Ukraine for 2026 and 2027.

25.1.2026 | The EU General Affairs Council (GAC) will meet in Brussels on Monday 26 January. The Council will discuss the European Democracy Shield, continue the rule of law dialogue and hear a presentation from the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU on the priorities of its programme. Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering Joakim Strand will represent Finland at the meeting.

6.10.2025 | Opening Remarks by Minister Elina Valtonen at the annual Warsaw Human Dimension Conference of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

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.

31.7.2025 | Closing Remarks by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland, Elina Valtonen, at the Helsinki+50 Conference, held at Finlandia Hall in Helsinki on 31 July 2025.

26.2.2021 | The fight against disinformation is important also from the perspective of the realisation of human rights. Disinformation is a challenging issue, because it has not been defined in international law, and there is not a straightforward way to distinguish misleading information from correct information. The Finnish Coalition Chair will pay special attention to the introduction of normative instruments for internet stakeholders.

25.11.2020 | Combating disinformation to protect human rights Ministry for Foreign Affairs Publication date 25.11.2020 14.30 Type: News item More and more false and harmful information is deliberately disseminated especially in electronic information networks....

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...

17.9.2025 | Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering Joakim Strand gave a keynote Address to the Institute of International and European Affairs on the 17th of September 2025 in Dublin, Ireland. Check against delivery.

27.1.2025 | The EU General Affairs Council (GAC) will meet on Tuesday 28 January in Brussels. In the meeting, the GAC will continue its annual rule of law dialogue with country-specific discussions on the rule of law situation in Hungary, Portugal, Romania and Slovenia. The Council will also discuss the priorities for Poland’s Presidency of the Council of the EU. Finland’s Permanent Representative to the European Union, Jori Arvonen, will represent Finland at the meeting.

20.2.2025 | The Czech Republic's Minister of the Interior Vít Rakušan will visit Finland between 19 and 21 February. Minister Rakušan will meet Finland's Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen and travel with her to Vaalimaa border crossing point, where the ministers will be hosted by the Southeast Finland Border Guard District. The topics on their agenda will include discussions on Finland's action to combat the instrumentalisation of migrants. 

24.2.2025 | The 16th sanctions package adopted by the European Union on 24 February bans imports of primary aluminium and extends export prohibitions. The package also imposes new sanctions on shadow vessels and those who support the operations of the shadow fleet.

27.8.2025 | "I’m glad to see strong momentum for Nordic cooperation. Our goal is a united and strong Nordic region that benefits us all."

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...

12.11.2024 | Muutokset puhuttaessa mahdollisia / Check against delivery.

31.12.2024 | Fellow citizens, The last few days of the year have brought our security into focus. We all went off to celebrate Christmas, each in our own way.  But even during the holidays, Finland kept an eye out for trouble.

26.1.2024 | The EU General Affairs Council (GAC) will meet in Brussels on Monday 29 January. Items on the agenda will include the priorities of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU, the Defence of European Democracy legislative package and the Council’s annual rule of law dialogue. Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering Anders Adlercreutz will represent Finland at the meeting.

30.1.2023 | This is FINLAND Magazine 2023–2024, a publication exploring Finland’s strengths and expertise, is now available in English. This year’s Magazine highlights some of the building blocks of a good life in Finland: nature, work, culture, renewable energy and innovation.

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...