Search

13.7.2026 | The EU General Affairs Council (GAC) will meet in Brussels on Tuesday 14 July. The main theme of the meeting will be the simplification of EU legislation. The Council will also hear a presentation on the priorities of the Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU. Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering Joakim Strand will represent Finland at the meeting.

26.3.2026 | Prime Minister Petteri Orpo and Taoiseach or Prime Minister of Ireland Micheál Martin will meet in Helsinki on Tuesday 31 March. Their bilateral discussions are expected to focus on the forthcoming Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU and on topical international issues.

31.3.2026 | Prime Minister Petteri Orpo called for quick decisions on EU funding when he met with Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of Ireland Micheál Martin in Helsinki on Tuesday 31 March. Discussions at the meeting focused Ireland’s forthcoming EU Council Presidency, key international issues and bilateral relations between Ireland and Finland.

9.7.2026 | An informal meeting of EU ministers responsible for competitiveness (internal market and industry) will be held in Dublin on 9–10 July 2026. Finland will be represented by Minister of Economic Affairs Sakari Puisto.

3.7.2026 | In its meeting on 3 July, the Ministerial Committee on European Union Affairs specified Finland’s positions on the overall level of the EU’s multiannual financial framework (MFF) for 2028–2034, new own resources and key issues for the negotiations. The ministerial committee also outlined Finland’s positions for three upcoming council meetings.

8.6.2026 | On 9 June 2026, in connection with the EU Transport Council meeting, Finland joined a Joint Declaration of Intent by Member States regarding large-scale cross-border testbeds for autonomous vehicles. The aim is to promote the testing of automated driving systems in the EU.

28.2.2025 | Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will visit Dublin, Belfast and London from 3 to 4 March. In Dublin, the Foreign Minister will meet Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Trade and Minister for Defence Simon Harris. In Belfast, Minister Valtonen will deliver the Annual Harri Holkeri Lecture on mediation at Queen’s University. In London, she will speak about European security at an event hosted by Chatham House.

30.4.2026 | The European countries participating in Santa Marta express their strong support for the Santa Marta First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels and appreciate the leadership as shown by Colombia and the Netherlands. Santa Marta establishes an action-oriented platform to scale up work and to elevate energy transition. This is critical for addressing the climate emergency.

30.4.2026 | The European countries participating in Santa Marta express their strong support for the Santa Marta First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels and appreciate the leadership as shown by Colombia and the Netherlands. Santa Marta establishes an action-oriented platform to scale up work and to elevate energy transition. This is critical for addressing the climate emergency.

11.3.2026 | Minister of Science and Culture Mari-Leena Talvitie has signed a joint statement from the ministers responsible for culture from 22 European countries, sent to the organisers of the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia. Allowing the Russian Federation’s participation is unacceptable, and the ministers call on the Venice Biennale to reconsider its decision.

27.5.2025 | We are deeply concerned by recent legislative and constitutional amendments infringing on the fundamental rights of LGBTIQ+ persons which were adopted by the Hungarian Parliament on 18 March and 14 April 2025 following other anti-LGBTIQ+ legislation already introduced in previous years.

16.9.2025 | Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering Joakim Strand will visit Dublin on Wednesday 17 September. During his visit, he will meet with Irish Minister of State for European Affairs and Defence Thomas Byrne, members of the Committee on European Union Affairs in Ireland’s Oireachtas (Parliament) and representatives of the business sector. Minister Strand will also deliver a keynote addr...

5.2.2026 | European route 16, E16, will be extended to Finland. The Finnish Government gave a decree on the matter on 5 February 2026. The decree will enter into force on 5 March 2026.

11.12.2025 | Prime Minister Petteri Orpo and Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever spoke briefly on Thursday 11 December. Among other things, their conversation focused on frozen Russian assets and the plans for a reparations loan that would use the frozen assets to support Ukraine.

26.1.2026 | The President of the African Development Bank, Dr. Sidi Ould Tah, will visit Helsinki on Monday 26 January. The African Development Bank (AfDB) is the premier development financier on the African continent and a key partner for Finland in advancing sustainable economic growth and development in Africa at a time when global economic and security policy shifts are reshaping development funding.

2.12.2025 | Finland has ranked 8th in the Gender Equality Index for the European Union (EU). The Index measured gender equality in various domains, such as work, health and power. The data for the most recent Index is mainly from 2023 and 2024.

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.

11.8.2023 | At the presidential session on Friday 11 August, the President of the Republic appointed a new Ambassador to Ireland and new non-resident Ambassadors to Djibouti, South Sudan, Malta and San Marino. In addition, the Government appointed a new Under-Secretary of State for International Trade.

3.10.2025 | On 3 October 2025, the President of the Republic approved an amendment to the international agreement on European roads (AGR) by which European route 16, E16, can be extended to the Finnish side. The Ministry of Transport and Communications has launched a legislative project for the national implementation of extending E16 to Finland.

27.11.2025 | The Government has issued a decree which determines the amount of the healthcare fee, the late payment fee and the fee for an unattended appointment charged from higher education students in 2026.