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17.11.2022 | The Government has adopted a resolution on the National Counter-Terrorism Strategy for 2022–2025. The Strategy sets out the strategic counter-terrorism objectives and actions and supports sustained and broad cooperation among all those involved in counter-terrorism. This is an update to the previous strategy and it does not contain any significant new strategic guidelines.

26.7.2021 | The Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union has appointed Ilkka Salmi, Master of Laws, as the European Union Counter-Terrorism Coordinator.

29.6.2022 | The document is a political commitment, signed by the foreign ministers of Finland, Sweden and Türkiye. The memorandum confirms Türkiye’s support for Finland’s and Sweden’s NATO membership and enables progress in both countries’ NATO membership process.

12.11.2020 | An informal meeting of EU home affairs ministers will be held via video conference on Friday 13 November. The topics on the agenda are the fight against terrorism and the reform of migration and asylum policy. Finland is represented by Minister of the Interior Maria Ohisalo. 

4.10.2019 | Minister of the Interior Maria Ohisalo will attend the meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council in Luxembourg on 8 October. EU home affairs ministers will discuss migration, countering hybrid threats and counter-terrorism, among other topics. The discussions on fighting against terrorism and preventing violent extremism will stress the importance of tackling the phenomenon in all its forms, right-wing violent extremism and terrorism included.

22.1.2025 | Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen visited Somalia on 21 January. She met Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre and Minister of Internal Security Abdullahi Sheikh Ismail. The purpose of the meetings was to strengthen bilateral relations between Finland and Somalia in the internal security sector, and to promote cooperation and exchange of best practices in return and readmission issues.

11.12.2023 | The Council of Europe Committee on Counter-Terrorism (CDCT) will hold its plenary meeting in Helsinki on 11–13 December under the leadership of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The members of the CDCT are from the 46 member States of the Council of Europe. In addition, the United States and several organisations, such as the EU, Europol, Eurojust, OSCE and Interpol, regularly participate in the meetings.

4.7.2022 | Progress in Finland’s NATO membership process: Finland’s delegation, led by Foreign Minister Haavisto, to hold accession talks with NATO in Brussels Ministry of Defence Publication date 4.7.2022 11.21 Type: Press release Ministry for Foreign Affai...

2.12.2021 | New Finnish chairs were appointed to two committees of the Council of Europe in the same week of November. Ambassador Nina Nordström, Finland’s Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe, was elected President of the Statutory Committee of the Council of Europe anti-corruption body, GRECO. Ambassador Päivi Kairamo will again chair the Council of Europe Committee on Counter-Terrorism (CDT) in 2022.

30.1.2023 | Minister of the Interior Krista Mikkonen and Permanent Secretary Kirsi Pimiä will visit the United States between 29 January and 3 February. Their visit seeks to deepen bilateral relations with the United States counterparts in the Ministry of the Interior’s branch of government and with key stakeholders. They also aim explore recent developments in the areas of internal and national security and migration in the United States.

4.7.2022 | The NATO member countries, represented by their Permanent Representatives to NATO, are preparing to sign the Accession Protocol for Finland on Tuesday 5 July. Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto will attend the signing ceremony. The Accession Protocol for Sweden will be signed in the same ceremony. Once the Accession Protocol is signed, Finland will become an invitee of NATO.

30.6.2022 | A working group appointed by the Ministry of the Interior has drawn up the first national radiation measurement strategy. The aim of the strategy is to ensure that Finland is prepared for managing various radiation hazards and to improve the readiness for radiation measurement to safeguard the functioning of society and its vital functions.

7.10.2021 | EU home affairs ministers will gather in Luxembourg on 8 October for a meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council. Items on the agenda include the external dimension of migration, the situation in Afghanistan and the fight against child sexual abuse. Minister of the Interior Maria Ohisalo will represent Finland at the meeting.

13.10.2022 | EU home affairs ministers will convene in Luxembourg on 14 October. The ministers will continue the discussion on Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. The focus will be on the refugee situation in the EU and the effects of the war on the Union's internal security. The ministers will also discuss the EU’s migration and asylum policy reform. Minister of the Interior Krista Mikkonen will represent Finland at the meeting.

27.10.2022 | More than five million people live in the Israeli occupied Palestinian territory: three million in the West Bank and two million in the Gaza Strip. Discontent with the occupation and with their own government is simmering among young people in the Palestinian territory.

8.11.2021 | Finland and Belgium will co-chair the Good Humanitarian Donorship (GHD) initiative for the next two years. As co-chair, Finland will have a stronger role in improving good humanitarian donorship practices at a time when the need for humanitarian assistance is higher than ever.

1.4.2021 | Today, on 1 April 2021, the United Nations’ Human Rights Committee issued its recommendations to Finland concerning Finland’s seventh Periodic Report on the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

28.1.2021 | The resilience of critical entities in EU countries will be improved by reforming the old European Critical Infrastructure Protection Directive. The proposed new directive is significantly more extensive, and it aims to improve the resilience of critical entities providing essential services in the EU. The Government informs Parliament on 28 January of the new proposal for a directive. 

25.2.2021 | International internet crime and mobile crime are constantly evolving. Proposed amendments to the Europol Regulation concern, for example, exchange of information between Europol and private operators to ensure that prevention of serious international crime and terrorism meets today’s requirements.

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