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14.11.2023 | The Legal Service of Finland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs has completed a legal analysis of the special status of Åland under international law and of legal questions associated with Åland. The analysis is now available in Finnish and Swedish on the Foreign Ministry’s website.

24.4.2026 | ​​​​​​​The Finnish Government proposes that an agreement supplementing the Paris Protocol be accepted to facilitate the establishment and operations of international military headquarters in Finland. The government proposal was submitted to Parliament on 23 April 2026.

4.7.2024 | The Government issued a Decree on the Convention on the International Organization for Marine Aids to Navigation on 4 July 2024. The Decree and the Convention will enter into force on 22 August 2024.

19.1.2024 | As it is at present, there are significant risks associated with the status of foreign berry pickers. The study commissioned by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment assesses the economic effects of the alternative solutions to both berry pickers and berry companies. The Government will decide on further preparation that may be needed later on.

14.11.2023 | In their meeting on Tuesday 14 September, the President of the Republic and the Ministerial Committee on Foreign and Security Policy discussed the situation at Finland’s eastern border.

3.6.2021 | A new Act will strengthen the legal status of wild produce pickers and lay down the obligations of companies in more detail and in more binding terms. At the same time, earnings opportunities of foreign berry pickers will improve and companies will enjoy from a more equal competitive environment, which will help the sector to grow sustainably and become more international.

17.6.2022 | The Ministry of the Interior has sent out for comments draft amendments to the Act on the Reception of Persons Applying for International Protection and on the Identification of and Assistance to Victims of Trafficking in Human Beings. The amendments aim to weaken the link between the provision of assistance to victims of human trafficking and criminal proceedings. In accordance with the Governm...

31.3.2021 | On 31 March 2021, the Government proposed new legislation to improve the legal status and earnings opportunities of foreign berry pickers and to make the competitive environment equal to companies in the sector. As foreign berry pickers have not been deemed to be in an employment relationship but instead to work as entrepreneurs, their status is currently unregulated from a legal point of view.

17.12.2025 | The Government’s legislative reforms and the one-stop service at the Finnish Supervisory Agency, which will begin operating on 1 January 2026, will promote economic growth that is based on the cleanest solutions and will strengthen our comprehensive security. “The Government’s historic reforms concerning the permit procedures enter into force at the right moment. In different parts of Finland th...

11.12.2025 | Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering Joakim Strand attended an informal meeting of EU ministers for European affairs in Lviv, Ukraine, on 10–11 December. Discussions at the meeting focused on support for Ukraine on its path to EU membership. The meeting offered an opportunity to assess Ukraine’s progress and strengthen support for the necessary reforms.

1.12.2025 | Finland has recently concluded negotiations with NATO’s strategic commands on an agreement to supplement the Paris Protocol, facilitating the operation of international military headquarters in Finland. The Ministry of Defence led the negotiations team on the Finnish side.

Regeringens proposition till riksdagen med förslag till lag om ändring av utlänningslagen PROPOSITIONENS HUVUDSAKLIGA INNEHÅLL I denna proposition föreslås det att utlänningslagen ändras. Syftet med propositionen är att i enlighet med regeringspro...

15.1.2026 | Today the Government decided in its plenary session to submit to Parliament the Government Report on the Application of Language Legislation in 2025. The report provides important monitoring data on the current state of Finland’s national languages and other indigenous languages and on the realisation of linguistic rights.

1 Regeringens proposition till riksdagen med förslag till lag om ändring av lagen om behandling av miljöskydds- och vattenärenden vid regionförvaltningsverken PROPOSITIONENS HUVUDSAKLIGA INNEHÅLL I denna proposition föreslås det att lagen om behan...

Klimatårsberättelse 2025 B 16/2025 rd Referat Enligt lagen om klimatförändringar ska den årliga klimatberättelsen avlåtas varje år. I rapporten granskas utsläpps- och sänkutvecklingen, huruvida åtgärderna är tillräckliga för att uppnå målen, behov...

16.1.2025 | The Ministry of the Environment requests comments on the draft decree of the Ministry of the Environment that would lay down provision on the monetary values of animals and plants protected under the Nature Conservation Act. The updates would lead to significant changes in the value of certain animal species. The value of freshwater pearl mussel, for example, would increase 2.5-fold. This would be the first time that values would be set for plant species as well.

6.6.2025 | In its meeting on Friday 6 June, the Ministerial Committee on European Union Affairs outlined Finland’s positions on two proposals put forth by the Commission: one aiming to establish a common list of safe countries of origin and another to improve the availability, supply and production of critical medicines in the EU. In addition, the Ministerial Committee specified Finland’s positions on the last phase of negotiations on the EU pharmaceuticals package.

19.2.2025 | Following legislative amendments that entered into force on 17 February, wild-berry picking carried out by foreign nationals is treated as seasonal work. Companies must hire foreign berry pickers for a contractual employment relationship to enable them apply for an entry permit to Finland. In future, berry pickers will apply for a seasonal work visa for stays up to three months.

13.2.2025 | The Finnish Ministry of the Interior has sent out for comments a government proposal to extend the validity of the Act on Temporary Measures to Combat Instrumentalised Migration ('Border Security Act') until 31 December 2026. The purpose of the act is to respond to efforts to put pressure on Finland through the instrumentalisation of migrants.

21.5.2024 | Unofficial translation Government proposal to Parliament for an Act on Temporary Measures to Combat Instrumentalised Migration MAIN CONTENTS OF PROPOSAL The Government proposes that an act on temporary measures to combat instrumentalised migration...