A major political storm is brewing in Lithuania concerning a barbed wire tender from Estonia. Critics say that the Lithuanian government wasted taxpayer money when it procured barbed wire from Estonia for double the market price. The Estonian side considers the matter to be a political struggle inside Lithuania. EstoniaContinue Reading
Finnish authorities are still attempting to arrange the safe evacuation of around 50 people from Afghanistan, Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto (Green) told Yle’s Ykkösaamu morning show. The figure includes about 30 Finnish citizens covered by the government’s evacuation decree, Haavisto said, and an estimated 20 people with permanent residence permitsContinue Reading
In his first speech to the Riigikogu, President Alar Karis said that an intelligent people had been one of his ideals before he became president. “I also specified that the measure of intelligence and scholarship is not the number of degrees issued, but the ability to utilize knowledge and getContinue Reading
Estonia has the lowest property takes in the European Union, a short report by the Riigikogu Foresight Center reveals. Hiking property tax rates to the European average would yield over €500 million for the state budget in Estonia. “The Estonian tax system is largely based on labor and consumption taxes,Continue Reading
Helsinki police have admitted that they failed to correctly assess the security threat posed by the Elokapina climate demonstration at the Government Palace on Friday, and that there were failures in their communications about the event. The Deputy Commissioner of the Helsinki Police, Heikki Kopperoinen, told Yle on Sunday thatContinue Reading
Support for the current Reform/Center coalition has fallen since the beginning of the year, when the pairing entered office, according to a recent survey. Around half of respondents expressed criticism both of the government’s performance, and of that of Prime Minister Kaja Kallas (Reform). The survey, conducted by pollsters NorstatContinue Reading
The small Movement Now political grouping joined the opposition Finns Party on Thursday in sponsoring an interpellation aimed at forcing a vote of no confidence in the government over its immigration policies. According to Harry Harkimo, the chair of Movement Now, national legislation should promote controlled immigration and minimise anyContinue Reading
Yle’s latest monthly voter survey sees the opposition National Coalition Party (NCP) retain its lead at the top of the poll, but Prime Minister Sanna Marin‘s Social Democratic Party (SDP) has closed the gap. Although still the most popular party, the NCP saw its backing among voters drop in theContinue Reading
Election promises to be reflected in next year’s budget The Reform Party wants to start by abolishing the kindergarten place fee. The party also promises to find money for activity accounts for pensioners in next year’s budget. Urban space investments are another promise. Candidate for mayor Kristen Michal said thatContinue Reading
Finland’s agricultural sector will need state assistance to recover from a “dangerous” economic crisis, according to the Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners (MTK). The prices of fertilizer, animal feed and energy have all risen rapidly and unpredictably during the past year, significantly increasing production costs. Furthermore, theContinue Reading