PM Marin promises decisions next week to curb “worrying” Covid spread
Finland’s government will discuss the possible introduction of more restrictions aimed at curbing the recent uptick in Covid infections at a ministerial meeting early next week, Prime Minister Sanna Marin (SDP) said on Wednesday. “The coronavirus situation is worrying,” Marin said. “It is now more important than ever that everyoneContinue Reading
Lithuanian parlt speaker leaves for France mark 100 years of diplomatic relations
Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen, the speaker of the Lithuanian parliament, is on Tuesday leaving for France to take part in events marking the 100th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. Cmilyte-Nielsen, along with her Latvian and Estonian counterparts, Inara Murniece and Juri Ratas, is paying a three-day visit to France atContinue Reading
Finland approves establishment of Salla National Park
Finland’s Parliament on Tuesday approved a government proposal to establish Sallatunturi National Park in Finnish Lapland. The approximately 10,000-hectare area of diverse ecology is located along the country’s northeastern border with Russia, in close proximity to the Sallatunturi Nature Reserve, and will become Finland’s 41st National Park. The initiative toContinue Reading
Lithuania’s Epidemiological situation stabilizing, at least for now
The epidemiological situation in Lithuania is stabilizing, but it is not yet clear if the country is already past the peak of infections, Deputy Health Minister Ausra Bilotiene Motiejuniene has said. “We are in the third week of stable or not increasing numbers,” she told the public broadcaster LRT onContinue Reading
Estonia’s Border guard head: We need faster way to send people back across the border
Estonian agencies practiced processing hundreds of daily asylum requests during a major exercise in 2019. While this aspect is considered today, the focus has shifted to defending the border in light of Belarus’ attack. Deputy Director of the Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) Egert Belitšev believes that an amendmentContinue Reading
President Niinistö confirms Finland bid for OSCE 50th anniversary chair
Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö has confirmed that the country will seek the chairpersonship of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in 2025, the 50th anniversary of the organisation’s founding conference in Helsinki. Speaking on Monday at a seminar held by the Körber Foundation during his visit toContinue Reading
China downgrades diplomatic ties with Lithuania amid Taiwan dispute
The move comes in response to the opening of a Taiwanese representative office in Vilnius last week and means that Chinese and Lithuanian ambassadors would not work in Vilnius and Beijing and diplomatic representations would be led by lower-level diplomats, chargé d’affaires. “The Chinese government, out of the need toContinue Reading
Finnish military announces Independence Day parade
The Finnish Defence Forces will hold a national parade in the city of Lahti as part of Independence Day celebrations on 6 December, according to a press release. Last year’s parade, which was meant to take place in Pori, was cancelled due to the escalating number of Covid-19 cases. TheContinue Reading
Demonstrators in Helsinki protest coronavirus measures
Some 1,500 people gathered in downtown Helsinki on Saturday to protest efforts to curb the virus. Police said the demonstration by Helsinki’s Central Railway Station, which drew some 1,500 people, passed off peacefully. Saturday witnessed mass protests against coronavirus mitigation measures in several major European cities, including Vienna which isContinue Reading
In Estonia producer prices rose by 19 percent year-on-year in October
In October 2021, the producer price index of industrial output increased by 19 percent compared to October 2020, data from Statistics Estonia show. It decreased by 0.1 percent compared to September. The index shows the changes in the producer prices of industrial goods manufactured in Estonia for the domestic marketContinue Reading