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
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
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
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
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has commended Finland for what the organisation calls a quick and decisive response to the Covid-19 crisis. A delegation from the IMF led by Wojciech Maliszewski is currently visiting Finland to evaluate the country’s economic recovery during the pandemic and offer outlooks on medium andContinue Reading
Suomi nostaa kiintiöpakolaisten määrää Afganistanin tilanteen vuoksi. Sisäministeri Maria Ohisalo (vihr.) kertoo Twitterissä, että hallitus on päättänyt nostaa ensi vuoden 2022 pakolaiskiintiön historiallisen korkealle tasolle 1500 henkeen. Kiintiöpakolaiset ovat henkilöitä, jotka YK:n pakolaisjärjestö UNHCR valitsee ja jotka vastaanottavat maat noutavat kohdemaasta tai sen lähellä olevasta pakolaisleiristä. Syyskuussa hallitus linjasi, ettäContinue Reading
Finland intends to vote against the EU’s Climate Delegated Act over concerns about the criteria outlined in the proposal for forest management. The Act is part of the EU’s classification system, also known as the EU taxonomy, which establishes a list of environmentally sustainable economic activities. Parliament’s Ministerial Committee onContinue Reading
Baltian maat ehdottavat, että Ukrainaa avustettaisiin EU:n johtamalla sotilaskoulutusohjelmalla. Ruotsi voisi tarvittaessa lähettää puolustusvoimien upseereita kouluttajiksi. Hultqvist antaa tuen Baltian ehdotukselle. – Tämä olisi erittäin tärkeä keino korostaa EU:n pyrkimyksiä Ukrainan turvallisuuden ja suvereniteetin takaamiseen, totesi puolustusministeri SR:lle. Huoli Ukrainan tilanteesta on kasvanut kun Venäjän väitetään lisänneen joukkojaan Ukraina itärajallaContinue Reading
On Tuesday Parliamentary opposition parties formally announced they were seeking a vote of no confidence in Prime Minister Sanna Marin‘s (SDP) coalition government, calling into question the country’s preparedness to deal with hybrid threats. The interpellation was prompted by the ongoing situation at Belarus’ borders with Poland, Lithuania and Latvia,Continue Reading
Incoming Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Emma Kari (Green), considers the outcome of the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, which ended this weekend, to be better than expected in some ways. Interviewed on Yle TV1 on Monday morning, Kari noted that while climate conferences often end in disappointment,Continue Reading