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Helena-Reet Ennet

Helena-Reet Ennet
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‘International talents boosting growth’ pilot supports companies in international recruitment 

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Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet — Due to a worsening labour shortage, companies have become increasingly interested in hiring new workers from abroad. A new service pilot aimed at facilitating international recruitment will be launched under the ‘Kokka kohti Suomea’ project (funded by the European Social Fund). The ‘International talents boosting growth’ service will offer SMEs assistance and funding to obtain services that support the settling of foreign talent in Finland. The service aims to facilitate the immigration of experts by providing them easy and quick services for settling in Finland and dealing with the authorities. The service pilot encourages companies to recruit skilled labour from abroad and provides them with tools to welcome new employees. “The Government aims to increase the immigration of skilled labour significantly. However, there is a fierce competition for talent all over the world. Seamless immigration services will make Finland a more attractive destination for international experts and help them stay and settle here with their families,” says Satu Salonen, Senior Specialist at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. Service is available to companies throughout FinlandThe ‘International talents boosting growth’ service provides companies and experts with first-phase entry services, such as assistance in finding accommodation and mentoring services for spouses. The pilot that will begin in mid-February is part of the Talent Boost programme, which promotes the immigration of skilled labour and is coordinated jointly by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment and the Ministry of Education and Culture. Through the new service, SMEs can receive aid for the purchase of relocation services up to 80 per cent of the price of the service. The services will be provided by Oy Finland Relocation Services Ab Ltd, which has operated in the sector for a long time. The service pilot will start on 15 February 2022 and will be available throughout the country. Families’ needs also to be considered“The recruitment process often takes a lot of time in itself, which means that the personnel of a company is unable to support the newcomer as intensively as would be necessary. Employees with families in particular may have a lot of questions when they move to a new country for work,” says Project Manager Heidi Popova from the ELY Centre for Southwest Finland.The ‘International talents boosting growth’ service pilot is part of the ‘Kokka kohti Suomea’ project (ESF), which is coordinated by the ELY Centre for Southwest Finland. 

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

Live webcast: Press Conference of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece Nikos Dendias and Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto

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Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet — The Ministers will discuss the bilateral relations between Finland and Greece, European security and topical foreign policy themes. Follow the live webcast of the press conference at 14:45.Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto will meet Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Dendias in Helsinki on 15 February. The Ministers will discuss the bilateral relations between Finland and Greece, European security and topical foreign policy themes. Follow the live webcast of the press conference at 14:45: https://www.mediaserver.fi/live/formin.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

Assistance abroad – The demand for consular services provided by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs is increasing

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Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet — The second year of the pandemic was busy for the consular assistance services provided by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Finland’s missions abroad, and the number of customers continued to increase. In 2021, the Ministry and the missions abroad provided consular services to a total of 255,000 customers.The number of customers continued to grow, increasing by almost a quarter from the previous year. In particular, the demand for advisory services increased. As in previous years, most of the assistance was needed in the countries to which Finns prefer to travel, i.e., Spain, Germany, Estonia, Sweden and Thailand.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

EU competitiveness ministers to discuss space traffic management and secure satellite broadband in France

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Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet — Ministers responsible for space affairs will meet in Toulouse, France on 16 February 2022. An informal meeting of competitiveness ministers and an informal ministerial meeting of the European Space Agency (ESA) will be held on the same day. Minister of Economic Affairs Mika Lintilä will represent Finland at the meetings.The ministers’ agenda includes the European Commission’s proposal for a strategy on space traffic management and an initiative for a secure space-based broadband network.  The discussion on developing space traffic management supports the objectives of the European space strategy.“European space policy can promote sustainable growth in different sectors and the green and digital transition with the help of space technology, data and services, for example. Finland has a great deal of expertise in matters related to space. It is important that the EU and ESA develop these large-scale initiatives requiring a lot of resources together,” says Minister of Economic Affairs Mika Lintilä.In addition to the sustainable growth perspective, Finland wants to promote cooperation between the civilian, defence and space industries. It is important that different operators, such as small and medium-sized companies, have access to the space sector. The French President Emmanuel Macron will give a closing speech at the meeting. In informal meetings, ministers discuss current issues, but no decisions are taken. Press conference on current issues in EU space policy  The speeches by ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher and EU Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton will be streamed for the media.After the meetings, the ESA, the European Union and France, which currently holds the Presidency of the Council of the EU, will hold a press conference at 19−19.45 Finnish time. The media are invited to attend the press conference and ask questions via remote connections.For more information and to register for the event, please go to the ESA website.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

Finnish Embassy adapts its activities in Kyiv

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Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet — Finland’s Embassy in Kyiv is on enhanced readiness and the staff will continue their work at the mission. The Embassy has adapted its activities as required in the current situation, and some of its staff members have been repatriated to Finland.On 11 February, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs updated its travel advice for Ukraine to the level of “leave the country immediately”. The change was based on a joint analysis of the situation, coordinated with the other Nordic countries. The advice to leave the country remains in force and the Ministry recommends that travellers should leave the country urgently. Commercial land and air connections are currently continuing in Ukraine and these should be used. However, the situation may change rapidly.  In a crisis, Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs has only limited capabilities to assist people in distress abroad.At present, based on the travel details submitted to the Ministry, 120 Finns are staying in Ukraine. However, it is estimated that the number of Finns in Ukraine is bigger than that. After the level of the travel advice was raised, those who have submitted their travel details have been contacted by the Ministry through a text message and by telephone.If you are in Ukraine and you have not yet submitted your travel details, please do so now at www.matkustusilmoitus.fi. Follow the press releases issued by the Ukrainian authorities and the Facebook pages of the Embassy of Finland in Kyiv.In case of an emergency, contact the Foreign Ministry’s 24/7 Service Centre, which serves round the clock. You can reach the Service Centre at +358 9 160 55555 or by email on [email protected].

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

The Riigikogu discusses foreign policy

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Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet —

Today, the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) will discuss foreign policy as a matter of significant national importance. The debate was initiated by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu. Reports will be made by Minister of Foreign Affairs Eva-Maria Liimets and Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Marko Mihkelson.

In his report, the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee will focus on the security of Estonia, the unity of our allied space and protecting it through Estonia’s foreign policy activities, including also through parliamentary diplomacy.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Liimets will deliver the annual address on foreign policy to the Riigikogu. Her speech will give an overview of the main directions of Estonia’s foreign policy and Estonia’s positions.

The reports will be followed by questions to the speakers and comments by the representatives of political groups and members of the Riigikogu.

The sitting begins at 10 a.m., and will be streamed live on the Riigikogu home page and Facebook page.

The video recording of the sitting can be viewed on the Riigikogu YouTube channel.
(Please note that the recording will be uploaded with a delay.)

Source: Parliament of Estonia

Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto to attend the Global Disability Summit

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Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet — Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto will attend the Global Disability Summit in Oslo on 16–17 February. He will announce the Foreign Ministry’s commitments on the promotion of the rights of persons with disabilities at the meeting. The aim of the summit is to intensify the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and thereby to bring about substantial improvements in the lives of persons with disabilities.The second Global Disability Summit will be co-hosted by Norway together with the International Disability Alliance and Ghana in Oslo on 16–17 February 2022. The first summit took place in London in summer 2018. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s event will be held virtually to ensure the widest possible participation.“Active participation and agency of persons with disabilities must be at the heart of the fulfilment of their rights. At the Oslo summit, they will have opportunities to be heard, and Finland strongly supports this,” says Minister for Foreign Affairs Haavisto.The event is expected to attract high-level representatives, and UN Secretary-General António Guterres and several ministers have already confirmed their participation.Persons with disabilities and their representative organisations are at the forefront at the summitPersons with disabilities experience discrimination in all parts of the world and are often excluded from development in their communities . At the summit, persons with disabilities and their representative organisations will be able to bring their views to discussion at the global forum and to promote better implementation of their rights. One of Finland’s long-term priorities is to ensure the rights and inclusion of persons with disabilities. Finland has consistently highlighted the rights of persons with disabilities in different forums, such as the UN Human Rights Council. Commitments to promote these rights will be published in connection with the summit.Finland’s commitments deal with inclusive education and strengthening disability inclusion in both disaster risk reduction and peace processes and peacebuilding. Finland will continue to champion the implementation of rights of persons with disabilities, especially women and girls with disabilities, in global contexts. In addition, Finland pledges sustained support for the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities through the Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNPRPD).

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

Prime Minister Marin spoke with several EU leaders

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Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet — On Monday 14 February, Prime Minister Sanna Marin attended a video meeting with the President of the European Council and the leaders of five other EU Member StatesThe meeting, convened by President of the European Council Charles Michel, was also attended by the Prime Ministers of the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Greece. President Michel is organising similar sessions for other groups of countries.In the video meeting, the leaders discussed Russia’s military buildup near the Ukraine border as well as diplomatic measures to prevent a military conflict. The leaders also discussed support for Ukraine and potential European Union responses should Russia focus further military action against Ukraine. On Saturday, Prime Minister Marin also held discussions with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

Estonian Defence Forces’ new task force Wisent 3 started operating in Poland

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Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet —

Today, a new Estonian task force Wisent 3, which was sent to Poland to support the country in repelling a hybrid attack from Belarus, started its operations.

Main body of task force Wisent 3 is formed of members of Northern and Southern Territorial Defence Districts of Estonian Defence League (EDL). Together with EDL members, an Estonian Defence Forces’ camera team and a national support element will start also their service. The task force consists of about 60 members.

“Members of the previous contingent have done a great job which we are honored to continue. We are convinced that cooperation with Polish units will be close and successful,” said Lieutenant Colonel Arti Levandi, Commander of task force Wisent 3. “We are also pleased that members of Estonian Defence League are now able to apply previously learned skills in an international setting.”

Task force Wisent 3 will be deployed to Poland until mid-March and operates in the same area as the previous task force. The unit will continue to work with Polish 18th Mechanized Division. The name of the task force means the European bison, symbolizing strength and power in Polish cultural space.

Estonia sent its first task force, with almost 70 members, to Poland in the beginning of December, and it was manned on the basis of reserve troops, active duty soldiers and civilians. The second task force served in Poland from mid-January to mid-February.

Deployment of Estonian task force to Poland is a bilateral defense co-operation project. Estonian task forces have constructed over 40 kilometer border barriers, carried out 40 media operations and conducted observation flights to monitor the border area.

Gallery

Source: Estonian Defence Forces

SME barometer: SMEs’ outlook remains positive with improved expectations of personnel growth

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet — The beginning of 2022 was exceptional for SMEs as the coronavirus pandemic started to worsen again. This situation is reflected in the expectations of near-term economic growth among small and medium-sized companies. The expectations have fallen but remain positive. Additionally, to the majority of the SMEs that responded to the survey the economic conditions have remained unchanged from last autumn’s barometer.The continuation of the pandemic and the restrictions related to health security have weakened the outlook for SMEs. However, the expectations of personnel growth have remained positive and have even slightly improved.“Compared with last autumn, fewer SMEs now foresee an improved economic situation. In recent weeks, however, there has been hope that the pandemic will level off. Companies would benefit from a more predictable operating environment, which would also speed up their growth and investment plans. In the post-pandemic period, we must ensure that companies have a predictable and encouraging operating environment,” says Minister of Economic Affairs Mika Lintilä.The SME Barometer is published twice a year by Suomen Yrittäjät, Finnvera and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. This time, 5200 companies responded to the survey, which was conducted between mid-December 2021 and mid-January 2022.Economic outlook reflects the prolonged pandemic The prolonged pandemic and restrictions hindering business activities are evident in the results.
“The strong economic outlook in the autumn has weakened because of renewed restrictions and closures even as the vaccination coverage has improved. New virus variants and subsequent closure measures in many sectors cause further uncertainty,” says Chief Economist Mika Kuismanen from Suomen Yrittäjät.Uncertainty weakens investment plans “Expectations of future turnover are closely linked with general economic expectations. They have fallen slightly in tandem with general economic expectations,” Kuismanen says.“SMEs will significantly reduce their investments. In all main sectors, with the exception of industry, there are more companies discontinuing their investment plans than those increasing such plans,” Kuismanen adds.The poor investment expectations are linked to the continuation of the pandemic, economic growth and uncertainty in the operating environment.Availability of funding remained good in generalAs a whole, the availability of funding has remained good. Only 5% of the respondents said their application for external funding had been rejected. The use of external funding has remained unchanged from the level of the last barometer in the autumn.The share of bank financing is on the increase, but changes related to the coronavirus support also play a role in this. Around half of the respondents said that lending conditions have tightened. According to the barometer, this shows most commonly in increased requirements for collateral and equity as well as higher price of financing. Growth-oriented companies in particular mentioned tighter lending conditions in their responses.“The Finnish banking sector is in good shape and, in the big picture, companies are doing well too. As banking regulation is tightening, we must ensure that growth-oriented companies have access to financing. The green transition and the ageing population call for renewal, which, in turn, requires investments,” says Juuso Heinilä, Executive Vice President at Finnvera.Only one in five companies assessed climate impactsThe barometer also examined how prepared companies are to mitigate climate change.
Growth-oriented SMEs recognise the impacts of climate change mitigation measures on their operations more often than other companies.“These companies regard climate change mitigation measures as business opportunities, above all,” Kuismanen says.
So far, only 20% of SMEs have assessed the climate impacts of their business activities. Such assessments are more common among large SMEs than among their smaller peers.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

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