NordenBladet — Follow a live discussion on Indigenous peoples’ vital role in climate action today November 24 at 15.45 pm CET (Geneva time). The event is hosted by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and The Sámi Parliament of Finland. Participants includeForeign Minister Pekka HaavistoUN Special Rapporteur Francisco Calí TzayVice Chair of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP) Rodion SulyandzigaExecutive Director of Tebtebba Foundation Victoria Tauli-CorpuzAnne Nuorgam, Chair of the UN Permanent Forum of Indigenous Issues will moderate the conversationFinland will be a member of the UN Human Rights Council in 2022–2024. Visit um.fi/hrc to learn more.
At today’s remote-participation sitting of the Riigikogu, Prime Minister Kaja Kallas gave an overview of the activities of the Government in implementing the European Union policy. Chairman of the European Union Affairs Committee Siim Kallas also made a report.
In her speech, Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said that Estonia and the European Union were directly interconnected in their development. “If Europe is strong, Estonia is strong as well, and vice versa,” she said.
“Estonia is consistently standing for European values and is working to ensure that the European Union’s voice in the world is influential and unified. It is important to Estonian people and businesses that Estonia stands for the four fundamental freedoms and the internal market of the European Union and continues to stand for the fifth fundamental freedom, the free movement of data, because data make up the core of the twin transition. Estonia supports an ambitious digital and green transition. Attention should also be paid to the social aspects of the transition so that, in the midst of it all, we would not forget the people and would not leave anyone behind or run over anyone while carrying out the changes,” Kallas said. “The European Union is and will remain above all a guarantee of peace and security. For me, the most important keywords for the forthcoming period are trust and reliability.”
When speaking of the pressure on the European Union borders, the Prime Minister said that Poland, Lithuania and Latvia were defending the border of Europe. “The European Union cannot submit to the blackmail of a dictator and the hybrid attack must be stopped decisively. Europe must act as one here, and Belarus must let the people, who are being used as weapons, to return to their countries of origin,” Kallas emphasised. “The use of migration as a weapon in both south and east has made the European Union finally to reassess the need regarding common border standards and investments in its external border.”
Prime Minister pointed out that, thirty years into the process, Estonia was catching up with the European Union average. “Our superpower has been our ability to not to use the word ‘impossible’, be it the European Union, the euro area, accession to NATO or anything else,” she said. “This superpower has brought us to this day and will take us forward as well.”
The Prime Minister also touched upon the issue of green transition and spoke of the development and role of digital technology as well as energy. “We are developing the Gulf of Riga wind farm in Estonian-Latvian cooperation and in a longer-term perspective we wish to see both an electricity network encompassing the Baltic Sea countries and a pan-European hydrogen network,” Kallas said, looking into the future.
In the Prime Minister’s words, the European Union is just as active as we want it to be and Estonia is committed to ensuring that the EU is a strong, developing and growing organism, and Estonia is its influential member.
When summarising the work of the European Union Affairs Committee in participating in EU decision-making processes, Chairman of the European Union Affairs Committee Siim Kallas said that, over the year, the committee had shaped Estonia’s positions on 49 European Union initiatives, approved the positions for 107 meetings of the Council of the European Union, conducted four parliamentary debates, held nine joint sittings with other committees during the year, and recently initiated a deliberation of a matter of significant national importance on climate targets in the plenary hall.
Kallas pointed out that Europe was facing several challenges and emphasised that addressing those challenges required a joint effort of Member States.
The Chairman of the European Union Affairs Committee spoke of ensuring European security. “The Schengen system is a main pillar of European security. On the one hand, it means a large set of benefits – the enabling of free movement of people and goods. During the pandemic, this system was badly damaged,” Kallas said. “On the basis of the experience from the COVID-19 pandemic, the European Commission is planning to submit a new proposal to amend the Schengen Borders Code by the end of this year.”
In Kallas’s words, currently the main challenge for European security is illegal immigration and a hybrid attack from the east. He noted that enhancing the cooperation between international information collections helps both strengthen the Schengen system and fight illegal immigration. “Let us add here more effective protection of external borders in cooperation of the Member States and extending the possibilities of the border guard agency Frontex,” Kallas said. He also underlined the importance of cybersecurity.
When speaking of the importance of the digital sector, Kallas said that it provided both opportunities and challenges. In his words, the digital certificate that has been quickly established at Union level and has been put into operation successfully is an excellent example of cooperation between Member States. “The European Commission submitted the legislative proposal in March and already three months later the certificate was in use. It has been a real success story, and with its help we have regained many of our freedoms within the Union,” Kallas noted. “The format established is becoming a success globally as well by now. More than 600 million certificates have been issued already. Besides the European Union, 49 countries on four continents are participating in the system, and dozens more have submitted a relevant application.”
In his speech, the chairman of the committee also focused on the situation of the European Union’s finances. “By October this year, inflation in the euro area had risen to four per cent. We together with many other countries have survived much higher inflations in the past, but this is still worryingly higher than the two per cent prescribed to the euro area by the Stability and Growth Pact,” Kallas said. He noted that, in simple terms, it could be said that 15.2 trillion euro was circulating in the European economy. He added that, during the pandemic, a lot of money had been put into circulation to mitigate the crisis. “The budget support measures have increased the deficit and the debt level in all Member States. In my view, it is important to stick to the agreed goal of sustainable public finances and to return to the budget rules in the forthcoming years,” Kallas underlined.
In his speech, Kallas also touched on achieving the European climate target and the Conference on the Future of Europe. The European Union Affairs Committee is participating in the plenary meetings of the Conference with a four-member delegation.
During the debate, Mihhail Lotman (Isamaa), Oudekki Loone (Centre Party), Peeter Ernits (Estonian Conservative People’s Party) and Riina Sikkut (Social Democratic Party) took the floor. Prime Minister Kaja Kallas also made her closing remarks.
A draft Resolution was dropped from the proceedings
The Draft Resolution of the Riigikogu “Making a Proposal to the Government of the Republic to urgently construct a physical barrier on the temporary control line in South-East Estonia to prevent illegal migration” (435 OE), submitted by the Faction Isamaa, was intended to make a proposal to the Government to urgently construct a physical barrier on the temporary control line in South-East Estonia to prevent illegal migration and to plan funds for that in the state budget for 2022 and the state budget strategy for the following years.
During the debate, Heiki Hepner (Isamaa), Hanno Pevkur (Reform Party) and Riho Breivel (Estonian Conservative People’s Party) took the floor.
27 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of passing the Resolution and 26 voted against. For the draft Resolution to be passed, at least 51 members of the Riigikogu should have voted for it.
The deliberation of a draft Resolution was adjourned
The deliberation of the Draft Resolution of the Riigikogu “Making a Proposal to the Government of the Republic (428 OE), submitted by the Social Democratic Party Faction, was adjourned due to the end of the working hours of the sitting. The draft Resolution is intended to make a proposal to the Government to compensate to Elering Ltd the costs of the payment of the renewable energy charge for 2021 to the full extent in order that it would be possible to temporarily release all electricity consumers from the renewable energy charge.
The proceedings of the Bill will continue at tomorrow’s sitting.
The deliberation of the Bill on Amendments to the Employment Contracts Act and the Taxation Act (403 SE) and the Bill on Amendments to the Health Insurance Act (467 SE), initiated by the Government, was also transferred to the agenda for tomorrow’s sitting due to the end of the working hours of the sitting.
President of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) Jüri Ratas together with the Speaker of the Parliament of Lithuania is on a visit to Paris, France. The visit is dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between France and the Baltic States, and to the 30th anniversary of restoration of the independence of Baltic States. The Speakers will also discuss the latest foreign and security policy issues and allied relations.
This morning, President of the Riigikogu Jüri Ratas and Speaker of the Seimas (Parliament) of Lithuania Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen will visit the Senate of France.
The key challenges and priorities of the European Union relating to the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union will be discussed at the meeting held in the afternoon at the National Assembly of France. Security cooperation in NATO, ensuring the security of the Baltic States and operations against terrorism will be spoken about as well.
The Speakers will also discuss issues relating to Russia and Belarus and the Eastern Partnership, as well as the Indo-Pacific strategy and the strategy towards China.
NordenBladet — The EU Competitiveness Council meeting in Brussels on 25−26 November will focus on the regulation of activities of the largest digital companies and improvements to safety of users of various online intermediation services. The agenda for space issues includes the financing of companies in the sector and the management of space transport.Finland’s representative at the Council will be Minister of Employment Tuula Haatainen and State Secretary to the Minister of Economic Affairs Jukka Ihanus. The ministers responsible for the internal market and industrial policy will discuss two legislative projects related to digital operators. The Council will adopt a general approach on both of them. The Digital Markets Act (DMA) will address unfair trading practices of digital giants which companies and consumers encounter when using online platforms. The regulation would apply to 10−15 largest companies providing platform services in the EU. “We support the Commission’s proposal for a digital market regulation and its objective of creating a fair digital single market. It is important to Finland that the obligations concerning platform companies are clear. The proposal’s objective of harmonising EU regulation must be preserved in further negotiations,” Haatainen says. Another topic under discussion is the Digital Services Act (DSA), which will add new due diligence obligations to internet intermediation service providers and very large online platforms. The aim is to increase user safety and the openness of online platforms in terms of what content and advertisements users see, for example. The aim is to increase the responsibility of service providers concerning possible illegal content in the service.The ministers will also discuss the implementation of the European recovery plan. SMEs encouraged to enter the space sectorThe Competitiveness Council will continue on 26 November with a meeting of ministers responsible for research, innovation and space affairs. The ministers will discuss research and innovation to achieve multi-sectoral objectives. The Council will adopt conclusions on the governance of the European Research Area and the Council’s recommendation on a Pact for Research and Innovation in Europe. As regards space, the meeting will focus on the long-term development of funding so that new operators, including start-ups, will have better access to the growing market. “The space sector is growing and Finland has a lot of expertise in it. However, accessing the space sector requires more capital than on average and encouraging new companies to enter the sector therefore requires both private and public funding,” says Minister of Economic Affairs Mika Lintilä. The promotion of sustainable use and development of space are included in the policy debate and in the conclusions on Space for everyone, which will be adopted at the meeting. The themes are a continuation of the priorities of Finland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union. A report on space transport management prepared by the Slovenian Presidency will be presented at the meeting.
NordenBladet — A working group appointed by the Ministry of Justice proposes a legislative amendment that would facilitate remote participation in the general meetings of limited liability companies and cooperatives and allow holding these meetings completely remotely, without assigning a physical meeting venue. The aim is to improve the opportunities of shareholders and members to participate in the meetings. The report of the working group is now being circulated for comments.During the COVID-19 epidemic, a temporary act allowing cooperatives to provide an opportunity for remote participation in their meetings and listed companies to hold their meetings completely remotely has been in force. According to the working group’s proposal, there would in future be two prerequisites for holding a general meeting of a limited liability company, a limited liability housing company or a cooperative exclusively as a virtual meeting: all participants would have to be guaranteed full rights of participation during the meeting and provisions on virtual meetings would have to be included in the articles of association or rules of the corporate entity in question. The working group also proposes that the requirements concerning hybrid meetings be clarified so that shareholders participating in a meeting both at the physical venue and remotely could fully exercise their rights during the meeting. By a majority vote, a corporate entity could decide to add a provision stating that general meetings must be held as hybrid meetings to its articles of association or rules.Further, the working group proposes that the general meeting of a limited liability housing company with at least 30 owner apartments would have to be organised as a hybrid meeting if so requested by at least three shareholders.A company or cooperative could also provide other means of participation for its shareholders or members, such as an opportunity to vote in advance or to exercise the right to be heard in writing before or during the meeting.The legislative amendments are scheduled to enter into force at the beginning of July, when the current temporary legislation on remote participation and virtual meetings will cease to be in force.The report includes a dissenting opinion from the Finnish Foundation for Share Promotion and statements from the Ministry of Finance and WWF Finland.The proposal may be commented at Lausuntopalvelu.fi until 23 January 2021.
“We, the Speakers of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland, the Riigikogu of the Republic of Estonia, the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania and the Saeima of the Republic of Latvia state that the aggressive actions of the illegitimate Lukashenka regime have reached an unprecedented level. They provoke the crisis at the external borders of the EU, threaten the security of the entire region and deliberately endanger the lives of vulnerable people.
It constitutes a breach of international law, political commitments and a disregard for fundamental human rights;
strongly condemn the continued state-sponsored instrumentalisation of irregular migration artificially created by the Belarusian regime as part of hybrid operations against Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and the EU for political purposes;
call upon the international community, especially the countries of transit and origin, to strongly oppose these actions, to take the necessary steps to stop the authorities in Belarus from forcing migrants to illegally cross the EU border and to hold the Belarus regime accountable for these violations;
condemn the actions of the illegitimate Lukashenka regime which result in preventing the delivery of humanitarian aid offered by neighbouring countries to migrants gathered and held by the Lukashenka regime in areas adjacent to the border;
call for the prompt implementation of the new package of sanctions agreed upon during the meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Member States of the European Union, targeting persons and entities involved in and contributing to activities of the Lukashenka regime aimed at facilitating illegal crossing of the external borders of the Union. Instrumentalisation of migrants for political purposes cannot be tolerated. If it will continue the European Union should consider further restrictive measures against Belarusian regime in line with its gradual approach;
underline that the responsibility for normalizing the situation at the border rests squarely with the illegitimate regime of Alexander Lukashenka, while the EU and its Member states should continue to be guided by the joint decisions and political stance adopted by the European Council and the Foreign Affairs Council;
are firmly convinced that there is an urgent need to adapt the EU acquis to the new realities in order to ensure strong protection of the EU external border and provide effective measures to prevent illegal border crossings. Therefore, we look forward to the proposals of the European Commission to adapt the EU’s legal framework with specific measures and adequate financial support to improve border security thus bolstering EU’s external frontier.”
NordenBladet — The number of unemployed jobseekers decreased by 53,700. The number of new vacancies reported in October totalled 91,600. In all, the number of unfilled vacancies amounted to 169,700, which is 69,100 more than a year ago.At the end of October, a total of 259,000 unemployed jobseekers were registered at the Employment and Economic Development Offices and municipalities participating in the local government pilots on employment. This is 53,700 less than a year earlier, but 34,300 more than in October two years ago. The number of unemployed jobseekers was down by 6,300 from the previous month. Of the unemployed jobseekers, 139,000 were customers of municipalities participating in the local government pilots on employment. The number of unemployed jobseekers also includes those fully laid off. These figures are from the Employment Bulletin of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment.At the end of October, the number of people laid off was 29,600 in the whole country, which was 45,300 fewer than at the same time the year before. The number of people fully laid off totalled 19,800, representing a decrease of 37,400 from October the year before. The number of people fully laid off decreased by 1,300 from September.108,000 unemployed in the long termThe number of long-term unemployed — that is those who had been unemployed without interruption for at least a year — amounted to 108,000, up 26,000 on the previous year. The number of unemployed jobseekers aged over 50 was 100,700, or 13,600 fewer than at the same time a year earlier.The number of unemployed jobseekers aged under 25 was 27,800, representing a decrease of 8,500 from October last year. Of the unemployment periods of youths, 60.8 per cent ended before reaching three months between January and October. This is 3.3 percentage points less than a year before.Increase in new vacanciesThe number of new vacancies reported during October totalled 91,600, or 38,600 more than in October the previous year. In all, the number of unfilled vacancies in October amounted to 169,700, which is 69,100 more than a year ago.At the end of October, the number of persons covered by services included in the activation rate amounted to 112,600, down 5,900 on the previous year. These services include pay subsidies, labour market training, work trials and self-motivated studies.Statistics Finland: The trend of the unemployment rate 7.1%According to the Labour Force Survey issued by Statistics Finland, in October the number of people in employment was 65,000 more than on the previous year. The trend of the employment rate was 72.7%, which was 1.7 percentage points higher than in October the year before. According to the Survey, the unemployment total was 164,000, which is 37,000 less than a year ago. The trend of the unemployment rate was 7.1%, or 1.1 percentage points lower than the previous year. Press release on the revision of the Labour Force Survey: https://www.stat.fi/til/tyti/tyti_2020-12-22_uut_001_en.html Key differences between Employment Service Statistics and the Labour Force Survey This information is based on the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment’s Employment Service Statistics and the Labour Force Survey of Statistics Finland. The Employment Service Statistics of the Ministry are compiled on the basis of the information in the Employment and Economic Development Offices’ customer register, while the Labour Force Survey of Statistics Finland is based on sampling. In the Ministry’s Employment Service Statistics, people that are not in an employment relationship or employed in business are listed as unemployed. Persons fully laid-off but not full-time students are also categorised as unemployed in the Employment Service Statistics. The Labour Force Survey of Statistics Finland has a stricter definition of being unemployed: a person is unemployed if he or she has actively sought employment during the preceding four weeks and is available for work over the coming two weeks. The figures of the Labour Force Survey of Statistics Finland are internationally comparable and thus they are the official Finnish unemployment statistics. Further information on the differences in the statistics https://tilastokeskus.fi/til/tyti/tyti_2019-09-13_men_001_en.html
At today’s remote-participation sitting of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia), Prime Minister Kaja Kallas will give an overview of the activities of the Government in implementing the European Union policy. Chairman of the European Union Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu Siim Kallas will also present a report. His speech will focus on ensuring the security of Europe and situation of the Union’s finances.
In the opinion of Siim Kallas, the EU is facing several challenges, and the key to solving them lies in acting together and in unity.
Chairman of the Committee will speak of the activities of the European Union in ensuring security. He will also discuss the impact of the pandemic on the Schengen system and the changes that will be made to the Border Code. Kallas points out that better cooperation of databases between countries and better protection of the EU’s external borders will also help to fight illegal immigration.
Kallas will also focus on the issues of cybersecurity, protectionism and digitalisation. He thinks that the digital certificate is an excellent example of cooperation between Member States. It was created at the Union level and made to work effectively, and dozens of countries across the world have joined it or plan to join it.
The budget and economic policy of the EU, which this year has been strongly influenced by responding to the pandemic, will also be among the topics Kallas will discuss. Besides that, he will speak of the climate target of the European Union and the Conference on the Future of Europe.
The discussion of the activities of the Government in implementing of the European Union policies will begin at 10 a.m. It will be live streamed on the website of the Riigikogu.
NordenBladet — The Government of Finland awards the International Gender Equality Prize now for the third time. This year’s prizewinner is We Will Stop Femicide Platform, an organisation that does groundbreaking work combating violence against women in Turkey and whose work has a global relevance.Finland’s Prime Minister Sanna Marin handed out the 300,000-euro prize to Gülsüm Önal, Founder, President and the General Representative of We Will Stop Femicide Platform, and Fidan Ataselim, Founder and Secretary General of the organization, in Tampere on 22 November 2021.“Promoting gender equality worldwide requires effective actions and determined work. The International Gender Equality Prize recognizes and raises awareness of this work and also contributes to the promotion of gender equality globally,” says Sanna Marin. The World Economic Forum index shows Finland is the world’s second-best country for gender equality.“With this prize, we showcase the role of gender equality as a cornerstone of sustainable development, but also how much work still needs to be done,” says Thomas Blomqvist, Minister for Nordic Cooperation and Equality.Awarding the We Will Stop Femicide Platform provides a chance to generate wider public discussion beyond the borders of Turkey.“Gender equality and the rights of women and girls are an important part of Finland’s foreign and security policy. This prize is one way of showing our strong support to brave human rights defenders, endeavouring to make women’s rights a reality and fighting violence against women. By awarding We will Stop Femicide Platform, the Jury wanted to draw attention to the scourge of violence against women, which has dramatically increased in all countries during the COVID pandemic. The Jury also recognizes the courageous work of the Platform in promoting the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, better known as the Istanbul Convention, which is the most important international legal instrument to prevent and address violence against women. Furthermore, the work of the Platform has universal significance as violence against women is a serious problem everywhere, also in Finland”, says Eva Biaudet, Member of the Finnish Parliament and Chair of the IGEP Jury.We Will Stop Femicide Platform has been striving to stop femicide and ensure women’s protection from violence since 2010. The Platform provides legal assistance to women who want to be safe from violence, is involved in cases of violence against women and femicide with its lawyers and representatives, supports the families of the murdered women, and drives changes to legislation to protect women.Thanks to the Platform’s actions, penalty reductions have become more difficult and deterrent sentences have been attained.“We have done what had to be done and what everyone should do. The fact that the fight in our country has been seen by the international community gives us great strength and happiness. The award coming from a country that promotes women’s rights like Finland is also a source of pride for us,” say Gülsüm Önal and Fidan Ataselim from We Will Stop Femicide Platform.Over 400 proposals from all over the world were submitted for consideration for the award during the open nomination period. The Government of Finland made its decision based on the proposal by an independent international jury.The jury included Eva Biaudet (chair), Member of Parliament (Finland); Bella Forsgrén a Member of Parliament (Finland); Dean Peacock, Director of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom’s initiative to confront militarized masculinities (South Africa); Matti Vanhanen, Member of Parliament (Finland); and ambassador Melanne Verveer, executive director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security at Georgetown University (United States).In 2017, the Government of Finland’s International Gender Equality Prize was awarded to German Chancellor Angela Merkel. She directed the prize money to a Nigerien organisation that works to stop domestic violence. The organisation is using the funds to build a shelter for women.In 2019, the prize went to a global women’s rights organisation Equality Now, a global non-profit organisation, which has succeeded in changing discriminatory laws and ossified practices in different countries.Further informationMedia contacts for Prime Minister Marin: Pirita Ruokonen, Special Adviser to Prime Minister, Prime Minister’s Office, [email protected]Information about the prize gala: Sami Siltanen Project Coordinator, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, [email protected]
NordenBladet — In January 2022, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs will open a call for proposals for project support available for Finnish civil society organisations (CSOs). The application period will be open from 24 January to 4 March 2022. During that time, applications can be submitted for discretionary government grants for development cooperation projects in 2023–2026. The actual call for applications together with the assessment criteria will be published when the call for applications opens on 24 January 2022. The support is granted from the development cooperation appropriations for Finnish CSOs’ development cooperation.Project support for Finnish CSOs is part of the implementation of Finland’s development policy. Organisations engaged in development cooperation projects enhance the diversity and impact of Finland’s development cooperation in developing countries around the world through their own fields of expertise and practices. Project support is used to support diversity and plurality in civil societies. With project support, Finnish organisations and their partners strengthen the capacity of civil society actors in developing countries and support the civic space and an enabling environment for civil societies.
