NordenBladet — The Government has submitted to Parliament a proposal for extending the validity of the temporary provisions of the Communicable Diseases Act concerning entry into the country. The provisions aim to protect the health of the population by preventing COVID-19 infections of foreign origin from spreading into Finland. Health security measures similar to those proposed by the Government are in place in many EU countries.People arriving in Finland (those born in 2005 or earlier) would still be required to have a certificate of recovery from COVID-19 within the past six months, of a completed and approved vaccine course or of a negative COVID-19 test taken before arrival in Finland. Those who have a certificate of a reliable COVID-19 test taken before arrival in Finland indicating a negative result or a certificate of their first COVID-19 vaccine dose should undergo a second test within 72-120 hours of their entry into the country. Alternatively, people should undergo a COVID-19 test after arriving in Finland and a second test within 72–120 hours of their arrival. The obligation to show proof or be tested for COVID-19 would not apply to people who have, for the last 14 days prior to their arrival in Finland, stayed only in countries or regions where the incidence of COVID-19 or the prevalence of virus variants does not pose a particular risk of spreading the epidemic. Provisions on such countries and regions are issued by government decree.The Government also proposes that a supplementary provision on executive existence be permanently added to the Communicable Diseases Act. The provision would include Customs as an executive assistance authority. This amendment would enable Customs to provide executive assistance in checking health certificates. The corresponding provisions of the Communicable Diseases Act will remain in force until 15 October 2021, and the now proposed amendments would extend their validity. The amended Act would enter into force on 16 October 2021, and the temporary provisions of the Act would remain in force until 31 December 2021.The government proposal issued to Parliament today also includes a proposal on the nationwide use of the EU Digital COVID Certificate, or the COVID-19 passport. Government proposal, in Finnish: Hallituksen esitys eduskunnalle laiksi tartuntatautilain muuttamisesta ja väliaikaisesta muuttamisesta

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — The Government has submitted to Parliament a proposal on the nationwide use of the EU Digital COVID Certificate, or the COVID-19 passport. It is proposed that the provisions on the EU Digital COVID Certificate be added to the Communicable Diseases Act.The proposal would also include provisions on the processing of personal data relating to the COVID-19 passport and provisions on regulatory control. These temporary provisions would remain in force until the end of this year.The intention is that the amendment to the Communicable Diseases Act concerning the nationwide use of the EU Digital COVID Certificate would enter into force as soon as possible. COVID-19 passport as an alternative to restrictions on activitiesThe COVID-19 passport refers to the EU Digital COVID Certificate, which is available in the My Kanta Pages (a vaccination certificate, a test certificate or a certificate of recovery). If necessary, people can also obtain a paper version of the certificate from healthcare providers. The Government proposes that – as an alternative to the COVID-19 restrictions issued by it, the Regional State Administrative Agencies and the municipalities – actors, such as entrepreneurs, who are subject to these restrictions could require their customers to present a COVID-19 passport. The COVID-19 passport would serve as an alternative in situations where the event or premises in question would be subject to restrictions. Such restrictions could include restrictions on opening hours or on the number of participants at events. The COVID-19 passport would not, however, serve as an alternative in situations where the authorities have closed the facilities or prohibited the public event altogether owing to the COVID-19 situation.The COVID-19 passport could be required in places such as restaurants, nightclubs and public events, gyms and other indoor facilities for sports or physical activity, swimming centres and spas, dance halls, spaces used for group leisure activities, amusement and theme parks, indoor facilities in zoos, indoor playgrounds and play centres, and museums, exhibition spaces and other similar cultural venues.According to the government proposal, people aged 12 or older could be required to present a COVID-19 passport, but to ensure the realisation of children’s rights, the testing of 12–17-year-olds for the purpose of issuing the passport should be secured in public healthcare, if the child has not received the COVID-19 vaccine doses.Currently, people aged 12 or older are eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine in Finland.A mobile application to scan the COVID-19 passportThe Government proposes that event organisers requiring customers to show a COVID-19 passport could scan the passport using the COVID-19 passport scanner application approved by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, which can be downloaded on a mobile device. It would be available free of charge from the app store. The COVID-19 passport scanner would not collect or store data shown on certificates.Promoting the reopening of society with special consideration for health securityThe aim of introducing the COVID-19 passport is to curb the spread of COVID-19 infections at gatherings and thereby promote the reopening of society with special consideration for health security. The COVID-19 passport would make it possible to organise various events on a larger scale, even if the activities in question were otherwise subject to restrictions. By using the COVID-19 passport, customers and participants would be able to enter various premises with due regard to health security.The government proposal submitted today also includes extending the validity of the temporary provisions of the Communicable Diseases Act concerning entry into the country.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — Consultation on the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report concerning the continuation of Fortum’s Loviisa nuclear power plant has begun. The consultation period is from 20 September to 18 November 2021. Comments and opinions can be submitted through the Lausuntopalvelu.fi service. A public hearing on the project will take place in Loviisa on Thursday 7 October.On 6 September 2021, Fortum [Power and Heat Ltd] submitted an EIA report to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment that assesses the environmental impact of continuing the operation of, or alternatively, decommissioning the Loviisa nuclear power plant as well as the impact of the final disposal facility of low and intermediate-level waste. The two primary alternatives in Fortum’s EIA process are either continuing the use of both units until about 2050 or decommissioning the nuclear power plant after the expiration of the current licences. The operating licences of Loviisa plant units 1 and 2 expire at the end of 2027 and at the end of 2030, respectively.The EIA report includes assessments of the project’s impact on people’s living conditions, wellbeing and health as well as the environment, waters, groundwater, fisheries, nature sites, landscape and cultural environment. In addition, its impact on community structure and regional economy has been assessed.Many ways to issue opinions and comments on the EIA reportFortum’s EIA report is available at https://tem.fi/en/loviisa-eia-report The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment requests opinions on it from authorities and organisations from 20 September to 18 November 2021. The consultation is carried out online in the Lausuntopalvelu.fi service.Statements and opinions can also be delivered to the registry of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment by email (kirjaamo(at)tem.fi), by mail (PO Box 32, FI-00023 Government), or by visiting the Ministry’s registry at Ritarikatu 2 B, FI-00170 Helsinki. Please include the reference VN/20577/2021 in all statements and opinions. The submitted opinions and statements will be published on the Ministry’s website.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — Minister Ville Skinnari will visit Lisbon on 21–24 September 2021. The aim of the visit is to strengthen the commercial relations between Finland and Portugal. Portugal offers significant opportunities for Finnish companies in such areas as bioeconomy and circular economy, energy, climate and digital transitions.In Lisbon, Minister Skinnari will have meetings, for example, with Minister of State for the Economy and the Digital Transition Pedro Siza Vieira, Minister of Environment and Energy Transition João Pedro Matos Fernandes, Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education Manuel Heitor and Secretary of State for Internationalization Eurico Brilhante Dias. The discussions will focus on the key priorities of the Portuguese recovery plan, including bioeconomy and circular economy, opportunities for cooperation related to the energy, climate and digital transitions, and topical trade policy and development policy questions.
Skinnari will also meet representatives of the Portuguese business sector and Finnish companies operating in Portugal.
During the visit, a Finnish innovation platform Demola Global Oy together with the Government of Portugal and Portuguese universities of applied sciences will launch a comprehensive cooperation project. The aim of the project is to accelerate future innovation work and strengthen interaction between the higher education sector and business life. In the start-up phase (2021–2023), almost a thousand higher education teachers, approximately 600 Portuguese companies and about 5,000 students from 14 different universities of applied sciences from Portugal will take part in the project.  “It is important for us to be able to present Finnish expertise widely in Portugal right in the early stages of the implementation of the country’s recovery plan. Finland and Finnish companies have much to offer especially in how to strengthen resilience and to proceed in the transition to climate neutrality and in digital transformation. These themes are at the heart of both the Finnish and Portuguese recovery plans,” says Minister Skinnari.  

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — The number of unemployed jobseekers decreased by 48,700 from August last year. The number of new vacancies reported in August totalled 90,100. In all, the number of unfilled vacancies amounted to 155,300, which is 56,700 more than a year ago.

At the end of August, a total of 281,000 unemployed jobseekers were registered at the Employment and Economic Development Offices and municipalities participating in the local government pilots on employment. This is 48,700 less than a year earlier, but 48,400 more than in August two years ago. The number of unemployed jobseekers was down by 41,500 from the previous month.Of the unemployed jobseekers, 150,500 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 August, the number of people laid off was 35,700 in the whole country, which was 42,100 fewer than at the same time the year before. The number of people fully laid off totalled 24,600, representing a decrease of 36,400 from August the year before. The number of people fully laid off decreased by 7,800 from July.

111,800 unemployed in the long term
The number of long-term unemployed — that is those who had been unemployed without interruption for at least a year — amounted to 111,800, up 32,900 on the previous year. The number of unemployed jobseekers aged over 50 was 105,200, or 10,100 fewer than at the same time a year earlier.

Unemployed jobseekers under 25 years of age numbered 32,800, representing a decrease of 9,200 from August last year. Of the unemployment periods of youths, 58.5 per cent ended before reaching three months between January and August. This is 4.4 percentage points less than a year before.

Increase in new vacancies
The number of new vacancies reported during August totalled 90,100, or 34,500 more than in August the previous year. In all, the number of unfilled vacancies in August amounted to 155,300, which is 56,700 more than a year ago.At the end of August, the number of persons covered by services included in the activation rate amounted to 105,900, down 100 on the previous year. These services include pay subsidies, labour market training, work trials and self-motivated studies.

Statistics Finland: Unemployment rate 6.5%
According to the Labour Force Survey issued by Statistics Finland, in August the number of people in employment was 104,000 more than on the previous year. The employment rate was 73.4%, which was 3.3 percentage points higher than in August the year before. According to the Survey, the unemployment total was 179,000, which is 33,000 less than a year ago. The unemployment rate was 6.5%, or 1.4 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

NordenBladet — The high-level week of the United Nations General Assembly, which marks an annual special event for global cooperation, begins on 20 September. The week provides Finland with an opportunity to strengthen its cooperative relations and to highlight themes that are important for foreign and security policy.

The UNGA high-level week is an important occasion for global cooperation. Finland’s programme will focus on the COVID-19 pandemic, human rights and climate questions.

The UN General Assembly meets for the 76th time. The General Assembly is the only of the six main organs of the United Nations where all Member States have equal representation: one country, one vote. The themes of this year’s UN General Assembly (UNGA 76) are resilience and building back better after the COVID-19 pandemic, response to the needs of the planet, respect for human rights and the reform of the UN.

The UNGA 76 high-level week begins on Monday 20 September. The high-level week brings the world government leaders and international organisations together in New York every year. In addition to the General Assembly, a number of other events and meetings will be held. Due to the pandemic, the high-level week is now held in hybrid format. Read more on the official website of the General Assembly of the United Nations.

High-level week offers an opportunity to strengthen cooperative relations
Finland’s activities in the UN are based on defending the rules-based international system and on strengthening multilateral cooperation. The UN high-level week provides a valuable opportunity to strengthen cooperative relations with states and civil societies. In UNGA 76, Finland will lay special emphasis on matters reflecting the value base of Finnish foreign and security policy: the promotion of human rights, the rule of law, democracy, peace, freedom, tolerance and equality in all international activities.In the programme of the Finnish delegation, topical themes will include the COVID-19 pandemic and health security, climate questions, the promotion of human rights, and the situation in Ethiopia and Afghanistan. Other topics on the agenda are Finland’s candidacy for the UN Human Rights Council in 2022–2024 and the strengthening of the UN.

The Finnish delegation is led by President of the Republic Sauli Niinistö. Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto will attend ministerial events in New York and have bilateral meetings with his counterparts and with representatives of the UN. Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari will represent Finland at several high-level meetings held in virtual format during the week.Read more about the President’s programme on the website of the President of the Republic.

President of the Republic Sauli Niinistö will deliver Finland’s statement at the General Assembly on Tuesday 21 September at about 11.45 pm Finnish time. Several public statements delivered during the week will be webcast live on the UN Web TV.Follow the General Assembly on Twitter using the hashtags #UNGA76 and #UNGA, and Finland’s participation using #FIUNGA76.

NordenBladet — The high-level meetings of the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 76) will start in New York on Monday 20 September. Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto will attend ministerial events in New York and have bilateral meetings with his counterparts and with representatives of the UN. Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari will represent Finland at several high-level meetings held in virtual format during the week.

Topical themes on the agenda in the high-level meetings of the session will include, for example, the COVID-19 pandemic and health security, climate issues, the promotion of human rights, and the situation in Ethiopia and Afghanistan. Other topics on the agenda include Finland’s candidacy for the UN Human Rights Council, the strengthening of multilateral cooperation and the reform of the UN.Finland’s delegation will be led by President of the Republic Sauli Niinistö, who will deliver Finland’s statement in the general debate on Tuesday 21 September. President Niinistö will also deliver Finland’s address at the UN Food System Summit, which will be held virtually on Thursday 23 September.