Today and tomorrow, the Estonian delegation to the Baltic Assembly is in Lithuania to participate in the meetings of the Presidium of the Assembly, the Budget and Audit Committee and the Consultative Council, where the refugee crisis on the borders of the Baltic countries arising from foreign policy tensions is discussed among other issues.
The BA Presidium will meet the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis, the current Chairman of the Baltic Council of Ministers (BCM), to discuss the cooperation between the BCM and the BA, and the implementation of the recommendations made to the Governments. In addition, a statement regarding Belarus will be discussed.
Head of the Estonian Delegation to the BA Aadu Must said that, against the background of international discord, tensions had increased significantly in the Baltic region, and the pressure on Lithuania and Latvia was of particular concern. “The Baltic countries must not submit to the migration pressure caused by Belarus, and in order to manage the crisis on the border, it is necessary to act together and to find workable solutions together,” Must said.
Among the scheduled meetings, member of the delegation Andres Metsoja highlighted the Consultative Council due tomorrow, where the Chairman of the BA Natural Resources and Environment Committee would report on the activities of the Committee, and circular economy would be one of the issues under discussion. “Circular economy is one of the key priorities of Baltic cooperation that helps turn environment problems into economic opportunities. As natural resources are limited, it is important to find a sustainable way to use them that will benefit both the consumer and the business. At the same time, it will be beneficial for the environment and the country as a whole,” Metsoja said.
In addition, Lithuania as the current Presidency of the BA will report on its activities in the Presidium and committees, and Latvia will present its priorities and plans as the next year’s Presidency.
The Estonian delegation also includes Erki Savisaar and Signe Kivi.
The Baltic Assembly is a consultative cooperation organisation of the parliaments of the three Baltic States, which discusses issues of mutual interest. A 12-member delegation of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) represents Estonia in the Assembly.
NordenBladet — Finland supports the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) by EUR 3.6 million between 2021 and 2023 to develop value chains in sustainable forestry, mining and circular economy and to create jobs in developing countries. The project also includes a section strengthening the position of women and promoting gender equality in the work of UNIDO. The agreement was signed in Vienna on 8 September.Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari stresses Finland’s commitment to supporting the economic development of developing countries in an environmentally sustainable manner that mitigates climate change. “The circular economy is a topical solution to this challenge. Funding for UNIDO promotes the gradual transition of developing countries to the circular economy,” Minister Skinnari says. Finland was the first country in the world to draw up its own circular economy action plan five years ago. The Government has set the goal of making Finland a carbon neutral country by 2035. “Cooperation with UNIDO offers opportunities for Finnish companies and other actors,” Minister Skinnari encourages.UNIDO promotes inclusive and sustainable industrial development for developing countries. It supports both the private and public sectors in developing countries in order to promote their broad-based prosperity and competitiveness. As UNIDO supports societal reforms and private sector measures that are favourable to the environment, climate and low-carbon development it cooperates extensively with companies, business subsidy organisations and research institutes.
NordenBladet — The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare and the Social Insurance Institution of Finland will start preparing the technical implementation and operating model which will allow Finland to issue the EU COVID-19 vaccination certificate to people who have received a COVID-19 vaccine approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in a non-EU country.In addition, it will be examined whether it is possible to issue the certificate in case of vaccine products that are listed for emergency use by the World Health Organization (WHO).People who are staying or living in Finland but who have been vaccinated in non-EU countries may be issued with the EU COVID-19 vaccination certificate at the end of October at the earliest. The EU COVID-19 vaccination certificate has been available to people vaccinated in Finland since 22 June. The EU certificate of a full course of vaccination has also been available to people who have received their first vaccine dose in another EU Member State or in a non-EU country and their second dose in Finland.In principle, the COVID-19 vaccination certificate is issued by the country where the vaccine was administered. If a person has received the doses required for a full course of vaccination in different EU countries, they will receive a certificate of a full vaccine course from the country where the second dose was administered.Digital COVID-19 certificates issued by certain non-EU countries can already be digitally checked in EU Member States. Currently, such non-EU countries include Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, North Macedonia, San Marino, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and the Vatican. The number of countries will increase as the EU and different non-EU countries agree on the interoperability of the certificates.Each EU Member State can decide for itself what kinds of COVID-19 certificates it requires from incoming travellers.Further information
NordenBladet — Finland will participate in an online Human Rights Pledging Event held by international human rights organisations on Wednesday 8 September. At the event, the countries standing for candidacy for the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) in 2022–2024 will reply to questions posed by the public, organisations and state representatives.In the virtual event, organised by the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) and Amnesty International, the candidate countries will present the themes and objectives that they have set for their candidacy for membership. In addition, the public, civil society organisations and state representatives will ask the candidate countries about the status of human rights in their own country and about their membership pledges.Finland’s representative at the event will be the Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Jukka Salovaara. By participating in the event, Finland proves its commitment to its possible membership of the Human Rights Council, human rights and dialogue with civil society. The multilateral international system would be incapacitated without the contribution of civil society, research institutes, journalists and companies. If elected to membership of the Human Rights Council for 2022–2024, Finland will continue to consult and engage these actors in efforts to defend human rights.Effects of climate change and digitalisation on human rights at the heart of Finland’s campaign
NordenBladet — I am a Finnish citizen/ I have a residence permit to Finland. I am in Afghanistan and want to return to Finland. What should I do?Finland’s relief efforts in Afghanistan have ended. The Finnish Embassy in Kabul has been closed until further notice, and we are not able to offer consular assistance in Afghanistan.Under the Consular Services Act, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs provides assistance to Finnish citizens and foreign citizens residing permanently in Finland, but the opportunities for giving assistance are currently very limited. Persons in dire distress can turn to local or international organisations (for example, the Red Crescent, the Red Cross, UNCHR) and ask for assistance.The Ministry for Foreign Affairs is monitoring the situation and examining possibilities to provide assistance. If you are still in Afghanistan, follow the local media and advice given by the local authorities.The Ministry for Foreign Affairs advises Finnish citizens and permanent residents of Finland who are still in Afghanistan to submit their travel plans and contact details at www.matkustusilmoitus.fi. Through the matkustusilmoitus.fi service, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs is able to contact persons who are staying in the country and send them information about possible changes in the situation.Are you able to bring my family members from Afghanistan to Finland?Evacuations from Afghanistan have ended.Finnish citizens and permanent residents of Finland always have the right to return to Finland. Instead, a family member of a foreign citizen needs a residence permit to be able to move to Finland. Please visit the website of the Finnish Immigration Service for more information about the residence permit
NordenBladet – Summer has been diverse, a lot of anguish has visited me, yet also piles of great events have come my way (the exhibition in ERM, buyout of the house, garden design, renovation, road trips, etc). The separation that stretched over several years, advocates, court-going, evaluations of real estate and dividing the property are finally done and it can be said that communication between me and my ex-partner and father of my children is currently rather normal.
Divorce is never “a pleasant event” and once you’ve lived with someone half of your lifetime it is only natural that the soul will ache for a long time, that tears will force their way out now and then and the heart feels heavy. Even when you already turned a new page in your life. Even when you found your kin spirit and feel deep honour and love toward someone else. However, in today’s blog let’s pause to talk about birthdays, lately there have been several of them! More specifically rightaway!
#1 End of July – Allan’s birthday in Taagepera castle After our congratulations at home, I sent the children to Mõigu to their grandma-grandpa and we started off to South-Estonia with Allan for two days, so that we could celebrate Allan’s 36th birthday there. A beautiful present from Allan’s parents! We had planned a day in Taagepera Wagenküll SPA, an evening in Wagenküll restaurant, and a night in a magnificent historic palace. Gosh how I like the interior as well as the facade of Taagepera castle! This is so me! The SPA, founded on the spot lately, is also very nice, I recommend it!
(blog continues after the gallery)
Next day we drove on to Tartu. First we went to Lange motocenter to race (well, to be more precice, men were racing and we cheered them) and then we went to Estonian National Museum where I gave an interview about my art exhibition for the news program Aktuaalne Kaamera (see HERE) and for Kuku Radio (listen HERE) and then had another very proud look at our exhibition and admired the Elisheva & Shoshana products that are also available at ERM store! In the evening we headed to Kiidjärve to watch a theatrical performance named Vana klaver – Old piano.
#2 Beginning of August – Allan’s mother’s birthday in Tallinn at Elamusgolf centre
Allan’s mother celebrated her current birthday in Elamusgolf centre located underneath Vabaduse square. It’s a clever place for holding a birthday party when you also look for good entertainment for children. There are really nice minigolf tracks, discgolf, and on the spot you can also order pizza, main courses and snacks. Several hours of exciting leisure time guaranteed!
#3 Estonian Independence Day and my birthday on 20 August
My sign is also Leo like the signs of previous two birthday-people! Yay! 🙂 Still, I like to throw a party any other day than my own birthday, thus I haven’t celebrated my birthday in years… however, the joy still fills my heart when someone remembers me on a special day! In the morning Estella played the violin, Allan downright showered me with flowers – he had bought cut flowers, flowerpots, for the garden an entire flowerbed, and also cultivated blueberries! So lovely! When I looked out the window, on the table there were waiting some more flowers, shampagne and a cake from Allan’s brother’s family! At dinner time my parents came to see me, they always come even when the party hasn’t been announced… hahaa. Since I was born on 20 August, all of Estonia is celebrating with me!
#4 End of August – surprise-party for dad
We planned to celebrate father’s 78th birthday in Murimäe, in our garden, yet the summer that had lasted quite long had just ended a week earlier, thus ruining our plans. Therefore we made a last minute decision and invited the guests to my elder sister Marie’s place in Tartu. The birthday was held among the nearest and dearest, it was cozy – we went to sauna, outdoor hot tub, the pool, played cards and had a feast of good food prepared by ourselves.
The President of the Riigikogu Jüri Ratas is attending the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) World Conference of Speakers of Parliament in Vienna today and tomorrow.
The two-day conference focuses on priorities that need prompt international parliamentary action, including international response to the pandemic and post-COVID recovery, climate change, fight against disinformation, involvement of youth in politics, and gender equality.
Today, the President of the Riigikogu is having bilateral meetings with the Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia Kakha Kuchava, and the Speaker of the National Assembly of Azerbaijan Sahiba Gafarova.
On Wednesday, Ratas will speak in a panel discussion on balancing the openness, transparency and accessibility of parliaments with security. Ratas will explain to his colleagues how openness works in the daily work of the Riigikogu, and summarise its efforts during the COVID pandemic, with emphasis on the importance of cyber security and cyber hygiene next to physical security.
The 5th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament brings to Vienna, Austria, the largest number of high-level representatives in the world: 110 speakers of parliament. This is the first interparliamentary meeting in person since the beginning of the COVID-pandemic. The Conference was preceded on Monday by the Summit of Women Speakers of Parliament, and it will be followed on Thursday by a parliamentary meeting on fight against terrorism.
NordenBladet — In its negotiations on 6 September, the Government decided on measures to open up Finland and lift the restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Government aims to dismantle the nationwide restrictions and comprehensive recommendations when at least 80 per cent of people over 12 years of age have been vaccinated twice or they have been offered the opportunity to get vaccinated twice. The implementation of the revised hybrid strategy will begin in stages even earlier.The Government will issue a resolution on an action plan implementing the revised hybrid strategy at the government plenary session on Thursday 9 September. Restrictive measures can be lifted proactively even before reaching the target vaccination coverage. The objective of the revised hybrid strategy to manage the COVID-19 crisis is to reopen society, promote measures to keep it open, support post-epidemic management and create conditions for economic growth and reconstruction. Moreover, the strategy aims to avoid negative social and economic consequences, to safeguard healthcare system capacity and to protect risk groups and vulnerable groups.A vaccination coverage of 80 per cent of all people over 12 years of age can be reached by mid-October, according to estimates at the turn of August and September. Phases of the epidemic will be discontinued and a uniform regional model will be introducedThe action plan aims to support the Regional State Administrative Agencies and municipalities in assessing the proportionality and necessity of their decision-making. It aims to avoid overburdening the healthcare system and prevent uncontrolled spread of the epidemic. Another objective is to guide and direct work to achieve a high level of vaccine uptake. As a rule, there will be no restrictions on any activities in society. Even if there were clusters of infection in the area, the recommendation is that no restrictions should be imposed on low-risk events and activities. Targeted recommendations can be introduced for moderate-risk events and activities. Targeted and carefully selected restrictions are recommended only for high-risk activities. These should be based on administrative decisions as a response to local special situations. The primacy of the best interests of the child will continue to be implemented in all decision-making. The Government is currently preparing the introduction of a COVID-19 passport. Its purpose and intended use would be partly parallel and complementary to the risk-based restrictions. Anyone subject to restrictions could choose to use the COVID-19 passport and thereby avoid the restrictions.The action plan includes a national emergency brake mechanism that could be adopted in situations where the epidemic suddenly and rapidly deteriorates and where regional measures are no longer sufficient to curb the spread of infections. In such cases, more extensive nationwide measures would be reintroduced.
NordenBladet — Legislation and national guidance play a significant role in promoting gender equality in early childhood education and care. This is one of the conclusions of a study commissioned by the Nordic Council of Ministers. The Nordic ministers for gender equality and LGBTI meet to discuss the promotion of gender equality in early childhood education and care.The Nordic ministers for gender equality and LGBTI will meet to discuss the promotion of gender equality in early childhood education and care. The meeting will be held online on 6 September, and it will be chaired by Minister for Nordic Cooperation and Equality Thomas Blomqvist.Promoting gender equality in early childhood education and care is one of the key themes of the Nordic Council of Ministers for Gender Equality and LGBTI (MR-JÄM) during Finland’s Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers. The study published on 3 September examines the legislation, research and good practices related to early childhood education and care in the Nordic countries, the Åland Islands, the Faroe Islands and Greenland. The study was conducted by researchers Nea Alasaari and Sara Sundell. In their meeting today, the ministers will discuss ways to promote gender equality in early childhood education and care on the basis of the study. ”Gender norms, roles and stereotypes are already learnt in childhood. We learn what expectations are placed on us based on our gender, what is acceptable and what opportunities we have. These ideas affect our wellbeing and may limit our education and career choices, for example. When building an equal society, it is necessary to pay attention to the promotion of gender equality in early childhood education and care,” Minister Blomqvist says.Ministers to decide on continuation of LGBTI cooperationPromoting equal rights, treatment and opportunities for gender and sexual minorities has been part of Nordic cooperation on gender equality since 2020. The Danish and Finnish Presidencies (2020–2021) have focused particularly on promoting the wellbeing and safety of young LGBTI people. For example, a Nordic report on the wellbeing of young LGBTI people was published in August 2021. In addition, a report is being prepared under the leadership of Finland to prevent hate crimes and harassment experienced by LGBTI people. The report will be published in autumn 2021. The ministers plan to make a decision on the continuation of LGBTI cooperation, in particular with a view to improving the quality of life of older LGBTI people. “The rights of LGBTI people are under threat around the world. Studies show that most people belonging to gender and sexual minorities have also experienced violence, hate or harassment in the Nordic countries, and the COVID-19 pandemic has made the situation even worse. For these reasons, Nordic cooperation on the promotion of the rights of LGBTI people is now more important than ever. The LGBTI projects that we have carried out so far have focused particularly on young people, and the natural next step is to focus on the wellbeing of older LGBTI people,” says Minister Blomqvist. Finland holds the Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2021. Further informationHanna Onwen-Huma, Senior Specialist, [email protected], tel. +358 2951 63233 Anna Abrahamsson, Special Adviser to the Minister for Nordic Cooperation and Equality, [email protected], tel. +358 . 02951 50029 Sara Sundell, Expert p. 050 514 1818, [email protected] Nea Alasaari, Project Manager, [email protected]
NordenBladet — The Government is adopting a single email suffix in stages during the remainder of 2021. Once the harmonisation process is complete, the email addresses of all staff members at the ministries will end in ‘gov.fi’. The Ministry of Transport and Communications, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of the Environment will adopt the new suffix on 6 September 2021.This means that as a rule, the e-mail addresses of the staff at these ministries will now be in the format [email protected] Emails sent to the old email addresses will still reach their recipients for two years after the new suffix is adopted.The general email addresses of the ministries will change later in 2021. This applies to the addresses of the registries, for example. The change will not affect the website addresses of the ministries. They will remain the same.‘Gov.fi’ suffix to be adopted in all ministries during the second half of the yearThe rest of the ministries will also take the new suffix into use over the course of 2021. The Ministry of Justice and the Prime Minister’s Office have already switched to ‘gov.fi’ addresses. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment and the Ministry of Finance will adopt the new email suffix on 20 September, and the Foreign Service will take it into use in November.The email addresses of staff working in tasks requiring a high level of preparedness and security will adopt the suffix ‘govsec.fi’. The Ministry of the Interior will change the email addresses of all its staff members to the format [email protected] on 4 October. The schedules are subject to change.By adopting a single email suffix, we can create a more unified Government and make it easier for citizens to contact government staff. The change is being carried out as part of normal updates to the email system. In connection with the reform, the Government is also making improvements to the security of its email traffic and enhancing its ability to detect potential information security anomalies.The ‘gov.fi’ suffix was chosen because it is easily identifiable and the same principle is in use in other countries. Harmonised email addresses will also make it easier for government staff to switch jobs between different ministries.
