NordenBladet — At their video conference on 2 June 2021, the Nordic ministers of employment will exchange views over the findings of the extensive Future of Work research project. The final report of the project found that, in the long term, the Nordic welfare model will be challenged by global megatrends such as digital transformation, the ageing of the population and climate change.

This informal ministerial meeting will be hosted by Finland, who holds the Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2021. Representatives of the social partners have also been invited to participate. Finland will be represented by Minister of Employment Tuula Haatainen as chair the meeting and Minister of Social Affairs and Health Anna-Kaisa Pekonen.

The challenges of the transformation of work can be turned into opportunities
The study of the Nordic Council of Ministers and the FAFO research foundation examined how the Nordic welfare model and high employment could be maintained in the changing labour market, seen that high employment actually stands as a guarantee of the welfare model. As a potential threat, the researchers identified the increasing division of the labour market with the growing number of atypical employment relationships and job descriptions. It is anticipated that unemployment may rise among the low-skilled and their working conditions may deteriorate.

“The education system must lend support to people in these changing circumstances. Continuous learning is a right and also a necessity. Learning, however, not only takes place at educational institutions but, increasingly, at workplaces. We need to involve all parties: workers, employers, policy-makers and education providers,” Minister of Employment Haatainen notes. Despite all the challenges facing the Nordic social welfare model, the study found that it can be the solution to the emerging problems.

”Nordic welfare countries are founded on a social security system, which is now being challenged by transformation of work. In order to ensure the wellbeing of people we must take care not to leave anyone without support. By investing in social security we invest in a functioning and equal labour market at the same time,” says Minister of Social Affairs and Health Pekonen.

“Strengthening the welfare state is in the interests of all the Nordic countries. I am positive that we can turn the challenges of the transformation of work into an opportunity by improving on the existing support structures and by investing in skills. A skilled workforce can create new products and services that, in turn, will lead to new innovations and pave the way for new growth,” Minister Haatainen adds.

Working life-related issues will further be addressed at three conferences to be held by Finland in autumn 2021 as part of its Presidency. They will look at the Nordic wage formation system, the future of work notably from the climate change perspective, and the promotion of inclusive labour markets. A formal meeting of Nordic employment ministers will take place in November 2021.

NordenBladet — Follow a live discussion on accessible technology on the Ministry’s Twitter page today 2 June at 12 pm EEST. Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto discusses digitalisation and accessibility with UN Special Rapporteur Gerard Quinn and experts from Abilis Foundation. The event is a part of Finland’s candidacy campaign to the UN Human Rights Council. Finland’s campaign priorities are the rights of women and girls, education, digitalisation and new technologies, and climate change. Visit fiforhrc.com to learn more.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs on TwitterFinland’s candidacy to the UN Human Rights Council
Join the conversation #FIforHRC

NordenBladet — Oulu has been selected as European Capital of Culture for 2026. The selection is recommended by a European expert panel composed of nine independent experts in the field of arts and culture. The panel, having visited the candidate cities, announced its recommendation at the end of its two-day meeting in Helsinki on Wednesday 2 June.

The concept of the European Capital of Culture project of the City of Oulu and the municipalities in Northern Finland is ‘Cultural Climate Change’, which is about reconnecting with the world and creating new kinds of togetherness. The project’s main goals are to inject new energy into the region by means of arts and culture and to meet cross-border demands through cooperation.

Oulu’s new cultural strategy is built around three themes: Wild City, Cool Contrasts and Brave Hinterland. It emphasises social, cultural, economic and ecological sustainability. Oulu2026 wants to bring culture into everyone’s lives and create new opportunities for people to participate in arts and culture.

Three Finnish cities, Oulu, Savonlinna and Tampere, bid to be nominated as Finland’s candidate for the European Capital of Culture for 2026. After a pre-selection process last summer, the three cities were shortlisted for the final selectionMinister of Science and Culture Antti Kurvinen said in his speech that he hopes that each of the candidate cities make use of all the good work they have already done and continue to develop their cultural life in innovative and sustainable ways.

“The European Capital of Culture event is a unique opportunity to create new kinds of arts and culture, boost operating conditions and encourage people to participate in and experience arts and culture together.  It is a year-long cultural programme by which the selected city showcases its arts and culture for Finnish and European audiences,” says Minister Kurvinen.

“The best part of the event is that it helps people discover the culture of the selected city and its neighbours and learn about the identities, customs, arts, cultural heritage, food culture, celebrations and large and small events of the local people. These are linked to the many opportunities for European cooperation.Another 2026 European Capital of Culture will be selected from Slovakia.

Third Finnish city to be selected as European Capital of CultureEuropean Capitals of Culture have been designated since 1985. Finland’s two earlier European Capitals of Culture were Helsinki in 2000 and Turku in 2011. The European Capital of Culture event is one of the most well-known and successful cultural measures of the EU. It aims to highlight the diversity of cultures in Europe, to boost cultural exchange and to increase European citizens’ sense of belonging to a common cultural area. In addition, it fosters the contribution of culture to the development of cities.

The European Commission funds the event by awarding the selected city the Melina Mercouri Prize in 2026. The main sources of funding for the event are the central government, local governments and many partners of the city.The expert panel started its work in May 2020, and it will continue to support and advise the selected European Capital of Culture until 2026. It will publish its selection report in early July. Dessy Gavrilova chairs the panel with Riitta Vanhatalo serving as vice-chair.

Read more about the European Capital of Culture project and the selection process:
Oulu2026Oulu2026 Bid Book for the Final SelectionRead more about the evaluation process of the European Capital of Culture competition

NordenBladet — Finland is coordinating cooperation between the Nordic countries and Baltic states in the Nordic–Baltic Eight (NB8) format in 2021. The second foreign ministerial meeting of the year will be held on Wednesday 2 June. Due to the COVID-19 situation, the meeting will be held virtually.

The topics on the agenda of the meeting, chaired by Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland Pekka Haavisto, will include topical OSCE and UN matters and other foreign and security policy questions.  “The Nordic countries and Baltic states are among Finland’s most important groups of reference. It is important for us to exchange views on topical questions with close partners also now that meetings are held virtually. Recent events in Belarus and Ukraine will definitely be brought up in the discussions, and the results of the Arctic Council’s Ministerial meeting in Reykjavik will also be handled,” says Foreign Minister Haavisto.

NordenBladet — Due to the progress made in coronavirus vaccinations and the improved epidemiological situation, demand for labour is on the increase and the labour market is expected to grow sharply already this year. The employment rate will surpass the pre-epidemic level in 2023, but the number of unemployed jobseekers will remain above the level preceding the epidemic.

On 2 June 2021, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment published a labour market forecast until 2023. The forecast is based on the assumption that the restrictions on mobility and business activities can be lifted by autumn.Number of employed people not to reach pre-epidemic level until 2023According to the labour market forecast, the employment rate will rise to 71.2% this year and to 71.8% next year, thereby surpassing the level preceding the epidemic. Due to the declining population, the number of employed people will not exceed the pre-epidemic level until 2023. The number of people employed is estimated to total 2,535,000 in 2023. Due to the break in the time series of the labour market survey, the employment rate series is currently about one percentage point lower than before.Finland’s unemployment rate is forecast to remain at 7.7% this year as those outside of the labour force will begin to look for work. As more unemployed people find work, the rate is expected to fall to 7.3% in 2022 and to 6.7% in 2023.

Labour supply to return to pre-epidemic level already this year
The labour market forecast also examines the supply of labour, that is, the total number of employed and unemployed people. The labour force participation rate is estimated to rise to 65.9% this year, which will be sufficient to restore the amount of the labour force to pre-epidemic level despite the decline in the population. In 2021, the labour force will grow by around 15,000 people, and in 2022 by about 4,000 people. In 2023, the labour force is not forecast to grow because the working-age population shrinks.

Following the Government’s decision to increase work-based immigration, a larger number of such immigrants is likely to show in the population projections and the forecasts on the size of the labour force in the coming years. In addition, the Government’s objective to increase the number of foreign students who stay in Finland after graduation will probably show in the labour force forecasts at some point, but not yet in this forecast period.

Number of registered unemployed jobseekers to fall in 2021 while long-term unemployment to peak in early 2022
The number of registered unemployed jobseekers and young jobseekers in the Employment Service Statistics will begin to fall in 2021 as coronavirus-related restrictions are gradually lifted. In 2022 and 2023, their number will continue to decrease, but will remain at a higher level than before the epidemic. The average number of unemployed jobseekers will be 318,000 in 2021, 284,000 in 2022 and 267,000 in 2023.

Meanwhile, there will be 39,000 young unemployed jobseekers in 2021, 33,000 in 2022 and 30,000 in 2023.

The number of long-term unemployed is forecast to increase during 2021 and to peak at the beginning of 2022, after which it is projected to fall as a result of the general positive trend in the number of registered unemployed jobseekers. According to the forecast, the number of long-term unemployed will total 111,000 in 2021, 115,000 in 2022 and 100,000 in 2023.

The short-term labour market forecast of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment is based on a statistical time-series analysis that makes use of economic indicators, labour market statistics and policy information, as well as the Ministry of Finance’s GDP forecast and the demographic forecasts of Statistics Finland. The forecast is published twice a year.

NordenBladet — The Ministry of the Interior has published a programme for police traffic enforcement and traffic safety for 2021–2030. The programme aims to reduce traffic fatalities, serious injuries, traffic accidents and traffic offences, as well as transportation crime and the grey economy in commercial traffic.

Although road safety has improved in the long term, the number of traffic deaths has not decreased in line with the goals in recent years. According to Statistics Finland, 221 people died in traffic accidents last year, compared with 211 in the previous year. This means that were more traffic deaths last year than in 2019.

”The aim of the police traffic enforcement and safety programme is to reduce traffic fatalities and serious injuries in particular. This requires effective and efficient measures to maintain and improve traffic safety,” says Chief Superintendent Jari Pajunen from the Ministry of the Interior.

The programme describes the road traffic operating environment and the current state of traffic safety and explains factors and measures affecting safety in order to maintain and promote traffic safety. In particular, the programme emphasises the role of cooperation in ensuring traffic safety.”Cooperation and the exchange of information with the police, other authorities involved in road safety, as well as organisations and municipalities, for example, is very important. It is also absolutely essential that citizens want to cooperate with the police in order to promote traffic safety,” Pajunen continues.

The aim is also to combat the grey economy and traffic offencesTraffic enforcement is a key measure for the police to influence traffic safety and traffic offences. However, the fight against traffic offences also requires other comprehensive and well-targeted actions. ”The programme aims to reduce the grey economy in commercial transport, prevent, detect and investigate traffic offences and transportation crime as well as submit such case to prosecutors for the consideration of charges. Achieving this goal requires effective exposure and prevention measures,” Pajunen says.

The programme does not assess the organisation or resourcing of police traffic control and safety work. The National Police Board is responsible for implementing the measures stated in the programme.

“We have established a multidisciplinary working group in the National Police Board, where we look at the roles of different operating sectors of the police in traffic safety work. In the working group, we will draw up an action and development plan for traffic control and safety by the end of this year in order to implement the programme. In the future, the aim is also to measure the effectiveness of police traffic control and communications even more accurately,” says Assistant Police Commissioner Hannu Kautto, who is responsible for traffic safety work at the National Police Board.

The Ministry of Transport and Communications is currently preparing a national traffic safety strategy. The Ministry of the Interior and the National Police Board are involved in the preparation of the strategy.

Further information:
Chief Superintendent Jari Pajunen, tel. +358 295 488 576 (Police Department of the Ministry of the Interior);
Assistant Police Commissioner Hannu Kautto, tel. +358 295 481 866 (National Police Board)

NordenBladet — Finland, as the driving force behind the International Year of Plant Health 2020, has also been crucially involved in the production of one of its key legacy accomplishments – the development of a scientific review study “Climate-change impacts on plant pests: a global challenge to prevent and mitigate plant-pest risks in agriculture, forestry and ecosystems”.

The publication of this study was launched in Rome on June 1st by the Director-General of FAO, Mr Qu Dongy, with the participation of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Finland, Ms Jaana Husu-Kallio. The high-level launch event was live-streamed by FAO and the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC).

The scientific review study, which was originally suggested and supported by Finland, was prepared by Prof Maria Lodovica Gullani from the University of Turin and ten internationally recognized scientists. The study aims to deepen the understanding of the impacts of climate change on the infectivity, distribution and severity of plant pests and diseases, and tries to trigger international collaborative action to mitigate increased risks.

In her speech at the launch event, Ms Husu-Kallio focused in particular on the impacts of climate change and plant health on food security and consequently peace. She noted that food is a universal human right while emphasizing the role of food security as a determinant of peace. “The absence of food security may ultimately result in the deterioration of global security, eventually corroding peace on all levels – nationally, regionally and globally. Climate change and plant health are two of the main threats to a food-secure world, and both are standing at the centre of our efforts to establish sustainable food systems around the world” Ms Husu-Kallio concluded.

NordenBladet — The Ministry of Education and Culture and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare have updated the guidelines on how to prevent coronavirus infections in connection with public events and gatherings and when using public premises.

NordenBladet — The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is continuing to prepare legislation on the self-determination of clients and patients. A roadmap extending beyond the term of the current Government will also be drawn up to strengthen client and patient participation and rights, and a broad-based monitoring group will be appointed to support this work.

The reform seeks to amend legislation in order to realise the self-determination of clients and patients. Practices are also being developed to increase client and patient participation and reduce the use of restrictive measures.

Legislation will be reformed in stages
The work of preparing this legislation will be done in stages due to the breadth of its subject matter.

The first stage will be a reform of legal remedies for involuntary medication in psychiatric care. The outdated Act on Welfare for Substance Abusers will also be repealed and its current regulation governing involuntary care will be updated, and the autonomy regulation of the Act on Special Care for People with Intellectual Disabilities will be included in relevant statutes.

The intention is to submit a Government bill on the first stage of amendments to Parliament in summer 2022.Roadmap for strengthening client and patient rightsLegislative reforms and enhancement of practices will continue in future government terms. A roadmap will be drawn up in support of the reform to guide work over the long term and over several terms of government.The intention is to appoint a broad-based monitoring group during the summer to assist in preparing the reform.

NordenBladet — The Ministry of Justice has opened an application process for actors representing civil society and its research to the Advisory Board on Civil Society Policy KANE. The application is open from 1 June to 20 August 2021. The advisory board will now be appointed for the fourth four-year term 2021–2025.

Registered associations in the industries specified in the Decree on KANE are eligible to apply for membership. Furthermore, parties representing free civic activities and civil society research may also apply for membership of the advisory board. When the application period ends, the Ministry of Justice will evaluate the applications and submit a proposal to the Government on setting up a new Advisory Board on Civil Society Policy. The Government is scheduled to appoint the advisory board for a four-year term in autumn 2021. The tasks of KANE, operating in connection with the Ministry of Justice, include promoting the interaction between administration and civil society and enhancing the operating conditions for civil society. The advisory board consists of representatives of civil society, research, business sector, ministries and other public agencies.