NordenBladet — On Tuesday 27 May, the President of the Republic released Member of Parliament Matti Vanhanen, Master of Social Sciences, from the post of Minister of Finance and his membership in the Government. On the same occasion, the President transferred and appointed Minister of Science and Culture Annika Saarikko as Minister of Finance and appointed Member of Parliament Antti Kurvinen, Lawyer, Master of Laws, as a Member of Government and Minister of Science and Culture.Following the presidential session, the Government plenary session made decisions on changes to the ministerial portfolios, deputising arrangements and the composition of ministerial committees and working groups. Minister Kurvinen took an oath of office and a judicial oath.Saarikko will continue as minister deputising for the Prime Minister. She will be a member of the Ministerial Committee on Foreign and Security Policy, the Ministerial Committee on European Union Affairs, the Ministerial Committee on Economic Policy and the Ministerial Finance Committee. In addition, she will serve as the chair of the Sustainable Growth Programme for Finland and member of the Ministerial Working Group on Promoting Employment and the Ministerial Working Group on Health and Social Services. Kurvinen will chair the Ministerial Working Group on Child and Youth Policy and be member of the Ministerial Working Group on Competence, Education, Culture and Innovation, the Ministerial Working Group on Internal Security and Strengthening the Rule of Law, and the Ministerial Monitoring group on the Social Security Reform.The Government also appointed State Secretaries to the Ministers. Maria Kaisa Aula, Licentiate in Political Science, will continue as State Secretary to the Ministry of Finance and Tuomo Puumala, Master in Social Sciences, as State Secretary to the Minister of Science and Culture. Anna-Mari Vimpari will continue as State Secretary to the Centre Party ministerial group. 

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — The purpose of the event guarantee is to reduce the financial risk of organising events. The guarantee is an advance payment commitment given to event organisers for the costs the organisers declare. If the event is cancelled or its size restricted by law or order of an authority, compensation will be paid for the costs incurred.Event organisers will apply for event guarantee at the State Treasury. The application process has two phases. Applications will be accepted from 1 June to 31 August 2021. Event organisers must apply for compensation based on the event guarantee separately. Applications for compensation are accepted from 15 September to 7 December 2021. The State Treasury will provide more detailed instructions on how to apply for event guarantee on 28 May 2021.Event guarantee applies to established event organisers – regional restrictions to be taken into accountThe event guarantee would apply to, for example, art and cultural festivals, concerts and exhibitions, sports events, music festivals, fairs and similar events.Event guarantee may be granted if the following conditions are met:The event is a public event with at least 200 participants.The event will take place between 1 June and 7 December 2021.The event organiser is an established and professional business that has a Business ID, a permanent organisation and a turnover of more than EUR 150,000 in 2019. Typically, established event organisers have hired staff, but sole entrepreneurs can also apply for event guarantee.Regional restrictions by the authorities permit the organisation of an event for at least 200 people.Event guarantee does not apply to events organised regularly year-round. Such events include weekly performances, concerts and plays, or sports events organised as a series.Event guarantee granted for preannounced and actual costsIn its application, the event organiser should include the planned time, place and duration of the event, the estimated costs and any subcontractors of the event. The organiser applies for the event guarantee, but the compensation for cancelled events will also be paid to the subcontracts included in the application.If the event is cancelled completely by law or by order of an authority, 85% of the costs will be reimbursed. Only actual costs announced in advance could be compensated. An event is considered cancelled if a law or order of an authority restricting such events is in force 90 days or less before the event.An event may also be deemed cancelled if the size of the event is restricted by law or order of an authority to allow no more than 85% of the initially planned participants. In such a case, the event organiser may cancel the event and receive compensation in accordance with the event guarantee. The event organiser may also scale down the size of the event to comply with the restrictions, in which case the event guarantee will compensate for the costs in part.Under the leadership of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, the Government prepares recommendations concerning the organisation of events. Municipalities and Regional State Administrative Agencies make decisions based on these recommendations. The recommendations differ from one region to another, depending on the epidemiological situation.Applications accepted for Ministry of Education and Culture’s event aidThe Ministry of Education and Culture accepts applications for coronavirus-related grants from art and cultural festivals and summer theatres. The Ministry’s grants will supportart and cultural festivals organised as activities of general interestart and cultural festivals organised on a commercial basis (organiser’s turnover including VAT of up to EUR 150,000 in 2019)  summer theatre activities that are either professional or at least partly employ arts professionals.  The grants are intended to support activities that have become more difficult or that have been cancelled altogether due to the restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic between 1 January and 30 September 2021. The grants also aim to help continue or restart activities as flexibly as possible after the restrictions have ended. Applications are accepted until 22 June 2021.EUR 80 million reserved for event guaranteeAid granted earlier under the same temporary State aid rules of the European Commission will be taken into account when granting the guarantee. The total amount of coronavirus-related aid, such as business cost support, cannot exceed EUR 1.8 million. The aid granted by the Ministry of Education and Culture for the same purpose will be deducted from the event guarantee.The Government has reserved EUR 80 million for the event guarantee and a total of about EUR 230 million for the support package for the cultural, arts, sports and event sectors. On 27 May 2021, the Government proposed that the President of the Republic approve the amendments to the Act on Support for Business Costs, which will enable the event guarantee. The Act will enter into force on 1 June 2021.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — The Government appointed Dr Minna Kelhä as Director General of the Finnish National Agency for Education. The duration of the position is for five years, beginning on 7 June 2021 and ending on 6 June 2026.Kelhä has served as State Secretary to the Minister of Education since 2019. Her previous positions include: Secretary-General of the Left Alliance Parliamentary Group from 2016 to 2019, Parliamentary Secretary from 2015 to 2016, Development Manager at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare from 2014 to 2015, Special Adviser to the Minister of Culture and Sport from 2011 to 2014, and Parliamentary Assistant from 2009 to 2011. Kelhä qualified as a Doctor of Education in 2009.In her position as State Secretary to the Minister of Education, Kelhä has led the legislative projects and content preparation of key education policy reforms under the Government Programme.Kelhä has been responsible for preparations for programmes such as the extension of compulsory education, reforming continuous learning, the project called ‘The Right to Learn’ for early childhood education and care and basic education, and the ‘Right to Know’ project for vocational education and training.The Finnish National Agency for Education develops education, early childhood education and care and lifelong learning and promotes a more international scope in its activities. The Director General leads the Agency’s operations and is responsible for the effectiveness of the Agency’s activities. Altogether 17 candidates applied for the post.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — The epidemiological situation has remained stable in Finland in the past few weeks. The number of new COVID-19 cases took a sharp downward turn in late March, which levelled out in late April. Since then the number of new cases has remained stable.The epidemic is developing in two directions. More social contacts and the more transmissible virus variants may increase the number of infections. At the same time, the progress in the vaccine rollout and seasonality drive the number of cases down. This explains why the number of weekly infections remains stable.More social contacts may result in regional clustersThe coronavirus situation is very different across the country. Southern and southwestern Finland have the highest numbers of new cases. However, the situation has improved considerably in the Hospital District of Southwest Finland compared to the previous week. Vaccination progress and seasonality help control the epidemicIn Finland, more than 90 per cent of people aged 70 or older and more than 50 per cent of people aged over 16 have received their first vaccine dose. It is estimated that all those aged 16 or over who wish to be vaccinated will have received their first dose by the end of July.Monitoring coronavirus (in Finnish and Swedish)The COVID-19 epidemic: regional situation, recommendations and restrictionsCoronavirus in numbers (Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa)Action plan for implementing the hybrid strategy to curb the COVID-19 epidemic in January-May 2021 (Publications of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health 2021:1)Effects of the COVID-19 epidemic on wellbeing, services and the economy, in FinnishProgress with the rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations, in Finnish and SwedishGuidelines for the controlled dismantling of restrictions and recommendations put in place due to the COVID-19 epidemic: Government memorandum 20 April 2021 (Prime Minister’s Office) in Finnish

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — Minister of Defence Antti Kaikkonen will participate in the EU defence minister meeting in Lisbon on Friday 28 May 2021.
The ministers will discuss topical defence cooperation issues, such as the process of strategic evaluation and steering of EU defence cooperation, the Strategic Compass, focusing on the development of capabilities and new transformational technologies. They will also discuss the EU Strategy for Africa together with African regional organisations and the UN.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — Finland will send material assistance to Nepal through the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism to tackle the COVID-19 crisis. The material assistance will include face masks, protective visors, protective gloves and medical gowns.The Nepalese authorities have requested material assistance from the EU countries due to the rapidly deteriorating COVID-19 situation. Nepal is one of Finland’s long-term development cooperation partner countries.The material assistance will be delivered through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism as part of the European Union’s joint assistance mission. The European Commission is coordinating the pooling of assistance and supports Member States in the arrangement of logistics and in transport costs.The Ministry of the Interior has collaborated to this end with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, and the National Emergency Supply Agency. The main part of the material assistance will be provided through the state emergency stockpiling maintained by the National Emergency Supply Agency. Material assistance has also been donated by Medifon Oy, Logonet Oy Ltd, Mediwear Ltd and Röntgentekno Oy with their cooperation partner Fiberone Oy

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — Finland will begin the first reforms and investments of its Sustainable Growth Programme already this year, but most of the funding will be used in 2022–2023. In its third supplementary budget, the Government proposes investments in research, continuous learning, quicker access to care and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The proposal includes EUR 238 million in funding for the Sustainable Growth Programme.The Government’s Ministerial Committee on Economic Policy supported the adoption of the final Recovery and Resilience Plan on Monday 24 May. The Government is due to adopt the Plan on Thursday 27 May. The Plan forms part of the Sustainable Growth Programme for Finland.Among other things, the Sustainable Growth Programme willreduce emissions by boosting investments and research and development activitiesaccelerate sustainable economic growthcreate opportunities for long-term economic growthspeed up access to caresupport reforms that promote employmentHalf of the funding involved will be for promoting a green transition, and about a quarter will be for digitalisation. The Programme includes approximately EUR 700 million in funding for research, development and innovation (RDI) activities.“The Recovery and Resilience Plans of the Member States support recovery and aim to change the economic structures, so they can permanently improve economic growth in the EU. Finland’s Plan forms a part of this bigger European package. The Plan is a balanced combination of reforms and investments that support sustainable economic growth and repair the damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic,” says Minister of Finance Matti Vanhanen, chair of the ministerial working group on sustainable growth.The ministerial working group on sustainable growth for Finland has focused on strong public-private partnerships in order to leverage investment. The aim of the Programme is to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in Finland in a fair and just way, but also to open new markets for Finnish companies and to gain a position at the leading edge internationally. Finnish companies can also apply for funding from recovery projects in other countries.The European Commission predicts that investments in the EU will rise to a record high next year. According to the Commission’s Spring 2021 Economic Forecast, the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) will increase the EU’s GDP by around 1.2% by the end of 2022 compared with 2019.The Ministry of Finance estimates that, due to the Sustainable Growth Programme, Finland’s GDP could be 0.3% higher in 2026 than without the Programme. In the long term, the Programme’s reforms and investments could raise GDP by up to 0.8%. There is considerable uncertainty about the long-term impacts.Content of the Plan largely unchangedFinland submitted its preliminary Recovery and Resilience Plan to the European Commission on 15 March. Subsequently, the ministries continued discussions with the Commission and finalised the Plan based on these discussions. No significant changes to the content of the Plan were made during further preparation.The Recovery and Resilience Plan outlines the use of RRF funding in Finland. According to EU legislation, the total amount of funding for 2021–2023 is approximately EUR 2.1 billion at current prices (EUR 1.9 billion at 2018 prices). The final amount of funding for Finland from the RRF will not be known until summer 2022, as the performance of the economy in 2021 and 2022 will affect the figures. Finland will also receive funding for other programmes under the EU’s recovery package, such as those under the Just Transition Mechanism and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development. The ministerial working group on sustainable growth will adapt the content of these programmes to the Plan that will be adopted now. The overall amount of EU funding for Finland will be approximately EUR 2.9 billion at current prices (EUR 2.7 billion at 2018 prices).Funding for research and emissions reduction beginsOn Thursday 27 May, the Government will submit to Parliament a proposal for the third supplementary budget for the year, which will begin the implementation of Finland’s Sustainable Growth Programme. The funding of the third draft supplementary budget will be divided according to the four pillars in the Programme as follows:green transition, EUR 48.5 million digitalisation, EUR 9.5 millionemployment and skills, EUR 134.9 millionhealth and social services, EUR 45 million.The Government proposes appropriations for RDI activities from pillar 3. According to the proposal, the Academy of Finland will receive EUR 45 million in appropriations while Business Finland will receive EUR 62 million in authorisations for grants. The supplementary budget will also initiate reforms to promote continuous learning.As part of the green transition, funding would be available for phasing out oil heating in single-family houses and for building charging infrastructure for electric cars. Greenhouse gas emissions will also be reduced by investments in the reuse and recycling of industrial sidestreams. Investments in social and health care services will be allocated to the relief of the service and care debt and to digital services that support treatment guarantees.  Meanwhile, investments in digitalisation will focus on prevention of money laundering, development of a digital economy for businesses, development of a housing information system, digitalisation of rail transport and cybersecurity.A list of expenditures in the supplementary budget that relate to the implementation of the Sustainable Growth Programme is attached to this press release.  The ministries and organisations under their purview will organise a call for applications for funding for measures now launched in their own administrative branches and will inform about these calls separately.Achieving objectives is a condition of fundingThe measures included in the supplementary budget will come from the EU as an advance payment once the Union has approved Finland’s Recovery and Resilience Plan. The advance payment forms 13% of the whole funding. In future, Member States will apply for payments from the EU twice a year on the basis of how the targets and milestones have been achieved. Each Member State will report to the European Commission on the achievement of the objectives set out in its plan. Requests for payment will also be discussed among the Member States.“It is important that the use of RRF funds is closely monitored, as required by EU legislation. In addition to national monitoring and by the Commission, the Member States will also evaluate together how well they have achieved the targets and interim objectives as a condition for funding. The information is open to anyone, which allows citizens to learn about the plans and look at the reports from all countries,” Vanhanen says. The use of funding is monitored not only at EU level but also nationally. EU legislation requires each Member State to have reliable solutions for administrative, supervisory and audit activities. The Ministry of Finance is responsible for this in Finland.What next?The Ministry of Finance will submit Finland’s Recovery and Resilience Plan to the EU. The European Commission has two months to assess the Member States’ Plans, which will then be approved by the Council of the EU. In future, appropriations will be included in the State budgets. Each ministry will communicate separately about the calls for applications for appropriations. 

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi