NordenBladet — The Finnish Government has approved Finland’s Africa strategy today. It will be used to diversify and deepen Finland’s relations with African countries, the African Union (AU) and regional organisations, with focus on political and economic relations.

The strategy covers the strategic priorities of Finland’s Africa policy and its aim is also to ensure a more comprehensive and coherent approach to Finland’s Africa policy. The emphasis of the strategy is based on the Government Report on Finnish Foreign and Security Policy.

According to Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto, significant changes have taken place in Africa in recent years. “Many African countries have experienced strong economic growth, the continent has become more integrated politically and economically, and the population is growing at a rapid rate. Africa has become more important strategically, geopolitically and in terms of commercial and economic relations. For instance, the ability of the African countries to adapt to climate change, preserve biodiversity and meet the challenges arising from population growth by providing young people with education, jobs and political power not only impacts development on the African continent, but also Europe and Finland.”

The perspective and target setting of the Africa strategy are new. The strategy does not focus on the development of Africa or development cooperation, but on the development of Finland’s relations with African countries. It emphasises the strengthening of mutually beneficial political, commercial, and economic relations.

Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari is of the view that there is great potential for building business relations between Finland and many African countries. The relations can be developed in a manner that will benefit both Finnish and African actors. “Among other things, the objective has been set to double trade between Finland and African countries from 2020 to 2030 and to increase investment in both directions.”

The preparations of the Africa strategy have been led by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in close cooperation with other ministries. Through an extensive consultation process, a wide range of actors from state institutions, business, science, research and education, as well as representatives of civil society, have also been involved in the preparation. African partners, such as the Finnish African diaspora and the ambassadors of African countries, have also been consulted in the process. Cooperation with various actors will continue throughout the Government’s implementation of the strategy.

Finland will promote the objectives of the Africa strategy through bilateral relations with African countries, as an EU Member State, in cooperation with other Nordic countries, in international financial institutions and within the framework of the UN and other multilateral cooperation. The policies of the European Union’s recent Strategy with Africa are also taken into consideration in the strategy, as well as the objectives of Agenda 2030 and Agenda 2063 of the African Union.

NordenBladet — Restaurants and other food and beverage service businesses are closed to customers in areas where the COVID-19 epidemic situation is the most serious. The areas where such establishments will remain closed are laid down in a government decree, which will remain in force until 28 March 2021. The National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) issued a statement on the epidemic situation in the regions on 17 March 2021. On the basis of this statement, the Government does not propose amendments to the decree.

The Government regularly monitors the development of the epidemic situation in different regions. Under the act, the Government must amend the decree if a closure in a region is no longer necessary. Similarly, the decree will be amended if the epidemic situation in a region deteriorates.
As per the decree of 8 March 2021, food and beverage service businesses must be closed to customers in the following regions:
1.    Uusimaa
2.    Southwest Finland
3.    Satakunta
4.    Kanta-Häme
5.    Pirkanmaa
6.    Päijät-Häme
7.    Kymenlaakso
8.    South Karelia
9.    South Savo
10.    Central Finland
11.    South Ostrobothnia
12.    Ostrobothnia
13.    Northern Ostrobothnia
14.    Lapland
15.    Åland

The following areas are excluded from the closure: North Karelia, Central Ostrobothnia, Kainuu and North Savo. Food and beverage service businesses in these areas must comply with the restrictions laid down in the Communicable Diseases Act and in the regulations issued under it. The same applies to all food and beverage service businesses in Finland after the closure ends. The Government Proposal to temporarily amend the Communicable Diseases Act is currently under consideration by Parliament.  Based on this, stricter restrictions on the opening hours, licensing hours and the number of customer seats of food and beverage service businesses could be laid down.

NordenBladet — On 18 March 2021, the Government submitted to Parliament a proposal on national legislation supplementing the EU regulations on the use of the Schengen Information System (SIS). The role of the SIS is to support checks at the external Schengen borders and improve cooperation and exchanges of information between law enforcement and judicial authorities across Europe.

The Schengen Information System (SIS) is used by Member States’ police, border and customs authorities and other competent authorities who are entitled to enter alerts on persons or objects into the system and consult them. They typically issue alerts, for example, on wanted or missing persons, return decisions concerning non-EU citizens, and entry bans. Alerts are also entered on children who are at risk of abduction or potential victims of violence. Photographs, fingerprints and other personal data may be stored in the entries to facilitate the identification of persons.

The current EU regulations on the use of the SIS entered into force on 28 December 2018. The purpose of these legislative amendments is to update the personal data laws of the Finnish Police, Border Guard and Customs to comply with these EU regulations. The objective of the regulations is to strengthen the fight against terrorism and serious crime, ensure a high level of security across the EU, and promote migration management by stepping up the exchange of information between Member States. For residents of EU countries, these changes will be seen as improved cooperation between public authorities and as better enhancement of security across the EU.

“At the same time, legislative amendments will be proposed to harmonise and clarify the provisions on access to personal data in the common information systems of the EU for the prevention, detection and investigation of terrorist offences and serious criminal offences,” says Senior Specialist Suvi Pato-Oja from the Ministry of the Interior.

The government proposal moreover includes amendments that concern sharing data and information with the common information systems of the EU. As the proposed amendments to Finland’s national legislation are mainly technical in nature, the proposed provisions are not going to significantly change the current state of affairs.

What kinds of information individual Member States can share with the SIS is affected by their national provisions on the processing of personal data. In Finland, the processing of fingerprints in particular is strictly restricted. The government proposal in question therefore does not suggest any extensions to the provisions on the use of fingerprints.This legislative project contributes to one of the strategic themes of the current Government Programme, “Safe and secure Finland built on the rule of law”.

NordenBladet — This year marks the seventh anniversary of the illegal annexation of Crimea by Russia. The matter is a serious violation of international law, the Charter of the United Nations and Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

Finland reiterates its firm and unambiguous support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders. Finland does not recognise Crimea to be part of Russia. Finland implements the EU’s joint non-recognition policy of the illegal annexation of Crimea, as well as the restrictive measures put in place due to Russia’s actions. Finland supports international efforts to restore Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

Finland is concerned about the human rights situation in the Crimean Peninsula, which is continuing to deteriorate. The illegal annexation puts at risk Crimean people’s opportunities to maintain their culture, identity and other fundamental rights. Unlawful detentions and convictions, forced conscription to serve in the Russian armed forces, and other forms of exercise of pressure are directed especially at the Crimean Tatars and Ukrainians. Finland stresses that people who are unlawfully detained and convicted should be released, human rights violations and breaches should be investigated, and the perpetrators should be brought to justice. International human rights and humanitarian organisations should be granted unimpeded access to Crimea. Finland calls attention to the humanitarian law applicable to such situations as occupation and to the fact that states are bound by human rights obligations also when they are exercising their powers outside their own territory. Finland is concerned about the continuing militarisation of the Crimean Peninsula, which undermines the security of the whole area around the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. The Kerch Strait Bridge, which was constructed without Ukraine’s consent, further violates Ukraine’s territorial integrity. Russia must ensure unhindered and free passage of vessels through the Kerch Strait.

High Representative Josep Borrell Fontelles issued a Joint Declaration on behalf of the European Union on 25 February 2021

NordenBladet — At its meeting on 18 March, the Ministerial Committee on Economic Policy decided on how funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) should be distributed among Finland’s Interreg programmes during the 2021–2027 programming period. The funding in question concerns seven programmes under the European Territorial Cooperation (ETC) objective, also known as Interreg programmes.

An indicative amount of EUR 162.7 million in ERDF funding has been allocated to Finland for Interreg programmes in the forthcoming programming period. The EU Member States are free to decide how to divide the funds among their various programmes.  The Ministerial Committee agreed that EUR 122.5 million would be allocated to cross-border cooperation programmes and EUR 40.2 million to transnational cooperation programmes.The ERDF funds would be distributed among the programmes in the same proportions as during the current 2014–2020 programming period to the extent possible.EUR 122.5 million to be allocated for cross-border cooperation:Aurora EUR 37.3 millionCentral Baltic EUR 37.2 million Kolarctic EUR 10.0 millionKarelia EUR 14.0 millionSouth-East Finland – Russia EUR 24.0 million
EUR 40.2 million to be allocated for transnational cooperation:
•    Baltic Sea Region EUR 29.3 million
•    Northern Periphery and Arctic EUR 10.9 millionIn addition to the above-mentioned programmes, Finland participates in four EU-wide interregional cooperation programmes: Interreg Europe, Interact, Urbact and Espon. ERDF funding for these is allocated directly from the EU budget by the European Commission.

The state budget will also include approximately EUR 121 million in national co-financing the Interreg programmes.All of the Interreg programmes are currently under preparation. The goal is to launch the first programmes at the end of 2021.

Interreg programmes aim to boost competitiveness and employment, particularly in border regions Interreg programmes are part of the EU’s regional and structural policy, also known as cohesion policy. The programmes aim to support the integration of border regions and wider cross-border cooperation areas and to build and strengthen networks between regions and cities. By increasing cooperation and promoting the exchange of experiences and the dissemination of good practices, the programmes can have a significant impact on competitiveness and economic development, especially in border regions. The programmes also aim to promote well-functioning labour markets in border regions and across borders. A further goal is to strengthen the entire Baltic Sea region as a European and global economic area and to find new solutions and models to address development problems in sparsely populated northern areas.

NordenBladet — Finland has started implementing Directive (EU) 2020/2184 on the quality of water intended for human consumption, also known as the Drinking Water Directive.The most important objective of the Directive is to ensure healthy drinking water. This will be achieved by examining the quality requirements for drinking water that are defined through risk management. Risk assessment must take into account the entire water production and distribution system, from raw water to tap water supplied to consumers. The quality recommendations for drinking water are, as a rule, updated in accordance with the recommendations issued by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The risk assessment and management of the entire water production chain allow the authorities and plants supplying drinking water to identify more ways to manage the health risks related to the supply of drinking water. Risk assessment also covers domestic distribution systems. In addition, the Directive contains provisions on the lists of materials that can be used to make products that come into contact with water intended for human consumption. Such products must also bear a marking when placed on the market, indicating that the products are fit for use in contact with drinking water.

One of the core ideas behind the Directive is to increase the transparency of water supply. For example, users must be provided with further and more up-to-date information on drinking water both online and in connection with their water bills.The implementation of the Drinking Water Directive requires that the provisions of the Directive be reconciled with those of the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC), the circular economy be promoted and energy consumption be reduced.

Legislation to be reformed in many administrative branches
The implementation of the Directive calls for many legislative amendments across several branches of government, particularly in the administrative branches of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. At first, it will be assessed what legislative amendments need to be made to implement the Directive and then the necessary legislative amendments and decrees will be prepared.  The aim is to send the draft government proposal on legislative amendments out for comments in March 2022 at the latest. Finland must bring the legislation into force and communicate its text to the European Commission by 12 January 2023.

The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health was responsible for the preparations, and it is also responsible for the national implementation of the Directive. The Ministry has appointed a steering group to prepare the national implementation of the Drinking Water Directive. The term of the working runs from 15 February 2021 to 31 December 2022. The steering group will set up sub-groups to prepare the legislative amendments required by the Directive. It will also outline the content of the draft bills and decrees, the rationale for them and the schedules for preparing them. A negotiated solution was reached on the content of the Drinking Water Directive during Finland’s Presidency of the Council of the EU in December 2019. The Directive entered into force on 12 January 2021, and it must be implemented nationally within two years of its entry into force.

NordenBladet — The Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment have ordered a review of the grounds on which victims of human trafficking are granted residence permits. The review will be conducted by the Non-Discrimination Ombudsman acting as the national human trafficking rapporteur. The aim is to investigate how the Finnish Immigration Service applies the special regulation of the Aliens Act to the continuous residence permit granted to trafficking victims.

The review will examine the types of victims of human trafficking the Finnish Immigration Service has identified, what kinds of abuse the victims have endured and what their chances of surviving the abuse are. The examination will also cover how the Aliens Act has been applied in the processing of their applications and which factors have affected the interpretation of the Act. One central research question also concerns how the vulnerability of the trafficking victims has been recognised and evaluated on the basis of the Aliens Act.

The research subjects are the residence permit and asylum decisions concerning victims of human trafficking the Finnish Immigration Service has made in the period between 1 January 2018 and 31 December 2020. The aim is to produce information, based on which the possible needs for legislation amendment and development of law application and interpretation practices can be assessed.

The Parliament has demanded the Government to find out whether there are legislative amendment needs related to the grounds for the residence permits of trafficking victims. For example, the Non-Discrimination Ombudsman has paid attention to the residence permit practices concerning victims of human trafficking, such as the high threshold for granting a continuous residence permit and the varying application practices. The preparations of the Government’s anti-trafficking action plan have also brought forward questions related to residence permits.

The review will support the Government’s work to prevent human trafficking
The research information produced by the review will also serve the sub-group of the development project of labour immigration set up by the Minister of Employment Tuula Haatainen in March 2020. The sub-group will prepare measures with which the abuse of foreign labour can be better prevented, identified and combatted. The aim is also to review the conditions for a trafficking victim’s residence permit. The working group will utilise the research information when assessing whether there is the need to make amendments to the legislation concerning residence permit grounds or can the observations be affected in other ways, such as instructions or training.

The Government is committed to the prevention of human trafficking and the results of the review can be utilised in the efforts even more comprehensively. The Government Programme contains many items whose purpose is to enhance the prevention of human trafficking. The objectives include improved help for trafficking victims, faster identification and revelation of human trafficking, and fulfilment of criminal liability.

The Non-Discrimination Ombudsman is an independent authority that also acts as the national rapporteur of human trafficking. The duties of the national human trafficking rapporteur include the counselling and training of authorities, the management of the authorities’ operations and the making of surveys. It is the rapporteur’s duty to monitor the combatting of human trafficking in Finland and report the observations to the Government and Parliament.

The survey that is now in progress will be published in September 2021. Comprehensive research on the residence permit practices concerning victims of human trafficking has not been done before.

The Aliens Act contains a special regulation on the residence permits of trafficking victimsIn 2006, due to the international and EU obligations binding Finland, regulations concerning the residence permit for victims of human trafficking that can be either temporary or continuous were introduced to the Aliens Act. The central objectives of the reformation were the prevention of human trafficking crimes, catching of the criminals and protection of the victims so that they would not become victims of human trafficking again.

Victims of human trafficking are granted a temporary residence permit, if the victim’s residency in Finland is justified due to the pre-trial investigation or court hearing of human trafficking, the victim is open to cooperating with the authorities in order to catch those suspected of human trafficking and the victim no longer has ties to those suspected of human trafficking.

A continuous residence permit is granted if the victim is in a particularly vulnerable position. In this case it is not required that the victim’s residency in Finland is justified due to a pre-trial investigation or court hearing or that the victim is open to cooperating with the authorities in order to catch those suspected of human trafficking.

Becoming a victim of human trafficking may also be a reason to grant international protection or a residence permit due to a personal humanitarian reason.

For more information, please contact:
Special Expert Roope Jokinen, MoI, tel. 0295 488 362
Researcher Heini Kainulainen, NDO, tel. 0295 666 821
Government Counsellor Olli Sorainen, MEAE, tel. 0295 048 022