NordenBladet — The Ministry of the Interior has set up a project to prepare Finland’s strategy on expatriate Finns for 2022–2026. The position of expatriates is in a constant state of change, and the aim is to better respond to the changes, for example by means of digitalisation. The intention is that also Finns living abroad will maintain their contacts and opportunities to influence Finnish society.

The project will assess new channels and forums for expatriate Finns to participate and exert influence, which could focus on specific themes in addition to specific countries and municipalities. The purpose of the strategy is also to strengthen measures enabling all citizens who are interested in returning with possible foreign spouses and children to settle in Finland smoothly and in an assisted manner. The project will take into account possible legislative needs and future challenges. In addition, the Finnish terms that are being used, namely  ‘ulkosuomalaisuus’ and ‘paluumuutto’ (Finnish expatriation and return migration) and the need to update them will be examined. Consultation and involvement of different parties are integral parts of the work

The Ministry of the Interior coordinates the affairs of expatriate Finns in central government. In addition to the Finland Society and the Migration Institute of Finland, representatives from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment will be invited to participate in the project. In order to ensure the widest possible expertise during the project, various stakeholders, such as communities of expatriate Finns and representatives of businesses, will also be consulted. At the start of the project, Aalto University will prepare a report on how the strategy can be built in the most inclusive manner that complies with the principles of sustainable development. The project will draw on the results of the Migration Institute’s extensive survey for expatriate Finns, which will be completed in spring 2021. In summer 2021, the Finnish Expatriate Parliament that will be organised online will be involved in the preparation of the strategy. The project will also examine the ways in which other countries organise the affairs of their citizens residing abroad.

The Government’s previous policy programme for expatriate Finns was drawn up for 2017–2021. The new strategy on expatriate Finns will put into effect the general objectives set out in the Government Programme of Prime Minister Marin’s Government concerning sustainable development and increasing inclusion and vitality. The strategy will be completed by the end of 2021.

Position of expatriates is undergoing a change
Approximately 300,000 Finnish citizens live outside Finland’s borders, of whom approximately 254,000 have the right to vote. Most Finns move to Sweden, the United Kingdom, Germany, the United States and Spain. Net migration of Finnish citizens has been negative throughout the 2010s, which means that more Finnish citizens have emigrated from Finland than immigrated to the country. In 2019, for example, about 10,000 citizens moved abroad from Finland, and about 800 returned to Finland. Statistics show that 2020 made a significant exception to the situation that has been going on for years: even before the end of the year, the net migration of Finns back to their home country was almost 1,500 people. The global coronavirus pandemic and the fact that Finland has been able to control the disease relatively well have led to increased interest in return. Furthermore, the physical location is no longer as important as before in terms of work. Living and working in two or more countries are becoming more common. Moving abroad can also be temporary.

Issues that are important for expatriate Finns include citizenship issues and consular services, voting and other opportunities to influence and participate, schools that teach Finnish language and culture (Suomi-koulu), the maintenance of Finnish language and culture abroad, support for return, especially in employment matters, and the provision of expertise for Finnish companies in the country of residence.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — A revision of the Act on Environmental Protection in Maritime Transport is underway. The draft has been modified based on initial comments, and the requirements for ports and the authorities have been relaxed. The Ministry of Transport and Communications requests comments on the draft by 12 February.

The act is being revised in accordance with Directive (EU) 2019/883 on port reception facilities for the delivery of waste from ships. The aim is to improve waste reception in ports in order to reduce marine litter and the introduction of plastic into seas.

Other changes based on national discretion will be made to the Act on Environmental Protection in Maritime Transport at the same time, as well as updates to the Act on the Technical Safety and Safe Operation of Ships, the Register of Ships Act, the Act on the Security of Certain Ships and Associated Port Facilities and on Monitoring Maritime Security, and the act on ship equipment (1503/2011). The draft was first circulated for comments in late 2020.

Six important changes after the first comments
1. The definition of satama (port) has been changed. The act’s waste management requirements would not apply to minor harbours, such as marinas with fewer than 25 moorings, or boatyards. The scope will remain the same for inland waters, meaning that the act would apply to marinas with a minimum of 50 moorings. The new limits would also reduce the impact on the obligations of the authorities.
2. In merchant shipping, ports would need to collect municipal waste, including organic, plastic and paper waste.
3. The reports submitted to the port waste management commission would be limited to the largest ports, which would reduce the requirements for the authorities, as large ports are capable of filing the reports themselves.
4. The proposal for a sulphur emission charge would be separated from the draft. It was previously proposed that a charge for vessels in violation of the limit on sulphur emissions be implemented in parallel with the criminal justice system. The preparation of this sanction would continue in a separate legal initiative for preparing the administrative sanctions of the Act on Environmental Protection in Maritime Transport.
5. The provision on the oil spill charge’s damage and hazard evaluation would be separated from the draft and prepared separately.
6. The Register of Ships Act would be changed. In future, it would suffice that the applicant submit a copy of their vessel’s title deed instead of the original document. It would still remain mandatory to present the original document to the authorities within one month of when the recording of ownership was required. After the initial comments, the limitation of only applying this procedure in exceptional circumstances has been removed from the draft.In addition, the impacts that the changes will have on the authorities are now further explained in the draft.

Next steps
The Ministry of Transport and Communications requests comments on the modified draft by 12 February. The government proposal is due to be presented to the Parliament in March 2021.The changes required in national legislation by Directive (EU) 2019/883 must be in effect by 28 June 2021. The changes to the Act on Environmental Protection in Maritime Transport, the Act on the Technical Safety and Safe Operation of Ships, and the act on ship equipment (1503/2011) are due to take place on the same date. The changes proposed to the Register of Ships Act and the Act on the Security of Certain Ships and Associated Port Facilities and on Monitoring Maritime Security would be put in place as soon as possible in spring 2021.

Additional information:Laura Sarlin, senior adviser, tel. +358 50 447 7597, laura.sarlin(at)lvm.fi, Twitter @SarlinLauraPäivi Antikainen, director of unit, tel. +358 50 382 7101, paivi.antikainen(at)lvm.fi, Twitter @PaiviAntikainenPress release 9 November 2020: Legislation on the management of vessel waste in ports tightened – comments invited
Press release 12 November 2019: Environmental legislation on maritime transport will be reformed – focus on waste management
Lausuntopalvelu.fi: Request for an opinion (in Finnish)
Gateway to Information on Government Projects: Amendments to the Act on Environmental Protection in Maritime Transport (LVM036:00/2019) (in Finnish)

NordenBladet — Finland proposes listing a set of 13 sites representing Alvar Aalto’s humane architecture as a cultural heritage site on the tentative list of UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The holy place of worship of Ukonsaari by the Saami people in Inari will remain on the list of sites on the national tentative list.Decisions on the sites to be included on the tentative list are made nationally. The decision is made by the Ministry of Education and Culture in the case of cultural heritage sites and by the Ministry of the Environment in the case of natural heritage sites. Decisions made by the Ministry of Education and Culture are based on a proposal prepared by the Finnish Heritage Agency. The national tentative list was last updated in 2004.

“The national tentative list is a fine set of sites complementing our existing group of world heritage sites and it is in line with the policies of the national world heritage strategy. The sites on the tentative list represent our national cultural heritage in a magnificent way, and we can be globally proud of such a heritage, too,” said Annika Saarikko, Minister of Science and Culture.

The other cultural heritage sites on the current national tentative list no longer fully meet the criteria of the World Heritage Convention and the guidelines for a representative, balanced and credible World Heritage List, which is why they will be removed from the tentative list. These include rock carvings from historic time at the island of Gaddtarmen (Hauensuoli), a large Stone Age ruin of Kastelli at Pattijoki, rock paintings of Astuvansalmi at Ristiina, and Paimio Hospital (formerly Paimio Sanatorium), which will be removed from the list as a separate site but is one of the set of 13 sites on the Alvar Aalto humane architecture list.

The Ministry of the Environment is responsible for updating natural heritage sites on to the list in cooperation with the National Parks Finland services of Metsähallitus. The Ministry of the Environment has proposed including the archipelago habitats of the Saimaa ringed seal on the national tentative list, replacing the Saimaa-Pielinen lake system included on the current list.

Set of 13 sites representing Alvar Aalto’s humane architectureThe set of sites on the tentative list consists of 13 sites designed by Alvar Aalto: Alvar Aalto’s Studio Aalto, Aalto House, Finlandia Hall, main building of the Social Insurance Institution and Helsinki Hall of Culture (Kulttuuritalo), Jyväskylä University Campus, Muuratsalo Experimental House and Säynätsalo Town Hall in Jyväskylä, Paimio Hospital (formerly Paimio Sanatorium), Seinäjoki Administrative and Cultural Centre, Sunila Sulphate Pulp Mill and Residential Area in Kotka, Villa Mairea in Pori, and the Church of the Three Crosses (Vuoksenniska Church) in Imatra.

The number of sites in the set of sites may still change when preparations start for submitting the site on the tentative list for inscription to the World Heritage List. A date for the preparation will be decided separately.

World Heritage Convention and Tentative List
The World Heritage Convention (UNESCO Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage) was adopted in 1972. Finland acceded to the Convention in 1987. The aim of the World Heritage Convention is to identify and protect the world’s natural and cultural heritage considered to be of outstanding universal value.

The World Heritage Convention includes a World Heritage List, which currently contains 1,121 sites. Seven sites in Finland have been inscribed on the list: Old Rauma (1991), Fortress of Suomenlinna (1991), Petäjävesi Old Church (1994), Verla Groundwood and Board Mill (1996), Bronze Age Burial Site of Sammallahdenmäki (1999), Struve Geodetic Arc (2005) and High Coast / Kvarken Archipelago (2006, natural heritage site).National inventories, also known as tentative lists, are kept on sites that States Parties nominate for inscription to the actual World Heritage List. The national tentative list includes sites that are expected to meet the Convention’s selection criteria and ones that are intended to be submitted for inscription as World Heritage Sites in the next few years. The national tentative list has usually been updated roughly once a decade.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — Today the Ministry of the Interior has opened a call for proposals under the Internal Security Fund (ISF). About EUR 4.2 million in EU financial support will be made available for projects that meet the objectives of the Fund. The call for proposals will be open until 31 March at 16.15.

As regards the management of the Union’s external borders and visa policy (ISF-B), funding is mainly intended for the implementation of the EU Entry/Exit System (EES) and the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS). Funding will also be available for developing the national visa information system, renewing border check equipment and developing border control technology that utilises unmanned aircraft.

As for police cooperation, preventing and combating crime as well as crisis management (ISF-P), funding will be available for the integration of the authorities’ joint emergency response centre information system, the field command system and the command centres.