NordenBladet — The EU and Japan finalised their negotiations on a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement on 8 December 2017. The agreement is significant both economically and politically. Together the EU and Japan account for approximately a third of the world’s GNP.
The trade agreement covers a large part of their trade in goods, related regulation and barriers to trade, as well as trade in services. The agreement’s entry into force will immediately remove tariffs on 90 per cent of exports from the EU to Japan. The agreement will make it easier for EU service providers to access Japanese markets in many areas. Instead, a decision was made about continuing negotiations on the protection of investments separately from the Free Trade Agreement.
Barriers to trade in important Finnish exports, such as plastic and chemical industry products, will be lifted immediately after the entry into force of the agreement. Tariffs on wood products will be removed after certain transition periods. The opening of Japan’s foodstuff markets will offer new opportunities for Finnish food exporters.
According to Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Kai Mykkänen, the agreement is good news from the point of view of Finland and open world trade. “Finland has a good reputation in Japan. Free trade with Japan opens up new export opportunities and it is important that Finnish companies take advantage of the possibilities effectively,” Minister Mykkänen says.
The aim is to start the application of the agreement towards the end of next year.
NordenBladet — The Nordic Council of Ministers has established a fixed-term council of ministers, MR-Digital, to coordinate cooperation on digitalisation. The Baltic states also participate in the cooperation.
Minister Anne Berner will attend the first MR-Digital meeting on 8 December 2017 in Oslo. The meeting will decide on the future priorities and discuss the use of electronic authentication (eID) and the 5th generation wireless systems (5G).
NordenBladet — The EU Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) will meet in Brussels on 11 December. Finland’s representative at the meeting will be Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini. The topics on the agenda will include Iraq, the Middle East and the Sahel region. In addition, the foreign ministers and development ministers will hold a joint meeting to exchange views on the follow-up to the African Union – European Union (AU–EU) summit, which was held in Côte d’Ivoire.
The foreign ministers will hold a debate on Iraq and recent developments in the Middle East. The EU’s aim is to avoid the escalation of tensions in the region. As for Iraq, discussions will be held on the EU strategy for engagement with Iraq, which will be adopted at the beginning of next year, as well as on the EU’s support for stability and security in Iraq. Finland lays particular emphasis on the importance of addressing migration matters in the cooperation between the EU and Iraq, including efficient returns.
At the joint session between the foreign ministers of the G5 Sahel (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger) and the Foreign Affairs Council, views will be exchanged on the situation in the Sahel and the EU’s support for the G5 countries’ security initiative.
The development ministers and foreign ministers, for their part, will discuss the results of and further actions following the recently held AU–EU summit. The fact that Finland had a youth representative in its official delegation attracted positive attention.
The Foreign Affairs Council will adopt conclusions on Thailand and on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as on the EU’s Gender Action Plan. Additionally, the Council is expected to adopt a decision establishing the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) and determining the list of the participating Member States.
High Representative Federica Mogherini has also invited Foreign Affairs Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanjahu, for an unofficial breakfast meeting with the foreign ministers.
NordenBladet – Today, on 8th December, Israeli Ambassador in Finland and Estonia, Mr. Dov Segev-Steinberg, and Information Officer of the Embassy of Israel, Mrs. Elina Mielityinen arranged a workshop in Tallinn Private School of Service (TETkool) for Estonian and Finnish foodbloggers as well as journalists, during which the Israeli kitchen was introduced and 5 delicious Israeli dishes were prepared.
The training session was directed by Yuval Ben-Neriah, the Chef of an Israeli grand restaurant „Taizu”, from Tel Aviv. The hostess in TETkool (Sõle str 3, Tallinn) was Olga Teterez.
From Estonia the participants attending the workshop were Helena-Reet Ennet (NordenBladet and OHMYGOSSIP- sites representative); Estella Elisheva (NordenBladet and OHMYGOSSIPteen representative); Mari-Liis Ilover (from the blog mariliisilover.com); Pille Petersoo (Nami-Nami representative); Dagris Punder (from the blog n2ljarotid.blogspot.com.ee) and Kristian Neemela (from the blog kristiankokkab.blogspot.com.ee).
From Findland the delegation of participants including Sanna Autio (S-ryhmä representative); Minna Rautio-Pakaste (from the blog haarukkavatkain.com); Heli-Hannele Pehkonen (from the blog beachhousekitchen.fi); Marja Samuli (Aller Media representative); Galith Nadbornik (from the blog hungryinhelsinki.com) and Ofer Amir (photographer) had arrived.
The recipes (Pita bread; Shakshuka Merguez; Tabouleh Salad & Tuna Tartar; Calamari & Black eggplant cream and Soft Chicken Shawarma) will be published within a week online in NordenBladet.com environment!
NordenBladet — Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Kai Mykkänen will participate in the WTO Ministerial Conference that will take place on 10–13 December 2017 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The Ministerial Conference will aim to achieve common understanding on the unresolved issues of the Doha Development Agenda (DDA), launched in 2001, and to clarify the next steps for the work to be done in Geneva.
The negotiations in Buenos Aires will aim to reach an outcome concerning fisheries subsidies, transparency of export restrictions on food products and a permanent solution on the storing of food products for the needs of food security (PSH). As regards the domestic subsidies on agriculture, a work programme to commence after the meeting will be aimed at instead. The negotiations will also involve domestic regulation of services, special and differential treatment of developing countries, e-commerce and investment facilitation.
From the Finnish perspective, the most noteworthy subjects for further action are e-commerce, improving the transparency of regulation and investment facilitation. Other subjects of interest to Finland include improvement of market access in various industries, but these are not on the agenda in Buenos Aires.
The persistent economic recession has fed protectionism and increased resistance to globalisation in general. The WTO has also received its share of the criticism. There are low expectations for the conference.
“Finland is one of those countries which supports a multilateral, rule-based trading system. It is simply the best alternative for a small economy like Finland, which is dependent on exports and highly integrated into the international market,” says Minister Mykkänen.
Over the last few days, the Ministerial Conference has gained negative publicity, as the Argentine authorities have banned representatives of various non-governmental organisations from entering the country, citing security reasons.
“Finland supports openness and continuous dialogue with civil society. We have worked closely with the Argentine authorities and I have discussed the matter with the Argentine Foreign Minister. We achieved good results through our advocacy work: meeting accreditation has now been awarded to Finnish NGOs. This is positive as no barriers are needed between the authorities and non-governmental organisations,” says Minister Mykkänen.
Additionally, in connection with the conference, Minister Mykkänen will participate in the unofficial dialogue on how to promote a reform of fossil fuel subsidies in the WTO. From the perspective of preventing climate change, the fossil fuel subsidies are directly in opposition to the goals of the Paris Agreement. A reform of fossil fuel subsidies supports smarter use of public funding and social justice in developing countries.
In addition to participating in the Ministerial Conference, Minister Mykkänen will attend several bilateral meetings with other WTO member states.
NordenBladet — Foreign Minister Soini will take part in the Ministerial Council of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna on 7 and 8 December. The meeting will be hosted by Austria, which holds the Chairmanship of the OSCE in 2017.
The Ministerial Council will focus on European security, the situation in Ukraine and protracted conflics in Europe as well as on human rights. Finland strongly supports the work built on the OSCE’s comprehensive concept of security.
Foreign Minister Soini will have bilateral meetings with, for instance, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and foreign ministers of other participating States of the OSCE. In addition, on 7 December the Minister will attend a working lunch and a side event relating to the OSCE’s Structured Dialogue.
NordenBladet — Finland conveyed its grave concern about the situation in the Korean peninsula and strong condemnation of the latest ballistic missile test conducted by North Korea on 29 November.
Director General Kimmo Lähdevirta of the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs delivered the message to Ambassador Kang Yong Dok in Helsinki on 6th December, 2017. The Finnish government urged the DPRK government to comply with the UN Security Council resolutions and immediately cease further provocations aggravating the situation. Finland also urged the DPRK to engage in a meaningful dialogue with its neighbours and the international community.
NordenBladet — The Meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs will be organised at NATO Headquarters in Brussels from 5 to 6 December 2017. Finland has been invited to attend the discussion relating to the cooperation between the EU and NATO. Finland’s representative at the meeting will be Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini. In addition to the NATO member countries, Sweden and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini will participate in the discussion.
The meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs will make preparations for the NATO Summit to be held on 11 and 12 July 2018.
Finland and Sweden are among the partners that have been granted enhanced opportunities (Enhanced Opportunities Partnership, EOP) in their cooperation with NATO. The invitation to the Foreign Ministers’ meeting is part of the political dialogue on topical questions between NATO, Finland and Sweden.
On Tuesday 5 December, Foreign Minister Soini and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will meet at lunch, organised for the EU Foreign Ministers in Brussels.
NordenBladet – Today the Danish Minister for Foreign Affairs and his Greenlandic colleague Suka K. Frederiksen is hosting an international high-level conference at Eigtveds Pakhus.With the SDGs as the starting point the conference will focus on economic development in the Arctic region. The conference is a part of the implementation of the Danish government’s Foreign and Security Policy Strategy 2017-18 and will be opened by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Denmark.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Anders Samuelsen says: “The Arctic is a region of change, and new opportunities are emerging. It is the government’s aim to focus on attracting more investments to the Arctic, including to Greenland, so that the populations can experience economic development in a sustainable manner. With the conference today we, together with Greenland, want to send a strong signal that there is a need for an increased economic focus in the Arctic cooperation.”
Further, Mr. Samuelsen adds: “I look forward to hearing the participants’ ideas as to how the UN Sustainable Development Goals can work as a catalyst for economic development in the Arctic. I expect that we will get some good suggestions as to how Greenland and other parts of the Arctic can take advantage of the new opportunities – while still taking care of the fragile environment. ”
The conference is organized by Denmark, Greenland, the Faroe Islands and the Arctic Economic Council and will have participation from all Arctic states. The main goal of the conference is to bring together the Arctic business community, international players, the UN and the EU to discuss how the SDGs can contribute to putting sustainable development of the Arctic region on the agenda. The SDGs were unanimously adopted in 2015 by all 193 UN member states. They consist of 17 goals that apply to all countries and balance the three dimensions of sustainable development: economic, social and environmental aspects. While the challenges that the Arctic peoples face span across all three dimensions, creating sustainable economic growth through e.g. increased employment, innovation, infrastructure projects, export and tourism is the primary challenge.
The conference “Sustainable Development Goals in the Arctic – Local and Global Perspectives” will take place in Eigtveds Pakhus with more than 250 participants including CEO of UN Global Compact, Lise Kingo, CEO of the Norwegian Shipowners’ Association, Sturla Henriksen, as well as special Arctic representatives from Canada, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Japan.
NordenBladet — ThisisFINLAND, Finland’s official country website, and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland will tomorrow launch a limited edition urban fashion collection to celebrate the courage and against-the-odds mentality that have come to define its newest craze: hobbyhorsing.
Hobbyhorsing has been sweeping the Nordic nation in recent years, with thousands of enthusiasts making and selling horses and riding them at events inspired by real equestrian disciplines such as dressage and show jumping.
Riding hobbyhorses has even taken the form of an organised sport, with the Hobbyhorse Championships held annually in Finland. The sport is estimated to have more than 10,000 followers in Finland alone.
To support the hobbyhorsing community, and the fans’ gutsy attitude, the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs worked with leading Finnish fashion labels IvanaHelsinki, Wwoollff, Tebian, Riski, Uhana Design and R-Collection to add a whole new level to the craze – by creating a limited edition urban fashion collection.
Designed under the banner of #BraveEnoughToRide, items from the limited edition collection will be made available on a pop-up webshop, www.braveenoughtoride.fi, each Friday leading up to Christmas, with the first items released on 1 December. The collection will be made available at production cost, with €1 per item sold donated to the hobbyhorsing community.
The Ministry, together with hobbyhorsing superstars Alisa Aarniomäki and Vilhelmiina Keskilä, is also launching a dedicated online toolbox, www.thehobbyhorse.fi. The site will be available in multiple languages (English, Russian, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Swedish, and Finnish) and is aimed at inspiring a new generation of hobbyhorsing enthusiasts. It will include, among other things, advice on how to build your own hobbyhorse and videos with tips about everything from jumping obstacles to performing proper dressage movements.
“Hobbyhorsing is huge in Finland,” says Petra Theman, Director of the Unit for Public Diplomacy at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. “Adults are often tempted to snicker at the phenomenon, but hobbyhorsing takes guts, and it isn’t as easy as you might think! We want to show that this sport is something really edgy and can be practiced all over the world. The toolbox came about because we want to give back to the hobbyhorse community and create a platform for people to learn about the community, the sport, and the art of hobbyhorsing.”
“A lot of hobbyhorse enthusiasts are still worried about how they’re seen, as many have faced some sort of bullying or ridicule,” says Vilhelmiina Keskilä, hobbyhorsing enthusiast. “That’s why I’m so excited about these products. They show that there’s nothing awkward or embarrassing about hobbyhorsing – quite the contrary. We should be proud of the phenomenon we’ve built.”
Viivi Huuska, the Finnish filmmaker who directed the short film that kicks off the campaign, says: “I want to show the whole world just how amazing these young people are and how unique their love for hobbyhorsing is. They have the courage to be themselves and everyone should notice that.”
Echoing her sentiments, Paola Ivana Suhonen, designer and founder of IvanaHelsinki, says: “Hobbyhorse girls are the future! These girls possess the courage and daring to do what they want and make their dreams come true. Ride on!”
