NordenBladet — Almost two thousand people took part in the process to create a Nordic perspective for the European Commission’s New European Bauhaus initiative. The participants considered that Nordic values such as sustainability, closeness to nature, equality and inclusion provide a good basis for housing and building. The final report on the outcomes of the Nordic co-design process has now been published and submitted to the European Commission.

“The Nordic countries wish to show how a carbon-neutral welfare society can be built.  This is why I am happy that we got such large numbers of Nordic perspectives and ideas. We will pass them on to the New European Bauhaus team of the European Commission to be used in their future work,” says Matti Kuittinen, Senior Specialist at the Ministry of the Environment.

Finland holds the Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers this year, which is why it also coordinated the process to compile the Nordic views. The five events organised early this year brought together a broad spectrum of stakeholders: architects, designers, artists, students, scientists and public bodies. The themes raised included climate change, circular economy, biodiversity, use of wood in construction, digitalisation, children and the young, learning, equality and wellbeing.

“The quality of the environment we live is very important for us. When the participants of the first event where asked to propose themes for the next event, they wanted to talk about aesthetics. A high-quality environment is not just ecological and well-functioning but also pleasant and attractive,” says Petra Havu, Senior Ministerial Adviser at the Ministry of Education and Culture.

Highlights of the Nordic views
One of the key elements of Nordic design raised in the discussions was equality. Art, design and architecture have had an important role in creating and developing the Nordic welfare society. This should be the case in future as well.

There was a strong focus on sustainable building, and the participants preferred adaptable buildings and renovation to demolition. Transition into a circular economy won strong support as well, especially with respect to construction materials. Wood architecture and nature-based solutions were considered an important part of carbon-neutral construction.

Natural environment and our relationship with nature were considered an important part of human life and the environment we live in. Nature is an important element of the built environment, both for the people and other living organisms. Nature was seen as a source of health and wellbeing, and everyone must have the right to have access to it. Nature was also recognised as a source of innovation in sustainable construction.

One of the topics discussed was the warming climate, which will cause inevitable changes especially in Arctic nature. Arctic environments and landscapes have influenced the Nordic perception of aesthetics, which is also going to change due to the changing climate.

Building of the New European Bauhaus
The New European Bauhaus is a European Commission initiative to promote sustainability, inclusion and aesthetics in the built environment and housing. The aim is to find better ways of living and housing through co-design and co-development – and harness not only science and technology but also creativity, culture and design to solve the great challenges of our time, including climate change.

The content and form of the initiative will be constructed around the European ideas, examples and wishes. Everybody is welcome to participate in the co-design process, including, architects, designers, artists, scientists, companies, civil society organisations, students, children and the young.

The initiative implements the European Green Deal.In autumn 2021 the European Commission will launch a number of pilot projects on themes to be based on the outcomes of the initial co-design process.The Nordic co-design and co-development will also continue in the autumn e.g. with an online event on digitalisation in the built environment.

New European Bauhaus, Reflections from the Nordic co-design

NordenBladet — The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment has launched a study to assess the benefits of Finland’s possible participation in the European Space Agency’s (ESA) human spaceflight and space exploration programme.Joining the programme would give Finland access to projects on the International Space Station, missions to the moon, the planned space station in orbit around the moon, and spaceflights to Mars.“Until now, Finland has not participated in the ESA’s optional programme for human spaceflights and space exploration. Instead, Finland has allocated funding to other programmes based on national strengths and strategic priorities. However, the Finnish space sector has developed in many ways in recent years. For example, a number of innovative products, applications and services developed here could be relevant to manned spaceflights, robotic missions and other space exploration,” says Maija Lönnqvist, Finnish member of the ESA Council.Study to focus on benefits of participationIn order for Finland to take part in the programme, it would have to offer Finnish companies and research organisations opportunities not available through other ESA programmes.The study will assess the following:How would Finnish businesses, research and education benefit financially and socially from Finland’s participation in the ESA’s optional programme for human spaceflights and space exploration in the programming period 2023–2025 and beyond?What expertise, products and services relevant to the programme do Finnish companies and research organisations possess?Which objectives, projects and measures of the programme would be of interest to Finland, taking into account the aims of its national space strategy and the capabilities and strengths of the Finnish space sector? What new scientific and research opportunities would the programme offer?How have reference countries (Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Austria) benefited from joining the programme?In practice, participation in the programme would mean an increased funding contribution to the ESA by Finland. Finland’s total annual budget for the ESA’s mandatory and optional programmes is currently around EUR 28 million.Finland will consider the results of the study when it decides in 2022 in which ESA programmes to participate in the next programming period. The project was competitively tendered and it will be carried out by KPMG Oy and 4Front Oy. At the moment, Finland and Estonia are the only ESA Member States that do not take part in the human spaceflight and space exploration programme.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — Chile will host two major virtual meetings on the energy sector on 31 May and 3 June 2021. The annual Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) and the Mission Innovation (MI) technology meeting will bring together representatives from 25 major economies and the Nordic countries as well as the EU, the UN and international energy organisations to discuss how to accelerate the transition to clean energy solutions globally. Minister of Economic Affairs Mika Lintilä will represent Finland at the meetings.CEM12 to consider the role of clean energy for society and economyThe CEM meeting will discuss the solutions, opportunities and priorities that advance the transition to clean energy. Finland’s address will deal with the opportunities to promote clean energy in all sectors and policy areas. “For Finland, the Clean Energy Ministerial is a key forum of global cooperation in the field of energy. We will highlight important themes in the transformation of the energy sector, such as integration of energy systems and electrification of transport,” says Minister of Economic Affairs Mika Lintilä. The theme of the CEM meeting on 3 June will be ’Ambition into Action’ and it will discuss the clean energy transition in this decade from three different perspectives. It aims to identify solutions that expand the use of clean energy to all sectors of society in the 2020s and that ensure this transition is inclusive and takes into account the whole of society.The future of clean energy meetings will also be considered during the meeting. The meeting is expected to extend the CEM’s mandate for another five years until 2026, to strengthen its activities and to secure the secretariat’s funding for 2022-2025. Mission Innovation to discuss the importance of energy innovationThe Mission Innovation meeting will issue a statement, in which the States set themselves the objective of increasing the common level of ambition and cooperation needed for the launch of MI 2.0. According to the statement, this decade will see the launch of clean energy innovations that will mobilise and link global R&D efforts to accelerate the implementation of the Paris Agreement, including paths to zero emissions. By working together, the MI countries will maximise the impact of investment in research, development and demonstration projects. The countries also recognise that taking into account the different needs of communities and enabling gender equality is an important part of innovation. “The objectives of Mission Innovation correspond with Finland’s efforts to develop new solutions to reform the economy and enable a green transition. In recent years, Finland has increased its investments in clean energy solutions and this will continue in the future too,” Lintilä says.According to Lintilä, the Government aims to raise R&D funding to 4% of GDP by 2030. In Finland, at least 50% of the EU’s Resilience and Recovery Plan funding will be allocated to climate solutions, with a particular focus on promoting new technologies and solutions.CEM/MI meetings can be watched onlineThe CEM12 and MI-6 meetings will be held from 31 May to 6 June 2021. In addition to the ministerial discussions, there will be a number of events on various energy issues. To register for the events, please go to https://cem12mi6chile.com/  The meetings provide governments, leading cleantech organisations, innovators, financiers and civil society organisations with an opportunity to engage in high-level dialogue and share best practices for accelerating the transition to a low-carbon future. Public and private sector commitment builds cooperation between the industry sector, governments and civil society, and helps to scale clean energy solutions for global application.Created in 2010, the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) is a global forum where 25 major economies (G20+) and the Nordic countries work together to share best practices and promote policies and programs that encourage and facilitate the transition to a global clean energy economy. CEM members account for approximately 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions and 90% of global clean energy investments.Mission Innovation (MI) is a global initiative to accelerate global clean energy innovation and projects to make clean energy readily available.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — On 31 May, the Prime Minister’s Office opened a call for applications for EUR 1,810,000 in funding for analysis, assessment and research activities. Funding is available for research on eleven different themes that support the Government in cross-sectoral preparation and decision-making.The call for applications is based on the Government’s plan for analysis, assessment and research activities in support of decision-making for 2021.The call for applications is intended for bodies such as higher education institutions, research institutes, companies and organisations or consortia formed by them. Decisions on the procurement of analysis, assessment and research activities will be made as soon as possible after the application deadline.The call for applications, related instructions and documents, and additional information are available on the Government’s analysis, assessment and research activities website. All applications and their appendices must be submitted using the vnteas-asiointi.fi electronic application and service system by 16.00 on 30 June 2021.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — World Bank Group President David Malpass will attend the meeting of Nordic and Baltic ministers in Vantaa on 1 June. Matters on the agenda of the meeting will include, for example, climate change, COVID-19 measures and vaccine solidarity.President Malpass will arrive in Finland on Monday 31 May. On the same day, he will have a meeting with President of the Republic Sauli Niinistö.On Tuesday 1 June, Malpass will attend the meeting of ministers of the World Bank Group’s Nordic–Baltic Constituency (NBC), who are the Nordic and Baltic Governors in the World Bank’s Board of Governors. In the Vantaa meeting, Finland will be represented by Minister of Finance Annika Saarikko and Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari. Ministers or their deputies representing the other countries of the NBC will attend the meeting via remote connection.“I welcome the World Bank’s new Climate Change Action Plan. It is important that the World Bank help its member countries in maximising the impact of climate finance. This work also supports the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action, participated by over 60 countries, which I am co-chairing with the Minister of Finance of Indonesia,” says Minister Saarikko. Other topics on the agenda of the ministerial meeting include education, digitalisation, debt sustainability, and human rights and non-discrimination.“In order to get back on track to sustainable development after the COVID-19 crisis, it is of vital importance that we increase funding directed to human development, health and high-quality education, especially in the poorest and most fragile countries.  By contributing to matters that strengthen health and education systems, we promote equality, non-discrimination, stability and economic growth,” says Minister Skinnari. 

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — Finland has allocated one million euros to support the flash appeal for Gaza, launched by United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, UNRWA. The funding will be used to provide, for example, food, shelters and health services to Palestinians in Gaza.The conflict between Israel and Gaza, which escalated in May, has deteriorated the situation of Palestinian refugees in Gaza and the West Bank. A significant number of buildings were destroyed, among them for example health centres, schools and UN buildings. The only coronavirus test laboratory was also damaged, and vaccinations have been therefore suspended. The coronavirus situation was very poor in Gaza even before the attacks.The humanitarian situation of Palestinian refugees has been challenging for a long time in all of the geographical regions where UNRWA is operating (Palestinian territories in Gaza and the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria). Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some regions where UNRWA is active have had to limit the provision of health services to a significant extent.  During the attacks in Gaza, approximately 800,000 people lived without water, and electricity was available only occasionally, which makes work difficult in hospitals, for example. UNRWA schools have provided shelter for almost 50,000 people in Gaza. The ceasefire, which was declared on Friday 21 May 2021, is expected to improve the situation to some extent, but there is still need for food, shelters, psychosocial services and other emergency relief.“UNRWA is doing valuable work in challenging humanitarian environments and it produces high-quality services. Recent events in Gaza have increased the need for international support to enable UNRWA continue its efforts to help Palestinian refugees,” says Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari.Finland is UNRWA’s long-term supporter. Finland’s core funding to UNRWA is EUR 5 million a year. In 2020, due to UNRWA’s critical financial situation and the additional challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, Finland granted EUR 4 million in additional contributions to UNRWA’s programme budget. In 2020, Finland was UNRWA’s 18th biggest donor country.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — On 27 May 2021, the Government adopted the Report on Development Policy across Parliamentary Terms. The aim was to form a shared overall view on development policy, widely supported by Finnish society. The Report reiterates that development policy is an integral part of Finland’s foreign and security policy, which aims to enhance security and wellbeing through international cooperation.A parliamentary monitoring group representing all parliamentary parties took part in the preparation of this report. The Development Policy Committee (DPC) and representatives of various sectors of society were consulted during the preparatory phase and they also had the opportunity to comment on the report.Report on Development Policy across Parliamentary Terms in the Institutional Repository for the Government (in Finnish)Link to another website (in Finnish)Press Release: Report on Development Policy promotes Finland’s long-term and coherent approach to development cooperation Finland strengthens developing countries’ capacity to take care of their own wellbeingFinland’s development policy promotes the worldwide goal aiming at poverty reduction and the realisation of fundamental rights, the rules-based multilateral system and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted in the UN.The objective of Finland’s development cooperation is to strengthen developing countries’ own societies, including the basis of their economies. A key aim is to ensure that all countries will, over time, be able to finance their own development and wellbeing with domestic resources, particularly through sufficient taxation capacity.The work is based on transfer of ownership to partner countries and on their national plans. However, those have to be in line with both Finnish and internationally agreed development goals and values.Finland has also received resources and assistance from abroad to support its development, and Finns have left the country to seek protection or a better income abroad.Finland’s development cooperation priorities are based on its strengthsBy means of a long-term and coherent approach to development cooperation, Finland has achieved good results. It is in Finland’s interest to hold on to this positive trend and to further strengthen it.  Finland is striving for such systemic changes that not only ensure the effectiveness but also the long-term impacts of development cooperation. Therefore, Finland focuses particularly on the strengths that provide Finland with good opportunities to support sustainable development. The main goals of Finland’s development cooperation arepromoting the rights of women and girlseducation and trainingsustainable economy and decent workpeaceful, democratic societiesclimate change, biodiversity and sustainable management and use of natural resources.Additionally, Finland gives humanitarian assistance to help people suffering from acute crises.The cross-cutting objectives that Finland promotes in its development policy are gender equality and non-discrimination, climate-resilient and low-emission development as well as environmental protection, with an emphasis on safeguarding biodiversity. We can build a better world togetherFinland’s development policy and development cooperation are based on the active participation of the public sector, civil society, the private sector as well as research and educational institutions and on strong partnerships between them. It is important for Finnish society to be broadly involved in development policy: sustainable development is the sum total of the work carried out by different actors and of multiple forms of cooperation. Cooperation leads to positive impacts on people’s wellbeing and the development of societies in an efficient and sustainable manner.Finland advances its development policy goals both when acting directly with bilateral partner countries and when providing support for developing countries together with multilateral international institutions and international civil society organisations. The instruments employed are influencing, Finnish expertise and development finance – and often a combination of these.Finland increases its official development assistance graduallyIn the UN, Finland has committed to directing 0.7 per cent of GNI to development cooperation and 0.2 per cent of GNI to the least developed countries. Finland’s 2019 Government Programme requires the preparation of a scheduled roadmap to attain this UN goal. Finland is increasing its funding for development cooperation gradually and systematically during several parliamentary terms. The target year set for the attainment of the 0.7% level is 2030. The aim is to attain the 0.2 per cent target in the least developed countries as soon as possible.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — The Ministry of Education and Culture and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare have updated the guidelines on camping activities for children and young people.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — According to a study, levying taxes on profit from mining operations would be the most effective way to implement a separate mine tax. The goal of the research project between the VATT Institute for Economic Research, the Finnish Environment Institute and KPMG was to identify a tax instrument that would guarantee reasonable income for society from the extraction of non-renewable natural resources. In the project, a mine tax was studied from the perspectives of economics, tax law and environmental regulations.Compensation for the extraction of natural resources by levying a tax on profitThe research group compared the advantages and disadvantages of different tax instruments using research literature on economics and a simulation model. Based on the comparison, taxes on mining companies’ economic rent and profit would enable the effective collection of tax revenue, without distorting the companies’ financial activities.“Taxes on economic rent and profit have a minor impact on companies’ investments, mineral extraction and operational continuity. Royalties would increasingly make mining operations unprofitable. Levying a tax on profit is a financially more viable option,” says Seppo Kari, chief researcher at VATT.Revenue from taxes on profit is difficult to estimate. The problem can be reduced by combining taxes on profit with royalties based on the value of minerals, which would produce more stable tax revenue, starting from the launch of mining operations.The researchers do not support the idea of providing municipalities with the right to levy taxes. As a result of the tax revenue-based equalisation of central government transfers to local government, allocating tax revenue to mining municipalities would only benefit them marginally.Other policy instruments for mining operationsThe study’s starting point is that the purpose of a mine tax is to provide society with compensation for the extraction of non-renewable natural resources. Instead of a mine tax, the minimisation of adverse environmental impact should be based on other environmental policy instruments, such as well-functioning environmental regulation and supervision. Similarly, increasing the electricity tax category in mining operations is not an option for a separate mine tax, but a separately considered instrument.The publication was conducted as part of the implementation of the 2020 Government Plan for Analysis, Assessment and Research.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — According to an evaluation published on 28 May 2021, Finland’s National Emergency Supply Agency (NESA) is an effective, flexible and agile agency, but due to changes in the operating environment, its regulation, structures and processes need to be reformed. A stakeholder survey carried out to support the evaluation shows that the operators involved in the security of supply consider the system to be working very well.The University of Vaasa, the Laurea University of Applied Sciences, the National Defence University and the Police University College carried out the evaluation, which was submitted to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment today.The evaluation calls for a broader perspective on the security of supply. The evaluation shows that the experiences gained during the coronavirus crisis confirm the ever-increasing global interdependence since the 2000s. This means that preparedness can no longer take place in narrow sectors or silos separate from each other.“According to our evaluation, Finland’s security of supply system has been operationally efficient and yielded good results, but it should be reformed nonetheless. This need for reform is mainly driven by changes in the operating environment,” says Petri Uusikylä, Research Director at the University of Vaasa.  The evaluation looked at the operations of the NESA and, more broadly, those of the National Emergency Supply Organisation, the management system, performance guidance and the effectiveness and international dimension of the security of supply. The report pays particular attention to the guidance and management system of the National Emergency Supply Organisation and to the operations of the National Emergency Supply Fund. According to the evaluation, the guidance and management systems appear somewhat unorganised with regard to the Government decision on the objectives of security of supply, performance guidance of the National Emergency Supply Agency and the guidance role of the Agency’s Board. The report contains eight recommendations. They concern, for example, operational guidance and processes of the security of supply and the NESA, pool operations, coordination at the Government level, the National Emergency Supply Fund and development of the National Emergency Supply Organisation. The report also outlines alternative ways of organising security of supply activities. Their purpose is to provide ideas for the development of the security of supply system.“The evaluation group has discussed the development of Finland’s security of supply in a comprehensive manner. The Ministry will take a careful look at the evaluation and recommendations, which provide a good basis for reforming our unique system to become even stronger,” says Director General Antti Neimala from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. Concerning the development of the security of supply operations, Neimala points out that the strategy of the NESA has recently been updated and that an extensive development programme has been launched.“Some of the recommendations of the evaluation go beyond parliamentary terms. Further work on these recommendations will begin immediately too and they will be coordinated with other projects that have an impact on the operating environment of the security of supply. In the autumn, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment will decide on the measures to be taken in response to various reports and recommendations,” Neimala says.“Some of the recommendations can be implemented very quickly, such as the development of cooperation between different operators in the Government. Naturally, different administrative branches have cooperated in the past too, but this will shortly be made official through the establishment of an interministerial cooperation group on the security of supply. Its activities would enhance the joint preparedness of the Government, the development of security of supply and the coordination of measures on preparedness. Among other things, the group could promote and evaluate the implementation of the Government decision on the objectives of security of supply, support updates to it and lay the groundwork for the legislative reform on the security of supply,” Neimala adds. 

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi