NordenBladet — On 22 April 2021, the Government appointed Minna Kivimäki, Master of Laws, as Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transport and Communications.
Since 2016, Kivimäki has worked as Deputy Permanent Representative and Coreper 1 representative at the Permanent Representation of Finland to the EU. Prior to this, she worked at the Ministry of Transport and Communications as Director General of the Transport Policy Department and of the Services Department, and as Director of the Transport Services Unit.
“I’m happy to return to a familiar place and work in a new role to promote the functioning of society and the economy as well as to contribute to the smooth running of people’s everyday lives. The administrative branch of the Ministry of Transport and Communications plays a key role in the implementation of green and digital transition and renewal. I’m very motivated to take on this challenging job and to work in close cross-government cooperation.” Kivimäki says.
Kivimäki was appointed as Permanent Secretary for a fixed period, from 1 June 2021 to 31 May 2026.
NordenBladet — Kimmo Tiilikainen has been appointed Director General of the Geological Survey of Finland for a period of five years starting on 1 June 2021. The Government decided on the appointment on 22 April 2021.
Tiilikainen has served as State Secretary to the Minister of Economic Affairs and the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry since 2019 and as State Secretary to the ministerial group of the Centre Party in 2019. Prior to that, he served as Minister on several occasions: he was Minister of Housing, Energy and the Environment in 2017–2019, Minister of Agriculture and the Environment in 2015–2017 and Minister of the Environment in 2007–2008. From 2003 to 2019, he was Member of Parliament. He is also a long-time rural entrepreneur and worked as education coordinator at the University of Helsinki in 1994–1995. He is forest manager and holds a Master of Science degree in Agriculture and Forestry.
“Due to his years in different ministries, Tiilikainen has multidisciplinary management experience in issues concerning the environment, land use, natural resources and geosciences. He also has a strong knowledge of operating processes and decision-making in society as well as extensive networks. These are valuable strengths needed for the management of the Geological Survey and the implementation of its new strategy,” Director General Ilona Lundström says.
The Geological Survey of Finland (GTK) is an expert organisation that operates under the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment and is active in Finland and the world. A total of 19 applications were received for the position.
NordenBladet — On 22 April, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health published an implementation plan with the primary objective of reducing inequalities
On 22 April, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health published an implementation plan with the primary objective of reducing inequalities related to the wellbeing, health and safety of people in different population and age groups in Finland. The plan includes a total of 144 measures due to be implemented by 2030.
The idea in the plan is to move the focus of activities to promoting people’s wellbeing, health and safety and to support their ability to work and study as well as their functional capacity. It is essential to be able to prevent problems in advance.
In practice, this means that, in the coming years, the public, private and third sectors will increasingly work in cooperation to improve social inclusion, residents will be given better opportunities to have a say in matters concerning their living environment and leisure time activities, effective operating models will be introduced to outreach work aimed at older people, and new ways of improving the opportunities of civil society to exert influence will be developed.
Measures are required in all areas of society
The strategy has been prepared in broad cooperation with stakeholders. The implementation will also require the participation of all administrative branches and national, regional and local actors promoting wellbeing, health and safety.The measures focus on four areas.
The measures will help to increase social inclusion and equality. At the same time, everyday environments will be developed from the point of view of wellbeing, health and safety. Likewise, people’s opportunities to engage in activities that promote wellbeing, health and safety will be increased, which also means they will have the right and opportunities to receive equal and high-quality services. The measures are also aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of decision-making.
Advisory Board for Public Health will monitor the implementation
The implementation and monitoring of the implementation plan will be coordinated by the Advisory Board for Public Health. The plan will be updated together with stakeholders every year. At the beginning of the new government term, a more thorough update will be carried out in accordance with the priorities of the Government Programme.
The plan is related to the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Finland.
Cross-administrative and broad-based preparation has been conducted to ensure that the measures included in the plan support the strategic goals of the Government Programme, ministries and different administrative branches. At the same time, the idea of the economy of wellbeing will be strengthened.
The implementation plan was published on 22 April in the webinar Kaikille lisää hyvinvointia, terveyttä ja turvallisuutta vuoteen 2030! on providing wellbeing, health and safety for everyone, organised by the Advisory Board for Public Health. Participants also heard examples of what the different administrative branches and stakeholders will do to promote wellbeing, health and safety.
NordenBladet — Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government proposes extension of the temporary derogations in the administrative branch of the Ministry of Transport and Communications. The extension would apply to the Act on Ships’ Crews, the Act on Transport Services, and the Pilotage Act.
The Government submitted its proposal to Parliament on 22 April 2021.The purpose of the proposal is to prepare for continued COVID-19 pandemic. By extending the validity of the temporary derogations adopted earlier, the legislative amendments would ensure that maritime transport could continue and flexibility could be included in the provision of public transport services.
Even if the development of the epidemic improved in Finland, the serious situation in other parts of the world affects Finland’s maritime sector. The proposed temporary derogations are needed, considering the sector’s international nature. The effectiveness of maritime transport is tightly linked with the restrictions on movement set by Finland and other countries.
The derogation on public transport services is necessary, because even in improved epidemic situation, it may take time before passengers return to using the services. In addition, the unsatisfied demand for education and training calls for flexibility in the qualification requirements for ship crew.
In addition to the measures listed above, the preparedness obligation relating to the health security of passengers would be temporarily extended. This applies to holders of a taxi licence and smaller-scale passenger transport licence as well as holders of goods traffic licence that operate in passenger transport services. The current derogations will remain in force until 30 June 2021. The new amendments would enter into force on 1 July 2021 and remain in force until 31 October 2021.
What next?
A preliminary debate will be held on the proposal now submitted by the Government to Parliament. The timetable for the debate will be listed on Parliament’s website (upcoming plenary sessions). After the debate, the proposal will be sent to a Parliamentary Committee.
NordenBladet — The new Act on the Processing of Personal Data by the Police entered into force on 1 June 2019. The Ministry of the Interior has sent a request for opinions to the police and police stakeholders on the effectiveness of the Act and its implementation. The Government must submit a report on the implementation of the Act to the Administration Committee of Parliament by the end of this year.
The new Act on the Processing of Personal Data by the Police was adopted by Parliament on 18 March 2019 and it entered into force on 1 June 2019. Parliament requires that the Government monitor and evaluate the implementation of the Act and submit a detailed report to the Administration Committee by the end of 2021.
The Ministry of the Interior is currently carrying out a project that monitors and evaluates how the Act is implemented in the National Police Board and its subordinate administration. Today on Thursday 22 April, the Ministry of the Interior sent a request for opinions to the police and police stakeholders on the implementation of the Act and its effectiveness. The respondents are requested to pay particular attention to the effectiveness of regulation, protection of personal data, and whether the legislative amendment has had an impact on the operating conditions of the police and other authorities or on the supervision of personal data processing.
Changes in operating environment required amendments to legislation
An important objective of the legislative reform has been to ensure that the police are able to react to changes in the security environment on the basis of correct information that is as real-time as possible. Other objectives have been to secure the flow of information necessary for the activities of the authorities and to clarify and simplify complex legislation.
“The new Act on the Processing of Personal Data by the Police aims to take into account the changes in the police operating environment and the resulting needs, in particular with regard to the processing of personal data to prevent crime,” says Katriina Laitinen, Acting Director General from the Police Department of the Ministry of the Interior.
The report to be presented to the Administration Committee is scheduled to be submitted to Parliament by the end of the year
NordenBladet — Over the past five weeks, the number of new COVID-19 cases has clearly declined. This is a good sign indicating that the epidemic is calming down in Finland. The current restrictions and recommendations and the closure of businesses serving food and beverages have clearly been effective and prevented infections.
However, the number of new cases remains high, which means that the situation may deteriorate rapidly again if contacts between people increase significantly in the next few weeks, allowing the virus to spread more freely in the population. Currently, the number of new cases is at the same level as at the turn of the year and in October–November 2020. Cases of more transmissible virus variants have been reported throughout the country. To ensure that the positive trend will continue, the restrictions should be eased gradually while closely monitoring the number of infections.
There are major regional differences in the development of the epidemic. Southern Finland is still the worst affected area, but the number of cases has clearly declined in the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa (HUS), for example.
Clear downward trend in number and incidence of casesBetween 12 and 18 April, over 1,900 new cases were reported to the communicable diseases register, showing a decrease of about 600 cases from the previous week. The number of new cases was 60% lower between 12 and 18 April than between 8 and 14 March, when the number of cases was highest during the entire epidemic (4,941 cases). The incidence of new cases was 35 per 100,000 inhabitants, while in the previous week it was 46.
The total number of new cases reported in the last two-week period was almost 4,500, which is about 3,000 cases fewer than in the preceding two-week period. The incidence of new cases was 80 per 100,000 inhabitants in the last two-week period, while in the preceding two-week period it was 134.
Currently, the estimated basic reproduction number is 0.75–0.90, with a 90 per cent probability. This is at the same level as the week before.Around 104,000 COVID-19 tests were taken between 12 and 18 April. The number of samples taken has declined steadily over the past month. On the other hand, the percentage of positive COVID-19 cases of all samples taken has also declined over the past month, standing at approximately 1.8% between 12 and 18 April. This means that infections are still detected effectively.
In Finland as a whole, the source of infection was traced in over 70 per cent of all new cases of domestic origin. Between 12 and 18 April, cases where the virus was contracted abroad accounted for 5.5 % of all new cases. As in the previous week, the further infections resulting from them accounted for 1.4 per cent of all cases.
Vaccinations have led to reduced need for hospital care
COVID-19 vaccines are estimated to have reduced the need for hospital care. More than 85% of people aged 70 years or older have already received their first vaccine dose. The medical risk groups are expected to have mainly received their first dose by mid-May. The number of patients in hospital care was highest at the end of March before Easter (between 22 March and 4 April). Compared to this, the total number of patients in hospital care has reduced by half. The number of patients requiring intensive care has remained relatively stable over the past week. On Wednesday 21 April, there were 35 patients in intensive care, 38 inpatients in primary healthcare and 69 inpatients in specialised healthcare. The total number of COVID-19 inpatients was 142. The need for hospital care is expected to decrease further in the coming weeks.On 21 April 2021, the total number of deaths related to the disease was 899.
Antibody studies provide further information on immunity among population
This week, the monitoring report includes an attachment providing information on seroepidemiological studies, in other words antibody studies. Since April 2020, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare has conducted antibody studies to obtain information on how large a proportion of the population has been infected with COVID-19 in Finland. According to the report, the proportion of the population infected with COVID-19 has remained low. The majority of people who have had a COVID-19 infection retain antibodies for a long time. An ongoing follow-up study evaluates the immune response of those who have had a COVID-19 infection against virus variants. Preliminary results will be available during spring and summer.
NordenBladet — The Government outlined a support package for culture, art, physical activity and the event production industry. The package will help culture, art, physical activity and the event production industry recover from the pandemic.
The aim is to support content producers and create conditions for organisers to generate work in the sector and provide people with opportunities to participate in events when society will open up. The overall package amounts to EUR 230.86 million and will be included in the second supplementary budget proposal. The supplementary budget proposal will be submitted to Parliament on 29 April.
The Government wants to help culture, art, physical activity and the event production industry recover from the pandemic as part of the reconstruction of the whole of society and people’s recovery. This additional appropriation will support actors in these sectors and ensure that activities can continue. In particular, the financial package takes into account the plurality of the sector and the different forms of work, such as gig workers, self-employed workers, sole entrepreneurs, freelancers and those operating under company names.
Altogether EUR 127.36 million of the resources will be allocated to culture and art, EUR 18.5 million to physical activity and EUR 85 million to the event production industry. Culture and art together comprises grants and of subsidies awarded to those operating in the cultural industry. The appropriations will be allocated widely to various fields of art and culture.
Around half, EUR 64.8 million, would be allocated in the form of grants to professionals in the industry and as subsidies to sole entrepreneurs and those operating under company names. The funds would be distributed by the Arts Promotion Centre (Taike). The Ministry of Education and Culture would allocate a total of EUR 15 million to independent corporations in different fields of arts, EUR 20 million to national art institutions and theatres, orchestras and museums that are granted central government transfers, and EUR 10.5 million to operators of limited companies with a turnover of less that EUR 150,000 that organise cultural events and festivals, summer theatres and religious summer services organised as non-profit activities.
A total of EUR 3.5 million would be allocated to cultural heritage actors and club houses, EUR 4 million to providers of basic education in the arts that are not eligible for central government transfers, and EUR 1.5 million to agencies in the field. Grants for small and medium-sized cinemas would be allocated EUR 8 million, which would be distributed by the Finnish Film Foundation.
An appropriation of EUR 18.5 million is proposed for physical activity and sport. Altogether EUR 9 million of the appropriation would be allocated to sports clubs, EUR 6 million to national and regional physical activity and sports organisations and EUR 3.5 million to events that have had to be cancelled or have suffered losses as well as to future events. Altogether EUR 85 million will be reserved for an event guarantee. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment is currently preparing a government proposal for an event guarantee. Event organisers and their subcontractors could apply for an event guarantee from the State Treasury. The guarantee would be an advance payment commitment given to event organisers for the costs the organisers declare. If an event were to be cancelled or its size restricted by law or by orders of an authority, compensation would be paid for 85% of the actual costs incurred. The guarantee would apply to events cancelled between 1 June and 31 December 2021.
NordenBladet — The EU Member States, European Parliament and Commission reached a provisional agreement on the European Climate Law early on Wednesday 21 April. With this law, the objective of a climate-neutral EU by 2050 is written into binding legislation. The Climate Law also includes EU’s climate target of at least 55% by 2030.“Agreement on the Climate Law a major step towards a climate-neutral Europe. Now we must focus our attention to implementing the targets and to the Commission’s legislative package that is expected in June. Most of the emission reductions should take place in the emissions trading sector. The 55% target must be seen as the minimum, and the EU’s measures and incentives must be designed in such a way that the target will be exceeded,” Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Krista Mikkonen says.“Climate Law is also an important signal for the Leader’s Climate Summit hosted by the United States at the end of this week. The targets written into the legislation will prove that the EU is a reliable partner in international climate policy: we are systematically incorporating our promises into binding legislation. We are doing our part, and with our solutions and policy measures we urge others to do the same,” Mikkonen says.The Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change to be set up under the European Environment Agency will produce scientific data and knowledge to support decision-making in the EU.“The targets must always be set on the basis of the most recent scientific knowledge. This is why it is important that the EU will also have an independent advisory body similar to the Climate Change Panel we have in Finland to support its work.”The European Climate Law is the first major legislative instrument concerning climate policy in the context of the European Green Deal.The preliminary agreement that has now been reached is still pending formal adoption by the Member States’ representatives and the European Parliament.Commission’s press release on provisional agreement on the Climate LawEU Council’s press release on provisional agreement on the Climate Law
NordenBladet — At its meeting on 20 April, the Government adopted a plan to lift the restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 epidemic. The Government discussed the feedback received on the plan and made clarifications based on the comments.On 9 April, the Government published a draft plan on the timetable for lifting the restrictions. At the same time, the Government requested feedback on the draft from all interested parties. The public consultation round provided important viewpoints that were used in finalising the plan. A further aim of the consultation round was to ensure that the preparations were open and transparent and to strengthen interaction with the public in line with the pledges made in the Government Programme concerning policy reform.The gradual dismantling of the restrictions and recommendations will be based on extensive monitoring and overall assessment of the epidemiological situation. It will take into account the economic and social impacts of the measures.Strong response with a particular focus on children and young peopleComments were received through a questionnaire that was open for one week on the Otakantaa.fi service (a total of 2,141 responses, of which 115 were from organisations and associations), at a hearing for business and industry operators convened by the Prime Minister (Local Government Employers KT, Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions SAK, Central Organisation of Professional Associations in Finland Akava, Finnish Confederation of Professionals STTK and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland), and at a joint hearing for municipalities (22 municipalities). In addition, 28 separate statements were submitted.The key themes in the comments were clear. In general, the comments focused on the lifting of the restrictions, but also on aftercare and reconstruction. The responses emphasised the need to ease the situation of children, young people and other people in vulnerable positions. Respondents expressed hope that in the aftercare of the crisis, support would be provided to children and young people, the backlog in treatment and services would be cleared and the viewpoints of municipalities would be taken into account in the reconstruction process. The comments drew attention to the hardest-hit sectors and the support measures they would need to recover. Respondents hoped to see support for the cultural sector, for organising events and for reopening sports and recreational activities. With regard to the opening of events, respondents hoped for clear guidelines and solutions. Several comments emphasised the importance of regional decision-making power, taking into account regional differences when lifting restrictions and targeting measures at the regional level. Several respondents also mentioned health security and the opening of borders. Of particular concern were questions related to cross-border travel, ensuring health security at borders and the significance of vaccine certificates.Finns patient but critical with regard to restrictions People’s opinions on the exit plan were examined in two ways. All members of the public had the opportunity to respond to the questionnaire if they registered for the Otakantaa.fi service. A survey was also conducted by Kantar TNS Oy to assess the public’s opinions.According to the survey, the majority of Finns were patient with regard to the COVID-19 epidemic and the restrictions imposed to mitigate it. Nine out of ten respondents understood and accepted that the restrictions differed from region to region due to differences in the epidemiological situation. Half of respondents thought the schedule for lifting the restrictions was appropriate, while 27 per cent felt it was too rushed and 19 per cent thought it was too slow. The majority of respondents believed that the measures proposed in the plan would help society and businesses to recover from the crisis. People were particularly concerned about the restrictions placed on children and young people. Children and young people were seen as the groups for which the restrictions should be lifted first. An important individual measure would be returning to contact teaching. Children’s and young people’s access to hobbies was also considered important. In the respondents’ view, the most important means of curbing the spread of infections were committing to safe practices, such as wearing a mask and keeping a safe distance from others, testing people upon entry into the country and placing them in quarantine if necessary, and vaccinating the population. In general, the people who commented on the plan via the Otakantaa.fi service were more critical than those who responded to the survey. Critical respondents felt that the cultural and events sectors had been put in a weaker position than the restaurant sector, for example. Members of the public could comment on the plan using the Otakantaa.fi service from 9 to 16 April. A total of 2,141 responses were received. Kantar TNS Oy conducted its survey on 14–15 April. The questions in the survey were the same as in the Otakantaa.fi questionnaire. A total of 1,249 people responded to the survey. The respondents were members of the Finnish population aged 17–89. The margin of error for responses is approximately +/- 2.8 percentage points. Comments from citizens were also analysed qualitativelyThe Prime Minister’s Office commissioned a qualitative analysis of the open-ended responses to the Otakantaa.fi questionnaire from iloom Oy. The method used in the analysis identifies the most frequently occurring words and themes in the survey data and shows the connections between recurring topics. The responses submitted in Finnish and Swedish were analysed separately. They were processed anonymously. To some extent, the data contained coordinated feedback (the same statements in the answers of several respondents).The open-ended responses expressed hope that the Government’s plan would be clear, fair and based on facts. The tone of the responses was often critical, but the reasoning was largely quite constructive. Several specifications to the planBased on the feedback, the Government made several clarifications to its exit plan at the meeting. The targets set in the plan largely depend on the regional situation and the decisions made by the competent regional authorities.The regional decision-making process will be taken into use in May. With regard to the controlled dismantling of restrictive measures, it is important for the regional authorities to draw up their own specific plans. This will improve the predictability of measures in the different regions according to their characteristics. Regional plans also support timely and correctly targeted communications about the restrictions. The restrictions on outdoor group hobbies for children and young people will be lifted in April. From the beginning of June, outdoor competitions and other recreational events will resume, along with summer camps for young people. In addition, indoor leisure activities that do not involve close contacts will resume in June.From the beginning of July, indoor competitions, events and leisure activities that involve close contacts will resume.Internal border control will continue for as long as it is necessary. However, at the same time, the dismantling of restrictions on traffic will begin in reverse order. As of the beginning of May, restrictions on entry at the internal borders will be gradually replaced by health security measures at the borders. Traffic will first be opened up for border communities at the land borders between Finland and Sweden and between Finland and Norway. Next, commuting will reopen and travel opportunities will be expanded for families and relatives within the EU’s internal borders.
NordenBladet — COVID-19 support for businesses reduced the likelihood of layoffs. However, allocating aid to sectors most affected by the coronavirus pandemic by means of the support for business development did not produce the desired impact, and companies would have needed support for costs of business sooner.These are the conclusions of two reports published by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment on 20 April 2021: a research report by Aalto University and an annual report of the Research Division on Business Subsidies. Both reports discuss the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the economy and companies and the impact of the COVID-19 support for businesses. The two reports focus on five forms of aid: support for cost of business granted by the State Treasury; support for business development granted by Business Finland and ELY Centres; support for the food and beverage service sector granted by the KEHA Centre; loan guarantees by Finnvera; and temporary RDI loans granted by Business Finland.“The COVID-19 pandemic was an unprecedented crisis that took us all by surprise. The service sector, in particular, has suffered the consequences of severe restrictive measures, while the industry has fared better. At the beginning of the crisis, it was important to support companies with the tools we had at our disposal. We will be using the research results to develop our support forms and improve our preparedness for future crises,” says Minister of Economic Affairs Mika Lintilä.Major differences in the allocation of support across sectorsThe majority of COVID-19 support for businesses went to accommodation services, food and beverage services, expert services, industry and commerce. In addition, small companies (from 5 to 49 employees) and companies in Uusimaa received most support in euros.A rough sectoral division shows that the most affected sectors received most of the support. Overall, a lot of COVID-19 support was allocated even to sectors with no or little decrease in turnover, such as professional, scientific and technical activities, information and communication services, and construction. However, there are great differences within sectors, and there are many companies in difficulty.COVID-19 loans and guarantees have been used relatively sparingly. In addition, in Finland the smaller-than-expected economic downturn and the well-functioning lay-off system have reduced the need for COVID-19 support compared to many other countries.Most impact from support of less than EUR 200,000It appears that COVID-19 support measures increased turnover and the amount of wages and salaries paid, and to a lesser extent, the number of employees. They reduced the likelihood of lay-offs and they may have prevented redundancies. Small subsidies of less than EUR 200,000 appear to have had the most effect.“Only short-term effects of the support have been studied so far. Despite many uncertainties associated with the impact analysis, the support measures appear to have helped both companies and employees. However, further studies are needed to assess the overall impact of the measures. The challenges in planning and allocating support for businesses during the coronavirus crisis show the need to improve the central government’s ability to collect and deploy up-to-date data,” says Professor Otto Toivanen from Aalto University and Helsinki Graduate School of Economics.About half of the companies that received support for business development from Business Finland and ELY Centres have designed new digital solutions. The effectiveness of COVID-19 support will also depend on whether the support for business development generates genuine innovation.COVID-19 support should have been deployed in reverse orderThe studies show that the different kinds of COVID-19 support for businesses should have been deployed in reverse order. At the beginning of a crisis, the emphasis should be on direct support for companies, such as support for cost of business. Later on, development support could take a stronger role.Allocating aid in the form of development support, granted by Business Finland, to the most affected sectors and companies did not produce the desired effect. Support for business costs, on the other hand, is an effective tool during a crisis, since inflexible overhead expenses can quickly drive a company into problems with profitability when demand suddenly drops. Its problem in the present crisis was that it required new legislation which took a relatively long time to introduce.“We must continue to assess the effects of the COVID-19 support on a broad front. It will help us prepare for future crises and facilitate an early implementation of an effective support policy,” says Seija Ilmakunnas, chair of the Research Division on Business Subsidies.Long-term impacts will be studied nextIn August last year, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment commissioned an independent assessment of the COVID-19 support for businesses. The purpose is to analyse the short and long-term impacts of the measures and provide information to political decision-makers to help them prepare for future crises.The now completed studies focused on the short-term effects of the COVID-19 support for businesses. The Research Division on Business Subsidies, an independent body operating under the auspices of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, had overall responsibility of the project. It conducted its own assessments and selected Aalto University to perform background research through competitive tendering.Two separate reviews of the long-term effects of COVID-19 support for businesses will be conducted in 2021–2023. The Research Division on Business Subsidies will carry out a policy review of the various support forms to establish whether the selected forms were fit for purpose, to assess the overall role of market-based financing, and to identify which policy measures are suitable for different types of economic crises and specific needs. The impact assessment of COVID-19 support for businesses focuses on the effectiveness of certain forms of support when compared against the objectives set for them, long-term productivity, structural reform of the economy, and economic growth. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment will select an organisation to carry out this assessment through competitive tendering.