NordenBladet — The 2021 municipal elections will be held on Sunday 13 June 2021. The Act on the Postponement of the 2021 Municipal Elections entered into force today.

Election day is 13 June 2021. The advance voting period is from 26 May to 8 June in Finland and from 2 to 5 June abroad. This year, the advance voting period in Finland is longer than usual, two weeks, and municipalities have been granted support for the extra costs arising from the extension.

Candidate applications submitted earlier to the central municipal election boards are still valid. However, it is possible to make changes to the applications and submit new applications until 4 May.

NordenBladet — To halt the loss of biodiversity, both nature protection and nature management in commercial forests should be increased. This is the conclusion of a study published on 29 March, conducted by the Natural Resources Institute Finland, Metsähallitus, Pellervo Economic Research Institute, Finnish Wildlife Agency and Finnish Environment Institute.

The study was commissioned by the Government.Besides targets concerning the surface areas, halting biodiversity loss in a cost-effective way requires that we are capable of identifying the sites that at the moment are the best ones in terms of preserving biodiversity and, on the other hand, areas that are less significant for wood production that could be developed in a way that enhances biodiversity. A strong increase in the surface area protected and nature management in commercial forests would cause considerable costs to the State if compensations were also paid for nature management. Growth in the demand for wood at the same time would increase the costs even further, because higher wood prices would mean higher compensations to be paid to landowners for the protected areas.

The project ‘Cost-effective measures for halting biodiversity loss in forests’ (KEIMO), conducted as part of the Government’s analysis, assessment and research activities, analysed the economic and ecological impacts of a strong increase in forest protection and nature management in commercial forests and how these could be reconciled with a simultaneous increase in the demand for wood and felling operations. The EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 also stresses the need to increase the surface areas protected and nature management in commercial forests to halt biodiversity loss and adapt to climate change

Nature management should be targeted to areas close to protected areas
The biodiversity of forests can be preserved more cost-effectively when the wishes of landowners are taken into account in nature management and measures are targeted to areas where the preconditions for them to succeed are in place. These include areas adjacent or close to areas that are already protected.“However, protection should also be targeted to heathland and peatland forests with an old-growth stand of significant nature value, as well as to favourably located sites with young stands or felling sites for nature management purposes where nature values are still evolving,” says Kimmo Syrjänen, Head of Unit at the Finnish Environment Institute.

The criteria and statistics related to nature management need to be developed further to enable better monitoring of the quality and volumes of nature management measures.Good forest management must support the reconciliation of biodiversity protection and wood productionIn the project six scenario calculations were made that differed from each other with respect to the increase in roundwood removals (72.4–80 million m3), surface area protected and nature management measures in commercial forests (retention trees, mix of deciduous trees and rotation period).

Based on the study, it is not possible to double the surface area of nature conservation areas in southern and central Finland, strongly increase nature management in commercial forests and raise roundwood removals to 80 million m3 at the same time if we also wish to preserve the future felling potential. In commercial forests the volume of the growing stock (amount of wood) stays about the same for the next 30 years in a scenario where protected areas and nature management measures increased as described above but there was no increase in roundwood removals. During the period covered by the study, an increase of roundwood removals to 80 million m3 alone had no impact on the growing stock volume, either.

The cost-effectiveness of preserving biodiversity is the weaker the higher the demand for wood is. There are two main causes for this: protection costs more if the price of wood is higher, and biodiversity leakage is also higher. This means that the increase in protection and nature management measures improves biodiversity in the sites concerned, but more felling is being done and more intensively elsewhere in commercial forests. A strong, simultaneous increase in protection, nature management measures and felling would lead to younger commercial forests and a considerable decrease in the growing stock volume over the next 30 years.

Younger commercial forests would mean that in the long term there would not be enough domestic wood to meet the needs of the forest industry. Domestic wood can be replaced by imports, but this may have adverse impacts on biodiversity somewhere else. Increasing the growth of forests in areas other than those designated to protection or nature management e.g. by means of timely seedling stand management, fertilisation and bred seed and seedling materials would improve the possibilities to increase protection, nature management and felling at the same time. In the long term increase in afforestation would also contribute to this.

“We should bear in mind that scenarios are alternative images of the future, and it is unlikely that the targets for surface areas and roundwood removals presented in them would ever be realised as such. However, scenarios are a good tool for illustrating the challenges associated with preserving biodiversity and increasing wood production,” says Leena Kärkkäinen, Senior Scientist at the Natural Resources Institute Finland.

Voluntary protection measures are important, costs to State economy may be highFor the purposes of the study, the increase in the protected forest area took place on a voluntary basis and landowners received full compensation for the income losses, in accordance with the Forest Biodiversity Programme for Southern Finland. Preserving habitats that are important for game animals and forest bird species also promotes the wellbeing of forest ecosystems.

To double the protected area from the present in southern and central Finland by 2030, the funding of the Forest Biodiversity Programme for Southern Finland Metso should be increased by more than ten-fold to at least EUR 240 million a year. If nature management measures in commercial forests were also increased, the annual costs would rise to an estimated EUR 460 to 530 million. In addition, more resources would be needed for the administration that implements the protection.A strong increase in the protected area would not be possible without less strict selection criteria for the sites, which means that areas where nature values are still evolving would be protected. This would increase the number of sites offered for protection, as well as reduce the costs.

New instruments to enhance biodiversity needed
Cost-effective means to encourage forest owners to offering more sites for protection and interest them in nature management include enhanced communication on the Forest Biodiversity Programme for Southern Finland Metso and the Helmi programme concerned with the restoration of habitats. Area-related payments could provide better incentives to forest owners to preserving structural characteristics of forests that promote biodiversity. In addition, similar offsetting mechanisms could be developed for preserving biodiversity as have been introduced for offsetting greenhouse gas emissions.

NordenBladet — The actions through which the global campaign will promote gender equality in technology and innovations will be announced on a virtual forum held in Mexico. Finland holds a lead role in this work. The forum will be attended by Prime Minister Sanna Marin and Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari.

Coordinated by UN Women, the objective of the Generation Equality campaign is to accelerate the attainment of gender equality objectives worldwide. Last year, Finland was appointed to lead the Action Coalition that focuses on gender equality in the field of technology and innovations. The coalition will publish its concrete action blueprint in connection with the virtual forum held in Mexico.

The priorities put forward by Finland are strongly present in the action blueprint. The requirement for the elimination of gender-based online violence and creation of safe online environments for all is one of the main objectives of the global action plan.The blueprint will be published in a high-level panel discussion, attended by Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari as Finland’s representative. Prime Minister Sanna Marin will speak in the session discussing women’s leadership. Additionally, Johanna Sumuvuori, State Secretary of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, will attend the event to set up a group of friends of gender equality.

“Online violence and harassment are human rights violations and, as such, as reprehensible as any forms of violence taking place offline. Online harassment that targets women, girls and minorities in particular is also a real threat to democracy, as it restricts and hinders participation in social debate. We need global regulation, commitments and actions to eliminate online violence. Succeeding in this requires seamless cooperation between governments, companies and NGOs, to which the Generation Equality campaign offers an excellent opportunity,” says Minister Skinnari.

The action blueprints of five other Generation Equality Action Coalitions will also be published during the three-day event. The coalitions seek solutions to address issues related to gender-based violence, sexual and reproductive health and rights, economic justice, climate change and women’s leadership.The action blueprints will be implemented during the next five years in collaboration with governments, companies, organisations and youth movements.The preparatory phase for the Generation Equality campaign will continue for the rest of the spring and culminate in the high-level forum arranged in Paris from 30 June to 2 July 2021.For more information, please contact:Tanja Leikas-Bottà, Counsellor, tel. +358 50 4087110.

NordenBladet — At the presidential session on Friday 26 March, the President of the Republic appointed three new Ambassadors.

The President of the Republic appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Sari Rautio to serve as Head of Mission at Finland’s Embassy in Madrid, starting on 1 September 2021. Rautio will move to Madrid from the Ministry, where she has worked as Director of the Unit for Security Policy and Crisis Management since 2018. Before that she has held various positions in the Political Department of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and in Finland’s missions abroad. In 2015–2018, she worked as Director of the Unit for European Common Foreign and Security Policy in the Ministry; in 2012–2015, as Finland’s representative in the EU’s Political and Security Committee (PSC/COPS) in Brussels; and in 2010 and 2012, as Adviser to both the Under-Secretary of State for political affairs and to the Director General of the Political Department. Her posts in the Diplomatic Service include service in Moscow and Addis Ababa. Rautio joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 2001. She holds a Master’s degree in Social Sciences.

Embassy in Abuja, starting on 1 September 2021. Pylvänäinen will move to Abuja from the Ministry, where she has worked as Director of the Unit for Arms Control since 2017. In 2015–2017 she headed the European Common Foreign and Security Policy Team and, in 2005–2008, the Persian Gulf Team. Her experience of work in the Diplomatic Service includes posts in The Hague, Berlin, Bucharest and the Permanent Mission of Finland to the UN in New York. Pylvänäinen joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1998. She holds a Master’s degree in Social Sciences.

The President of the Republic appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Antti Kaski to serve as Head of Mission at Finland’s Embassy in Bogotá, starting on 1 July 2021. Kaski will transfer to Bogotá from Berlin, where he has served as Deputy Head of Mission since 2017. In 2015–2017, he worked as Director of the Unit for Policy Planning and Research. In the Diplomatic Service, he has held posts in Berlin, Geneva, Brussels and Vienna. Kaski joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1998. He holds a Master’s degree in Social Sciences.

NordenBladet — On 26 March 2021, the Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) granted a fuel loading permit to Teollisuuden Voima Oyj’s Olkiluoto 3 nuclear power plant in Eurajoki. The use of the new unit is considered to start when the first batch of fuel is loaded into the reactor, after which the unit will be connected to the main grid in phases and become part of the Finnish and Nordic electricity markets. According to the company, regular commercial electricity production at the plant will start in February 2022.

The Finnish Government granted an operating licence under section 20 of the Nuclear Energy Act to the Olkiluoto 3 nuclear power plant unit on 7 March 2019. The licence will remain in effect until 31 December 2038. For the past two years, Teollisuuden Voima (TVO) has conducted system testing to finalise the plant. “With Finland’s industry electrifying, we need significantly more clean and reliable electricity. STUK’s fuel loading permit for Olkiluoto 3 is a decisive step towards large-scale production of clean electricity, which is estimated to reduce Finland’s greenhouse gas emissions by several million tonnes. What is more, the share of Finnish electricity production that is emissions-free will already rise to 90%,” says Minister of Economic Affairs Mika Lintilä.

“The most important thing with nuclear power is to ensure the safety of the power plant. During the construction and commissioning of the plant, safety has not ever been, and will not be, compromised. As licence holder of the plant, TVO is responsible for its safety, while STUK is in charge of supervision,” minister Lintilä adds.Under the terms of the operating licence, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment must confirm that the company has arranged to undertake the costs of nuclear waste management in accordance with the provisions of chapter 7 of the Nuclear Energy Act. In February 2021, TVO provided the State with a collateral to cover its waste management obligation when the plant’s operations start. The collateral has been transferred to the State Treasury for safekeeping. Olkiluoto 3 is the first nuclear power plant in the world to have a fully designed and operational waste management system ready at the commissioning stage. The spent fuel of the plant will be placed in the bedrock of Olkiluoto in Posiva’s final disposal facility – the first of its kind in the world. The plant’s planned operating life is at least 60 years. However, the unit’s technical life may be considerably longer.With a power generation capacity of 1,600 megawatts, Olkiluoto 3 will become the largest power plant in the Nordic and Baltic countries and the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. When it operates at full capacity, the plant can produce approximately 13 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity per year. Olkiluoto 3 will increase the annual domestic electricity production to nearly 80 TWh. At the same time, the share of nuclear power in Finland’s electricity production will rise to more than 40%. According to the energy industry, approximately 66 TWh of electricity was produced and 81 TWh was consumed in Finland in 2020.

NordenBladet — More than 200 million people across the globe need humanitarian assistance due to conflicts, natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic. The provision of humanitarian assistance is one of the most concrete ways of responding to crises and disasters. Finland grants a total of EUR 69.6 million to humanitarian work carried out by the UN organizations, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and Finnish civil society organisations.

In its humanitarian action, Finland emphasises the rights of women and girls, disability inclusion, and school meals.The majority of the funding now granted by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs will be channelled to UN organizations. Through its core funding, Finland supports food security (EUR 8 million to the World Food Programme, WFP); emergency shelters for refugees and their protection and education (EUR 7 million to the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, and EUR 5 million to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, UNRWA); and the coordination of humanitarian action (EUR 2.5 million to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA). In addition, funding will be used to respond to sudden disasters and underfunded protracted crises (EUR 8 million to the UN Central Emergency Response Fund, CERF) and to disaster risk reduction (EUR 1 million to the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, UNDRR).

“The coronavirus pandemic has further accentuated the importance of predictable and flexible humanitarian funding. The best way to ensure rapid and timely delivery of assistance in sudden disasters is to decide on funding early in the year,” stresses Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari. Finland grants not only core funding but also funding for the regional and thematic work conducted by UN agencies. WFP will use Finland’s funding to improve food security in the Sahel and Afghanistan (EUR 4 million) and to strengthen the food security of persons with disabilities (EUR 1 million); UNHCR will support refugees in South Sudan and its neighbouring countries (EUR 2 million), Tigray in Ethiopia (EUR 2 million) and Syria and its neighbouring areas (EUR 5 million); and UNFPA will improve the reproductive health services for women and girls in Syria (EUR 2 million). The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is an important humanitarian partner for Finland. The EUR 13 million now granted to it will be distributed between core funding (EUR 3 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross, ICRC) and thematic programmes as follows: ICRC’s emergency assistance to Yemen (EUR 2.7 million), South Sudan (EUR 2 million), Burkina Faso (EUR 1.2 million), Afghanistan (EUR 1 million) and Ukraine (EUR 0.8 million) as well as work by the Red Crescent in Syria (EUR 1.1 million).

These programmes will strengthen the protection, health services, food security and water supply of the most vulnerable people. EUR 10.2 million is granted to humanitarian work by Finnish civil society organisations. The projects will be implemented by Fida International, Finn Church Aid, Finnish Refugee Council, Save the Children Finland, Plan International Finland, Finnish Red Cross and World Vision Finland. Civil society organisations’ projects support, for example, water supply and sanitation, the education of persons with disabilities, as well as child protection, food security and safe reopening of schools. Civil society organisations have an important role in supporting local humanitarian actors and strengthening their capacity to respond to crises. Besides several African countries, this year the projects of Finnish civil society organisations will be supported in Yemen, Myanmar and North Korea as well.Additionally, Finland funds the EU’s humanitarian assistance through its contribution to the EU budget. The European Union, together with its Member States, is the world’s largest donor of humanitarian assistance.
 

NordenBladet — In February–March 2021, the Employment and Economic Development Offices (TE Offices) defined 37 occupations as shortage occupations nationwide. A year ago, before the effects of the coronavirus epidemic started to show, there were 60 such occupations. In the autumn of 2020, 31 of the estimated 200 occupations suffered from labour shortage. In other words, the number of shortage occupations has risen slightly from the assessment in the autumn.

According to an assessment carried out by the TE Offices in February

–March, 37 of the 200 occupations were surplus occupations. The number of surplus occupations has increased from the 25 recorded a year before. The coronavirus epidemic has not had a significant effect on the surplus of labour. Changes in the surplus of labour are small and trend-like.These are the findings of the Occupational Barometer published by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. The report is based on estimates provided by TE Offices regarding the near-term outlook for labour shortage or surplus in key occupations. The Barometer includes 200 professions included in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO 4), which represents just under half of the occupations with most workers.

Largest shortage in health and social services sector
There is a significant shortage of skilled labour in the health and social services sector. The shortage is most acute among nurses, senior social work specialists, speech therapists, practical nurses and early childhood educators.The healthcare and social welfare sector accounts for two-thirds of the occupations on the top 15 list of shortage occupations. However, new occupations from outside the healthcare sector have emerged, including earth moving machine operators and roofing installers. Oral hygienists remain on the list too.Changes to the list of top 15 surplus occupations have been even less drastic than in shortage occupations. Secretarial occupations in general continue to show labour surplus. ICT technicians are a new group on the top 15 list of surplus occupations.

Labour market demand and supply best balanced in Satakunta and LaplandThe share of occupations where the demand and supply of labour are in balance was the highest in Satakunta and Lapland, and the lowest in Central Finland and Kainuu. Kainuu has a proportionately large number of shortage occupations whereas Central Finland suffers from a relative large number of surplus occupations.The next estimate of employment outlook in different occupations will be prepared in autumn 2021.

NordenBladet — In 2021, Finland acts as the chairing country of Nordic and Baltic countries cooperation, NB8. This year’s first NB8 meeting of Foreign Ministers will be on Friday, 26 March.

Due to the COVID-19 situation, the meeting will take place virtually.Under the leadership of Finland’s Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, the Ministers will discuss, among other things, topical foreign and security policy questions, recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, and UN matters.