NordenBladet — On Thursday 25 March, the Government of Finland received an international Catalyst 2030 Award for sustainable development. The award was presented to the Finnish National Commission on Sustainable Development, which is chaired by the Prime Minister. Finland was recognised for its participatory approach to implementing the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In its statement, the prize jury placed particular emphasis on Finland’s international cooperation in promoting sustainable consumption and production.Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Krista Mikkonen, who serves as Vice-Chair of the Commission on Sustainable Development, accepted the award. Mikkonen stressed that the Commission is a unique lobbying forum from an international perspective, with more than 80 operators from different sectors of society participating in its activities.The Commission’s work is based on dialogue between the Government, researchers, businesses, cities, organisations and other stakeholders. The Commission sets Finland’s national sustainable development goals, works to achieve them and monitors progress on their implementation.
 
“Finland’s work in the field of sustainable development is a source of genuine interest and enthusiasm around the world, and the Catalyst 2030 Award is another indication of this. The Finnish National Commission on Sustainable Development is a social innovation collaborating to build Finland’s future on a sustainable basis,” Mikkonen commented.In its statement, the prize jury highlighted Finland’s objectives, actions and partnerships in the realm of sustainable consumption and production. The statement also cited Finland’s circular economy solutions, ambitious climate goals and international cooperation with organisations in the field.Minister Mikkonen pointed out that achieving environmental objectives still requires a great deal of effort in Finland.“Issues related to sustainable consumption and production are particularly challenging. In order to solve them, we need to make the transition to a carbon-neutral circular economy. The Government is committed to carbon neutrality by 2035 and we are now setting targets for curbing the growth in our total use of natural resources. In order to achieve these goals, it is important for us to involve all key sectors and operators in society.”Catalyst 2030 Awards presented for the first timeCatalyst 2030 is a global community launched at the World Economic Forum in Davos one year ago. The community’s objective is to support comprehensive social change and innovative solutions in order to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. Its members include social enterprises, think tanks and other innovators from all sectors of society.Catalyst 2030 received over 200 nominations for the award in eight different categories, from which the jury selected the winners. Finland received the award in the “Governments and Cities” category.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — The negotiations between Finland and Norway on fishing restrictions concerning the River Tenojoki (Tana) have been delayed due to recent reports about the rapid decline in the status of salmon stocks in the river in the past few years. Based on sonar count data, only a little more than 14,000 salmon rose to spawn in the river last summer. This was less than a half of the number of salmon in 2018, which was not very high, either.The ministers of Norway and Finland negotiated on the status of the River Tenojoki (Tana) salmon stocks on 26 February. After the negotiations, Norway sent a proposal concerning the restrictions to Finland. According to this, the river would be completely closed to salmon fishing during this year’s fishing season due to the poor status of the salmon stocks. The total ban would apply to the border section of the Tana. In addition, the Norwegian Ministry of Climate and Environment will ban fishing in the Norwegian tributaries and lower Norwegian part of the river. The Norwegian Environment Agency has also sent on hearing a proposal to ban the fishing of Tana salmon in the Tanafjord and outer coast of Norway in four municipalities (Nordkapp, Lebesby, Gamvik and Berlevåg). The proposal covers a very large area that in practice comprises all areas from which Tana salmon is being caught. Fishing for other species would largely continue as before.“In the negotiations Finland has stressed that measures to protect the salmon stocks must be taken in all areas where salmon occurs during its lifecycle, from the river to the sea. The restrictions must also be equal for Finland and Norway and for different groups of fishers. With these perspectives in mind, we are taking Norway’s proposal very seriously,” Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Jari Leppä says.Finland will form its position and reply to Norway during this and next week. The proposal has been discussed with the management group for the Tana salmon stocks and the delegation negotiating on the fishing rule for the river, and it will also be negotiated with the Sámi Parliament. The fishing regulations for the next year will also be circulated for comment. The decision concerning restrictions for the 2021 season should be in force by 1 May.Reports on the status of salmon stocks in the River Tenojoki (Tana) are available on the website of Natural Resources Institute Finland

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — The latest amendments to the Communicable Diseases Act will clarify the current regulation on compulsory health examinations. In future, people who have or have been exposed to a communicable disease must provide the health authorities with information about themselves. The amendments to the Act that will enter into force on 29 March 2021 will also improve the possibilities of the Border Guard to provide executive assistance. The President of the Republic is to approve the amendments on 26 March.

The amendments will also strengthen and speed up the authorities’ work in preventing communicable diseases and tracing transmission chains. The amendments concern section 16 (compulsory health examination), section 22 (provision of information) and section 89 (executive assistance) of the Act.

Possible to conduct compulsory health examinations  The amendments will specify the existing right of the Regional State Administrative Agencies to order a compulsory health examination. The health examination could include a COVID-19 test. In addition, the physician in charge of communicable diseases in the municipality or hospital district will, in future, have the right to decide that individual persons must undergo a compulsory health examination.

The Regional State Administrative Agencies can decide on compulsory health examinations. The decision could apply to people at airports and ports who arrive in Finland from specific countries during a specific time period, for example. It could also apply to people working in specific workplaces. In their decisions, the Regional State Administrative Agencies can take into account the regional epidemiological situation and when and to what extent healthcare workers can be used to carry out compulsory health examinations. This will make it easier to assign healthcare workers to locations where they are needed to prevent the spread of communicable diseases. This procedure will ensure that other healthcare activities are not jeopardised, for example during the COVID-19 epidemic.If a person refuses to undergo a compulsory health examination, they can, under chapter 44, section 2 of the Criminal Code, be sentenced for a health protection violation to a fine or to imprisonment for at most three months.

Those infected or exposed will be obligated to provide informationIn future, people who have, are exposed to or are justifiably suspected of having a generally hazardous or monitored communicable disease will be obligated to provide the healthcare professionals investigating the matter with information about themselves. Earlier the provision of information was voluntary.Scope of executive assistance provided by the Border Guard to extend Following the amendment to section 89 of the Communicable Diseases Act, the Border Guard will have the right to stop a vehicle, control traffic and process health information that is necessary for the purpose of conducting executive assistance duties.

NordenBladet — The Government has submitted a proposal that would place temporary restrictions on freedom of movement and close contacts and introduce a mask mandate in the areas worst affected by COVID-19. The main objective is to reduce the number of encounters and close contacts between people in areas where COVID-19 is spreading rapidly and uncontrollably. The goal is to protect people from the dangerous communicable disease and to safeguard the capacity of the healthcare system. The Government submitted the proposal to Parliament on Thursday 25 March.

The restrictions would be introduced by separate government decree in areas where the epidemic can no longer be prevented using the existing measures.In the hospital districts of Helsinki and Uusimaa and Southwest Finland in particular, the situation is so severe that if the incidence of the disease increases at the current rate, the need for medical care will grow significantly and there is a 50–75 per cent chance that we will exceed the carrying capacity of specialised healthcare over the next few weeks. The new virus variants that are currently spreading are 30–50 per cent more transmissible than the original virus that was spreading at the beginning of the epidemic. It is estimated that two thirds of all new COVID-19 cases in Helsinki and Uusimaa are caused by new virus variants, while the corresponding figure for Southwest Finland is almost half.

Restrictions on movement could be imposed for three weeks at a timeIn areas where the restrictions on movement are in force, people would only be allowed to leave their homes or places of residence for essential reasons or for outdoor recreation. People could move around outdoors for recreational or fitness purposes with others belonging to the same household or at most two other persons. While doing outdoor activities, it is important to keep a safe distance from other people. Walking pets would be allowed.Children born in 2008 or later would be allowed to do outdoor activities and play outside with other children. You are always allowed to return to your home or place of residence. People living in areas where the restrictions are in force would be allowed to leave their municipality of residence only for essential reasons. The same would apply to people from other municipalities entering areas where the restrictions are in place.

Movement would also be permitted if for those leaving or entering the country
The restrictions could be imposed for a maximum period of 21 days, and they would only be in force for as long as necessary. They could be extended for a maximum of 21 days at a time. The Government’s legislative proposal would also introduce a mask mandate in areas where the restrictions on movement are in force. In line with the proposal, all people born in 2007 or before must wear a face mask while in indoor spaces and in means of transport with persons other than those belonging to the same household. The police could impose a fixed fine of EUR 40.00 for violation of the mask mandate.

Movement would only be permitted for essential reasons:Essential movement would be permitted for the following reasons:  to purchase food and drink, medicines, fuel or other items of similar importance for everyday life to handle banking matters and to collect and send mail and other items to access healthcare or social welfare services or official services that cannot be accessed remotely to perform duties related to a post or employment relationship or to pursue trade or business activities to participate in early childhood education and care as laid down in Act on Early Childhood Education and Care (540/2018), in education or activities as laid down in the Basic Education Act (628/1998) or the Act on the European School of Helsinki (1463/2007) or in upper secondary general education, vocational training or higher education, or to take an entrance exam, aptitude test, matriculation examination test or other similar test required for such education. to carry out tasks related to a public position of trust, to participate in a meeting of a private corporation or foundation, to perform the duties of a member of an institution or to represent a corporation or foundation in situations where deferring this participation, performance or representation could cause damage to the corporation or foundation, a shareholder or member, or to any other person  to perform military service or meet another statutory obligation in connection with the need for care, risk of death, or the death or funeral of a family member or other close person, to provide assistance and support to a child or to fulfil the right of access to a child, to provide assistance and support to a person with a disability, or for reasons related to an established relationship or other comparable reasons for a private meeting of a spiritual nature with a representative of a religious community for the maintenance or servicing of a building, property or vehicle owned or controlled by a person, or for the purpose of moving to another place of residence to care for an animal for which a person is responsible to travel to a leisure home owned or under long-term possession by the person or by someone belonging to the same household* to perform rescue services as referred to in the Rescue Act (379/2011) and other acts.

If the proposed restrictions on movement are introduced, the details will be communicated broadly and multilingually through a variety of different communication channels. Effective communication aims to ensure that information about the restrictions reaches all people living, working and moving in the areas where the restrictions are in force.

Police would be responsible for monitoring compliance with restrictions on movement

Upon request from the police, people would need to provide an account of their destination and their reason for moving around outside. The police could not prevent a person from moving outside for an essential reason provided in the decree. The police could order crowds to disperse, apprehend persons violating the restrictions and impose a fine for the violation. The act is set to enter into force as soon as possible and it will remain in force until 14 May 2021. The act would not apply in the autonomous region of Åland.* items in bold added on 25 March at 16.50

NordenBladet — The Act on Strong Electronic Identification and Electronic Trust Services will be amended. The amendment will extend the maximum price regulation for the so-called chaining of electronic initial identification data by two years. For the next two years, the maximum price will remain the same as it is now, three cents.

Initial identification refers to reliable verification of a person’s identity when the person is issued a means of strong identification, such as online banking codes, for the first time. Chaining of initial identification data takes place when a new means of electronic identification is created entirely electronically with the help of an existing means of strong electronic identification, e.g. a new mobile certificate with the help of banking codes.

The price regulation that was set for a fixed period of time will be extended, because the availability of electronic identification is essential for the provision of secure basic public services. The current maximum price regulation has promoted the market and increased interest in the provision of identification services. However, the development process is not yet completed.

In connection with the adoption of the legislative amendment, Parliament required that the Ministry of Transport and Communications annually submit a report to the Transport and Communications Committee on the market and supply of strong electronic identification as well as an estimate of the need to continue the price regulation.

What next?
The Government proposed that the amendments to the Act on Strong Electronic Identification and Electronic Trust Services be adopted on 25 March 2021. The President of the Republic is expected to approve the amendments on 26 March 2021, and they are to enter into force on 1 April 2021.

NordenBladet — The validity of seafarers’ fixed-term certificates of competency and of proficiency will be extended due to the effects of the COVID-19 epidemic. The derogation permitting a special dispensation from certificates of proficiency required on a vessel will also be extended.

The derogations will be temporary. The validity of the certificates was extended for the first time in June 2020.

On 25 March 2021, the Government proposed that the relevant bills be passed. The President of the Republic is expected to approve the bills on 26 March 2021.

The certificates of competency and certificates of proficiency expiring by no later than 30 June 2021 will continue to be valid without further application for six months following their original dates of expiration. In the same period, the Transport and Communications Agency may, on application by the ship manager, grant an exemption from the requirement on certificates of proficiency. As a result, the certificates will expire by 31 December 2021.

In this context, the required qualifications for physicians operating in the maritime and railway sectors will be amended in the Act on Transport Services. Following the clarification in the Act, it will be more evident that individuals, whose rights to practice as a physician have been limited in a manner that restricts service as a railway or maritime physician, do not meet the required qualifications.

The Acts will enter into force on 29 March 2021. Section 109 a of the Transport Services Act and subsection 4 of section 13 of the Act on Ships’ Crews and the Safety Management of Ships will remain in force until 30 June 2021.

NordenBladet — Daylight Saving Time begins in the coming weekend, in the night between Saturday and Sunday. The clocks will be moved forward one hour on Sunday, 28 March, at 03.00.

Finland has observed Daylight Saving Time without interruption since 1981. Switching to summer time and back to winter time is a unified practice within the European Union.Efforts to end the summer-time arrangementIn 2018, the European Commission proposed that the biannual clock changes would be abandoned across Europe in a harmonised manner. The Member States would remain free to decide nationally which time they want to adopt on a permanent basis.

Of the Member States, Finland has advocated abandoning seasonal time changes the most actively. The people, businesses and other stakeholders were widely consulted in Finland to facilitate national decision-making. The results showed that many were in favour of abandoning clock changes. While both summer and winter time were supported fairly evenly, winter time gained slightly more popularity.Finland does not currently have a formal final position on the choice of permanent year-round time. Finland underlines the importance of avoiding fragmentation of time zones.

How is the proposed directive proceeding?

The initial target schedule for the Commission proposal has not been met. In spring 2019, the European Parliament voted in favour of ending seasonal time changes. At the time, it proposed that clocks would be changed in 2021 for the last time.

The proposal is still awaiting consideration by the Council of the EU, for the issue shall be decided jointly by the Council and the Parliament. The debate on Daylight Saving Time has been delayed, partly because of the coronavirus pandemic, and the issue has not been on the agenda during the Portuguese Presidency of the EU Council this spring.

NordenBladet — At the request of Minister of Economic Affairs Mika Lintilä, Patria Oyj’s Chairman of the Board Panu Routila has investigated the industrial future of the Naantali region. According to Routila, the region has significant potential to become a new hub for bioeconomy and circular economy.

With the closure of Neste’s oil refinery and the restructuring of related operations, approximately 370 jobs will be lost, of which 230 are in Naantali. Panu Routila examined different industrial activities that could replace the refinery and mitigate the negative effects caused by its closure. “It is possible to create a bioeconomy and circular economy cluster in the area by bringing together important operators in the sector. The objective is that this ecosystem would employ more people than Neste Oyj did. This is possible by investing in industrial-scale facilities that need skilled workers,” Routila said.

The new industry would focus on future projects in the bioeconomy and circular economy. The report proposes a number of options, including clean hydrogen, various biorefinery projects and industrial demolition and cleaning work. A dozen companies have expressed their interest in further developing their projects in these fields.“It is positive that the report has identified areas of preliminary studies for possible investment decisions in the future. With further preparation, new ideas for additional projects may be born. The circular economy is becoming increasingly important as the world focuses on combating climate change and reducing fossil fuels,” Minister Mika Lintilä said in receiving the report at the press conference on 25 March.

“The closure of the refinery is a blow to the Turku region and Southwest Finland, but the region is in a good position to recover and create new industry, business and jobs. The Government has also allocated a regional development grant of EUR 200,000 and a business aid authorisation of EUR 400,000 to Naantali to manage the sudden structural change. With the investments from the region and businesses, the leverage effect will be even greater,” Lintilä added.

Both the minister and the rapporteur thanked the cities of Naantali, Raisio and Turku for their participation in the study and especially Neste Oyj, as the owner of the refinery area, for its interest in finding new industrial activities for it. Recommendation to create a new development company and to establish an industrial park for bioeconomy and circular economy

According to the report, some areas of the land owned by Neste Oyj can be developed for new industrial activities. However, any planning work must take the company’s remaining port and terminal facilities into account.

The rapporteur recommends the establishment of a limited liability company, which would develop a bioeconomy and circular economy cluster in the region. The company would be tasked to identify suitable companies and to study the feasibility of projects, establishment of an industrial park company, sources of funding and acquisition of land from Neste.

“The ecosystem as a whole is important for the individual projects so that they can support each other and achieve significant savings due to the common infrastructure. The funding allocated by the State to manage the structural change and the contributions from local governments and companies will provide the resources for further work. I have proposed the creation of a development company in which the cities of Naantali, Raisio and Turku would play a key role. Neste and Fortum have also agreed to participate in further preparation. It is my hope that we will hear the first investment decisions by companies already during the further work,” Routila adds.

NordenBladet — The Government has been deliberating on a legislative proposal that would temporarily restrict freedom of movement. The draft proposal has been prepared by officials under the leadership of the Prime Minister’s Office. The Prime Minister’s Office has now published the draft proposal in its entirety as it currently stands.

The main objective of the restrictions on movement is to reduce the number of encounters and close contacts between people in areas where COVID-19 is spreading rapidly and uncontrollably. The goal is to protect people from the dangerous communicable disease and to safeguard the capacity of the healthcare system.

NordenBladet — Finland’s plan to build a new museum for architecture and design has taken an important step today as the Ministry of Education and Culture, along with the City of Helsinki, have established a new project organization to coordinate the planning of the new museum. Kaarina Gould – former Program Director of Helsinki’s World Design Capital year in 2012, current Executive Director of the Finnish Cultural Institute in New York – has been appointed to lead the project. A high-level steering group has been formed to supervise the project, with Timo Laitinen, Director General of Finland’s State Treasury, as Chair.

The new museum will merge two existing museums, the Museum of Finnish Architecture and the Design Museum, and function as the national museum in these fields.  Once established, the museum of architecture and design will be housed in a new building, constructed in the South Harbour of Helsinki as part of the overall development of the district. An architecture competition for the museum is planned for a later stage of the project.

The decision to move ahead with the new museum is based on in-depth surveys and an initial concept plan drawn up in 2018–2019 by the Ministry of Education and Culture, the City of Helsinki, and the two museums. During the preliminary planning phase, a management and funding model for the museum was also formed.In 2021, a foundation will be established for the new architecture and design museum to manage the present museums’ collections. Museum operations will be coordinated by a limited liability company, to be established later, which will be fully owned by the foundation.

The state of Finland and the City of Helsinki are expected to provide equal shares of capital to the museum foundation. In its fourth supplementary budget proposal for 2020, the Government undertook to capitalise the new museum foundation with a maximum of EUR 60 million. “The revival of cultural activities along with sustainable growth provide a path towards a brighter future. Architecture and design are our strengths, and they play an important part in providing sustainable solutions for society. The new museum brings together unique content, competence and creativity. We are working towards a world-class architecture and design museum with a concept that fosters new experiences and insight,” says Anita Lehikoinen, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Culture.

“Global competition between cities will increase notably. As a result of the Covid crisis, the prerequisites for a good life, as well as human and social capital will play an important role alongside more traditional attractions. In the era we live in, the courage to dream big and invest in the future is needed for nations to succeed. Meanwhile, design and architecture play an increasingly crucial role in solving global problems. There could hardly be a more opportune time to establish a new museum for architecture and design,” says Jan Vapaavuori, Mayor of Helsinki.

“This new stage on the path to the realization of the New Architecture and Design Museum has been prepared with great care. We are happy to start working with the project organization, as we now move forward with the outlines for the operating principles, core contents and guidelines for the new building and museum. Architecture and design are Finnish strengths, which have helped in realizing the values of the Nordic welfare model. The new museum can lead the way and encourage us to discuss, learn, and experience different ways of building a new model of the future welfare state,” say museum directors Carina Jaatinen (Museum of Finnish Architecture) and Jukka Savolainen (Design Museum).

The next stage is to produce a comprehensive plan that will allow the funders to make final decisions on the implementation of the project. This phase of the project, led by the newly appointed Project Director Kaarina Gould, will launch on May 1st, and is expected to last until late 2023. Gould, experienced with large scale international projects and initiatives such as the World Design Capital Helsinki 2012, will work alongside the teams of the two museums, the organizations of the City of Helsinki, and the Ministry of Education and Culture to secure the foundations for building a pioneering museum of international calibre.

“Sustainability and pioneering thinking are the key values that the new museum – both as a concept and a new building – will be built upon. Audiences, architecture and design communities in Finland, and the world, have been awaiting this museum for decades. Now the time is right. The past year can be seen as a catalyst for the work that lies ahead – the challenges the pandemic has put on cultural institutions form an obligation and an opportunity to reinvent the museum,” says Kaarina Gould.

Supporting and supervising the project will be a steering group, chaired by Timo Laitinen, Director General of Finland’s State Treasury. Other members include leadership from the City of Helsinki, Ministry of Education and Culture, Ministry of Finance, directors and chairpersons of Museum of Finnish Architecture and the Design Museum, and a number of experts from fields of design, finance, and urban development.