NordenBladet — The Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency (Tukes) monitors and promotes the safety, conformity and reliability of products, services and production systems, as well as consumer and chemical safety. The search for a new Director General of Tukes began in February and the vacancy will be filled from 1 July.
The Director General directs the Agency’s activities and is responsible for their development and effectiveness as well as the achievement of the Agency’s objectives. The Director General is appointed by the Government for a period of five years at a time.
The persons who applied for the position:
Lehtonen Piotr
Nieminen Janne
Nurmi Veli-Pekka
Peltonen Kimmo
Pitchulina Tatyana
One applicant did not want their name published.
Applications were accepted until Wednesday 3 March 2021 at 16.15. The list of applicants may be updated if more applications that have been submitted by the deadline arrive later by post or through the Registry.
NordenBladet — In 2020, Finland processed a total of 152,543 applications for a Schengen visa. The decrease in the visa applications received was 83% as compared to the number of visas processed in 2019 (895,781).
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Finland, like the other Schengen countries, suspended the reception of regular visa applications, including tourist visas, on 19 March 2020. Since that date, the reception of visa applications has been continued for certain exceptional categories identified jointly within the EU and by the Finnish Government, observing Finland’s national entry restrictions. Constraints on all activities, including the provision of entry services in both Finnish missions abroad and through the reception services of external service providers, have moreover been imposed by the local authorities, depending on each country’s specific disease situation. The great majority of visa applications for Finland and a significant number of residence permit applications are normally received by an external service provider.
Since March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a clear downturn in the number of visa applications across the world. This decline is reflected not only in Finland’s visa records but also in those kept by the other Schengen countries. These exceptional circumstances are ongoing.In 2020, by far the largest number of applications received by Finland were made by Russian nationals, like before. Whereas in 2019 Russians submitted 786,407 visa applications, the number fell significantly in 2020, being a mere 116,818.
There was similarly a significant decrease in the number of visa applications submitted in China, a country that had shown a growing interest in travel to Finland before the pandemic. Visa applications received from Beijing decreased by 81% and those submitted in Shanghai fell by 77% in 2020 as compared to the previous year.
NordenBladet — The Digital and Population Data Services Agency will send a notice of the right to vote in the 2021 municipal elections to all eligible voters during March. The notice will be accompanied by instructions on safe voting.
The notices of right to vote will be sent by post. The notice will be sent in electronic format to those eligible voters who have activated the Suomi.fi Messages service and given their consent for all official notifications to be sent to them electronically.
The notice of right to vote indicates the voter’s election day polling station and contact details of the central municipal election board. A list of advance polling stations close to the eligible voter’s place of residence and instructions on safe voting during the COVID-19 epidemic will also be enclosed.
People who reach the age of 18 on election day at the latest and have a municipality of residence in Finland have the right to vote in the municipal elections. The elections will be conducted in April 2021. Election day is Sunday 18 April. The advance voting period is in Finland from 7 to 13 April 2021 and abroad from 7 to 10 April 2021.
The Digital and Population Data Services Agency has established a voting register for the 2021 municipal elections based on the information contained in the Population Information System on 26 February 2021. The number of eligible voters included in the register is approximately 4,462,000.
Health security will be taken into account in election arrangements The Ministry of Justice is preparing the municipal elections in cooperation with the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL). The Ministry of Justice and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare have drawn up instructions on safe voting during the COVID-19 epidemic.
The objective is to make sure that everyone can vote safely regardless of the epidemiological situation. Finland is well prepared to organise the municipal elections during the COVID-19 epidemic.Reliable information about elections and voting is available at www.electionsfinland.fi
NordenBladet — The deadline for the joint application procedure for education after comprehensive school has been extended due to the coronavirus situation. This spring’s deadline for applying for vocational education and training, general upper secondary education as well as for preparatory education after comprehensive school and vocational education and training organised in the form of intensive special needs support, ends at 15.00 on 7 April 2021.
“This joint application procedure is a historic one. Now that compulsory education has been restructured, for the first time ever every young person leaving comprehensive school will be applying in the joint application procedure. All students in year 9 will go from comprehensive school to vocational education and training, or to general upper secondary school or to year 10 of comprehensive school, for example,” said Minister of Education Jussi Saramo.
NordenBladet — On Tuesday 2 March, the President of the Republic and the Ministerial Committee on Foreign and Security Policy discussed the United States. It is positive to see that the United States is committed to multilateral cooperation and support for the rules-based international system and is highlighting the importance of climate issues, among others.
The President and the Ministerial Committee also discussed topical issues related to China. In addition, the President and the Ministerial Committee discussed the preparation of the Government’s Defence Report.
NordenBladet — Prime Minister Sanna Marin and the leaders of three EU Member States have sent a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The joint letter calls on the EU to speed up its digital transformation. The other signatories of the letter are German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas.
Prime Minister Sanna Marin and the leaders of three EU Member States have sent a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The joint letter calls on the EU to speed up its digital transformation. The other signatories of the letter are German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas.
“Ambitious digitalisation policy in line with the values of the EU lays the foundation for the Union’s growth and competitiveness. It is also the cornerstone of Finland’s growth policy. Finnish operators have a great deal to contribute to this work,” says Prime Minister Marin. Promoting the digital transformation in Europe is one of the EU’s key objectives over the next few years. In their joint letter, the EU leaders express support to the Commission and offer ideas on how it should move forward in its work on initiatives related to digital policy, such as its Communication on the EU’s digital targets for 2030. The letter highlights the need for the European Union to get ahead of the curve in the digital transformation, as outlined by the European Council in October of last year. Europe needs to recharge and complement its current efforts with a self-determined and open digital policy that guarantees sufficient sovereignty and advances the EU’s digital leadership. This kind of digital policy encompasses the interests of society, the economy and government and supports the Union in its green transition.
NordenBladet — At the end of January, a total of 332,800 unemployed jobseekers were registered at the Employment and Economic Development Offices. This is 81,200 more than a year earlier. The number of unemployed jobseekers decreased by 24,500 from the previous month. The number of unemployed jobseekers also includes those fully laid off. These figures are from the Employment Bulletin of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment.At the end of January, the number of people laid off was 75,100 in the whole country; a year-on-year increase of 50,700. The number of people fully laid off totalled 57,800, representing an increase of 39,400 from January the year before. The number of people fully laid off decreased by 20,000 from December.
The number of long-term unemployed — that is those who had been unemployed without interruption for at least a year — amounted to 93,400, up 30,000 on the previous year. The number of unemployed jobseekers aged over 50 was 120,900, representing an increase of 26,500 on the year before.The number of unemployed jobseekers aged under 25 was 40,200, representing an increase of 9,500 from January last year. Among unemployed young people, the period of unemployment ended within three months in 51.7 percent of cases in January; down by 12.8 percentage points from the previous year.
Decrease in new vacancies
The number of new vacancies reported to Employment and Economic Development Offices during January totalled 83,600, or 9,200 less than in January the previous year. In all, the number of unfilled vacancies at Employment and Economic Development Offices in January amounted to 129,900, showing a decrease of 16,400 from last year.
At the end of January, the number of persons covered by services included in the activation rate amounted to 112,300, down 3,600 on the previous year. These services include pay subsidies, labour market training, work trials and self-motivated studies.Statistics Finland: Unemployment rate 8.7%According to the Labour Force Survey issued by Statistics Finland, in January the number of people in employment was 61,000 less than on the previous year. The employment rate was 69.9%, which was 2.0 percentage points lower than in January the year before. According to the Survey, the unemployment total was 235,000, which is 41,000 more than a year ago. The unemployment rate was 8.7%, or 1.6 percentage points higher than the previous year.
Press release on the revision of the Labour Force Survey: https://www.stat.fi/til/tyti/tyti_2020-12-22_uut_001_en.html
Key differences between Employment Service Statistics and the Labour Force SurveyThis information is based on the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment’s Employment Service Statistics and the Labour Force Survey of Statistics Finland. The Employment Service Statistics of the Ministry are compiled on the basis of the information in the Employment and Economic Development Offices’ customer register, while the Labour Force Survey of Statistics Finland is based on sampling.In the Ministry’s Employment Service Statistics, people that are not in an employment relationship or employed in business are listed as unemployed. Persons fully laid-off but not full-time students are also categorised as unemployed in the Employment Service Statistics. The Labour Force Survey of Statistics Finland has a stricter definition of being unemployed: a person is unemployed if he or she has actively sought employment during the preceding four weeks and is available for work over the coming two weeks. The figures of the Labour Force Survey of Statistics Finland are internationally comparable and thus they are the official Finnish unemployment statistics.Further information on the differences in the statistics http://www.stat.fi/til/tyti/tyti_2016-08-23_men_001_en.html
NordenBladet — On 1 March, the management of Metsä Group and leaders of key trade unions met under the leadership of Minister of Employment Tuula Haatainen to discuss the start of construction of the bioproduct plant in Kemi. Metsä Group has stated that it will require companies operating at the construction site to comply with Finnish legislation and collective agreements throughout the subcontracting chain. In addition, the company will immediately address any shortcomings discovered. Such measures will proactively combat the grey economy.
“Metsä Group has already had discussions with trade unions in order to ensure that the working conditions throughout the chain are appropriate, that proactive measures are taken to combat the shadow economy, and that occupational safety and health are taken into account comprehensively. I am very pleased with this constructive and active approach. Occupational safety and health issues are naturally more important than ever because of the ongoing coronavirus situation,” Minister Haatainen said.
“The employment impact of the plant construction is estimated to be 10,000 person-years and more than half of the work will take place in Kemi. The project’s domestic content will rise to a very high level. We expect our partners to commit to the objectives of the project in terms of security, compliance with employment legislation and working conditions, prevention of the grey economy, as well as timetable and quality of work. We welcome the open and good dialogue with Minister Haatainen and the trade unions,” Ismo Nousiainen, CEO of Metsä Fibre, said.
The trade union leaders thanked the company for its good preparation and proactive approach. For example, the subcontractors have been carefully selected and any problems at the site will be addressed immediately. Many at the event felt that the preparations for the construction of the mill were even better than in Äänekoski, where a similar plant was built in 2015–2017. The roundtable discussion was organised to ensure that all parties have common information about the project and that the objectives will be achieved in the best possible way.
Metsä Group announced in February that it would build a bioproduct mill in Kemi for an estimated value of EUR 1.6 billion, the largest investment ever made by the forest industry in Finland.
NordenBladet — The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment has now designated eight potential candidates for the next stage of the EU-wide selection process for European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs). The role of EDIHs is to support businesses and the public sector in the utilisation and deployment of digital solutions.
Finland’s candidates for European Digital Innovation Hubs are:
FAIR – Finnish AI Region (responsible organisation VTT Technical Research of Finland Ltd)
SIX Manufacturing EDIH (Tamlink Ltd)
Location Innovation Hub (LIH) (National Land Survey of Finland/Finnish Geospatial Research Institute (NLS FGI)
5STAR eCorridors (DIMECC Ltd)
WellLake EDIH (Business Jyväskylä)
HealthHub Finland (Turku Science Park Ltd)
Robocoast EDIH Consortium (Prizztech Ltd)Arctic-EDIH (University of Oulu)
Finland boasts expertise on how to capitalise on digitalisation
European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs) are part of the EU’s new Digital Europe Programme. They function as service points that boost digital investment and, in particular, the digitalisation of SMEs. The activities of the hubs must be non-profit making.
“The idea behind the selected cooperation projects that involve different kinds of organisations is to make the digital transformation generate sustainable growth to a higher degree than before. European networking will support the development of better digitalisation services, and Finnish operators have a lot to contribute to this effort. The chosen set of diverse and capable candidates ensures that, in different contexts, there will be a sufficient number of high-quality Finnish hubs meeting the requirements in terms of geographic location, technological orientation and field of application and they can be drawn to the EU-wide network,” says Minister of Economic Affairs Mika Lintilä.
Member States were asked to select their candidates for innovation hubs through an open procedure. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment received 10 applications in the open call for applications it organised between 18 November 2020 and 15 January 2021. The candidates were evaluated by an independent eight-person panel with a wide range of expertise in the renewal of business and industry, including digitalisation, innovation and science. The applications were ranked on the basis on the scores given by the panel of experts, and the Ministry then determined the number of candidates for the second round.Hubs for EU-wide network to be selected from among the national candidates
The nationally pre-selected candidate organisations will be invited to participate in a restricted call for proposals by the European Commission to select European Digital Innovation Hubs. The chosen national candidates still have an opportunity to fine-tune their applications and look for new partners.According to current information, the EU-wide call for proposals will be launched in March. It will be open for at least 10 weeks, and the results will be announced in the fourth quarter of 2021.
There will be a maximum of four hubs from Finland. The available EU funding has been divided between the Member States to allow for the creation of an EU-wide network of up to 200 Hubs. Approximately EUR 14.8 million have been tentatively allocated from the Digital Europe Programme to fund the Finnish hubs in 2021–2027. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment will continue its preparations for the national funding and support of these hubs as part of the Artificial Intelligence 4.0 programme, destined to speed up the digitalisation of business and industry.In the spring, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment will also start to design activities for the support and coordination of the future EDIHs and other similar operators.
NordenBladet — The Government has submitted a proposal to Parliament on the temporary closure of restaurants and other food and beverage service businesses to customers for three weeks. The act would enter into force on 8 March 2021 and remain in force until 28 March 2021. During that time, meals could still be sold to customers for takeaway and delivery. The closure would apply to food and beverage service businesses in areas where the COVID-19 epidemic is in the acceleration or community transmission phase. Separate provisions on the areas of application will be laid down by government decree.
As a matter of urgency, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment is preparing a support model for the reasonable compensation of businesses affected by the closure. The temporary closure of restaurants is one of the measures taken by the Government to prevent the rapid acceleration of the COVID-19 epidemic and to curb the spread of more infections virus variants. The proposal is based on the Government’s decision to declare a state of emergency in Finland. The Government decided on the state of emergency and the proposal in its meeting on 1 March 2021.Closure to affect all food and beverage service businesses in areas in the acceleration or community transmission phase, with the exception of staff restaurants
The temporary closure would apply to all food and beverage service businesses in areas where it is necessary in order to curb the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic, i.e. in areas where the epidemic is in the acceleration or community transmission phase. Provisions on the regions affected by the closures will be laid down by government decree. The decree will be issued upon the entry into force of the act.
The food and beverage service businesses to be closed down would include cafes, restaurants, bars and nightclubs that are open to the public. The restriction would also affect outdoor terraces.
Restaurants that are not open to the public would be exempt from the closure. It would therefore not affect canteens in residential homes for older people or staff restaurants that are not open to other customers, for example.
During the closure, restaurants and cafes would still be allowed to sell portions directly to the customer for takeaway or deliver them either themselves or using other service providers.In regions where the COVID-19 epidemic is at a stable level, food and beverage service businesses could continue to be open to customers. Businesses that remain open must still comply with the restrictions laid down in the Communicable Diseases Act and in the regulations issued under it.
The classification of regions into the baseline, acceleration and community transmission phases of the epidemic is based on the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health’s action plan for implementing the hybrid strategy to manage COVID-19.
How will the closure proceed?The Government proposal will now proceed to Parliament for deliberations. Then, the President of the Republic will approve the act and the Government will adopt a decree on the areas to be affected by the closure. The decree will then be submitted to Parliament for an ex post examination.The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment will provide more information on the entry into force of the act and the support model for businesses as the matter progresses.