NordenBladet — The Ministry of the Environment organised an online survey to gather people’s views and opinions on how emissions can be reduced effectively and fairly. The number of responses that came in during the four weeks the survey was open was very high, more than 18,000. The responses will be used for the preparation of the Medium-Term Climate Change Policy Plan.“It is truly valuable that so many people wanted to share their opinions on how emissions should be reduced. In wish to thank everyone who responded to the survey! The wide interest proves that people consider it important to have the opportunity to have a say in climate policy. The only way to succeed in climate work is to get everyone involved. Giving people an easy way to influence climate decisions is an important part of fair and just climate work,” Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Krista Mikkonen says.A summary of the responses to the survey will be presented to the working group tasked with preparing the climate plan. The summary will also be published on the website of the Ministry of the Environment later this spring.In the survey people were asked to tell their opinions on how acceptable different kinds of measures to reduce emissions would be. They were also asked to consider how the different measures would influence their own behaviour. The themes included in the survey were transport, food and eating and housing, which constitute the highest percentage of our carbon footprint. The survey was open from 19 January to 19 February 2021.To reach the carbon neutrality target, emission reductions are needed in all sectors. Calculated on the basis of the carbon footprint, household consumption is estimated to account for 66% of Finland’s total emissions.Medium-term Climate Change Policy Plan paves the way for a carbon-neutral Finland 2035The medium-term climate change policy plan will be updated to meet the Government’s goal of achieving a carbon-neutral Finland by the year 2035. The plan contains a description of the development of emissions in the past and estimates the development of emissions based on the current policy measures in relation to the targets. The plan also outlines new policy measures, and their effectiveness is assessed in relation to the objectives.To support the preparation of the plan, a working group was set up in October 2020, with representatives from the key ministries and the Climate Panel. The draft plan will be completed in the summer of 2021 and will be submitted to Parliament as a report in autumn 2021.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — Domestic and foreign tourists spent 9.3 billion euros in Finland in 2020, which represents a fall of 42% from the amount spent in 2019, EUR 16.1 billion. In other words, the coronavirus pandemic reduced the spending by tourists in Finland by nearly EUR 7 billion.The figures on Finland’s economic development from last year make this decline apparent: Finland’s gross domestic product is estimated to have fallen by 3% in 2020.  These are the conclusions of preliminary estimates on tourism demand in 2020, that is the money spent by Finnish and foreign tourists in Finland during the year. The estimate was prepared by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, in cooperation with Visit Finland, Statistics Finland, the Finnish Hospitality Association MaRa, and the Association of Finnish Travel Agents SMAL. It appears that the statistics available now confirm the organisations’ earlier assessment on the development of tourism demand in Finland in September 2020.Huge decline in international tourismTravel policies and restrictive measures introduced to stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in Finland and other countries had a serious impact on cross-border tourism. According to preliminary estimates, the coronavirus crisis reduced the amount of money spent by foreign tourists in Finland by 67%, or EUR 3.3 billion, in 2020. Meanwhile, demand for foreign travel by Finnish people fell by 73%, or approximately EUR 1.7 billion.The Finnish tourism sector relies heavily on the recovery of international tourism. The recovery of tourism demand, particularly inbound and outbound tourism, will be significantly slower than the demand for domestic tourism.A major drop in domestic tourism, with the exception of summerAfter the challenging spring months, domestic tourism grew in the June-August period, with the level of demand approaching that of 2019. However, following the introduction of more restrictive measures, demand began to fall again in September.  Two very different trends can be distinguished in domestic tourism. Demand for rental cottages increased sharply in May and remained high until the end of the year. On the other hand, demand for hotel accommodation experienced a downward trend from March onwards. In other types of accommodation, demand started to grow from July onwards. The preliminary estimates show that domestic tourism demand fell by 20% or EUR 1.7 billion euros in 2020.Estimates for 2021 to be published in MarchThe Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, in cooperation with Visit Finland, Statistics Finland, the Finnish Hospitality Association MaRa, and the Association of Finnish Travel Agents SMAL prepared official estimates of the development of tourism demand in 2020. The estimates were published for the first time on 6 May 2020 and were updated on 9 September 2020.  The next update of the estimates on tourism demand will be published at a webinar organised by Visit Finland on 17 March 2021.Tourism demand reflects the amount of money tourists spend on purchasing products and services during the year. The total demand for tourism includes the spending of both Finnish and foreign tourists in Finland. The estimates reflect the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on travel and tourism in Finland as a whole.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — The EU foreign ministers will convene in Brussels on Monday 22 February. Finland’s representative at the meeting will be Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto. The ministers will exchange views on Russia, the Strategic Compass for EU security and defence policy, and Hong Kong. Foreign Minister Haavisto will give a report on his visit to Ethiopia and Sudan as Special Envoy of the European Union. The United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to join the meeting by video conference. On 24 February, Foreign Minister Haavisto will attend a meeting of the North Atlantic Council.

The February Foreign Affairs Council will have a strategic discussion on the latest developments concerning EU-Russia relations and the five principles underpinning them. The ministers will discuss Russia’s current human rights situation in the light of the poisoning and detention of the opposition politician Alexei Navalny and the arrests of demonstrators protesting his detention. Minister Haavisto will give an account of his meeting with the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Saint Petersburg on Monday 15 February.

The Strategic Compass is an EU initiative to strengthen a common European security and defence culture. Its aim is to specify the objectives of security and defence cooperation defined in the 2016 EU Global Strategy on Foreign and Security Policy, to enhance the implementation of the common level of ambition and to ensure a desired effect of the EU’s defence initiatives. Finland supports a proactive and comprehensive approach to strengthening European security and defence.

The foreign ministers will review the latest developments regarding Hong Kong. In July 2020, the Council adopted conclusions expressing concern over the impacts of the national security legislation adopted last year on the situation and civil rights in Hong Kong. In Finland’s view, it is important that the EU continue to closely monitor the situation in Hong Kong and, if necessary, react to the changes in a timely manner. Any new EU action regarding Hong Kong must be consistent with previous action.

Foreign Minister Haavisto will give the Foreign Affairs Council a report on his visit to Ethiopia and Sudan in early February as Special Envoy mandated by High Representative Josep Borrell. He will also present his proposal for further EU action, among others regarding the humanitarian situation in the Tigray region. The EU foreign ministers will meet the new US foreign minister Antony Blinken by video conference.

During his visit to Brussels, Foreign Minister Haavisto will also attend a meeting of the North Atlantic Council (NAC) and, among other things, have a meeting with NATO’s Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană.

NordenBladet — The amendments to the Communicable Diseases Act have been approved, and they will enter into force on 22 February 2021. They will strengthen the possibilities of local and regional authorities to take proactive and swift measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Most of the amendments will remain in force until 30 June 2021. Under the amended Act, the authorities can introduce regional restrictions on business and leisure activities when this is necessary to prevent the spread of the epidemic. Any obligations and restrictions will thus be based on avoiding physical contact between people.

Stricter measures to be introduced gradually when the COVID-19 epidemic acceleratesIn line with the action plan for implementing the hybrid strategy to curb the COVID-19 epidemic, the measures are introduced gradually so that obligations and restrictions can be tightened again if earlier measures prove to be insufficient. At the baseline of the epidemic, general hygiene measures are binding in all areas where customers and participants are present. Customers or participants must have the opportunity to clean their hands, and enhanced cleaning measures must be put in place. Customers and participants must also be provided with guidelines on how to prevent the spread of infections.

In the acceleration phase, regional authorities can decide that activities must be arranged in such a way that no close contacts are created. To ensure that their activities are safe, businesses can choose the best way to operate so that customers can avoid close contact with one another in practice. This can mean space arrangements, staggered timetables or, alternatively, restricting the number of customers. The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency can also decide to restrict the number of passengers by a maximum of 50 per cent during the acceleration phase.

In the community transmission phase, the municipality or the Regional State Administrative Agency can close businesses or other facilities that are intended for customers and participants for a period of two weeks. This can only be applied to those facilities and spaces defined in the Act that may generate significant infection chains. These include indoor and other sports facilities, public saunas and swimming pools, dance halls, amusement parks, indoor playgrounds, and public space in shopping centres. The regulation will not be applied to private and family life activities.

More permanent amendments to regulation on isolation and access to information
More permanent amendments were made to the regulation on isolation, for example. In future, isolation could take place in the person’s own home, for example, instead of a health care unit. The amended Act also specifies the regulation on the right of the authorities to obtain information and on executive assistance.

Amendments to be taken into account in the action plan for implementing the hybrid strategy
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health will update the action plan for implementing the Government’s hybrid strategy to take account of the new powers at different phases of the epidemic. The Ministry will guide and support the regional communicable disease authorities in the application of these powers.

NordenBladet — The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has launched projects to promote peace and reconciliation in Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia. The aim of the projects that are expected to last until 2023 is to encourage young people to work for peace and to use media skills as a way of exerting influence. The Ministry’s Communications Department is responsible for the projects.

Alyas Rahimi and Faradis Farhat participated in a workshop organised in Kabul.

Lasting a few days at the end of 2019 and 2020, the Salam Programme for Iraq and Afghanistan was implemented by organising workshops for young people. The participants discussed, among other things, storytelling, media work, societal influence and the promotion of peace and reconciliation. After the workshops, the young people were appointed young ambassadors for peace.

Ornina Henry Serkis, an Iraqi citizen, participated in the workshop held in Erbil for the second time.

NordenBladet — The Ministry for Foreign Affairs (MFA) has granted EUR 2.17 million to Finnish civil society organisations’ (CSOs) development communication and global education projects in Finland in 2021–2022. In this application round, project support was granted to 19 CSOs.Support for development communication and global education is used to finance projects carried out by Finnish CSOs. The aim is to enhance awareness and knowledge of global development questions in Finland and to encourage citizens to advance sustainable development and to participate in efforts to resolve related challenges. The support is granted from the development cooperation appropriations for Finnish CSOs’ development cooperation.

The support will be used to promote the achievement of the goals set in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Special attention is paid to target 4.7 of the SDGs, which aims to ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development.

“CSOs’ development communication and global education projects in Finland strengthen the capacity to advance global justice and responsibility. The objective is to enhance people’s awareness and engagement so that everyone can promote socially, ecologically and economically sustainable development in their everyday lives and ensure that no one is left behind,” emphasises Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari.

In this year’s application round, the MFA granted support to 19 CSOs. The supported projects will focus on wide and comprehensive communications on the SDGs, on global education at different levels of the education system and in liberal education and on the promotion of responsible business conduct as part of sustainable development.

The themes of the supported projects include, for example, addressing discrimination, discussing questions related to climate change, and promoting equality, human rights and peaceful and well-functioning societies in line with the objectives and priorities of Finland’s development policy. The projects will involve collaboration with diverse target groups in different parts of Finland. The projects will be carried out in 2021–2022.In the call for applications, which ended in late 2020, the MFA received applications from 27 Finnish CSOs. The total amount of funding applied for was approximately EUR 2.8 million. The EUR 2.17 million granted is about EUR 770,000 more than was granted in the previous round in 2018. The support is granted for the organisations’ activities in 2021–2022.

NordenBladet — The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has granted EUR two million to Finnish civil society organisations (CSOs) linked with the UN for their basic operations and development communication and global education activities. In this application round, support was granted to six CSOs.

The objective of the support is to raise awareness and knowledge in Finland of the UN and its specialised agencies and their goals as well as of Finland’s activities in the UN as part of the international rules-based system. Through the support, the organisations will advance the objectives of Finland’s development policy in a number of sectors.  The support is granted from the development cooperation appropriations for Finnish CSOs’ development cooperation.

“Finnish CSOs linked with the UN play an important role in disseminating information about how the international system, and Finland as part of it, contribute to sustainable development goals and foster human rights. Organisations also offer people channels to take part in the promotion of global issues and in efforts to resolve various challenges,” says Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari.

In this application round, support was granted to six CSOs, mainly for their development communication and global education activities in Finland.  The organisations will implement communication campaigns, produce information and learning materials and visit schools.  Many activities target children and youth and strengthen their inclusion and participation.

Organisations also raise awareness of the importance of human rights, democracy and the rule of law, foster peace and security, and promote non-discrimination in Finland. Several organisations also campaign for women’s and girls’ rights and sexual and reproductive health and rights. In the call for applications, which ended in late 2020, a total of approximately EUR 2.5 million was applied for. The EUR 2 million granted is EUR 600,000 million more than was granted in the previous application round in 2018. The support is granted for the organisations’ activities in 2021–2022.

Recipients of grants in 2020Finnish Refugee Council EUR 600,000Finnish Committee for UNICEF EUR 470,000UN Association of Finland EUR 320,000UN Youth of Finland EUR 30,000UN Women Finland EUR 550,000

NordenBladet — The UN Environment Assembly UNEA-5 brings together the UN Member States and representatives of the business sector and civil society organisations to a session conducted virtually on 22-23 February. The themes of the meeting are the role of nature in reaching the Sustainable Development Goals and green rebuilding and sustainable recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic.The Finnish delegation is led by Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Krista Mikkonen, who will also participate in a high-level discussion on strengthening the role of the environmental sector in post-COVID-19 recovery.“Each euro can be used just once. With smart investments we can solve the COVID-19 crisis, while at the same time finding solutions to biodiversity and climate crises and boosting a genuine transition to a sustainable economy. The same formula will also help us prevent future pandemics. This requires broad cooperation and sharing of good practices between countries. Now UNEA offers us an excellent virtual opportunity for this,” Minister Mikkonen says.“We must look far enough into the horizon. For example, the investment cycles of industry are very long: we are now building a world of zero-emissions based on a circular economy in 2050. Jobs should not be created at the cost of nature and climate – and ultimately the people,” Mikkonen says.The UN Environment Assembly UNEA-5 is the first of a series of important meetings this year. In the autumn decisions are to be made on joint global targets to halt the loss of biodiversity in Kunming, China. The Glasgow Climate Change Conference in November brings together the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change UNFCCC to boost the global climate work. Instead of individual sectors or targets, UNEA will discuss comprehensive approaches and solutions to halt the decline of the state of the environment.“UNEA has an important role in mainstreaming environmental issues in the UN system. This is why Finland wants to strengthen the environmental agenda of the UN and is one of the major funders of the organisation,” Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Mikkonen says.The virtual session is to adopt the UNEP Medium Term Strategy 2022–2025 and work programme 2022–2023. Other negotiations on the resolution will take place in a resumed session of UNEA-5 to be held as an in-person event in Nairobi early next year. The UN Environment Programme will celebrate its 50th anniversary next year, and the festivities will be started at the virtual meeting.In connection with UNEA-5 a number of other events will be organised, including the Global Civil Society Forum, Global Youth Environment Assembly and UN Science-Policy Business Forum on the Environment.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — On 18 February, the Government decided to extend the current restrictions on entry into the country until 18 March 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, and there are not yet adequate measures available to replace internal border controls. For this reason, and to curb the spread of COVID-19 variants, both internal and external border controls will continue until 18 March. No substantive changes will be made to the decisions taken on 11 February 2021.

Internal border traffic refers to traffic between Finland and other Schengen countries. Finland currently restricts entry from all other Schengen countries except Iceland. The Schengen countries are Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden, which are EU Member States, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, which are non-EU countries.

External border traffic refers to traffic between Finland and non-Schengen third countries. Restrictions have been lifted for traffic arriving in Finland from the Vatican, and for traffic between Finland and Australia, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand and New Zealand for residents of these countries.There will be restrictions on the opening hours of certain border crossing points on the western border in Lapland (starting on 15 February) and on the eastern border (starting on 19 February). The aim of these changes is to concentrate cross-border traffic mainly to daytime and evening hours. This will ensure that the health authorities have sufficient resources at the border. The objective is to guide all people crossing the Finnish border to a COVID-19 test, unless they can present proof of a sufficiently recent negative COVID-19 test, proof of recovery from COVID-19 or proof of COVID-19 vaccination. The limited opening hours do not apply to goods transport or to necessary passenger traffic with a justified reason to cross the border outside the opening hours.

Under the Constitution of Finland, Finnish citizens and residents of Finland always have the right to return to Finland, and everyone has the right to leave Finland if they so wish, provided that there is no legal impediment to this. However, the Government still recommends avoiding unnecessary travel to other countries, except for countries for which the restrictions on entry have been lifted. Travellers must be aware of the current entry and quarantine regulations of their country of destination.

For more detailed information on the restrictions on internal and external border traffic, see the Border Guard website and the press releases published on 22 January and 11 February by the Ministry of the Interior.