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.
NordenBladet — Entrepreneurs and self-employed persons are entitled to labour market support because of the coronavirus pandemic under a temporary amendment to the Unemployment Security Act in force until the end of March. On 18 February 2021, the Government submitted a proposal to Parliament to extend the right of entrepreneurs and self-employed persons to labour market support until 30 June 2021. The aim is to ensure the livelihood of entrepreneurs and self-employed persons during the pandemic.
“The coronavirus pandemic is making it very difficult for entrepreneurs and self-employed persons to work, and unfortunately there is no quick relief in sight. It is clear that we need to continue their right to labour market support,” says Minister of Employment Tuula Haatainen.“Labour market support for entrepreneurs plays a significant role during the pandemic. In the autumn, on average 22,000 persons received the support per month,” says Minister Haatainen.
Last year, the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela) paid labour market support to 44,000 entrepreneurs and self-employed persons for a total amount of EUR 165.7 million.What are the conditions for an entrepreneur to be eligible for labour market support?Labour market support is one form of unemployment benefits. Entrepreneurs and self-employed persons are entitled to labour market support under the temporary amendment whentheir full-time employment has ended orthe monthly income from their entrepreneurial activities is less than EUR 1,089.67 per each person engaged in these activities as an entrepreneur.
The end of the person’s full-time work or the reduction in income must be due to the coronavirus epidemic. Entrepreneurs and self-employed persons do not need to close down their business to be eligible for labour market support under the temporary amendment of the Unemployment Security Act. When entrepreneurs or self-employed persons close down their business, they became eligible to unemployment benefit under other provisions of the Unemployment Security Act.
The process of applying and receiving labour market support is as follows:
The entrepreneur registers as an unemployed jobseeker and provides an account of the termination of their full-time employment or decrease in income due to the coronavirus epidemic.The TE Office issues a labour policy statement to Kela.
The entrepreneur applies to Kela for labour market support.Kela pays the labour market support to the entrepreneur.
Epidemic-related exceptions to unemployment security to be extended
In addition to the extension of labour market support for entrepreneurs, the Government proposes to extend the increased exempt amount of the unemployment benefit and other exceptions to the unemployment security introduced because of the coronavirus epidemic.
The Government proposals are related to the first supplementary budget proposal for 2021. They will be discussed in Parliament alongside the supplementary budget proposal.
NordenBladet — The Government proposes that parallel bareboat registration be allowed in Finland for a maximum of five years at a time. It would be simultaneous with the registration of the vessel’s right of ownership in another state. Parallel registration would be possible when a foreign vessel is chartered to Finland under the so-called bareboat chartering agreement (without crew).
The Government submitted its proposal to Parliament on 18 February 2021.In terms of rights of use, the vessel would be registered in Finland, but the ownership registration would remain in the original state. The vessel would fly the flag of Finland and Finnish legislation would be applied to it with the exception of issues relating to the ownership and mortgage of the vessel.
The Transport and Communications Agency would have the responsibility for making a decision on the approval of a vessel’s registration for use. In order for the vessel to be approved, it would have to be managed and operated from Finland. According to the proposal, the parallel registration would allow flexibility in the operations of shipping companies and possibly result in new tonnage under the Finnish flag. This would promote the competitiveness of Finnish shipping companies and create jobs for Finnish seafarers.
Next steps
A preliminary debate will be held on the proposal now submitted by the Government to Parliament. The timetable for the debate will be listed on Parliament’s website (upcoming plenary sessions).
After the referral debate, the proposal will be sent to the Transport and Communications Committee. Once the committee’s report is ready, the matter will be discussed in a plenary session again.
NordenBladet — A new edition of This is FINLAND magazine has been published, showcasing Finland’s strengths to the international community. This year’s edition stresses Finnish technological expertise and digitalisation. It also explores our ambition to achieve carbon neutrality, and takes a look at Finnish society both during and after the global pandemic.
“Even in exceptional times, it is important to highlight themes that are important to Finland, and to explain what Finland can offer to the rest of the world. As the COVID-19 sniffer dogs at Helsinki-Vantaa International Airport showed last September, Finnish solutions can attract huge international interest. People are increasingly interested in responsibility and sustainable development nowadays, and Finland has a great deal to offer in terms of climate solutions and digitalisation,” says Laura Kamras, Director of the Unit for Public Diplomacy at the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
NordenBladet — The Government is proposing that the validity of fixed-term ships’ crew certificates of competency and certificates of proficiency be extended due to the effects of the COVID-19 epidemic. A derogation permitting a special dispensation from certificates of proficiency required on a vessel would also be extended. The derogations would be temporary.
The Government tabled a bill to amend the relevant statutes on 18 February 2021.
The bill provides that certificates of competency and certificates of proficiency expiring by no later than 30 June 2021 would continue to be valid without further application for six months following their original dates of expiration. Over the same period, the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency, Traficom, could grant a dispensation from the requirement for certificates of proficiency at the shipowner’s request. The qualifications and dispensations would thereby expire on or before 30 December 2021.
The changes in ships’ crew qualifications seek to ensure continuity of shipping and maritime industries in the exceptional circumstances caused by the COVID-19 epidemic. They also seek to secure an adequate number of qualified seafarers during the epidemic.
The bill also proposes an amendment of the qualification requirements for medical examiners of seafarers and railway doctors under the Act on Transport Services. These requirements would be clarified to exclude individuals whose rights to practice as a physician were limited in a manner that restricts service as a railway doctor or medical examiner of seafarers.
The proposed amendments are intended to take effect as soon as possible. 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 would remain in force until 30 June 2021.
Next steps
A preliminary debate will be held on the bill that the Government has now submitted to Parliament. The timetable for the debate will be announced on the website of Parliament (upcoming plenary sessions).
The bill will then be submitted to the Transport and Communications Committee, and the matter will return for debate at another plenary session after this committee reports its findings.
NordenBladet — Harri Pursiainen, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transport and Communications, will not seek an extension to his mandate as Permanent Secretary. He submitted his application for the post of Permanent Secretary when the application period began on 18 January, but he withdrew his application on 16 February.
“I have served the state for nearly 42 years. In the end, I came to the conclusion that now is a good time to retire from the civil service”, Pursiainen says.
Minister of Transport and Communications Timo Harakka wishes to thank Pursiainen for his good working relationship and his career in the service of the country.”
Since the 1990s, Harri Pursiainen has guided Finland in becoming one of the world leaders in communications networks and in bringing financial success to the sector. As a Permanent Secretary, he is a legend who is respected by everyone, certainly not least of all by the Minister”, says Minister Harakka.
“His withdrawal is our loss. I hope he can still provide his expertise and experience to the sector.”
Pursiainen has served as Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Transport and Communications since June 2006.
NordenBladet — The objective of the student admissions reform is to streamline the transition to higher education and to improve the allocation of student places. In the monitoring study commissioned by the Ministry of Education and Culture, researchers from the Labour Institute for Economic Research (PT) and the VATT Institute for Economic Research examined whether the reform succeeded in its objectives. The study will be completed in spring 2022. This interim report presents provisional data on the study.
The research project, running from 2020 to 2022, assesses how successful the reform has been in accelerating students’ transition to higher education. The effect of the reform on equal and equitable distribution of student places in higher education will also be examined.
This report focuses on describing changes in application behaviour and student admissions between 2015 and 2020. The material used in the interim report covers only one post-reform year.
Since the results only describe the post-reform situation, the researchers underline that far-reaching conclusions should be avoided at this stage. The changes observed do not necessarily stem from the reform, but instead from other underlying factors that change over time. For example, the COVID-19 epidemic and the introduction of additional student places in higher education institutions are likely to have an impact on admissions.
“The interim report successfully compiles and combines the angles of expediency, equality and non-discrimination in the transition to higher education. As research data accumulates, higher education institutions must examine all of these aspects when they develop their student admissions practices. The report contributes to the preparation of the accessibility plan for higher education,” said Minister of Science and Culture Annika Saarikko.
As a result of the student admissions reform carried out in 2018 –2020, higher education institutions have shifted to admitting the majority of their students based on certificates instead of using field-specific or programme-specific entrance exams for admissions. Universities of applied sciences have introduced a common admissions examination, and universities have increasingly adopted common admissions exams for different subjects. In addition, the institutions have endeavoured to restructure the content of the admissions exams so that the time required to prepare for them is shorter.
NordenBladet — In its meeting on 16 February, the Government received a briefing on the preparation of new updates to the hybrid strategy action plan. The updates to the action plan are necessary because the new powers laid down in the Communicable Diseases Act require more detailed guidance than before. The Government will decide on the updates later.
The Government also received a report on the preparations for the new electronic vaccination certificate. The vaccination certificate will be connected to the My Kanta (Omakanta) medical information service. The vaccination certificate could be a bar code or QR code displayed on a mobile phone, and it could also be printed on paper. The preliminary cost estimate for the electronic vaccine certificate is EUR 3.5 million. The goal is to have the electronic vaccination certificate ready for use by the end of April. The Government was also briefed on the epidemiological situation.
According to the experts’ assessment, the situation in Finland is currently two-fold, and the regional situations are fluctuating rapidly in different directions. Prevention measures have been successful in many areas, and the situation at the national level is fairly stable in terms of the number of cases and the incidence of the epidemic.
However, several localities have also reported mass exposures that have led to extensive transmission chains. It is still possible that we will see a sudden deterioration of the situation throughout the country, especially as the threat of the spread of new virus variants among the population remains significant. The situation is not over yet, and we must be prepared to tighten the restrictions if necessary, but at the same time, we have to set our sights on our gradual exit from the epidemic and the safest possible reopening of society.
NordenBladet — The Ministry of Transport and Communications appoints an intersectoral working group of public officials to assess and make preparations for an emissions trading scheme in the national road transport sector. The work is part of the preparations for the Roadmap for fossil-free transport.
The Roadmap aims to halve transport emissions by 2030. The measures of the Roadmap are relevant for road transport, which accounts for the majority of traffic emissions.The Roadmap for fossil-free transport includes three phases. In the first phase, support and encouragement will be provided for people and businesses in using more sustainable transport modes. The second phase would assess ways in which more information on the effects on emissions is needed before a decision can be taken. Above all, it will be identified whether the percentage of sustainable bio and electronic fuels could be further increased and what the impacts of, for example, remote work, good road infrastructure management and new transport services are. “In the third phase, in autumn 2021, the Government will assess what can be achieved through these measures and whether the EU is taking timely action and moving in the right direction,” says Timo Harakka, the Minister of Transport and Communications.
Compensation models to be reviewed
The task of the working group is to draft an extensive memorandum assessing and preparing the measures required by emissions trading in the national road transport sector. The group is also to draw up a timetable for their implementation. The working group will also submit proposals for compensation models for households and businesses.
In the emissions trading scheme for road transport, the distributor of fuel would buy from the state at regular auctions a distribution right tied with the carbon content that would correspond with the amount of fossil fuel to be sold. The number of the rights to be auctioned will gradually decrease so that the emissions trading will sufficiently supplement other measures in order to achieve the emissions reduction target by 2030.
Next steps
Working group members will be invited from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of the Environment, the Transport and Communications Agency Traficom and the Energy Authority. The group will start its work on 1 March 2021. Other stakeholders will be consulted during the work process.
Comments on the Roadmap for fossil-free transport, which is a Government Resolution on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from domestic transport, are invited by 19 February 2021.
NordenBladet — A study commissioned by the Government investigated the combined impacts of the amendments made to the Aliens Act in 2015–2019 on the status of people applying for and receiving international protection and on the realisation of the best interests of the child. The decision to carry out the study was based on an objective set in the Government Programme, which states that the Government will investigate the effects of amendments to the Aliens Act and application practices on legal protection. The aim was to obtain an overall picture of the situation and produce recommendations for measures. The research group submitted its report to Minister of the Interior Maria Ohisalo on 16 February.
According to the study, the legislative amendments made to improve the efficiency of the asylum process have weakened the position of applicants, as they seem to have increased the need for appeals and subsequent applications. There are now fewer different types of residence permits available: humanitarian protection, which was previously a category of residence permit in Finland, has been discontinued, and temporary residence permits are longer issued to people who have the opportunity to return to their country of origin with support on their own initiative. Since not all people without a residence permit choose to leave the country, and since it may not be possible to remove them through official measures, various marginalised groups have emerged.
The study finds that the many changes made to the Aliens Act have made it increasingly difficult to understand as a whole.
Based on their observations, the researchers recommend ten measures that would, for instance, improve the status of people staying the country without the right of residence, safeguard children’s best interests and develop human and child rights impact assessments in legislative drafting. Further recommendations include securing financing for central operators and increasing training in the field. The researchers also recommend assessing the need for an overall reform of the Aliens Act.
“We at the Ministry of the Interior will now examine the recommendations carefully and agree on further action. The study provides us with valuable information that we can also use in political decision-making,” says Minister of the Interior Maria Ohisalo.
“I see the issues raised in the study to a large extent as questions of the rule of law: it is about the realisation of the rights of the most vulnerable people, such as the right to life, family life and legal protection. These are issues we need to take care of. The recommendations also support work that is largely already under way. Now it is important to bring this work to completion so that we can safeguard people’s fundamental rights,” Ohisalo continues.
Combating parallel society and realising children’s best interests are topical targets for developmentSince the beginning of 2020, the Ministry of the Interior has explored comprehensive ways to prevent the emergence of a “parallel society”. This work is linked to the updated Action Plan for the Prevention of Irregular Entry and Stay in Finland, which will be completed in early 2021.
The legislation on family reunification is currently being examined from the perspective of safeguarding the best interests of the child. The Ministry of the Interior is preparing an amendment to the Aliens Act aiming to lift the requirement for sufficient financial resources for minor sponsors who have been granted a residence permit based on international protection. The Finnish Immigration Service has also made efforts to develop its decision-making with regard to minors and ensure adequate assessment of children’s best interests so far, and its practices are continuously subject to oversight of legality.
Sufficient resources needed to ensure that the Finnish Immigration Service functions effectively and smoothlyIn recent years, changes in migration trends and the tasks of the authorities have made it difficult to determine the level of resources needed for the Finnish Immigration Service. The Ministry of the Interior is currently carrying out a project on the Immigration Service of the Future, which aims to ensure that the service corresponds to the needs of its clients and society. The project will continue until the end of 2021.
“This new study shows once again how important it is to make sure that the Finnish Immigration Service has the resources it needs. Without adequate, stable resources, the Finnish Immigration Service cannot function effectively. The project now under way will give us a comprehensive picture of the future operating environment of the Finnish Immigration Service and the level of staff and appropriations needed to respond to changes in the operating environment,” says Minister Ohisalo.
Need for study taken into account in Government Programme
The decision to carry out the study was based on an objective set in the Government Programme, which states that the Government will investigate the effects of amendments to the Aliens Act and application practices on legal protection. As far as international protection is concerned, amendments to the Aliens Act have been prepared in recent years as separate projects in the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Justice.
The research group included experts from Åbo Akademi University, the University of Turku, the European Institute for Crime Prevention and Control and the Migration Institute of Finland. The group’s work was guided by a steering group with members from the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. The researchers carried out their work independently.