NordenBladet — The Government proposes that the provisions on the Average Adjuster be reformed and included in the Maritime Act. The aim of the proposal is to clarify the initiation process of matters that are to be referred to the Average Adjuster as well as the involved indemnity schemes.

The Government submitted its proposal to Parliament on 28 January 2021.In future, the Average Adjuster would be appointed by the Government instead of the Ministry of Transport and Communications. The office of the Average Adjuster would be considered comparable to the office of a district court judge.

The Average Adjuster is a traditional part of the maritime law and insurance system in the Nordic countries. The relevant provisions are laid down in the countries’ national maritime legislation. In Finland, the duties are carried out on a secondary basis.In future, a replacement of the Average Adjuster would also have to be appointed. The deputy would be responsible for those matters referred to the Average Adjuster in which the Adjuster is unable to act.

The responsibilities of the Average Adjuster would continue to include the following:
1. indemnity adjustments drawn up under ship insurance
2. amount and division of ship manager’s responsibilities in certain cases
3. settlement of disputes relating to charter parties on distance freight and
4. indemnity adjustments concerning particular or general averages.

In future, disputes concerning ship insurance would no longer require an indemnity adjustment by the Average Adjuster in order for the matter to be submitted to a court of law for decision, unless the ship is used as a merchant vessel for business purposes.

The Average Adjuster would issue an indemnity adjustment by virtue of ship insurance, if so agreed in the terms of the insurance contract. In other cases, the parties to a ship insurance contract could, however, request for an expert statement from the Average Adjuster.

Next stepsA 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.The Act is scheduled to enter into force on 1 June 2021.

NordenBladet — The Government proposes modifications to the Private Roads Act and the Pilotage Act to introduce more flexibility. The modifications would facilitate easier remote participation in the meetings of road maintenance associations. In addition, the validity period of personal pilotage permits could be extended during the Covid-19 pandemic, and new personal permits could be granted on terms that differ from those applied under normal conditions.The Government submitted the legislative proposals to the Parliament on 28 January 2021.

The goal of the proposal for modifying the Private Roads Act is to enable road maintenance associations to hold online meetings even if they are not permitted in the association’s own rules, and no decision to that effect has been made in a previous meeting of the association.The change contributes to the prevention of the spread of Covid-19 by organizing meetings as wholly or partly online meetings, in which members of the association would be able to speak and make proposals.

The temporary modification of the Pilotage Act would extend the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom’s discretionary power to decide on granting new pilot licences and pilotage exemption certificates, as well as on extending the period of validity for currently valid personal pilotage permits. For example, piloting tests could be postponed.

The modification aims to ensure uninterrupted marine transport operations during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Next stepsA parliamentary debate will be conducted in plenary session on the proposition submitted by the Government to the Parliament. The time of the debate will be announced on the Parliament’s website in the Tulevat täysistunnot (Upcoming plenary sessions) section.

After the parliamentary debate, the proposition will be processed by the Transport and Communications Committee. Once its report is completed, the matter will be further processed in plenary session.

It is intended that the acts’ modifications will enter into force as soon as possible. The modified Pilotage Act is intended to be valid only temporarily, until 30 June 2021.

Additional information:Senior Ministerial Adviser Mervi Karhula, tel. +358 40 041 5976 (Private Roads Act)Senior Officer Katja Peltola, tel. +358 50 530 2175 (Pilotage Act)
Materials for Government plenary sessions
Project site: Hallituksen esitys laeiksi yksityistielain 58 §:n muuttamisesta ja luotsauslain väliaikaisesta muuttamisesta (LVM063:00/2020)

NordenBladet — The Report on EU Policy is report is strongly based on the EU’s common values and on the Government Programme. It emphasises the need to strengthen the EU’s resilience to crisis in all sectors. The Government Report on EU Policy was adopted at the government plenary session on Thursday 28 January, after which it was submitted to Parliament.

The report outlines Finland’s EU policy for the coming years. It is based on the EU policy priorities set in the Government Programme. In this report, the Finnish Government presents its response on how the EU should strengthen its resilience and what direction its development should take in the first half of the 2020s. The thread running through the report is the need to strengthen the Union’s resilience to crisis in all EU activities.

“Resilience to crisis is a cross-cutting theme in the report. The Government wants to strengthen the EU as a security community. The EU must reinforce its resilience to crisis in all policy areas,” says Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering Tytti Tuppurainen.

The Report on EU Policy emphasises the importance of the EU’s common values and equality. Democracy, the rule of law and fundamental and human rights will continue to form the basis for all activities of the Union.

“Our common values are the foundation of the EU and an indispensable prerequisite for resilience. We must work to promote democracy, the rule of law and human rights comprehensively. In doing so, we will strengthen the unity, validity and credibility of the EU. We must continue our determined efforts to strengthen the rule of law, making full use of the instruments in the EU’s rule of law toolbox. The instruments must be further developed and used according to their purpose.

”The report also outlines Finland’s approach to the topical discussion on the EU’s strategic autonomy. The Government stresses that this must not mean turning inwards or opting for protectionism. Instead, strategic autonomy must mean developing the EU’s strengths, participating in fair competition, promoting the EU’s values and interests with greater determination, and assuming our responsibility in international cooperation. Finland is actively involved in developing the EMU.

“Finland wants to see a more resilient EMU that strengthens Member States’ responsibility for their finances, simplifies fiscal policy rules and improves economic policy coordination through the European Semester. Finland is open to initiatives to tackle harmful tax competition and tax evasion.”

The EU must use its strengths to improve its position in the global operating environment.

“Finland aims to make the EU the most competitive and socially integrated climate neutral economy in the world. When it comes to the resilience of our societies, the competitiveness of the EU, ecological sustainability and social justice, it is essential for the EU’s growth strategy to be based on the principles of sustainable development. Finland aims to promote the economy of wellbeing approach in its EU activities. We will continue to work as a cooperative Member State, actively seeking common solutions that create national and European added value while promoting openness,” says Tuppurainen.

NordenBladet — The goal of the financial literacy strategy proposal issued by the Bank of Finland is that Finns will have the world’s best financial literacy by 2030. The aim is that as many people as possible would understand the importance of financial literacy in their lives and are capable of making good financial decisions.

Olli Rehn, Governor of the Bank of Finland, today issued a national strategy proposal for promoting Finland’s financial literacy to Anna-Maja Henriksson, Minister of Justice.According to the strategy proposal, reaching the target state calls for a change in operating methods. From the point of view of individuals, their ability to understand and anticipate their financial situation better is of key importance. Easily accessible low-threshold guidance and information services must be available which everybody can use. The proposal emphasises that citizens’ better financial literacy produces well-being not only for themselves but also for the entire national economy.

The strategy proposal prepared by the Bank of Finland is the first of its kind in Finland. The Bank of Finland and the Ministry of Justice agreed a year ago that the Bank of Finland would be responsible for drawing up a national strategy on managing personal finances.

”The financial literacy of Finns is on the average good, though there are differences between population groups. With systematic, well-resourced financial literacy work, it is possible to broadly improve citizens’ knowledge and skills and thereby prevent over-indebtedness and other financial problems,” says Governor Olli Rehn.

”This is an important objective, which I strongly want to advocate. Questions related to over-indebtedness are especially topical these days, and strengthening citizens’ financial literacy is a key goal. I am glad that the proposal focuses on the ‘positive aspects’ of financial literacy, i.e. good financial management, saving and investment,” Minister Henriksson says. Closer cooperation in promoting financial literacy to improve effectivenessFinancial literacy is being promoted by state authorities as well as many companies and third-sector actors. The strategy proposal emphasises the need to facilitate their cooperation and access to sources of up-to-date information. In addition, the activities should be coordinated better. All this will improve the effectiveness of the activities and the use of resources. It has been proposed that a function in the administrative branch of the Ministry of Justice to support and coordinate field work be established.

The intention is to prepare a practical action plan for the strategy. Concrete operational goals must be defined in the plan in order to ensure the right direction, and the implementation of the goals must be measured regularly. Seamless cooperation with inter-disciplinary research is important in order to have an overview of the situation.  ”I support the proposal to set up a new function in the administrative branch of the Ministry of Justice to coordinate the strategic work for economic literacy. This is important in order to put the proposed development targets quickly into practice,” Minister Henriksson says.

The strategy proposal was prepared under the supervision of the Bank of Finland together with key actors and researchers in the field. The work took account of the initial level and the promotion of Finns’ financial literacy, the conditions prevailing in the market as well as the social situation. In addition, use was made of the guidelines of the OECD’s international network of financial education, and a number of international examples of corresponding arrangements were investigated. Proposal for a national strategy to promote financial literacy in Finland (pdf)

Additional information: 
Bank of Finland
Marja Nykänen, Deputy Governor, tel. +358 9 183 2007
Anu Raijas, Financial Literacy Adviser, tel. +358 9 183 2625
Niklas Mannfolk, special adviser, tel. +358 50 306 3990
Pekka Timonen, Permanent Secretary, tel. +358 295 150 044

NordenBladet — Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto will meet Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs Eva-Maria Liimets in Helsinki on 29 January.

The Ministers will discuss the bilateral relations between their countries, the COVID-19 situation and the post-pandemic recovery measures, as well as such topical international questions as the transatlantic relations and climate change.  Estonia’s new Minister of Foreign Affairs will also have a meeting with President of the Republic Sauli Niinistö.

NordenBladet — A total of 357,400 unemployed jobseekers were registered at the Employment and Economic Development Offices at the end of December. This was 99,700 more than a year earlier. The number of unemployed jobseekers increased by 42,800 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 December, the number of people laid off was 96,600 in the whole country; a year-on-year increase of 68,900. The number of people fully laid off totalled 77,800, representing an increase of 56,100 from December the year before. The number of people fully laid off increased by 19,800 from November.

The number of long-term unemployed — that is those who had been unemployed without interruption for at least a year — amounted to 91,900, up 28,900 on the previous year. The number of unemployed jobseekers aged over 50 was 127,200, representing an increase of 32,100 on the year before.The number of unemployed jobseekers aged under 25 was 43,700, representing an increase of 10,900 from December last year. On average, 63.5 per cent of the unemployment periods of young people ended before reaching three months between January and December. This represents a drop of 4.6 percentage points from the year before.

Decrease in new vacancies
The number of new vacancies reported to Employment and Economic Development Offices during December totalled 50,400, which is 5,000 fewer vacancies than in December the previous year. In all, the number of unfilled vacancies at Employment and Economic Development Offices in December amounted to 92,800; a decrease of 11,200 from the previous year.At the end of December, the number of persons covered by services included in the activation rate amounted to 107,700, down 3,200 on the previous year. These services include pay subsidies, labour market training, work trials and self-motivated studies.

Statistics Finland: Unemployment rate 7.8%
According to the Labour Force Survey issued by Statistics Finland, in December the number of people in employment was 74,000 less than on the previous year. The employment rate was 70.7%, which was 2.3 percentage points lower than in December the year before. According to the Survey, the unemployment total was 212,000, which is 48,000 more than a year ago. The unemployment rate was 7.8%, or 1.8 percentage points higher than the previous year.

Key differences between Employment Service Statistics and the Labour Force Survey
This 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

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — The EU Ministers responsible for Sports submitted a letter to Commissioner Mariya Gabriel in order to secure human rights in sport and major sporting events, both within and outside of the European Union. The ministers wished to reiterate the message of the statement made by the EU sport ministers in 2013 where all states that participate in organising major sporting events, such as the Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games, World Championships, were called to respect their international human rights commitments.

The Ministers believe this message to be as true and important today as it was seven years ago. Some major international sporting events are taking place, or are being planned, in states where human rights violations or abuses have been reported. A reference can be made especially, but not only, to Belarus where “major human rights abuses” have been found to be “massive, systematic and proven beyond doubt”.

It is crucial to ensure human rights in all countries that organise major international sporting events. While fully respecting the autonomy of sport, international sports organisations should be encouraged to take accountable decisions on the hosts for major sporting events. As a next step, the Ministers ask the European Commission to commit to identifying an appropriate policy approach to this important issue.The letter, initiated by Finland, is signed by all Member States.

Letter to Commissioner Gabriel on Human Rights in Sport

NordenBladet — The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Finland and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation have agreed to expand cooperation on game management. Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Jari Leppä and Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Aleksandr Kozlov signed the Joint Statement on 27 January 2021. The signing of the statement took place via remote connection.

The details of the statement were agreed at the meeting between the two ministries on 5 August 2020.

– The Joint Statement promotes our cross-border cooperation with Russia. This includes questions related to wolves and other large carnivores, which is one of the aims stated in the management plan for Finland’s wolf population. We will also have better exchange of information on the wild boar population, thus helping us in our efforts to combat African swine fever, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Jari Leppä says.

The ministries will appoint a bilateral working group on game management to discuss current issues, agree on joint projects and other concrete cooperation, and exchange experiences in the field of game management. The Joint Statement covers the management of all game animal species. In future it will also be possible to engage in cross-border cooperation with Russia as stated in the Management Plan for the Wolf Population.

The concrete topics to be discussed include the legislation and best practices concerning game management and hunting and cooperation between institutes and organisations in the field. The statement will also strengthen the present scientific and research cooperation.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry signed similar cooperation documents with the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and Norwegian Environment Agency in 2020.

NordenBladet — At their virtual meeting on 27 January, the group of ministers from digitally advanced EU countries (D9+) discussed Europe’s goals on digitalisation for the 2030 targets of the Digital Decade. According to the countries’ joint declaration published at the meeting, Europe’s technological competitiveness is based on digital development, innovations and a functioning internal market.

“The EU’s future economic growth and competitiveness will be founded on digitalisation and mitigation of climate change. We must strengthen Europe’s competitiveness and promote digital technologies in order to ensure a leading position in global technological competition,” says Minister of Economic Affairs Mika Lintilä, who chaired the meeting.

The declaration states that artificial intelligence, quantum computers and 5G and 6G technologies, together with the data economy, will enable the digital decade. The EU should utilise its global competitive advantage in these areas while maintaining an open internal market and strengthening international cooperation.

Commitment to set goals for Europe’s digital decadeIn the declaration, the D9+ countries’ ministers made a commitment to continue discussions on the key drivers of digitalisation and technological competitiveness and to advance the formulation of objectives for the European digital decade.

The next meeting of the D9+ ministers will be organised by Luxembourg. D9+ is a ministerial group of digitally advanced EU countries that promote the strategic utilisation, implementation and sharing of best practices of digitalisation. The meeting was attended by the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal, Poland, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Czech Republic and Estonia.

NordenBladet — The municipal elections will be held on Sunday 18 April 2021. Advance voting will be possible abroad from 7 to 10 April 2021. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs is responsible for the organisation of advance voting abroad.

The advance polling stations abroad will be located in Finland’s diplomatic and consular missions or their offices in 75 different countries. A total of 108 advance polling stations will be open abroad.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs is responsible for the organisation of advance voting in Finland’s missions abroad and on board Finnish ships sailing outside the Finnish territory during the advance voting period.In municipal elections, the right to vote is linked with residency in the municipality in question, which means that Finns residing permanently abroad are not entitled to vote in the municipal elections.

The Ministry of Justice of Finland has the overall responsibility for conducting the elections. A list of the advance polling stations and their opening hours will be published at vaalit.fi on 29 January 2021. This news article will be updated with the list after that date.

Voters who are eligible to vote in municipal elections can exercise their right to vote also through postal voting, which is organised by the Ministry of Justice. Eligible voters are requested to order the postal voting documents also in the case that they are planning to cast their vote abroad during the actual advance voting period. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is possible that voting cannot be organised in the advance polling stations as planned because local authorities may impose restrictions or lockdowns at short notice. Information on the dates, instructions and an order form for postal voting documents are available at vaalit.fi.

Read more about the advance voting on the missions’ websites.