FINLAND

Draft bill on new application round for business cost support and closure compensation now out for comments

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet — A new application round will be organised for business cost support and closure compensation. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment invites comments and opinions on the proposed amendments to the Act on Support for Business Costs by 3 February 2022. The aim is to submit the bill to Parliament for consideration in early February. The Act is due to enter into force on 1 March 2022, after which companies could apply for support from the State Treasury.The Government proposes amendments to the Act on Support for Business Costs concerning closure compensation and business cost support.  The closure compensation will compensate for the losses to business activities caused by the coronavirus-related closures and prohibitions of public events.  The business cost support compensates for the negative impacts of the less severe restrictions on the sectors and companies affected by these restrictions.With regard to closure compensation, eligible companies would include those where premises have been closed in full or in part or where public events organised by these companies have been prohibited by a provision of an act or by order of an authority to manage a pandemic. A less severe restriction or recommendation issued by an authority would not constitute a closure measure referred to in this section. The compensation would not cover events for which the use of a COVID-19 passport would be permitted. The closure compensation would cover the period from 21 December 2021 to 28 February 2022. The amount of compensation would be based on the number of closure days during the support period. Closure compensation applies to companies with fewer than 50 employees. The Government is currently preparing a separate scheme for large companies. Support for large companies requires EU notification. The business cost support is not restricted based on the company’s size. The provisions on business cost support for sectors and companies that have suffered from other restrictions will be amended to meet the need for compensation caused by the new and ongoing less severe restrictions. The time periods in the section would be amended to correspond with the new situation, i.e. the support period would be 1 December 2021–28 February 2022 and the months of the reference period would be from autumn 2021. In other respects, the Act would mainly correspond with the content of the current Act. However, the support would be allocated during a later support period and the reference period would be redefined. The percentage in the decrease in turnover and the company’s own liability would be reduced from 30% to 20%.The amount and procedure of the support would largely correspond to the current provisions. Since the support and reference periods would be redefined, the amounts of support paid may differ from the earlier periods. Aligning the reference periods more closely with the support period will make companies established later (business activities must have started no later than 1 October 2021) eligible for support. The total maximum amount of compensation per group would be EUR 2.3 million.All coronavirus-related aid will be affected by the duration of the EU’s exemptions to state aid rules, which will expire on 30 June 2022. Certain operators in the administrative branch of the Ministry of Education and Culture and, for example, cultural institutions are not considered economic activities referred to in the EU’s business subsidy legislation and they therefore fall outside this support. The Ministry of Education and Culture is currently preparing a support scheme for these operators. 

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

Ministerial working group proposes easing COVID-19 restrictions

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet — On 27 January, the Government’s Ministerial Working Group on COVID-19 received an update on the epidemiological situation and the authorities’ assessments of its development. The ministerial working group proposes changes to the restrictions on restaurants and low-risk facilities and events.The spread of the Omicron variant has kept the number of infections high across Finland. Despite a drop in the number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care, the burden on other specialised healthcare has remained unchanged at the national level. Although there are still many cases being reported among vaccinated people, vaccines have been very effective in preventing severe forms of the disease. The ministerial working group stresses the importance of vaccines in the current situation. Personal responsibility and COVID-safe behaviour also play a key role. Restrictions on restaurants to be eased as suspension of COVID-19 passport continues The ministerial working group proposes easing the restrictions on ‘lower-risk’ food and beverage service businesses. Starting on the first day of February, alcoholic beverages could be served at these establishments until 20.00, and businesses could remain open until 21.00. Low-risk establishments are restaurants whose main purpose is not to serve alcohol.The number of customer seats in these businesses will continue to be restricted to 75 per cent of the normal maximum capacity. For businesses that primarily serve alcoholic beverages, the current restrictions will continue so that alcohol may be served until 17.00 and the doors must close at 18.00. The restrictions on the number of customer seats will also remain unchanged, meaning that only half of the normal maximum number of customers can be present at a time. Businesses requiring COVID-19 passports as a condition for entry may not use this as a way to circumvent the restrictions on the number of customer seats, alcohol service hours or opening hours. However, restaurants still have the right to require customers to present a valid COVID-19 passport as a condition for entry.  The working group proposes that the ban on the use of COVID-19 passports as an alternative to restrictions be extended for two weeks. The Government will issue decrees on restaurant restrictions and the continued suspension of the use of the COVID-19 passports in its plenary session on Friday 28 January.   Low-risk facilities and events   The ministerial working group proposes that the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health advise regional state administrative agencies and municipalities to end the full closure of low-risk facilities and events as of 1 February 2022.Instead, the regional authorities could decide to introduce less stringent health security measures depending on the epidemiological situation in the region. Low-risk facilities and events include libraries, museums, theatres, and public events with assigned seating for all attendees.  The restrictions will be reviewed again in the week beginning on 7 February. 
  

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

New Advisory Board on Civil Society Policy (KANE) appointed

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet — The Government appointed today a new Advisory Board on Civil Society Policy (KANE) for a four-year term from 27 January 2022 to 26 January 2026.The Advisory Board on Civil Society Policy is tasked with fostering cooperation between civil society and public authorities and strengthening the operating conditions for civil society. It also promotes dialogue between the public administration and civil society. The Advisory Board on Civil Society Policy works under the auspices of the Ministry of Justice. The Advisory Board is chaired by Kristiina Kumpula, Secretary General of the Finnish Red Cross.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

Provisional EU measures would help Latvia, Lithuania and Poland manage migration

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet — On 1 December, the European Commission issued a proposal for provisional emergency measures for the benefit of Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. The proposal is part of a set of joint EU measures aimed at responding to Belarus’s actions. Belarus has made efforts at its borders to instrumentalise migration for political purposes. The Government expressed its position on the proposal in its communication submitted to Parliament on 27 January.The proposal would create a temporary emergency procedure for managing asylum issues and migration for the countries affected by the actions of Belarus. At the same time, individuals would be able to apply for asylum and be ensured that their applications would be processed appropriately.The Commission proposes the following measures: The registration deadline for asylum applications could be extended from three days to four weeks.Under certain conditions, the so-called border procedure could be applied to all applicants. This means that their applications could be examined at or near the border. Material reception conditions could be limited to basic needs, which include food, water, clothing, adequate healthcare and temporary shelter from the moment an application is made.Rather than applying the EU Return Directive, the return procedure could be decided on at the national level.The measures would be applicable for six months, which, according to the Commission is considered sufficient to effectively manage the exceptional situation. Latvia, Lithuania and Poland would not be obliged to introduce these measures, but the Council decision would allow for this. The measures could not be applied outside these three countries.A United EU is a strong playerThe Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union states that in the event of one or more Member States being confronted by an emergency situation characterised by a sudden inflow of nationals of third countries, the Council may adopt provisional measures for the benefit of the Member State(s) concerned.The Government considers it important that the EU stands united when responding to the current situation. The Government approves the provisional measures proposed by the Commission as part of the set of joint measures. These provisional measures do not derogate from the obligation to process an asylum application, from the requirement to examine the application individually nor from adequate means of legal remedies.The Government stresses that, alongside these exceptional measures, work to reform the Common European Asylum System must continue. The System must be developed in a way that enables efficient, proportionate and more flexible ways for Member States to respond to changing situations while respecting fundamental and human rights.Discussion on responding to instrumentalisation of migration continuesThe EU is trying to agree on a temporary mechanism as soon as possible so that it can be used in the current situation. More extensive political discussion on how to respond to the instrumentalisation of migration will probably continue in early 2022 in different Council configurations.On 14 December, the Commission also submitted a proposal for a Regulation addressing situations of instrumentalisation in the field of migration and asylum. The Regulation would allow all Member States to derogate from certain European Union rules in these situations. The content of the measures would be similar to what the Commission is proposing to support Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.In addition, on 14 December, the Commission issued a proposal for amending the Schengen Borders Code. The proposal aims, for its part, to respond to situations of instrumentalisation of migration, and it would also include a definition of instrumentalisation. The Government’s positions on these proposals will be formulated in communications to be prepared separately.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

Matti Hirvola appointed Director of Communications at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet — Matti Hirvola has been appointed Director of Communications at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment for a term of five years starting on 15 February 2022. The Government decided on the appointment on 27 January 2022.Hirvola has held several communications management and coordination positions in a number of organisations. He has worked as Special Adviser to several ministers, ministerial groups and the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, focusing on communications and media relations.  Hirvola has work experience from four different ministries (Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, and Ministry of Education and Culture).He has also worked as chief specialist at a communications and consulting company, managed media projects at the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions SAK and served as Head of Communications for a party organisation.In addition to his experience in communications, Hirvola has served as Secretary General of the Industrial Employees TP and as a labour market project researcher at the Kalevi Sorsa Foundation.He holds the degrees of Master of Arts and Master of Social Sciences.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

Jyri Rantala appointed Deputy Director of Government Communications

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet — On Thursday 27 January, the Government appointed Master of Social Sciences Jyri Rantala to serve as Deputy Director General of the Government Communications Department from 15 February 2022 to 7 October 2026.Rantala comes to the Prime Minister’s Office from the Finnish Security Intelligence Service, where he has served as Head of Cabinet since June 2019. Prior to this, he served as Director of Communications at the Finnish Security Intelligence Service from 2014 to 2019 and as its acting Deputy Director General from May to July 2021. From 1993 to 2014, Rantala worked for the Finnish Broadcasting Company as a political TV news reporter, as a correspondent in Scandinavia and as a TV news reporter for domestic affairs.The Deputy Director General acts as Deputy Director of Government Communications, assists the Director General of the department and participates in the coordination, development and management of tasks falling within the department’s mandate.The Government Communications Department is responsible for the Government’s joint communications under the leadership of the Prime Minister and for the external communications of the Prime Minister’s Office. The department also harmonises the external communications of the ministries and central government and oversees the general development of central government communications.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

EU’s Connecting Europe Facility grants EUR 127 million for a transmission line between Northern Finland and Sweden

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet — On January 26 2022, the Energy programme committee of the EU’s Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) decided to grant EUR 127 million for the implementation of a planned electricity transmission line between Northern Finland and Northern Sweden. The amount will be divided between Finland and Sweden. The financial support covers 50% of the project costs.“This is a great decision from the European Union. The project will add the needed extra capacity between Finland and Sweden, which will lower the price of electricity in Finland and improve operational reliability. It also promotes the achievement of climate targets as offshore and land-based wind power can be connected to the network”, says Minister of Economic Affairs Mika Lintilä.This third 400 kV alternating current connection (Aurora Line) between Northern Finland and Northern Sweden is about to be completed in 2025. According to the plans, the new interconnector would be connected to the existing Finnish grid in Keminmaa. The project has already received EUR 4.3 million in support from the CEF for the planning phase.In this funding round, the CEF Energy selected only five projects for a total support of more than EUR 1 billion. One of them is the Baltic Synchronisation Project where the Baltic electricity grid would be desynchronised from the Russian network system. The CEF will support that project by EUR 177 million. In all, 12 projects applied for aid.On 7 July 2021, the European Parliament adopted a Regulation on the new Connecting Europe Facility (CEF 2), which provides financial support for the development of transport, energy and telecommunications networks. The CEF’s budget is EUR 33.7 billion, of which EUR 5.8 billion is reserved for energy projects. The financial support to energy networks will help to further integrate the internal energy market, reduce the EU’s energy dependency and improve the security of energy supply. The programme only funds cross-border projects, including those on renewable energy. The CEF’s first call for funding applications began in September 2021.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

Prime Ministers of Finland and Spain seek to strengthen cooperation

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet — Prime Minister Sanna Marin and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez met in Madrid on Wednesday 26 January. The two prime ministers discussed strengthening their countries’ economic relations and cooperation on a number of EU issues. The security situation in Europe also came up in the discussion.“Finland and Spain think alike in many areas. We have good possibilities to cooperate both on EU affairs and bilaterally,” Prime Minister Marin said at the prime ministers’ joint press conference.With the exception of a downturn in 2020 due to the pandemic, Finland’s exports to Spain have been growing. The EU recovery package is opening up new opportunities for Finland to intensify commercial cooperation in Spain, particularly in the spheres of digitalisation and the green transition.Spain and Finland have similar views on developing the EU’s common foreign, security and defence policy, deepening the single market, promoting free trade and managing migration. Finland and Spain also place a great deal of importance on the EU’s shared values, such as the rule of law, human rights and gender equality. Both countries want the EU to have a stronger united voice in global issues.The prime ministers discussed the EU-Africa summit to be held in February and the two March European Councils, which will focus on the economy and security. Their discussion also addressed the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and questions related to Europe’s energy supply. The prime ministers spoke for a long time about the security situation in Europe.“The current security situation in Europe is cause for concern. Ukraine has strong support from the EU. As we stated at the December European Council, any further military aggression by Russia against Ukraine would have massive consequences and severe costs,” Prime Minister Marin said. 
 

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

Confirmed results of county elections now available online 

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet — The recount of the votes cast in the 2022 county elections is now complete. The results of the county elections confirmed by the county election boards are available in the Result Service on the Electionsfinland.fi website.Results of the 2022 county elections online

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

Rakennerahastot.fi website updated with information on the new programming period

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet — The revised rakennerahastot.fi website compiles information on the new programming period of the EU’s regional and structural policy. The website’s functions and structure have been improved and its visual image corresponds with that of the programming period.  “The EU’s new programming period is about to begin, and the new website supports this work. The online service is intended for all who are involved in or interested in EU regional and structural policy. The website contains a great deal of information, including instructions on applying for aid as well as the aid recipients and results of projects,” says Johanna Osenius, Director for Regional Development at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment.The website’s ‘Activities in regions’ section contains region-specific information on current issues related to the programming period, the regional priorities of the development measures to be funded and the application of funding. The Innovation and Skills in Finland 2021−2027, the EU’s regional and structural policy programme, aims to renew the regional economic structure, improve employment and skills, and increase inclusion. The funding comes from three complementary funds: the European Social Fund (ESF+), the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Just Transition Fund (JTF).Initially, the website will be available in Finnish and Swedish. The English-language version will be published later in spring 2022. 

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

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