FINLAND

Minister Blomqvist to Nordic conference on Faeroe Islands to discuss experiences during COVID-19 pandemic

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet — On 25 November, Minister for Nordic Cooperation Thomas Blomqvist will attend a conference in Torshavn on the Faeroe Islands. The conference will discuss the experiences gained from crisis management in the Nordic countries during the COVID-19 pandemic and future Nordic cooperation in crisis preparedness. This is one of the key priorities for Finland’s Presidency in the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2021.The conference is hosted by the Government of the Faeroe Islands. The aim is to strengthen a joint Nordic analysis of what we can learn from Nordic cooperation during the pandemic and how this cooperation should be further developed to prepare for future crises. “It is important to talk together about the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. Closed borders between the Nordic countries have drawn a lot of attention – and for a good reason. Free movement is one of the cornerstones of Nordic cooperation and our Nordic community, and closing the borders has hit hard especially the people living in the border regions. The citizens of the Nordic countries must be able to trust that everyday living across the borders runs smoothly,” Minister Blomqvist says. Minister Blomqvist will participate in a panel discussion on the consequences and lessons learned from the coronavirus crisis. As Finland holds the Nordic Council of Ministers Presidency this year, Minister Blomqvist will also summarise the discussions at the conference.“The focus during Finland’s Presidency has been to look ahead and learn from the coronavirus crisis.
The pandemic has reminded us that we can all benefit from cooperation. The Nordic countries are simply stronger together. This is an important insight that we must make use of and put into practice in the form of even deeper and closer cooperation,” Minister Blomqvist says.Also present at the conference will be Ministers for Nordic Cooperation, President of the Nordic Council Bertel Haarder, Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers Paula Lehtomäki and health sector experts, including Anders Tegnell, the State Epidemiologist of Sweden, and WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge, who will attend the conference virtually. Minister Jan-Erik Enestam from Finland will also attend the conference and speak about the results of a study on cooperation during the crisis period, commissioned by the Nordic Council of Ministers.Read the conference agenda

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

SME Barometer: Positive outlook for SMEs in healthcare and social services sector – business unaffected by coronavirus crisis

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet — The short-term expectations of SMEs in the healthcare and social services sector have become increasingly positive since 2020.According to the new SME Barometer, which surveyed the current situation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the economic outlook for SMEs in the healthcare and social services sector is similar to their peers in other sectors.The short-term expectations of SMEs in the healthcare and social services sector have become increasingly positive since 2020. The outlook for the size of personnel is also positive in SMEs in this sector, with 13% of the respondents believing that the number of employees will increase over the next 12 months. However, this is less than in other sectors on average. Only 3% of the respondents anticipate a decrease in the number of employees, compared to 8% in all sectors.“SMEs in the healthcare and social services sector compete for workforce with the public sector. Although there is uncertainty in the sector due to the health and social services reform, for example, the companies have remained positive about the future, as the SME Barometer shows,” says Under-Secretary of State Elina Pylkkänen from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment.On average, there is less willingness to grow in the healthcare and social services sector, with 35% of SMEs in the sector reporting they have no growth targets. This is significantly less than in other SMEs. However, SMEs in the healthcare and social services sector undertook renewal measures, such as personnel training (63%) and investments (62%), during the year. SMEs in the sector considered sales, marketing, personnel development and training to be the areas most in need of development. The general economic situation and the availability of labour were seen as the most severe external barriers to development.On the other hand, SMEs in the healthcare and social welfare sector (11%) cited the availability of workforce as an obstacle less often than SMEs in general (17%). The situation was similar in terms of cost level and financing. Compared with respondents in all sectors (10%), a larger share of respondents in the entire healthcare and social services sector (14%) considered regulation a hindrance to business development. SMEs in the healthcare and social services sector also regarded the opportunities offered by digitalisation as less important than in comparable sectors or all sectors, on average.In preparing for the period after the coronavirus crisis, 35% of SMEs in the healthcare and social services sector said they saw no need to change anything in their activities, while 17% of those surveyed also stated they would return to the pre-coronavirus operating methods. Of the respondents, 14% said they had invested in the development of new products and services that would remain a permanent part of their business. Permanent adoption of new products and services appears more common in all sectors.Nearly 18,000 SMEs operate in the healthcare and social services sector in Finland and employ 50,000 people in total. In all, 596 companies in the healthcare and social services sector responded to the SME Barometer survey, which was conducted in June–July 2021. Half of the companies in the healthcare and social services sector that responded to the SME Barometer represent the category other healthcare service, which includes self-employed people. Because of the category’s large size, it dominates the results of the SME Barometer for the healthcare and social services sector.The barometer was produced by Taloustutkimus and published by the Business Sector Services of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment.Business Sector Services are expert services provided by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment that collate, analyse and distribute information about the operating environment for companies and the development of sectors.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

New project to examine needs for legislative amendments to address use of migration in hybrid influencing

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet — The Ministry of the Interior has set up a project to assess the possible needs for legislative amendments to prepare for hybrid influencing that exploits migration. The project will assess the means of the current legislation that can be used to prepare for and respond to such hybrid influencing, as well as possible needs to amend the legislation in the administrative branch of the Ministry of the Interior. Recently, hybrid influencing has been repeatedly directed at the external borders of the European Union. Finland, together with Norway, was also the target of hybrid influencing in 2015–2016. In such situations, an exceptionally large number of asylum seekers are used as a means of hybrid influencing.Authorities must have sufficient powers to respond to incidents caused by hybrid influencingResponding to hybrid threats requires many different types of operational, legal, diplomatic and economic means.Finland too should examine the opportunities offered by national legislation so that the authorities have sufficient powers to respond proactively, effectively and in a proportionate manner to incidents caused by the use of migration in hybrid influencing.The project will focus on the Aliens Act, the Act on the Reception of Persons Applying for International Protection and on the Identification of and Assistance to Victims of Trafficking in Human Beings, and the Border Guard Act.A working group will make a proposal for the necessary legislative amendments, after which the Ministry of the Interior will prepare the amendments without delay.A working group has been set up to prepare the project. The project runs from 24 November 2021 to 21 January 2022.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

Finland joins coalition aiming to end export finance of fossil fuels

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet — Finland joined the Export Finance for Future coalition (E3F) at its meeting on 24 November 2021. The E3F is part of the strategy work to combat global warming. It allocates funding to sustainable projects and defines the most suitable measures for phasing out export finance in projects that are not in line with sustainable development.The strategy is based on the coalition’s statement of principles, which the original signatories, Denmark, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands and United Kingdom, signed in spring 2021. Finland, Belgium and Italy joined the coalition at a conference held today.The declaration recognises the importance of trade and export finance in promoting climate neutrality and sustainable projects and ensures that finance policies of member countries are aligned with the Paris Agreement on climate change. The aim is to support the national and international transformation of the export economy and to promote the development of common international standards. By signing the declaration, the countries commit to concrete measures to discontinue export finance in projects that do not support climate objectives.“Finland’s ambitious target is to be carbon neutral by 2035. In Glasgow, we signed the COP26 declaration on international public support for the clean energy transition. We are now very pleased to join the E3F coalition and the declaration of its second summit,” said Jukka Ihanus, State Secretary to Minister of Economic Affairs Mika Lintilä, who represented Finland at the E3F meeting.“The E3F is a welcome initiative that allows us to engage in closer discussion on climate and export finance. We hope that this will lead to a wider debate within the OECD, which would create common rules for finance. It is clear that the climate dimensions of export finance must be addressed from different perspectives, including incentives for green finance measures and reporting,” Ihanus said.The coalition’s meeting held today focused on the results of the Glasgow Climate Change Conference, in particular, the declaration on international support for the clean energy transition. The signatories pledge to end public support for trade and export finance of fossil fuels by the end of 2022, with certain exceptions. A new objective was added to the declaration issued in the spring. According to it, member countries commit themselves to allocating funding to sustainable projects and to defining the most suitable ways nationally to end export finance in projects not in line with sustainable development.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

Advance voting abroad in Finland’s county elections in 2022

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet — County elections will be held in Finland on Sunday 23 January 2022. The advance voting period is from 12 to 18 January 2022 in Finland and from 12 to 15 January 2022 abroad. The advance polling stations abroad will be located in Finland’s diplomatic and consular missions or their offices in 71 different countries. A total of 97 advance polling stations will be open abroad.The Ministry for Foreign Affairs is responsible for organising advance voting in Finland’s missions abroad and on board Finnish ships sailing outside the Finnish territory during the advance voting period. The Ministry of Justice has the overall responsibility for conducting the elections. The Electionsfinland.fi website contains a list of the advance polling stations and their opening hours as well as general information about county elections.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

Follow the live event November 24 at 15.45 pm CET: How to ensure that Indigenous peoples’ voices are heard and rights are respected in climate action?

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet — Follow a live discussion on Indigenous peoples’ vital role in climate action today  November 24 at 15.45 pm CET (Geneva time).  The event is hosted by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and The Sámi Parliament of Finland. Participants includeForeign Minister Pekka HaavistoUN Special Rapporteur Francisco Calí TzayVice Chair of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP) Rodion SulyandzigaExecutive Director of Tebtebba Foundation Victoria Tauli-CorpuzAnne Nuorgam, Chair of the UN Permanent Forum of Indigenous Issues will moderate the conversationFinland will be a member of the UN Human Rights Council in 2022–2024. Visit um.fi/hrc to learn more. 

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

Competitiveness Council to discuss regulation of digital giants, internet user safety and research, innovation and space issues

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet — The EU Competitiveness Council meeting in Brussels on 25−26 November will focus on the regulation of activities of the largest digital companies and improvements to safety of users of various online intermediation services. The agenda for space issues includes the financing of companies in the sector and the management of space transport.Finland’s representative at the Council will be Minister of Employment Tuula Haatainen and State Secretary to the Minister of Economic Affairs Jukka Ihanus. The ministers responsible for the internal market and industrial policy will discuss two legislative projects related to digital operators. The Council will adopt a general approach on both of them. The Digital Markets Act (DMA) will address unfair trading practices of digital giants which companies and consumers encounter when using online platforms. The regulation would apply to 10−15 largest companies providing platform services in the EU. “We support the Commission’s proposal for a digital market regulation and its objective of creating a fair digital single market. It is important to Finland that the obligations concerning platform companies are clear. The proposal’s objective of harmonising EU regulation must be preserved in further negotiations,” Haatainen says. Another topic under discussion is the Digital Services Act (DSA), which will add new due diligence obligations to internet intermediation service providers and very large online platforms. The aim is to increase user safety and the openness of online platforms in terms of what content and advertisements users see, for example. The aim is to increase the responsibility of service providers concerning possible illegal content in the service.The ministers will also discuss the implementation of the European recovery plan. SMEs encouraged to enter the space sectorThe Competitiveness Council will continue on 26 November with a meeting of ministers responsible for research, innovation and space affairs. The ministers will discuss research and innovation to achieve multi-sectoral objectives. The Council will adopt conclusions on the governance of the European Research Area and the Council’s recommendation on a Pact for Research and Innovation in Europe. As regards space, the meeting will focus on the long-term development of funding so that new operators, including start-ups, will have better access to the growing market. “The space sector is growing and Finland has a lot of expertise in it. However, accessing the space sector requires more capital than on average and encouraging new companies to enter the sector therefore requires both private and public funding,” says Minister of Economic Affairs Mika Lintilä. The promotion of sustainable use and development of space are included in the policy debate and in the conclusions on Space for everyone, which will be adopted at the meeting. The themes are a continuation of the priorities of Finland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union. A report on space transport management prepared by the Slovenian Presidency will be presented at the meeting. 

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

Working group proposes allowing companies to hold virtual meetings

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet — A working group appointed by the Ministry of Justice proposes a legislative amendment that would facilitate remote participation in the general meetings of limited liability companies and cooperatives and allow holding these meetings completely remotely, without assigning a physical meeting venue. The aim is to improve the opportunities of shareholders and members to participate in the meetings. The report of the working group is now being circulated for comments.During the COVID-19 epidemic, a temporary act allowing cooperatives to provide an opportunity for remote participation in their meetings and listed companies to hold their meetings completely remotely has been in force. According to the working group’s proposal, there would in future be two prerequisites for holding a general meeting of a limited liability company, a limited liability housing company or a cooperative exclusively as a virtual meeting: all participants would have to be guaranteed full rights of participation during the meeting and provisions on virtual meetings would have to be included in the articles of association or rules of the corporate entity in question. The working group also proposes that the requirements concerning hybrid meetings be clarified so that shareholders participating in a meeting both at the physical venue and remotely could fully exercise their rights during the meeting. By a majority vote, a corporate entity could decide to add a provision stating that general meetings must be held as hybrid meetings to its articles of association or rules.Further, the working group proposes that the general meeting of a limited liability housing company with at least 30 owner apartments would have to be organised as a hybrid meeting if so requested by at least three shareholders.A company or cooperative could also provide other means of participation for its shareholders or members, such as an opportunity to vote in advance or to exercise the right to be heard in writing before or during the meeting.The legislative amendments are scheduled to enter into force at the beginning of July, when the current temporary legislation on remote participation and virtual meetings will cease to be in force.The report includes a dissenting opinion from the Finnish Foundation for Share Promotion and statements from the Ministry of Finance and WWF Finland.The proposal may be commented at Lausuntopalvelu.fi until 23 January 2021.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

259,000 unemployed jobseekers in October

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet — The number of unemployed jobseekers decreased by 53,700. The number of new vacancies reported in October totalled 91,600. In all, the number of unfilled vacancies amounted to 169,700, which is 69,100 more than a year ago.At the end of October, a total of 259,000 unemployed jobseekers were registered at the Employment and Economic Development Offices and municipalities participating in the local government pilots on employment. This is 53,700 less than a year earlier, but 34,300 more than in October two years ago. The number of unemployed jobseekers was down by 6,300 from the previous month. Of the unemployed jobseekers, 139,000 were customers of municipalities participating in the local government pilots on employment. 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 October, the number of people laid off was 29,600 in the whole country, which was 45,300 fewer than at the same time the year before. The number of people fully laid off totalled 19,800, representing a decrease of 37,400 from October the year before. The number of people fully laid off decreased by 1,300 from September.108,000 unemployed in the long termThe number of long-term unemployed — that is those who had been unemployed without interruption for at least a year — amounted to 108,000, up 26,000 on the previous year. The number of unemployed jobseekers aged over 50 was 100,700, or 13,600 fewer than at the same time a year earlier.The number of unemployed jobseekers aged under 25 was 27,800, representing a decrease of 8,500 from October last year. Of the unemployment periods of youths, 60.8 per cent ended before reaching three months between January and October. This is 3.3 percentage points less than a year before.Increase in new vacanciesThe number of new vacancies reported during October totalled 91,600, or 38,600 more than in October the previous year. In all, the number of unfilled vacancies in October amounted to 169,700, which is 69,100 more than a year ago.At the end of October, the number of persons covered by services included in the activation rate amounted to 112,600, down 5,900 on the previous year. These services include pay subsidies, labour market training, work trials and self-motivated studies.Statistics Finland: The trend of the unemployment rate 7.1%According to the Labour Force Survey issued by Statistics Finland, in October the number of people in employment was 65,000 more than on the previous year. The trend of the employment rate was 72.7%, which was 1.7 percentage points higher than in October the year before. According to the Survey, the unemployment total was 164,000, which is 37,000 less than a year ago. The trend of the unemployment rate was 7.1%, or 1.1 percentage points lower than the previous year.
Press release on the revision of the Labour Force Survey: https://www.stat.fi/til/tyti/tyti_2020-12-22_uut_001_en.html
Key differences between Employment Service Statistics and the Labour Force 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 https://tilastokeskus.fi/til/tyti/tyti_2019-09-13_men_001_en.html

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

Finland’s International Gender Equality Prize goes to combating violence against women

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet — The Government of Finland awards the International Gender Equality Prize now for the third time. This year’s prizewinner is We Will Stop Femicide Platform, an organisation that does groundbreaking work combating violence against women in Turkey and whose work has a global relevance.Finland’s Prime Minister Sanna Marin handed out the 300,000-euro prize to Gülsüm Önal, Founder, President and the General Representative of We Will Stop Femicide Platform, and Fidan Ataselim, Founder and Secretary General of the organization, in Tampere on 22 November 2021.“Promoting gender equality worldwide requires effective actions and determined work. The International Gender Equality Prize recognizes and raises awareness of this work and also contributes to the promotion of gender equality globally,” says Sanna Marin. The World Economic Forum index shows Finland is the world’s second-best country for gender equality.“With this prize, we showcase the role of gender equality as a cornerstone of sustainable development, but also how much work still needs to be done,” says Thomas Blomqvist, Minister for Nordic Cooperation and Equality.Awarding the We Will Stop Femicide Platform provides a chance to generate wider public discussion beyond the borders of Turkey.“Gender equality and the rights of women and girls are an important part of Finland’s foreign and security policy. This prize is one way of showing our strong support to brave human rights defenders, endeavouring to make women’s rights a reality and fighting violence against women. By awarding We will Stop Femicide Platform, the Jury wanted to draw attention to the scourge of violence against women, which has dramatically increased in all countries during the COVID pandemic. The Jury also recognizes the courageous work of the Platform in promoting the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, better known as the Istanbul Convention, which is the most important international legal instrument to prevent and address violence against women. Furthermore, the work of the Platform has universal significance as violence against women is a serious problem everywhere, also in Finland”, says Eva Biaudet, Member of the Finnish Parliament and Chair of the IGEP Jury.We Will Stop Femicide Platform has been striving to stop femicide and ensure women’s protection from violence since 2010. The Platform provides legal assistance to women who want to be safe from violence, is involved in cases of violence against women and femicide with its lawyers and representatives, supports the families of the murdered women, and drives changes to legislation to protect women.Thanks to the Platform’s actions, penalty reductions have become more difficult and deterrent sentences have been attained.“We have done what had to be done and what everyone should do. The fact that the fight in our country has been seen by the international community gives us great strength and happiness. The award coming from a country that promotes women’s rights like Finland is also a source of pride for us,” say Gülsüm Önal and Fidan Ataselim from We Will Stop Femicide Platform.Over 400 proposals from all over the world were submitted for consideration for the award during the open nomination period. The Government of Finland made its decision based on the proposal by an independent international jury.The jury included Eva Biaudet (chair), Member of Parliament (Finland); Bella Forsgrén a Member of Parliament (Finland); Dean Peacock, Director of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom’s initiative to confront militarized masculinities (South Africa); Matti Vanhanen, Member of Parliament (Finland); and ambassador Melanne Verveer, executive director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security at Georgetown University (United States).In 2017, the Government of Finland’s International Gender Equality Prize was awarded to German Chancellor Angela Merkel. She directed the prize money to a Nigerien organisation that works to stop domestic violence. The organisation is using the funds to build a shelter for women.In 2019, the prize went to a global women’s rights organisation Equality Now, a global non-profit organisation, which has succeeded in changing discriminatory laws and ossified practices in different countries.Further informationMedia contacts for Prime Minister Marin: 
Pirita Ruokonen, Special Adviser to Prime Minister, Prime Minister’s Office, [email protected]Information about the prize gala:
Sami Siltanen Project Coordinator, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, [email protected]

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

1...444546...183Page 45 of 183