FINLAND

Conference on 9 December to highlight Nordic experiences on social economy, social enterprises, intermediate labour market and employment of people with impaired capacity to work

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet — The low employment rate of people with impaired capacity to work is a common problem in the Nordic countries. However, a new kind of intermediate labour market, a social economy and social entrepreneurship can offer solutions that improve the employment of people with impaired capacity to work.These issues will be explored at Promoting Employment for People with Disabilities, a virtual Nordic conference to be held on Thursday 9 December at 10.00–16.30.The event will provide an opportunity to hear inspiring examples, experiences, new perspectives and practical solutions to the employment problems of people with impaired capacity to work. Representatives from business and industry, public administration and organisations from Finland and the other Nordic countries will speak at the event. Other topics on the agenda include the European Commission’s new Social Economy Action Plan and the Swedish Samhall company, which employs people with impaired capacity to work. Samhall has served as a model for the Finnish Työkanava Oy, on which Parliament is currently debating a legislative proposal.The event will be opened by Hanna Sarkkinen, Minister of Social Affairs and Health, and the closing words will be given by Ville Kopra, State Secretary at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment.The conference is one of the working life events organised during Finland’s Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health have organised the conference. The event will be held in English. Speech-to-text interpretation will be available. The hashtags for the event on social media are #Norden2021 and #TheNordicsTogetherRead more about the conference and register for it: Promoting Employment for People with Disabilities (sourcehub.fi)

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

General Affairs Council to discuss cohesion policy

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet — The EU General Affairs Council will meet in Brussels on 18 November to discuss cohesion policy. Minister for European Affairs Tytti Tuppurainen will represent Finland at the meeting.At the meeting, the ministers in charge of cohesion policy will discuss the contribution of cohesion policy programmes to recovery, competitive sustainability, the green and digital transition, and economic, social and territorial cohesion. The ministers will also discuss how cohesion policy can be combined with other EU instruments to better meet the different needs of individual regions, further reduce development disparities and improve the vitality of regions.The General Affairs Council will also approve conclusions on the inclusion of San Marino in the European Union Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region. 

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

Government opposes adopting proposed delegated act on climate under EU Taxonomy Regulation

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet — On Wednesday 17 November, the Ministerial Committee on European Union Affairs outlined the Government’s position on the Climate Delegated Act under the EU classification system for sustainable activities, also known as the EU taxonomy. The matter will be submitted to Parliament as a Europe communication.In Finland’s view, the objective of the delegated act – to facilitate the financing of climate change mitigation and adaptation – is important. The technical screening criteria for the many economic activities in the delegated act can mainly be considered successful and in line with climate goals. 
 
However, the Government does not support the adoption of the delegated act in the current form proposed by the European Commission. In the Government’s view, some aspects of the technical criteria for forest management are difficult to understand and open to interpretation. Verifying compliance with the criteria would be difficult, and they cannot be considered appropriate in all respects. The ambiguity of the criteria could lead to a situation where forestry would be excluded from the taxonomy, which would make it more difficult to access funding for forestry investments.  
 
Finland also believes that detailed regulation of forestry should remain within the competence of the Member States. The Commission’s proposal requires the technical screening criteria to be examined at the level of the forest holding or procurement area, whereas up until now the sustainability of forest use has, as a rule, been examined at the Member State level.
 
Finland also regrets that the technical screening criteria treat hydropower and bioenergy differently from other low-emission forms of energy.
 
Moreover, Finland regrets that the Commission has not included technical screening criteria for nuclear energy in the Climate Delegated Act and considers it important that the Commission adopt a complementary delegated act for nuclear energy as soon as possible.
 
The Taxonomy Regulation aims to accelerate the attainment of emissions reduction goals by creating a classification system for sustainable financing and investment targets. In line with the regulation, the climate resilience of a project may affect the amount of funding it receives.
 

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

Joensuu’s Draft Program receives a special mention in promoting European entrepreneurship

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet — The Draft Program – an entrepreneurship programme by the Karelia University of Applied Sciences – was given a special mention in the European Enterprise Promotion Awards (EEPA). The Joensuu-based project was recognised for its innovation and creativity in disseminating local good practices to other entrepreneurs starting in the area.The Draft Program is a small but innovative joint entrepreneurship programme of five educational institutions in eastern Finland. The programme provides microfinance and coaching to students, staff and alumni teams. The programme has developed an operating model for experimental entrepreneurship, where each client team is considered a research expedition that produces locally relevant information on the sector. The entrepreneurial coaches, i.e. the developers of experimental entrepreneurship, will transform the lessons learned from team work into so-called useful publications. These publications are practical blogs, videos, podcasts and guides that disseminate local sector-specific practices to other new businesses in the region. About a dozen companies have been born out of the programme in recent years. This year, a total of 47 projects from 28 countries took part in the EEPA competition in six series. The purpose of the competition is to present the best practices and approaches to promoting entrepreneurship. Another aim is to raise awareness of entrepreneurship and to encourage more people to become entrepreneurs. This is the 15th time that the European Commission will award the annual EEPA prize.The competition finalists and projects receiving a special mention were displayed at the SME Assembly, which was held in Slovenia on 15–17 November.The social media hashtag of the competition is #EEPA2021.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

Ministers Skinnari and Lintilä to meet Governor of Minnesota

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet — Tim Walz, Governor of Minnesota, will visit Finland on 17–19 November. This is the Governor’s first visit abroad since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.The visit is related to extensive cooperation between Finland and Minnesota in the fields of clean energy, sustainable bioeconomy and digital technology. Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari signed a Letter of Understanding between Finland and the State of Minnesota during his visit to the United States in October. The cooperation opens up new commercial opportunities for Finnish businesses. It will also promote Finland’s climate objectives and international cooperation to combat climate change.Governor Walz will be accompanied by a delegation of about 60 people, representing a large number of US companies. This tells about interest in Finland. “Finland is well known in Minnesota. We have many common and complementary strengths from research to international trade and from sport to culture. State-level cooperation with the United States is now the right way for Finland to proceed and achieve concrete results. In future, we will engage in systematic cooperation with other US States, too,” Minister Skinnari says. “Minnesota is a great place to do business. Our goal is to share that message with the world, strengthening trade with our partners in Europe while expanding economic opportunity for businesses and families here in Minnesota,” says Governor Walz. “I’ll be joined by business leaders from across the state as we build on our existing relationships and encourage European businesses to start or grow their operations in Minnesota.”During his visit, Governor Walz will meet President of the Republic Sauli Niinistö, Minister of Economic Affairs Mika Lintilä, Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari, Minister of Science and Culture Antti Kurvinen and Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Jari Leppä. During the visit, the Minnesotan delegation will meet representatives of Finnish companies, research institutes, universities and cities. “Finland’s strengths lie in solutions to clean energy, sustainable bioeconomy and digital technologies, for which there is demand in Minnesota. It is a good idea to respond to this demand. These State-level partnerships will promote cooperation between the two countries and the creation of new innovation and business ecosystems,” Minister Lintilä says. The United States is one of Finland’s most important trading partners. Cooperation with Minnesota is part of a new, more extensive State-level cooperation in the USA. So far, Finland has signed a Letter of Understanding with Minnesota and Memorandums of Understanding with the States of Maine, Michigan and Washington. The principal areas of cooperation with the States include green economy, digitalisation and activities in the forest sector. The aim is to promote joint innovation ecosystems between Finnish and US actors. In the longer term, the cooperation is expected to strengthen trade and investments as well as academic and cultural ties.In Finland, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment is responsible for the Letter of Understanding signed with Minnesota. In the United States, the cooperation between Finland and US States is promoted by Finland’s diplomatic missions and Business Finland.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

Minister Tuppurainen and “We are Europe” tour to visit Oulu

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet — Minister for European Affairs Tytti Tuppurainen is inviting young people from Oulu, North Ostrobothnia and the Barents Euro-Arctic region to share their thoughts about Europe and its future on 30 November in Oulu. That same day, residents of the Oulu area are invited discuss EU matters over coffee with Minister for European Affairs Tuppurainen at an open event at the H20 Konstila café located in the Cultural Centre Valve.The events are part of the Finnish ministers’ “We are Europe” tour. This autumn and winter, several ministers will travel around the country to hear Finns’ thoughts and hopes about the development of the EU. Minister for European Affairs Tuppurainen will give an opening speech at the afternoon event at the Cultural Centre Valve, after which she will discuss topical EU issues with the residents of the region in attendance. Over a cup of coffee, participants will also hear a summary of the group sessions and panel discussions that took place at the youth event earlier in the day. “I’m very interested to hear what young people in the north have to say. It’s especially valuable for us to engage in dialogue together, across boundaries, as people in northern and Arctic regions share many of the same concerns, and we cooperate closely on a variety of issues. Passing along messages from young people in the north as part of the Conference on the Future of Europe is very important. I am equally excited to hear what kind of thoughts people in the Oulu region have on the future of Europe,” Minister for European Affairs Tuppurainen says.The youth event is intended for young people in the Barents Euro-Arctic region, and it will also be attended by youth from Sweden, Norway and Russia. The youth participants will first reflect on the future of Europe in working groups. The themes of the discussions were prepared in advance discussions organised at the UNESCO Associated Schools. The youth event will feature talks by Minister Tuppurainen, Ambassador for Barents and Northern Dimension Jari Vilén, Chair of the Oulu City Executive and conference delegate from the European Committee of the Regions Mirja Vehkaperä, and citizens’ representative Ninni Norra. The debriefing of the group work sessions and the full panel discussion will be streamed live. The seminar is organised by the Prime Minister’s Office, the City of Oulu, the Council of Oulu Region, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Barents Euro-Arctic Presidency.   The Finnish ministers’ “We are Europe” tour is part of the Conference on the Future of Europe, which aims to collect a wide variety of views from EU citizens on the future of Europe. The issues raised in the discussions will be recorded in the conference’s Multilingual Digital Platform, and the Finnish ministers will pass the messages on at the conference’s EU-level Plenaries. You can also share your thoughts and ideas in the digital platform. The online forum seeks citizens’ views on values, climate change, the economy, health and education, and a variety of other themes. The common EU-level hashtag #TheFutureIsYours can be used on social media.Programme for the events in Oulu on Tuesday 30 November9.30–13.50 Youth event Participants must register for the event in advance. The event will be held in English.The debriefing of the group sessions and the youth panel discussion will be streamed online at 12.30-13.50.  15.30–16.30 Open event and coffee The event will be held at the H20 Konstila café located in the Cultural Centre Valve.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

Toward school meals to all

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet — Barley porridge, macaroni casserole and chicken fricassee – Finns are familiar with the classics of school meals. The international goal now is to include all the world’s children in school feeding by 2030. Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari, who serves as the World Food Programme (WFP) School Meals Champion, explains why school meals pay off.Photo: Elina ManninenFinland is a pioneer in providing school meals – we have been offering free school meals for over 70 years. We know from our experience that school meals support the learning, health and equal opportunities of children and young people. Minister Ville Skinnari, what kind of memories do you have of school meals? From the very first grade, school meals meant really a lot for a young athlete. The meal gave me energy to cope well in the afternoon both in schoolyard games and other leisure-time interests. There were school meals that were not my favourites, but later I came to like them, such as cauliflower soup. The chicken fricassee was not a favourite dish either and it may not be the number one in export products, but nutrients were in order and they made us cope. The best thing is if – and quite often when – you have only had poor breakfast and then you get proper nutrients from the school meal. Unfortunately, too many Finnish pupils pay too little attention to what they have for breakfast. Did you appreciate school meals in the past or has appreciation come up later? Memories grow sweeter with time – everything did not taste good at the time. Although there are challenges, I still trust the Finnish school meal system and that pupils get the necessary nutritional value from it. Sleep, nutrition and rest – also in a minister’s work you notice how important these are. Finland was the first country in the world to introduce free school meals, a very bold act during the war in 1943. The generations that preceded us had the courage to take measures that shaped the future, but what is the future of school meals? Municipalities should not make cuts in school meals to save money, and parents too are worried about this. As the WFP School Meals Champion I wish to appeal to Finland:  stick to the strengths you have! What do you wish to achieve as the WFP’s School Meals Champion? My main objective is to raise awareness of school meals internationally and to make different countries to introduce school meals. This is promoted by assembling an international coalition around this important issue. I lead the Coalition together with France and the World Food Programme. The Coalition seeks to support and develop school meal programmes in different countries, to reach all children who were excluded from school meals when schools were closed because of the coronavirus pandemic. We also aim to include children who could not enjoy school meals even before the pandemic. While the overall aim of the coalition is to include all children in the world to have school meals by 2030 efforts will be made at the same time to improve the quality of school meal programmes in high-income countries. In addition to this international work, my aim is to export Finnish school meal expertise and solutions. Finland is a pioneer of school feeding, and the Finnish system is considered a model example of well-implemented school meals. I want to export our experiences and solutions globally together with government actors, organisations and companies. Could Finland benefit from launching school feeding programmes in other countries? School feeding programmes are an important promoter of food security in the most fragile countries and, as a rule, the fact that food security improves and the conditions in these countries stabilise benefits Finland in many ways. Finland can in multiple ways support the launching of school feeding programmes in different countries and benefit from this development. For example, the Finnish business sector has a lot of expertise in practical solutions for school meals, such as digital solutions that support the planning of school meals. We have now put this expertise together – the next objective is to export it globally.  Links to other web sites:https://www.educationfinland.fi/schoolmeals

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

Reopening of society brings joy but polarisation of public discussion causes concern – Lockdown Dialogues recount experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet — Lockdown Dialogues, a series of discussions launched at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, continued on 27 October with people getting together to discuss their experiences during the past 18 months. The discussions revealed that while the reopening of society is a cause of joy and happiness, it also causes concern and disappointment.New rifts in society, particularly those caused by the COVID-19 vaccine debate, are the biggest cause of concern and disappointment. A number of participants expressed their willingness to listen to other people’s perspectives and to take part in the discussion, but were unable to see how that would be possible. They also felt bad about accusing unvaccinated people and labelling them as bad citizens; it is important not to exclude anyone in society. At the same time, however, many people feel frustrated about the pandemic becoming prolonged because some people refuse to be vaccinated. Long lockdown leaves its markParticipants were most worried about the coping and loneliness of the elderly and young people. Students have been unable to participate in social events and activities. Some participants found in-person interaction difficult; they felt they were less able to tolerate social interaction and became tired more quickly in these situations. While people felt mostly relieved and energised when remote work recommendations were lifted, returning to a hybrid work environment took some getting used to and involved building new practices. For organisations, operating in a virtual environment was a positive thing as it made it easier for people to participate in their activities.  The need to understand the views and thoughts of other people came up repeatedly in the discussions, as did the need to forge a stronger sense of community that had suffered during the pandemic. The pandemic has not treated everyone equally, and recovery is also happening differently in different groups. The question is how to find ways to hear those scarred by the pandemic and at the same time support those who are moving on.In the first autumn session, 12 dialogues were organised Åland, Espoo, Helsinki, Turku and Vantaa, with a total of 84 participants. The Lockdown Dialogues were organised by Dialogue Academy, Timeout Foundation, Citizen Forum, Finnish Lifelong Learning Foundation, Laurea University of Applied Sciences, Hippa-Remote and HYTKE projects of the Metropolia University of Applied Sciences,  City of Tampere Cultural Education Unit TAITE’s Art Arc programme, Turku Cathedral Parish, City of Vantaa and Ministry of Finance.The aim of the Lockdown Dialogues is to offer individuals, groups and organisations the opportunity to engage in constructive discussion and to build an understanding about what it is like to live in Finland during the COVID-19 crisis. Responsibility for the coordination of Lockdown Dialogues, compilation of a summary and its dissemination to central and local government, and open access publication rests with Dialogue Academy, Timeout Foundation, Ministry of Justice, Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra, Ministry of Finance and Prime Minister’s Office. The second session of the autumn’s Lockdown Dialogues will be held on Thursday 2 December. 

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

Foreign Minister Haavisto presents the priorities of Finland’s Presidency of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council in Rovaniemi

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet — Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto will present the priorities of Finland’s Presidency in connection with the Rovaniemi Arctic Spirit conference on 16 November. In Rovaniemi, the Minister will also meet representatives of the Sámi Parliament and speak at the University of Lapland.The first meeting of the Committee of Senior Officials during Finland’s Presidency of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council was held in Rovaniemi on 15 November. During its Presidency of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council, Finland’s objectives include strengthening biodiversity in the Barents region by combating invasive alien species, supporting the electrification of transport, strengthening young people’s opportunities for participation, supporting free movement, and improving transport connections.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

The Finnish Presidency of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council 2021-2023

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet — Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto presents the priorities of Finland’s Chairmanship in connection with the Rovaniemi Arctic Spirit conference on 16 November.Arctic fox in the winter environment. And a text: Finnish Presidency in the Barents Euroarctic Council 2021-2023.During its Chairmanship of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council, Finland’s objectives include strengthening biodiversity in the Barents region by combating invasive alien species, supporting the electrification of transport, strengthening young people’s opportunities for participation, supporting free movement, and improving transport connections.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

1...474849...183Page 48 of 183