NordenBladet — Minister of Transport and Communications Timo Harakka will visit the United States on 4-9 November 2021. He will travel to Seattle, Tacoma and Washington DC. In Seattle and Tacoma, Minister Harakka will be accompanied by a business delegation.Key themes of the visit will focus on high technology, such as maritime transport automation, smart ports, use of artificial intelligence, 5G and 6G cooperation and green transition.During his visit, Minister Harakka will meet representatives of President Biden’s administration and of the administration in the state of Washington. The programme includes visits to companies and seminars and the ports of Tacoma and Seattle.In addition, Minister Harakka and Denny Heck, Lieutenant Governor of the state of Washington, will sign a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Transport and Communications and Washington State on high technology and the green transition.In connection with the Memorandum of Understanding, Minister Harakka will discuss opportunities to promote scientific and research cooperation with representatives of the University of Washington.
NordenBladet — Nordic authorities and civil society actors working against trafficking in human beings will meet at a seminar in Helsinki on 18 November 2021. The aim with the seminar is to share information and expertise and thus support the participants in their work for strengthening the anti-trafficking efforts. Registration for the live-streamed parts of the seminar is open until 15 November 2021.The seminar will discuss human trafficking broadly and the topics are not limited to a specific form of human trafficking, a specific group of victims or a specific part of the process. The focus is on measures already implemented in practice and sharing them with others, which will provide the participants with ideas, information and contacts and thus enable further development of working methods. Ways to enhance Nordic cooperation in the anti-trafficking work will also be discussed at the seminar. The findings and results of the seminar will be utilised in a report on Nordic anti-trafficking cooperation that the Nordic Ministers of Justice agreed on in their meeting in June 2021. The Seminar on the Nordic Best Practices against Trafficking in Human Beings is part of Finland’s presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers, and it is organised by the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Government Anti-Trafficking Coordinator of Finland.Welcome to follow the seminar online! Parts I and III of the event can be followed online via live streaming. Part I of the seminar at 10.00–12.45 EET will provide an overall picture of the work against trafficking in human beings in different European contexts, including in the European Union and in the Nordic countries. Part III at 17:10–18:20 EET will present the results of the workshops, greetings from the side events and conclusions of the seminar. Part II consists of workshop sessions, and it is only intended for the invited participants working with prevention and combatting of trafficking in human beings. A link to the live stream will be sent to the registered participants by email. Registration for the online event will be open until 15 November 2021 here. A video recording of the seminar will be available to the registered participants until 18 December 2021.The language of the seminar is English.ProgrammeSeminar programme10.00 – 10.20 Opening speechesAnna-Maja Henriksson, Minister of Justice of FinlandMaria Ohisalo, Minister of the Interior of Finland10.20 – 10.50 Keynote speechesDiane Schmitt, EU Anti-Trafficking Coordinator: EU Strategy on Combatting Trafficking in Human BeingsItohan Okundaye, Member of the International Survivors of Trafficking Advisory Council (ISTAC): What Should Governments Do More to Prevent Trafficking in Human Beings?10.50 – 12.40 Presentation of best practises against trafficking in human beings in the Nordic countriesIceland: Hildur Sunna Pálmadóttir, Ministry of Justice and Alda Hrönn Jóhannsdóttir, Suðurnes police: Creating the New Icelandic National Action Plan against Trafficking in Human Beings – How Human Trafficking Became a Political Priority and What Are the Successes?Finland: Kristina Stenman, Non-Discrimination Ombudsman: The National Rapporteur on Trafficking in Human Beings – How Independent Reporting Mechanism Strengthens the Work against Trafficking in Human Beings?Sweden: Mats Paulsson, Gender Equality Authority: The National Referral Mechanism for Victims of Trafficking12.40 – 12.45 closing remarks for Part I Eva Biaudet, Member of Parliament, FinlandPART II 13.45 – 17.00 Parallel workshops on Best Practices for participants present in HelsinkiPART III, Streamed online17.10 – 18.10 ConclusionsPresentations of the workshop resultsGreetings from the side events18.10 – 18.20 Closing remarksVenla Roth, Government Anti-Trafficking Coordinator of Finland Future and Next Steps of Closer Nordic Cooperation on Prevention and Combatting of Trafficking in Human BeingsMore information about the seminar: Ilona Sekiguchi, Project Coordinator, tel. +358 29 515 0201, [email protected] Venla Roth, Government Anti-Trafficking Coordinator, tel. +358 29 515 0011, [email protected]
NordenBladet — The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment participates in an E2 research project that aims to find out how Finland’s attractiveness among international experts and expatriates returning to Finland can be strengthened. In the project, the views of expatriate Finns, foreigners living in Finland and international digital nomads will be heard. Shortage of skilled labour is already an obstacle to growth in many sectors. This means that, besides measures to improve the labour market match, Finland also needs work-based immigration. In the E2 research project potential immigrants to Finland will also be asked to tell their views. The project seeks answers e.g. to the following questions: How can Finland be turned into an appealing and attractive country that people are willing to commit to and where it is easy for expatriate Finns to return or for foreigners to come to work? How can people from outside Finland also participate in building our country? New information supports the Talent Boost programme“Skilled labour is a key resource in strengthening employment. The Ministry is working hard to make the processes related to immigration run smoothly and ensure that the entire system works. This research project will give us more information on how we can further develop the Talent Boost programme and the whole package of measures related to immigration,” Minister of Employment Tuula Haatainen says. “Many companies are facing acute shortages of experts. It is important that the project that is now being launched produces information not only on how Finland can be more attractive but also on how we can make people stay here,” Minister of Economic Affairs Mika Lintilä says.Project to be completed before parliamentary elections of 2023 The project will be carried out by the non-profit organisation E2 Research. The work will be completed before the parliamentary elections in spring 2023. The research project will contribute to the implementation of the national Talent Boost programme on promoting labour migration and the roadmap for education-based and work-based immigration. Besides the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, the research project is funded by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Confederation of Finnish Industries, Technology Industries of Finland, Local Government and County Employers KT, Local Government Pensions Institution KEVA, Academic Engineers and Architects TEK, Industrial Employees TP, Business Finland and the cities of Helsinki, Espoo, Tampere and Oulu.
NordenBladet — The Nordic Prime Ministers have adopted a joint statement on security of supply and preparedness. In the statement, the Nordic countries emphasise the importance of preparedness and cooperation in an unstable and unpredictable operating environment.“Nordic cooperation is a resource that the Nordic countries can use to strengthen their preparedness and resilience to crises. By intensifying Nordic cooperation on security of supply and preparedness, we are building a Nordic region that is able to function in all situations,” says Prime Minister Sanna Marin.The Nordic Prime Ministers adopted their joint statement in Copenhagen on Wednesday 3 November. The Prime Ministers of the Nordic countries and the Heads of Government of Åland, the Faroe Islands and Greenland met in Copenhagen in connection with the Nordic Council Session. This year, Finland holds the Presidency of the Ministerial Council, which is the official body for intergovernmental Nordic cooperation. Developing cooperation on security of supply has been one of the key objectives of Finland’s Presidency. Nordic cooperation is guided by a shared vision adopted by the Nordic Prime Ministers, according to which the Nordic region will be the most sustainable and integrated region in the world by 2030. At the meeting, Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers Paula Lehtomäki gave a summary of progress on the work to implement the joint vision and an overview of a survey that mapped citizens’ expectations for Nordic cooperation. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Nordic Council of Ministers, an intergovernmental body for cooperation between the Nordic countries. During their meeting in Copenhagen, the Prime Ministers noted that the world had changed significantly over the past 50 years, but that Nordic cooperation would continue to be strong, now and in the future.
NordenBladet — The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment has appointed a working group to prepare a reform of services for children and young people who have arrived in Finland without a guardian and who have been granted a residence permit. The reform aims to ensure that the young people have equal access to services, similar to other groups in need of special support. In accordance with the objectives set out in the integration report, the working group is tasked with preparing a proposal for reforming the legislation on how services should be organised for unaccompanied minors and young people who have been granted a residence permit. The aim is to ensure that these children and young people have equal access to services in the same way as other groups in need of special support under the Social Welfare Act. The working group will also examine state compensation for related services. In relation to unaccompanied minors who have been issued a residence permit, the working group will examine: • provision of services in relation to the Social Welfare Act, • responsibility for housing arrangements and their provision; and the role of the new wellbeing services counties, • legislation on family care, • legislation on after-care, • provision of services if these are not provided under the Integration Act, including services for those who have obtained Finnish citizenship, and • quality, supervision and improvements to system of representatives; registration of representatives Work to be completed next autumnThe term of the working group is from 21 October 2021 to 31 October 2022 and it will be chaired by Paula Karjalainen, Ministerial Adviser at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. The working group may consult experts.In addition to the Ministry’s own specialists, the working group includes representatives from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, the Ministry of the Interior, the ELY Centres of Uusimaa, Pirkanmaa and North Ostrobothnia, the Cities of Espoo and Tampere and the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities.
NordenBladet — Minister of Economic Affairs Mika Lintilä will travel with a Team Finland business delegation to the Europort event in Rotterdam on 2–4 November 2021. The goal of the visit is to increase the export of solutions related to automation and low emissions in shipping and ports. The Minister will then travel to Copenhagen where he will discuss industrial policy and digital economy with his Danish colleagues.Rotterdam is one of Europe’s major shipping centres and it aims to become the smartest and cleanest port in the world. The Team Finland visit aims to strengthen cooperation between Finland and the Netherlands in the marine industry and to call attention to Finnish companies’ expertise in automation and low emissions solutions.“The marine industry is undergoing rapid digitalisation and a transition towards low-carbon operations. In order to succeed, marine industry companies must be involved in international projects and value chains. Both Finland and the Netherlands are strong and innovative players in the sector, and I am confident that the Europort event will result in new relationships and future partnerships,” Lintilä says. During the visit, Lintilä will meet the Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy Stef Blok as well as the decision-makers and key companies of the Rotterdam marine industry cluster together with the business delegation. The Netherlands is Finland’s fourth largest export destination with dozens of Finnish companies operating in the country. The Team Finland delegation includes companies that offer solutions to areas such as emissions-free or autonomous shipping and the digitalisation of ports. Nine Finnish companies will participate in the business delegation gathered by Business Finland: ABB Marine, Awake.AI, Dimecc, GIM Robotics, Katsa, NIT Naval Interior Team, Port of HaminaKotka, Secapp and Turku Science Park.Industrial policy, digital economy and energy on the Minister’s agenda in CopenhagenOn 4 November, the Minister will travel to Copenhagen, where he will meet Denmark’s Minister for Industry, Business and Financial Affairs Simon Kollerup and Minister of Climate, Energy and Public Utilities Dan Jørgensen. Lintilä will also meet Danish companies at an event organised by the Confederation of Danish Industry. Finland currently holds the Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers. Lintilä will have a discussion with the Council’s Secretary General Paula Lehtomäki in Copenhagen.
NordenBladet — The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment begins a process for the preparation of a Government report on security of supply. Security of supply and preparedness have become a topic of active public debate following the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic also created a need to build better plans for our security of supply extending across several government terms. The report will support this development workThe report aims to clarify the broad principles of efforts to improve security of supply in the longer term through measures such as parliamentary preparation and discussion, and to ensure better overall preparedness for new threats. Work includes defining the essential tools needed to achieve the objectives and identifying their development needs, and modernising the security of supply system to respond to the challenges caused by changes in the operating environment.Finland has a well-functioning security of supply system, which relies on a public-private cooperation network and the ability of the security of supply organisation to take swift action in a crisis. However, changes in circumstances force us to clarify our vision for the development work. Key themes include continuity management and need for modernisation, overall development of the regulatory framework for security of supply and creating favourable conditions for implementation; development issues related to the security of supply organisation, issues related to securing the operations of the National Emergency Supply Fund, and the active involvement of Parliament.The report focuses on examining the national objectives, guiding principles and guidance of security of supply at society level instead of discussing operational issues in detail. The report will provide an assessment of whether the national security of supply is at the desired level and what are the improvements required. Several evaluations and reports on the security of supply and the National Emergency Supply Agency (NESA) were carried out between 2020 and 2021. The Security Strategy for Society is also about to be updated under the Security Committee’s guidance.Links to climate change, the Energy and Climate Strategy and the key outlines of security of supply related international cooperation and influencing at both the Nordic and international level will be taken into account in the preparations. Similarly, attention will be paid to relevant EU projects such as the preparation of the CER Directive proposing improvements to the resilience of critical entities and the key impacts of its implementation.Parliamentary and interest groups actively involved in the preparation of the reportAn intersectoral management group chaired by Raimo Luoma, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, will guide the preparations. The management group works closely with the intersectoral cooperation group on security of supply appointed by the Government at the end of September. A parliamentary monitoring group will also be appointed to oversee the preparation of the report. The report is to be submitted to Parliament in September 2022. Before that, an extensive consultation round on the draft report will be organised in spring 2022. During the preparation process, interest groups will be invited to take part in workshops, the purpose being to specify the report’s focus areas in more detail and to consult the interest groups on key points.
NordenBladet — Finland has joined the Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use of the Glasgow Climate Change Conference, whereby more than one hundred countries commit to stopping deforestation by 2030. President of the Republic Sauli Niinistö will speak at the publication event of the Declaration on Forests in Glasgow on Tuesday.Among the signatories of the Declaration are Brazil, Russia, China and the USA. Finland considers multilateral cooperation as highly important to achieve the international targets related to forests. By this Declaration, the countries also commit to promoting sustainable development on the global scale, including the sustainable management and use of forests, and to strengthening local economies: small farmers, indigenous peoples and local communities whose livelihoods are dependent on forests need stronger support from others for the sustainable management and use of their forests. Breakthrough Agenda aims at clean electricity, emission-free transport, zero-emission steel and low-carbon hydrogen by 2030 On Tuesday Finland will also announce its support for the Breakthrough Agenda that consists of the four Glasgow Breakthroughs. The Breakthrough Agenda outlines the global goals to 2030. According to the Agenda, by that time clean energy should be cost-effective and accessible all over the world, and emission-free vehicles should be the new normal. A further goal is that near zero-emission steel will be the most popular option in the global market and that affordable renewable and low-carbon hydrogen will be globally available by 2030.The implementation of these breakthroughs would reduce emissions and contribute to developing new business models, creating new jobs and reaching different environmental objectives. Finland is already a member or otherwise involved in processes that will be in a key position in implementing and monitoring the Breakthrough Agenda. These include the International Energy Agency IEA, International Renewable Energy Agency IRENA, Mission Innovation MI and Clean Energy Ministerial CEM.Global Methane Pledge aims at 30% reduction in human-caused methane emissions by 2030 In addition, on Tuesday Finland will also join the Global Methane Pledge announced by the EU and United States that aims to reduce the global human-caused methane emissions by 30% by 2030. After carbon dioxide, methane is the most significant greenhouse gas that causes climate change.Finland has for a long time been active in several international processes concerned with methane, including the Climate and Clean Air Coalition CCAC, Global Methane Initiative GMI and work done in the Arctic Council. The pledge introduces a quantitative target that will support the work done in these processes as well.Finland’s national methane emissions decreased by more than 40% in 1990-2019, and the decrease is expected to continue until 2030. The main sources of methane emissions in Finland are waste, agriculture and energy production.
NordenBladet — Finland has joined the Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use of the Glasgow Climate Change Conference, whereby more than one hundred countries commit to stopping deforestation by 2030. President of the Republic Sauli Niinistö will speak at the publication event of the Declaration on Forests in Glasgow on Tuesday.Among the signatories of the Declaration are Brazil, Russia, China and the USA. Finland considers multilateral cooperation as highly important to achieve the international targets related to forests. By this Declaration, the countries also commit to promoting sustainable development on the global scale, including the sustainable management and use of forests, and to strengthening local economies: small farmers, indigenous peoples and local communities whose livelihoods are dependent on forests need stronger support from others for the sustainable management and use of their forests. Breakthrough Agenda aims at clean electricity, emission-free transport, zero-emission steel and low-carbon hydrogen by 2030On Tuesday Finland will also announce its support for the Breakthrough Agenda that consists of the four Glasgow Breakthroughs. The Breakthrough Agenda outlines the global goals to 2030. According to the Agenda, by that time clean energy should be cost-effective and accessible all over the world, and emission-free vehicles should be the new normal. A further goal is that near zero-emission steel will be the most popular option in the global market and that affordable renewable and low-carbon hydrogen will be globally available by 2030.The implementation of these breakthroughs would reduce emissions and contribute to developing new business models, creating new jobs and reaching different environmental objectives. Finland is already a member or otherwise involved in processes that will be in a key position in implementing and monitoring the Breakthrough Agenda. These include the International Energy Agency IEA, International Renewable Energy Agency IRENA, Mission Innovation MI and Clean Energy Ministerial CEM.Global Methane Pledge aims at 30% reduction in human-caused methane emissions by 2030In addition, on Tuesday Finland will also join the Global Methane Pledge announced by the EU and United States that aims to reduce the global human-caused methane emissions by 30% by 2030. After carbon dioxide, methane is the most significant greenhouse gas that causes climate change.Finland has for a long time been active in several international processes concerned with methane, including the Climate and Clean Air Coalition CCAC, Global Methane Initiative GMI and work done in the Arctic Council. The pledge introduces a quantitative target that will support the work done in these processes as well.Finland’s national methane emissions decreased by more than 40% in 1990-2019, and the decrease is expected to continue until 2030. The main sources of methane emissions in Finland are waste, agriculture and energy production.
NordenBladet — On 2 November, Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto will visit Copenhagen to attend the 73rd Session of the Nordic Council. At the Nordic Council plenary session, he will deliver a speech on Nordic foreign and security policy cooperation. Finland is chairing the Nordic (N5) cooperation on foreign and security policy in 2021.Minister Haavisto will also chair the Nordic Foreign Ministers’ meeting. The Ministers will discuss topical international issues, such as the OSCE and UN affairs.