NordenBladet — Defence Ministers Antti Kaikkonen and Peter Hultqvist will visit the Swedish Navy’s main exercise SWENEX21 on Wednesday 27 October 2021. Some 320 Finnish troops will participate in the exercise.The exercise is part of a programme for the North Atlantic Council (NAC), consisting of NATO Secretary General and ambassadors of NATO Member countries. The aim of the visit to Finland and Sweden is to learn about the defence cooperation between the two countries.“The 30 + 2 cooperation between NATO, Finland and Sweden is an integral part of Finland’s partnership with NATO,” says Minister of Defence Antti Kaikkonen.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — The Artists’ Association of Lapland was a scholarship recipient of the Barents Scholarship for Cultural Cooperation. The scholarship amounts to EUR 10,000. The Barents Scholarships for Cultural Cooperation were awarded on Tuesday 26 October in Tromsø, Norway. Four scholarships were awarded.The Artists’ Association of Lapland is the central organisation for professional artists and artistic associations within the cultural field in the Barents region. At the heart of the organisation’s activities are not only on gallery and exhibition activities but also art lending, international activities and the production of art-based services. Maria Huhmarniemi, Chair of the Board of the Lapland Artists’ Association, explains how important the scholarship is for the organisation:
“We have worked hard in engaging in cultural cooperation in the Barents region. For us, crossing borders means the mobility of exhibitions and works, the production of international exhibitions in Finnish Lapland for local audiences, as well as friends and kindred spirits in the Barents region. The scholarship is an important sign of recognition.”In 2021, two significant exhibitions produced by Lapland Artists’ Association were held that involved cooperation in the Barents region. The ‘Wiping the Ice-Cream Off Your Face’ exhibition in Rovaniemi marked the 30th anniversary of the Artists’ Association of Lapland, to which Nordic and Russian artists and members of the Association were invited. The exhibition invited to reconsider notions about the North and contemporary Arctic culture outside the mainstream, conventional way of thinking by dismantling stereotypes of the Arctic as a barren wintery destination and sparked discussion on the need and means for de-arcticfication. The fourth Young Arctic Artists exhibition, under thematic umbrella of Fight / Kamppailu”, was arranged in Rovaniemi, and it is currently in Alta, Norway. The exhibition builds on the concepts of multiculturalism and multilingualism in the Barents region. In addition to indigenous peoples and national majorities, there are also other linguistic and cultural minority groups in the region. The Fight / Kamppailu exhibition showcases cultural richness in the region, but also cultural conflicts and the experiences of cultural minorities in the past and today.The Artists’ Association of Lapland was founded in 1990. The Association has cooperated in the Barents region throughout its existence, for example by financial support from the Nordic Culture Fund and the Russia programme for arts and culture granted by the Ministry of Education and Culture. In earlier years, the Rovaniemi office of the Arts Promotion Centre played a significant role in cooperation in the Barents region.Barents Scholarship for Cultural CooperationThe Barents Scholarship for Cultural Cooperation is awarded every two years. It is granted simultaneously in each of the four countries in the Barents region: Finland, Sweden, Norway and Russia.The purpose of the scholarship is to highlight cooperation across borders and recognise artistic excellence and encourage people to work together in the Barents region. The scholarship also serves to make artists and cultural activities in the Barents region better known.The Barents Scholarship for Cultural Cooperation was first awarded in 2017. At that time, it was awarded to Jaakko Heikkilä, a photographer from Tornio.Related linksBarents Euro-Arctic Cooperation

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — Claudia Mahler, Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons at the UN Human Rights Council, will visit Finland from 26 October to 4 November. This is the first time that an Independent Expert on the human rights by older persons, mandated in 2014, visits the Nordic countries. The purpose of the visit is to prepare a report on the legislation related to the rights of older people and on the implementation of their rights in Finland for the UN Human Rights Council. The Independent Expert will present her report and recommendations concerning Finland to the Human Rights Council in its autumn session of 2022, where Finland will participate in the interactive dialogue.During her visit to Finland, Independent Expert Mahler will meet with Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto, Minister of Social Affairs and Health Hanna Sarkkinen and Minister of Family Affairs and Social Services Krista Kiuru. In addition, she will have several meetings with senior government officials, Finnish authorities and representatives of organisations, researchers and relevant stakeholders in the sector.The mandate of the Independent Expert on the human rights of older persons is part of the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council, which are strongly supported by Finland. The independent experts report and issue recommendations to the Human Rights Council and to the government in question. 

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — Ministers from digitally advanced EU countries will meet in Luxembourg to discuss how digital technologies can contribute to the green transition and the achievement of the Paris climate objectives.The ministerial meeting of the D9+ countries, i.e. digitally advanced EU countries, will be held in Luxembourg on 27 October 2021. Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Xavier Bettel will chair the meeting. State Secretary Jukka Ihanus will represent Finland on behalf of Minister of Economic Affairs Mika Lintilä. In addition to the nine countries belonging to the D9+ group, Lithuania and Slovenia, which currently holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, have been invited to the meeting.The debate on the digital green transition is timely in the entire EU, with the ministers’ discussion taking place just days before the UN’s COP26 climate change conference. Thomas Kallstenius, Chief Executive Officer at the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, will present a digital twin project that focuses on Luxembourg’s national energy sector. In addition, a representative of the European Commission will introduce the EU’s Green Deal proposal. The group’s meeting in January was chaired by Lintilä, who emphasised artificial intelligence, quantum technology and future connectivity as key areas in the European Commission’s roadmap for the digital decade.D9+ countries focus on digitalisation D9+ is a ministerial group of digitally advanced EU countries that aims to promote the implementation and use of digitalisation and the sharing of its best practices. The group includes the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal, Poland, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Czech Republic and Estonia. All of the countries rank high in the Commission’s DESI index, which measures digital capacity and its development among the EU member states. DESI monitors digitalisation in the EU countries in five areas: connectivity, human capital (including digital skills), use of internet services by citizens, integration of digital technology by businesses, and digital public services. 

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — According to a recent survey, 68 per cent of Finns consider development cooperation very or fairly important. About a quarter of Finns say that their attitudes have become more negative recently. The majority believe that Finland’s development cooperation has improved the position of women and girls in Afghanistan over the past 20 years. The results are based on a survey carried out for the Foreign Ministry by Taloustutkimus.A clear majority of Finns support development cooperation. However, attitudes towards it are strongly disaggregated by respondents’ gender and party affiliation.
The majority of the respondents felt that their opinions had remained unchanged in recent years. At the same time, 27 per cent of the respondents considered that their attitudes towards development cooperation had become more negative, against 14 per cent of people who had started to hold a more positive attitude.
“More than four out of five Finns consider eradication of poverty and inequality from the world very important. This is goal number one among the objectives of Finland’s development cooperation. The same objective must be pursued by other means, such as trade,” says Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari.
Although reducing poverty and inequality, and support for development cooperation are considered important, the majority of the respondents do not believe that the activities are efficient and effective.
“We must listen to this concern carefully and make sure that people get enough information about our work and its effectiveness in future. Prolonged conflicts and disasters, for example, may give rise to doubt whether we can achieve sustainable results at all. Based on our own monitoring, we know that we have achieved results,” Minister Skinnari says. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs will submit a comprehensive report on the results and effectiveness of development cooperation to Parliament in autumn 2022.
Afghanistan causes concern, support believed to be effective
Taloustutkimus conducted the survey at the end of August when news from abroad focused on the Taliban’s takeover in Afghanistan. A clear majority (86%) of the respondents was worried for the position of women and girls under the Taliban regime.
The majority (65%) of them believe that Finland’s development cooperation has improved the position of women and girls in Afghanistan over the past 20 years. Humanitarian assistance to Afghans is considered important by 75 per cent of the respondents. However, scepticism was expressed towards the start of long-term development cooperation with Afghanistan: Of women, 48 per cent and of men 31 per cent were in favour of long-term development cooperation.
New method introduced in opinion polls
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has examined Finns’ opinions on development cooperation annually for nearly twenty years. In recent years, the surveys have been conducted in the form of personal face-to-face interviews. This year, the method was replaced by an online panel. Therefore, this year’s results are not comparable with the results from previous years.
“In surveys where we used both an online panel and face-to-face interviews simultaneously to ask the same questions, the online panel as a method has explained the number of negative and doubtful views of development cooperation and the shift compared to previous years. It appears that in a faceless online environment it is easier to give critical answers than in a one-to-one encounter, where respondents admit the interviewer into their home and may, as a rule, find it easier to be more receptive and sympathetic,” says Juho Rahkonen, Research Director at Taloustutkimus. There are significant differences in the results with regard to some of the questions, even though the population groups are represented by the same percentages in both methods, for example according to age, gender and party affiliation. A total of 1,173 people participated in the survey in different parts of Finland. With a 2.7 per cent margin of error, the confidence interval (CI) of the survey results is at 95 per cent. 

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — The number of unemployed jobseekers decreased by 50,500. The number of new vacancies reported in September totalled 96,500. In all, the number of unfilled vacancies amounted to 170,300, which is 67,300 more than a year ago.At the end of September, a total of 265,300 unemployed jobseekers were registered at the Employment and Economic Development Offices and municipalities participating in the local government pilots on employment. This is 50,500 less than a year earlier, but 39,300 more than in September two years ago. The number of unemployed jobseekers was down by 15,700 from the previous month. Of the unemployed jobseekers, 143,200 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 September, the number of people laid off was 31,500 in the whole country, which was 42,100 fewer than at the same time the year before. The number of people fully laid off totalled 21,100, representing a decrease of 35,700 from September the year before. The number of people fully laid off decreased by 3,500 from August.109,400 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 109,400, up 28,300 on the previous year. The number of unemployed jobseekers aged over 50 was 101,800, or 11,700 fewer than at the same time a year earlier.The number of unemployed jobseekers aged under 25 totalled 29,400, representing a decrease of 8,700 from September last year. Of the unemployment periods of youths, 60.1 per cent ended before reaching three months between January and September. This is 3.6 percentage points less than a year before.Increase in new vacanciesThe number of new vacancies reported during September totalled 96,500, or 38,500 more than in September the previous year. In all, the number of unfilled vacancies in September amounted to 170,300, which is 67,300 more than a year ago.At the end of September, the number of persons covered by services included in the activation rate amounted to 110,800, down 3,100 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 7.6%According to the Labour Force Survey issued by Statistics Finland, in September the number of people in employment was 17,000 more than on the previous year. The trend of the employment rate was 72.5%, which was 2.6 percentage points higher than in September the year before. According to the Survey, the unemployment total was 191,000, which is 11,000 less than a year ago. The trend of the unemployment rate was 7.6%, or 0.7 percentage points lower than the previous year.Key differences between Employment Service Statistics and the Labour Force Survey This information is based on the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment’s Employment Service Statistics and the Labour Force Survey of Statistics Finland. The Employment Service Statistics of the Ministry are compiled on the basis of the information in the Employment and Economic Development Offices’ customer register, while the Labour Force Survey of Statistics Finland is based on sampling. In the Ministry’s Employment Service Statistics, people that are not in an employment relationship or employed in business are listed as unemployed. Persons fully laid-off but not full-time students are also categorised as unemployed in the Employment Service Statistics. The Labour Force Survey of Statistics Finland has a stricter definition of being unemployed: a person is unemployed if he or she has actively sought employment during the preceding four weeks and is available for work over the coming two weeks. The figures of the Labour Force Survey of Statistics Finland are internationally comparable and thus they are the official Finnish unemployment statistics. Further information on the differences in the statistics https://tilastokeskus.fi/til/tyti/tyti_2019-09-13_men_001_en.html

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — The North Atlantic Council (NAC), composed of ambassadors from NATO member states and the chair of the council, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg visit Finland on 25–26 October 2021. Photo: NATOThe visit begins with bilateral discussions between President of the Republic Sauli Niinistö and Secretary General Stoltenberg, and with discussions between the President and the Council.Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland Pekka Haavisto meets with the North Atlantic Council for lunch discussion. Minister Haavisto and Secretary General Stoltenberg will also have a bilateral meeting.During the day, the NATO ambassadors visit Parliament, where they meet with Speaker of Parliament Anu Vehviläinen and representatives of the Parliamentary Foreign Affairs and Defence Committees. The programme also includes a visit to the Guard Jaeger Regiment, hosted by Minister of Defence Antti Kaikkonen and General Timo Kivinen, Commander of the Finnish Defence Forces.In the evening, Prime Minister of Finland Sanna Marin meets with Secretary General Stoltenberg bilaterally and hosts dinner for the NATO ambassadors.On Tuesday, 26 October the programme includes a meeting with Minister of the Interior Maria Ohisalo and a briefing of the activities of the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats.The visit provides an opportunity to promote NATO’s understanding of the security situation in the Baltic Sea region and in Northern Europe. Furthermore, the visit manifests close partnership of Finland and Sweden with NATO and bilaterally with each other.From Finland, the North Atlantic Council and the Secretary General will continue their journey to Sweden, which they will visit on 26–27 October.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — Monday 25 October 2021 marks the 100th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Finland and Luxembourg.On 20 October 1921, Luxembourg gave its approval to Finland’s request for an agrément, i.e. the request to appoint a diplomatic representative of the Finnish Government to Luxembourg. On 25 October 1921, President of the Republic K. J. Ståhlberg appointed Georg Achates Gripenberg, Finland’s acting Chargé d’ Affaires in Brussels and the Hague, to serve as a non-resident Chargé d’Affaires also in Luxembourg. On 20 October 1921, Luxembourg sent a telegram to give its approval to Finland’s request for the appointment of a diplomatic representative of the Finnish Government to Luxembourg. On 25 October 1921, the President of the Republic appointed Georg Achates Gripenberg, Finland’s acting Chargé d’ Affaires in Brussels and the Hague, to serve as a non-resident Chargé d’Affaires also in Luxembourg. Source: The Archives of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs Picture: Sami HeinoFinland and Luxembourg have common interests in many foreign policy areas, such as human rights and equality issues, climate targets and the rule of law. Both Finland and Luxembourg were recently elected to the UN Human Rights Council for 2022–2024. Additionally, in their EU policy Finland and Luxembourg share many similar objectives and values, such as deepening of the internal market and closer cooperation in the EU’s common foreign and security policy.“Both countries are staunch supporters of multilateralism, and support for the EU is strong and positions are often close to one another. Therefore, cooperation between Finland and Luxembourg is easy”, says Riitta Resch, Finland’s Ambassador to Luxembourg.Like Finland’s first Chargé d’ Affaires to Luxembourg, Riitta Resch, Ambassador of Finland to Belgium, serves as a Non-resident Ambassador of Finland to Luxembourg. Luxembourg’s Ambassador to Finland Henri Schumacher has been accredited to Finland from Luxembourg’s Embassy in Copenhagen. 

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — The EU energy ministers will meet at an extraordinary Council meeting in Luxembourg on Tuesday 26 October 2021. The only items on the agenda are the rising energy prices and the Commission’s proposed measures to mitigate them. Minister of Economic Affairs Mika Lintilä will represent Finland.The background paper prepared by the Slovenian Presidency invites the Member States’ views on two questions: 1) How could EU level action support and complement the immediate measures taken by Member States to mitigate the impact of rising energy prices? 2) Are the medium-term measures proposed by the Commission sufficient to address the future energy price fluctuations, and what further measures could be implemented at EU and national level?The European Council, which consists of the Member State’s heads of government, held an extensive discussion on the impact of rising energy prices on citizens and businesses on 21 October. The European Council invited the Commission and the Energy Council to consider medium and long-term measures that would prevent excessive fluctuations in prices. At the same time, it is important to strengthen the flexible use of energy in the EU and ensure a green transition. These measures will also be discussed at the Energy Council meeting. In its communication, the Commission proposes a number of measures for the Member States to mitigate the effects of higher energy prices. The measures could mainly be implemented within the framework of current legislation, and the communication does not contain any significant new legislative initiatives. As possible short-term measures, the Commission proposes temporary reductions to energy taxes and various lump sum payments to customers who have suffered the most. The measures could be funded, for example, by means of increased income from the emissions trading. In the longer term, the Commission proposes voluntary gas reserves for the EU, among other measures.“The medium-term measures proposed by the Commission seem to be going in the right direction. Any legislative proposals at the EU level should always be prepared carefully. The Commission’s gas package will be discussed at the turn of the year. That would be an appropriate time to discuss the Commission’s proposal on gas reserves,” says Minister of Economic Affairs Mika Lintilä.According to the Europe Communication submitted by the Government to Parliament on 20 October 2021, Finland considers the Commission’s measures to alleviate the situation proposed in its communication to be justified and appropriate in principle. However, the EU should not take any action that would interfere with the emissions trading system or the electricity market. In Finland’s view, short-term adjustments to market models or restrictions of competition will lead to inefficiency and higher energy prices in the long term. When considering possible additional measures or obligations, the different national circumstances and the national preparedness systems in force in the Member States should be taken into account. The discussion on the temporary increases to energy prices should not lead to the questioning of the climate package’s level of ambition. The climate package is part of the solution, not the primary cause of the price increases. It is also important to refrain from creating new income distribution mechanisms within the EU based on the rising prices. As prices rise, national measures should take into account the needs of the most vulnerable consumers. In Finland, the position of such consumers has been safeguarded through national social policy measures. 

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari will visit Stockholm on 25 October 2021. The Minister will have a meeting with Sweden’s Minister for Foreign Trade Anna Hallberg and, together with representatives of Swedish and Finnish companies and universities, meet representatives of Swedish industry.When the Finnish and Swedish foreign trade ministers met in Lahti in September, they agreed to pursue closer cooperation in efforts to strengthen funding, new investments and internationalisation in the area of research and development (R&D). The aim of this visit is to discuss the plans together with representatives of higher education institutions and companies and to establish concrete actions.“In Lahti, we agreed to translate the cooperation between electric transport and carbon neutral construction into more concrete actions. By joining forces Finland and Sweden are stronger internationally,” Skinnari says. During his visit, Minister Skinnari will discuss with Sweden’s Minister for Foreign Trade Anna Hallberg and Marcus Wallenberg, who represents Swedish industry. The Ministers will have meetings with representatives of business life and universities, including Luleå University of Technology, StoraEnso and SSAB from Sweden. Finland will be represented by Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology (LUT University), which invests in carbon neutral construction and electric transport, and Kempower, a growth company based in Lahti. Minister Skinnari will also meet with Sweden’s Minister for Finance Magdalena Andersson.“Cooperation between Finland and Sweden is very close in almost all areas, including trade and scientific research. The global competition is now very intense, which is why it is in the interest of both of Finland and Sweden to cooperate even more closely,” says Skinnari.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi