NordenBladet — Launched by the Prime Minister’s Office on 7 October 2021, the Museum of Contemporary Emotions seeks to help people reflect on the emotions aroused by the COVID-19 pandemic and to recover from the crisis. The museum combines science and art in recording the feelings experienced during the pandemic in Finland.For recovery to begin, we must first face our feelings. This is the justification for the Museum of Contemporary Emotions: a virtual collection and experiential account of pandemic period emotions in Finland. The museum encourages self-reflection, helping people to find a perspective for their own feelings and experiences within the broader context of pandemic phenomena.Museum visitors are carried along a timeline that traverses the milestones of the emergency, beginning with the WHO declaration in March 2020 that COVID-19 was a pandemic. Each milestone concerns one or more behaviours or phenomena for the visitor to consider. Following a declaration under the Emergency Powers Act, for example, some people in Finland succumbed to the recognised global phenomenon of insomnia. A pandemic baby boom also occurred that was exceptional in view of generally depressed birth rates in Finland.Emotions have been tracked by examining statistics, search engine trends, popular consumption patterns, surveys conducted by organisations, phenomena emerging on social media and online, news and human mobility, and behaviour at milestones during the state of emergency. The museum relies on the academically rigorous emotions theory of Paul Ekman, recognising the six basic human emotions of anger, surprise, disgust, happiness, fear, and sadness.A museum that seeks to strengthen the resilience of societyThe museum project is part of the Finland Forward communications campaign co-ordinated by the Prime Minister’s Office, which seeks to support the work and resilience of people and society in crisis conditions, and in recovering from a crisis. Psychological resilience is one of the seven vital functions of society defined in Finland’s Security Strategy for Society. Experiences of being heard and seen are an important factor in maintaining psychological resilience. Speaking and expressing emotions also play a supportive role. The museum provides an opportunity for this, and thereby seeks to reinforce the resilience of society.“The Museum of Contemporary Emotions is designed to support citizens in recovering from the crisis while recording extraordinary times in an exceptional way. Understanding and recording emotions will also help our society anticipate similar events in the future,” explains Finland Forward project Head of Communications Päivi Tampere.MOCE is a partnership of science and artThe creative designer of the museum is the brand management company hasan & partners, with technical implementation by Into-Digital Ltd. Other partners have included researchers of phenomena and people, artists, organisations and specialist information industry businesses.Images for the museum were provided by some 30 photographers who captured everyday life during the pandemic in Finland as part of the State of Emergency 2020 project. Works for the museum were also created by six artists who graduated during the pandemic. Heta-Linnea Kovanen, Janne Saarinen, Jenni Turunlahti, Jonna Hyttinen and Terhi Adler each interpreted one of the six basic emotions through the Summer of the Arts project, a major initiative of the Finnish Cultural Foundation in 2021 implemented by the Kulta federation of Finnish culture and arts associations.Specialists and researchers in various fields explore the emotions behind the statistics and phenomena to support the information collected in the museum. Psychotherapist Maaret Kallio analyses the role of emotions in recovery. Psychotherapist-psychologist Suvi Laru discusses the emotional world of couples. Grief researcher Mari Pulkkinen talks about the effects of mourning and the persistence of loss. Sleep researcher Markku Partinen provides insights into sleep, insomnia and the phenomenon of COVID-19 insomnia. University of Helsinki researcher Niko Pyrhönen explains the mechanisms and emotions behind belief in conspiracy theories, and student Dan Santamäki illustrates the feelings of students during a state of emergency as a member of the board of the Student Union of the University of Tampere and chairman of its Affekti subject association for students of media studies, musicology and history of art. Riikka Nurmi, a specialist in promoting mental health in early childhood education, talks about the wellbeing of children during a state of emergency. Violence work specialist Tuulia Kovanen of the Federation of Mother and Child Homes and Shelters talks about the challenges faced by homes and families in a state of emergency.Aitomation, Google Finland Oy, Meltwater and Statistics Finland also helped to build the museum by assisting in such areas as retrieving and interpreting information. The musical soundscape of the museum was composed and produced by the internationally acclaimed composer Markku Mäkelä.The Finnish, Swedish and English-language museums may be accessed at: nykytunteenmuseo.fi | museetfornutidskansla.fi | museumofcontemporaryemotions.fi.
 

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — The Ministry of Education and Culture and the Ministry of Transport and Communications have appointed a working group to look into models that would broaden the financial base for audiovisual productions. The working group is to explore possibilities of imposing an obligation on actors in the audiovisual industry to invest in Finnish content production.The working group’s task is to look into potential models for enforcing the obligation imposed by the Audiovisual Media Services Directive to invest in media services, and to assess the effects of such models. Additional financing through regulatory measures permitted by the Directive would amount to approximately EUR 6-20 million per year. In practice, the contributions collected from media services could be used as direct investments in content production and in the acquisition of rights, or as national fund contributions. “It is very important that we look into every possibility of boosting the competitiveness of Finland’s creative industry. The objective is to drive our entire audiovisual sector forward in the international competitive arena,” says Minister of Science and Culture Antti Kurvinen.“It is important for Finnish people to have domestic content, which is why we need to ensure that our content producers remain competitive. I’m pleased that the working group will now carefully examine the effects of the obligations involved in EU legislation,” says Minister of Transport and Communications Timo Harakka. The working group will submit its report by the end of August 2022. The working group is chaired by Director Jorma Waldén from the Ministry of Education and Culture. Members of the working group are Emil Asp, Director of Unit (Ministry of Transport and Communications); Sirpa Sillstén, Senior Specialist (Ministry of Transport and Communications); Laura Mäkelä, Senior Ministerial Adviser (Ministry of Education and Culture); Lasse Saarinen, CEO (Finnish Film Foundation); and Eliisa Reenpää, Legal Counsel (Transport and Communications Agency Traficom). The working group will consult and engage companies, researchers, authorities, organisations and other key actors in the industry.Consumer media preferences are increasingly shifting towards on-demand services such as Netflix, Amazon and HBO. Several European countries are planning to impose the investment obligation laid down in Article 13.2 of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive on these media services. So far, Finland has not imposed the obligation.A report prepared by Petri Kemppinen in 2020 laid the groundwork for its potential introduction. The report did not explore the different regulatory options available, or their effects on the different actors. Kemppinen proposed that the financing obligation could also be extended to media service providers established in other Member States but with a target audience in Finland. The financial contribution could be a percentage of the media service provider’s turnover or, alternatively, based on the number of subscribers in Finland. 

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — The Summit held on Wednesday 6 October focused on deepening cooperation between the EU and the Western Balkans. Topics discussed at the meeting included the EU membership perspective of the Western Balkans, deepening economic cooperation and managing the COVID-19 crisis.The meeting affirmed the EU Member States’ commitment to the enlargement process, which is based on conditionality. However, actual enlargement was not on the agenda. The Western Balkans region is located in the middle of the EU Member States, and stability in the region is important for the EU and Finland. The reforms required to meet the EU accession criteria help to modernise societies and benefit citizens even before countries become Member States. Strengthening the membership perspective is particularly important in a situation where the influence of great powers in the Western Balkans is intensifying.The meeting focused on deepening economic cooperation between the Western Balkans and the EU. In October 2020, the Commission published the Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans and an Action Plan for implementing the Green Agenda for the region. These plans aim to boost the region’s competitiveness, advance its green and digital transitions, develop connections, establish a regional market, promote trade and support the region’s convergence with the EU. Key areas include the circular economy, waste management, improving air quality, developing transport links and reducing roaming charges between the EU and the Western Balkans.The EU is the Western Balkans’ most important partner in responding to the COVID-19 crisis. The Western Balkans have received considerable economic support from the Union and have been able to use the EU Joint Procurement Agreement to purchase vaccines. The EU will continue to support the region’s ability to respond to crises in the future. The Western Balkans is one of the priority areas of the EU’s vaccination support. The pandemic situation in the region remains alarming and vaccination coverage is low.In their declaration, the EU and the Western Balkans also reaffirmed their commitment to effective measures to prevent organised crime, terrorism and radicalisation, trafficking in human beings and money laundering.In connection with the meeting, Prime Minister Marin had bilateral discussions with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — The Ministry of Transport and Communications invites comments on a legislative proposal to amend the Driving Licence Act. The deadline for comments is 17 November 2021.The Driving Licence Act was reformed in 2018. In this connection, Parliament required that a follow-up study on the implementation and impacts of the amendments be carried out. The first findings were published in March 2021.The report found a declining trend in accidents among young drivers in 2019 and 2020. On the other hand, the number of injuries sustained by 17-year-olds while driving a passenger car went up in 2020, and drivers in this age group violated driving bans almost twice as often as 18-year-olds.The amendments to the driving licence Act aim to address concerns concerning young drivers in particular. At the same time, the aim is to make obtaining a driving licence and the activities of the authorities more flexible.“We want to enable young people’s mobility also in the future. This requires paying more attention to road safety,” says Minister of Transport and Communications Timo Harakka.Key proposals1. To develop driver training, the requirements for risk identification training would be increased and a requirement would be added that, as a rule, training on how to drive on slippery roads be carried out on a driver training track. The risk identification training would be increased by two hours (one hour of theory lessons and one hour of driving tuition).2. Training concerning the driving ban would be extended to cover the driving licence categories of AM/120, AM/121 and T as well as drivers temporarily disqualified from driving by the police.3. The exemption procedure would be abolished. In future, it would be possible to complete a category B driving licence (category B restricted right to drive) at the age of 17 with the consent of the person having custody of the minor.4. Drivers who are 17 years old and have a category B right to drive would not be permitted to drive on Saturdays from midnight to 5 a.m. and on Sundays from midnight to 5 a.m. The restriction would end when the driver turns 18.5. 17-year-old drivers would be obliged to use a symbol affixed to the car indicating that the driver is under 18 years old.6. As a more general measure promoting road safety, it is proposed that a sanction be imposed for anyone guilty of cheating in the theoretical test of the driver’s examination: a six-month ban on participating in the test, and if an interpreter was used in the test, a six-month ban for them to act as an interpreter in theoretical tests.What’s next?Comments on the draft bill can be submitted online at www.lausuntopalvelu.fi. All organisations and private individuals are invited to submit comments.After the consultation round, the preparations will be continued by public servants.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — At their informal dinner meeting on 5 October, the EU Heads of State or Government held a strategic discussion about the EU’s role on the international stage. The meeting took place in Slovenia, which currently holds the EU Council Presidency. Topics on the agenda included security, trade policy and relations between the EU and China.The meeting addressed a wide range of issues related to European security policy. Discussions stressed the need for a stronger Union in terms of external capabilities, both in security and defence cooperation and in the related spheres of resilience, strategic autonomy and international partnerships. 
 
The meeting also addressed regular relations between the EU and China at the level of Heads of State or Government. In her speech, Prime Minister Sanna Marin highlighted the importance of keeping the Union united and stated that better reciprocity should be expected from China in all areas of cooperation.
 
In addition to the items on the agenda, the EU leaders expressed a shared concern about the rise in energy prices. The matter will be discussed further at the October European Council.Today, on 6 October, the EU leaders’ work will continue with the EU-Western Balkans summit.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — On 5 October 2021, forest ministers from five highly- forested EU countries – Finland, Sweden, Germany, Slovakia and Austria – met at an informal meeting in Vienna. The initiative to this meeting came from Austria. The Slovenian Presidency was also represented. After the meeting, the ministers published a joint statement on the promotion of forest cooperation, which France also supports.The topics discussed by the ministers included the following:The definition of sustainable forest management should continue to be based on what has been outlined in the FOREST EUROPE process, which has promoted European forest cooperation since 1990. In this process, which also includes regular meetings of forest ministers, continuous efforts are being made to define criteria and indicators for the sustainable management and use of forests and to develop the related monitoring and reporting systems.The forest sector expertise and knowledge accumulated in different European countries over several generations should be duly recognised when making decisions concerning forests. For decades, national forest policies and legislation have contributed to the development of high-quality knowledge and expertise that have also been successfully utilised. Forest-related solutions have been supported by practical experiences of forest owners and forest professionals and by solid scientific work.Many forest policy issues are such that coordination and joint action is needed, which is why it is important to promote cooperation between the EU Member States, the European Commission and other key partners in the region. Many forest-related issues have impacts across national and sectoral borders, including on challenges related to climate change adaptation and promoting biodiversity and the biocircular economy. The cooperation should be open, comprehensive and inclusive.“The decisions on forest policy are made nationally. At the same time, it is important that we strengthen our cooperation and share best practices among each other, also taking into account the overall sustainability of the use of forest. What is also crucial is that market-based incentives guide forest owners to take good care of their forests. National forest inventories and other information concerning forests provide a solid basis for reliable decision-making,” Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Jari Leppä said in his speech.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — The Ministry of the Interior and other ministries that use the Government Security Network will start using the new‘@govsec.fi’ email suffix on 5 October. The suffix will be used for email addresses connected to the Government Security Network (TUVE email addresses). The change is part of the overall modernisation and harmonisation of the Government’s email systems and addresses.From now on, the email addresses of staff at the Ministry of the Interior will be in the format [email protected] Emails sent to the old email addresses will still reach their recipients for the next two years. As part of the update, the Ministry of the Interior’s general email addresses will also change. For example, to the address of the Registry will change to [email protected] Please check the up-to-date contact details on the Ministry’s website.The change will not affect the website addresses of the ministries. They will remain the same. The TUVE email service meets the requirements for enhanced information security and is used by the security authorities. The service is used on workstations and equipment connected to government and public administration security network. The TUVE email is also used by other ministries. After the change, the new TUVE email addresses will be in the format [email protected] Please note that not all ministries’ staff will have ‘@govsec.fi’ email addresses. Email addresses to change at all ministries The whole of Government is switching to a new email address format. Most ministries have already adopted the new ‘@gov.fi’ suffix. It is in use at the Ministry of Transport and Communications, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of the Environment. The schedule for switching to ‘@gov.fi’ addresses at the Foreign Service will be confirmed later. The changes to the email addresses are being made as part of normal updates to the email system. In connection with the reform, the Government is also making improvements to the security of its email traffic and enhancing its ability to detect potential information security anomalies. 

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — On 6 October, the EU environment and climate ministers will meet in Luxembourg to discuss the EU climate package (Fit for 55), the EU Forest Strategy and the negotiating objectives of the EU for the Glasgow Climate Change Conference. Finland’s representative at the meeting will be Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Krista Mikkonen.In July 2021 the Commission issued a massive package of proposals for climate legislation. The proposals of the Fit for 55 package implement the obligation in the European Climate Law to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions of the EU by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. The environment ministers will discuss the legislative proposals that are the responsibility of the Environment Council (Emissions Trading Directive, Effort Sharing Regulation, LULUCF Regulation, Regulation setting CO2 emission performance standards for cars and vans, and Regulation establishing a social climate fund).“The key issue is to make sure that the target set in the climate package to reduce emissions by 55% will be achieved or exceeded. When discussing such a large number of proposals, we must ensure that the level of ambition of the package as a whole will not be compromised, but it will rather be strengthened and support the EU’s transition towards a climate-neutral economy,” says Minister of the Environment and Climate change Krista Mikkonen.The main objective of the Glasgow Climate Change Conference (COP26) is to encourage countries to take more ambitious climate action. Countries are expected to announce more stringent commitments before the meeting. The topics on the conference agenda include finalising the Paris Agreement rulebook, funding for climate action and climate change adaptation. The Environment Council is to adopt the Council conclusions that will constitute the negotiating mandate of the EU for the Glasgow Climate Change Conference.“What is important in the negotiations is to create rules for international market mechanisms. Strong rules would enable measures that support the ambitious implementation of the Paris Agreement and avoid double counting,” Minister Mikkonen says.Finland supports the Presidency’s proposal for the Council conclusions. The conclusions cover all key issues and provide a good basis for the EU’s negotiating mandate at the Glasgow Climate Change Conference.The ministers will also discuss the EU Forest Strategy published by the Commission in connection with the climate package in July 2021. Finland supports the EU Forest Strategy in many respects. The climate and biodiversity perspectives related to forests are well accounted for in the Forest Strategy, and the Strategy is linked to the European Green Deal and the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030. This supports the objectives of Finland’s Government Programme and the Government’s sustainability roadmap, especially with regard to ecological sustainability.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — Strengthening multilateral cooperation is a key long-standing objective of Finland’s foreign policy. A new publication of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, issued in August 2021, underscores Finland’s commitment to both multilateral international cooperation, the rules-based approach and international law. It also presents examples of Finland’s strengths and opportunities.Solving global cross-border challenges requires cooperation that is based on the rules-based approach and international law.

A recent policy paper by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, “Era of New Cooperation: The Contribution of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland to Strengthen Multilateral Cooperation” presents objectives and examples for ideas on how to support multilateral cooperation.

The publication gives examples of themes that are based on Finland’s strengths, which the Ministry for Foreign Affairs aims to focus on in multilateral international cooperation in the coming years. These themes include equal rights and participation, climate change and environmental change, responsibilities in the new information environment, expertise in matters related to peace and security, just and democratic world, and smart societies of the future. Rather than being separate from each other, the themes are characterised by interdependencies.

“Multilateral cooperation has helped us achieve a tremendous amount of good things in the world. For many of us, these are so self-evident that we do not always recognise them. What would our society be like if we had no functioning judicial system or no human rights? What about a world without the UN food aid, the World Health Organization or international law?”

Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto
Multilateral cooperation is an integral part of our security
According to the Programme of the current Government and the Government Report on Finnish Foreign and Security Policy from 2020, multilateral cooperation is an integral part of the security and wellbeing of Finland and its people. Finland’s multilateral activities are based on both its national interests and the desire to make the world a fairer and better place for everybody.

Finland must continue its determined work in international forums and communicate about its own objectives to be able to influence the direction of development. The Foreign Ministry’s publication aims to respond to this need. It also supports Finland’s campaign for membership of the UN Human Rights Council for 2022–2024 and, in the longer term, candidacy for membership of the UN Security Council for 2029–2030.  Era of New Cooperation: The Contribution of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland to Strengthen Multilateral Cooperation -publication 

NordenBladet — Minister for Foreign Affairs Haavisto will meet Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Vincent Biruta in Helsinki on 6 October.The Ministers will discuss the bilateral relations between Finland and Rwanda, regional questions and multilateral cooperation. They will also deepen the economic relations by signing a Memorandum of Understanding on Trade and Investment. Minister Biruta will be accompanied by a business delegation.“Rwanda is an important partner for Finland in Africa, for example, in the fight against climate change. Our cooperation in the circular economy is progressing and, on our invitation, Rwanda recently joined the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action. We want to continue this work together. In the commercial sector, there are plenty of opportunities that serve these goals,” Minister for Foreign Affairs Haavisto said.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi