NordenBladet — The Government issued a new decree on electricity supply settlement and measurement on 12 August 2021. The decree lays down provisions on the 15-minute balance settlement period, the transition towards the so-called single price model in the electricity market, and the changes in electricity supply settlement caused by the introduction of Datahub – a centralised information exchange system for the electricity retail market.In addition, the decree lays down rules on the remotely read smart meters, which will be introduced during this decade. Datahub’s services will begin on 21 February 2022. The introduction of Datahub will have an effect on electricity supply settlement in distribution networks and the retail market processes in electricity trade. Datahub will store data from electricity metering points and synchronise electricity-contract processes, making it easier and more efficient to process data. The retail market will run more smoothly and the process of changing suppliers, for example, will become simpler. At the same time, electricity suppliers’ services to consumers will improve. It will be easier and faster to change suppliers and finalise electricity contracts, there will be less errors in the market processes, and it will be easier to have more than one metering point on the same electricity contract. At the same time, Datahub will facilitate the development of more diverse services for the different parties in the electricity retail market. For example, Datahub will enable energy communities in all distribution networks to distribute electricity to their shareholders. Consumer data protection will also be improved. It will be easier to manage data protection and data security in a centralised system compared to a situation where each electricity supplier and distribution network operator have their separate data systems.The rules on maintaining and settling the balance between production and consumption of electricity by market participants in the EU’s internal market will be gradually harmonised during the 2020s. The reforms aim to improve market efficiency and the use of resources in the production and consumption of electricity, to allocate the costs caused by deviations to this balance to responsible market participants, and to improve the use of interconnectors. As part of these reforms, the Nordic electricity market will transition to the so-called single price model on 1 November 2021. In the single price model, there will be no separate balances for production and consumption of electricity for the balance responsible party. In addition, the EU intends to move to a 15-minute balance settlement period in the next few years. The settlement period currently used in Finland is one hour. The Nordic electricity market will transition to a 15-minute settlement period on 22 May 2023. Because of the shorter balance settlement period, the measurement of electricity consumption will also gradually shift to a 15-minute periods. The decree will also include provisions on the next-generation remotely read electricity measurement equipment and data transmission systems. The useful life of current measurement equipment will most likely end during this decade. The decree lays down rules on the functional requirements for new measuring instruments and systems. The provisions will not apply until May 2023, so that grid operators and manufacturers of measuring instruments have sufficient time to prepare for the changes without having to shorten the useful life of the current equipment. In Finland, the average technical life of remotely read measuring instruments is about 13 years. The functional requirements proposed for the measurement systems are based on the proposals of the Smart Grid Working Group in 2018, which were updated and specified on the basis of discussions held by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment with the expert group in 2019–2020. The decree also implements nationally the rules on smart metering systems and their functionalities as laid down in the Directive on Internal Market in Electricity. 

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — Akseli Koskela, Master of Social Sciences, was appointed as State Secretary to Minister of the Interior Maria Ohisalo on 12 August 2021. The position was earlier held by Olli-Poika Parviainen who will take up the duties of the Mayor of Hämenlinna.Prior to the Ministry of the Interior, Akseli Koskela served as Head of EU Policy at Technology Industries of Finland. He has also held positions relating to the formulation of Finland’s EU policy in the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Prime Minister’s Office. In addition, Koskela has worked with businesses to step up international recruitment processes, for example.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — Companies will be able to apply for cost support for the March–May period starting on 17 August 2021. Companies in all sectors may apply for support. Companies in the sectors most affected by the coronavirus pandemic may submit an application without further justification.Companies, whose turnover has decreased by more than 30% due to the COVID-19 pandemic, can receive business cost support. A company’s turnover in March-May 2021 will be compared to the corresponding period in 2019. The support is intended to cover the company’s fixed costs and payroll costs.Sole entrepreneurs can still apply for business cost support. The support amounts to at least EUR 2,000 if the conditions are met. The maximum amount of aid will remain EUR 1 million, as before.Sectors worst affected to receive support without further justificationOn 12 August 2021, the Government issued a decree on the sectors that can apply for business cost support without providing further justification. These are sectors where turnover has decreased by at least 10%. The number of sectors meeting this criterion has fallen from 368 in the first application round in 2020 to 221 sectors now, which signals a general economic recovery. The listing of eligible sectors will help to take into account other reasons for a decrease in a company’s business. These may include seasonal fluctuations or declines in turnover for reasons other than COVID-19. The list of sectors is based on Tax Administration’s data on value added tax.If a company does not operate in one of the sectors defined in the decree, it must justify the need for support and provide an account of the loss of turnover due to COVID-19.Information on application and terms available at State TreasuryThe State Treasury will accept applications in the fourth application round for business cost support from 17 August to 30 September 2021. Companies apply for the support at the State Treasury’s online service.The State Treasury will organise a free online event on business cost support on 13 August 2021 at 11.00. The event, which is open to all, will address the terms of the aid and how to apply for it. 

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — The number of new COVID-19 cases has increased slightly compared to the previous week. The total number of new cases reported between 2 and 8 August was 5,017, whereas a week before the number of new cases was 4,618.Currently, the COVID-19 epidemic is spreading especially among unvaccinated young adults. 
Out of the administered 133,000 COVID-19 tests, the share of positive samples was 3.8 per cent. The incidence of new COVID-19 cases in the last two-week period (26 July–8 August) was 174 per 100,000 inhabitants, and the effective basic reproduction number is currently 1.35–1.40, with a 90 per cent probability. Last week, the share of infections from abroad was around 8 per cent. Between 2 and 8 August, a record number of 9,880 people were quarantined, which is over 1,500 people more than in the preceding week. A total of 23 per cent of the new cases were reported among people already in quarantine. This is about the same as between 19 and 25 July and between 26 July and 1 August. It is possible that the high number of people placed in quarantine will be reflected as an increase in the number of new cases next week.The burden on primary healthcare remains high. Some regions have reported backlogs in contact tracing and delays in placing people in isolation and quarantine. There is also a lot of regional variation in how well contacts are traced. The source of infection was traced successfully in 54 per cent of all new cases in Finland. The backlogs reflect the increase in the number of infections and a shortage of personnel available for tracing. It is not always possible to receive all necessary information from infected and exposed persons about other potentially exposed persons.Nearly 40 per cent of people in Finland are fully vaccinatedIn Finland, around 68 per cent of the population have received at least their first vaccine dose and 39 per cent of the population have received a full COVID-19 vaccine course, i.e. they have received the second vaccine dose. Among those in need of hospital care in Finland, the number of young adults and unvaccinated patients is currently notable. The overall burden on specialised healthcare has reduced slightly, but the need for intensive care has increased compared to the situation a week before.Based on the information provided by the hospital districts, a total of 83 people were receiving hospital care due to the COVID-19 disease on 11 August 2021. Of them, 14 were inpatients in primary healthcare, 50 inpatients in specialised healthcare and 19 inpatients in intensive care. The nature of the epidemic has changed. The disease is currently spreading especially among unvaccinated young people and young adults. Thanks to increasing vaccine coverage, the worsening epidemiological situation and the growing number of infections have not, however, directly led to an increase in the need for hospital care in the same way as during the peaks of the epidemic in autumn 2020 or spring 2021. Then the majority of the population were still unvaccinated. The increasing number of cases does, however, place a considerable burden on primary healthcare, and it is reflected as an insufficient number of personnel and in the organisation of continued treatment for patients requiring specialised healthcareA full vaccine course, i.e. two vaccine doses, provides good protection against COVID-19 and its more serious forms as well as COVID-19 variants. The high vaccine coverage of the population effectively reduces the number of patients requiring hospital care, thus reducing the risk of overburdening the healthcare system. For this reason, it is very important that people get vaccinated when it is their turn so that we can avoid the serious effects of the epidemic, such as the increasing number of people requiring hospital care and the increasing number of deaths from COVID-19. On 11 August 2021, the total number of COVID-19-related deaths since the start of the epidemic was 995. The epidemiological situation is monitored weekly. A report on the epidemic is published on Thursdays at 10.00. The monitoring report on the epidemic published today and the previous reports are available on the website of the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare. Monitoring coronavirus (Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, in Finnish and Swedish) The COVID-19 epidemic: regional situation, recommendations and restrictions (Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare)Coronavirus in numbers (Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa)Action plan for implementing the hybrid strategy to control the COVID-19 epidemic (Publications of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health 2021:21), description sheet in EnglishEffects of the COVID-19 epidemic on wellbeing, services and the economy (Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare), in FinnishProgress with the rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations (Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare), in Finnish and SwedishGuidelines for the controlled dismantling of restrictions and recommendations put in place due to the COVID-19 epidemic Government memorandum 20 April 2021 (Prime Minister’s Office), in Finnish

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — The Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Europe Forum Turku have agreed on a partnership in which the Ministry for Foreign Affairs will support the annual Europe Forum over the period of 2021-2023. The joint aim of the partners is to promote a high-quality, versatile and interesting EU debate.“The cooperation agreement between the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Europe Forum is of great importance for the Finnish EU debate. The agreement brings predictability to preparing a programme of high-quality speakers, strengthens joint networks and the Europe Forum”, says Anders Blom, Chair of Europe Forum Turku and Doctor in Political Science.“This year’s Europe Forum will include representatives of all key EU actors from the Government to the central bank, from key labour market organisations to higher education institutions, and from civil society and lobbying organisations to Parliament and the European Parliament”. According to Blom, the Europe Forum will also make a significant contribution to the ongoing European Conference on the Future.“The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has contributed to the Europe Forum since the very beginning, ministers as well as Europe Information which functions under the Ministry have been involved. We wanted, however, to establish a more permanent partnership as Finland needs a continuous European debate. I believe that through our extensive network of missions, for example, we can bring interesting speakers and viewpoints to the forum, both from the European Union Member States and elsewhere”, says Nina Vaskunlahti, Under Secretary of State from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.This year’s Europe Forum will be held in Turku from 25 to 27 August.Website of the Europe Forum: www.europeforum.fi
                                      

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — The Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Turku European Forum have agreed on a partnership in which the Ministry for Foreign Affairs will support the annual European Forum over the period of 2021-2023. The joint aim of the partners is to promote a high-quality, versatile and interesting EU debate.“The cooperation agreement between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the European Forum is of great importance for the Finnish EU debate. The agreement brings predictability to preparing a programme of high-quality speakers, strengthens joint networks and the European Forum”, says Anders Blom, Chair of Europe Forum Turku and Doctor in Political Science.“This year’s European Forum will include representatives of all key EU actors from the Government to the central bank, from key labour market organisations to higher education institutions, and from civil society and lobbying organisations to Parliament and the European Parliament.” According to Blom, the European Forum will also make a significant contribution to the ongoing European Conference on the Future.“The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has contributed to the European Forum since the very beginning, ministers as well as Europe Information which functions under the Ministry have been involved. We wanted, however, to establish a more permanent partnership as Finland needs a continuous European debate. I believe that through our extensive network of missions, for example, we can bring interesting speakers and viewpoints to the forum, both from the European Union Member States and elsewhere”, says Nina Vaskunlahti, Under Secretary of State from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.This year’s Europe Forum will be held in Turku from 25 to 27 August.Website of the Europe Forum: www.europeforum.fi                                          

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — The COVID-19 pandemic has reversed progress in the global education goals by two decades. The crisis has dropped many children out of school and deteriorated the quality of education. Finnish development cooperation in the education sector tackles the global learning crisis by promoting the quality of education. Particular attention is paid to girls and to children and youth in the most vulnerable position. Yedidiya and Semretemedhin attending radio lessons, which is one of the Ethiopian Government’s initiatives to support studying at home while schools are closed across the country.In the past decade, people started to pay more and more attention to deficient learning outcomes and poor quality teaching. The phenomenon was named a learning crisis. The global learning crisis has further exacerbated due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, while approximately 483 million children were estimated to lack the minimum proficiency level in reading, the figure was expected to fall by about 20 million during 2020. However, contrary to what was anticipated, the number of children without the minimum proficiency level in reading increased by approximately 100 million in 2020.Educational inequality has widened, because the pandemic has affected especially those who are already in a vulnerable position. In March 2021, the United Nations Children’s Fund UNICEF estimated that 168 million children who had previously attended school had been out of school for nearly an entire year. It is now feared that millions of children will drop outside education altogether.In 2020, educational institutions were closed for 79 days on average, and up to 90 per cent of all students in the world had to be out of school. In high-income countries, schools were closed for approximately 53 days compared with 115 days and 88 days in middle-income and low-income countries respectively.Many children have virtually been deprived of education. Over one third of the low-income and lower-middle-income countries, which provide distance teaching using such broadcast media as television or radio, reported that they had reached less than 50 per cent of their primary school students.In June 2021, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Bank and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released a report entitled What’s Next? Lessons on Education Recovery: Findings from a Survey of Ministries of Education amid the COVID-19 pandemic.Schooling does not guarantee learningQuality education is a human right that advances equality and non-discrimination and leads to higher income levels. According to the World Bank, approximately 90 per cent of primary school–age children were enrolled in school prior to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, being enrolled in school or going to school as such is not enough.More than half of all primary school-age children in the world do not learn even the basics in reading, writing and counting. According to the World Development Report 2018 (WDR 2018), only about 15 per cent of children in pre-primary school reach the minimum competency in mathematics in low-income countries. Approximately 5 per cent of students achieve minimum proficiency in reading.The key problems behind the learning crisis include large class sizes, teachers’ inadequate professional skills, and lack of such resources as textbooks.Malnutrition is another factor that affects the ability to learn. While girls are menstruating, they may not go to school because of lack of proper toilets in school. Going to school may be difficult because of long distances or a disability. Quality education is one of the priorities of Finland’s development policyFinland promotes the education goals especially by collaborating with the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, UNESCO, UNICEF and the European Union. In addition, Finland is an important bilateral partner in education sector projects in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Nepal, the Palestinian Territory and Ukraine.Finnish development cooperation in the education sector focuses on improving education systems and basic education as well as on promoting access to quality education at basic and secondary levels.Finland’s support has been used, for example, tohelp tens of thousands of Afghan women to reach basic literacy – less than a third of them can read

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi

NordenBladet — Changes are being made to the restrictions on external border traffic based on COVID-19 incidence rates, as the epidemic continues to spread vigorously in many parts of the world. The Government adopted a decision on the matter on 5 August. The decision will enter into force on 9 August and will remain in force until 22 August 2021. However, people may still enter Finland from all countries upon presenting an approved certificate of a full vaccine course.

External border traffic refers to traffic between Finland and non-Schengen third countries. From 8 August, the previous decision from 15 July will be amended so that the restrictions on entry will be lifted for Ukrainian residents arriving in Finland in traffic from Ukraine.

By contrast, restrictions on entry will be reinstated for residents of Azerbaijan, South Korea, Japan, Moldova, Serbia and Singapore in traffic arriving in Finland from these countries. If a person arriving from these countries has not received a full vaccine course, the accepted reasons for entry are return travel to Finland, return travel to other EU or Schengen countries, transit on regular, scheduled flights at an airport or other essential travel.

In other respects, the restrictions on entry at external borders that were decided by the Government on 15 July and that came into force on 19 July will remain unchanged. These restrictions will be in force until 22 August.

People are free to come to Finland from all countries upon presenting an approved certificate of a full vaccine course
In line with the Government decision from 15 July, people who are able to present a certificate of a completed and approved COVID-19 vaccine course received at least 14 days prior to arrival may enter Finland from all countries. A list of approved vaccines is available on the website of the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).

However, people arriving in Finland in external border traffic must take into account that a certificate of recovery from COVID-19 is an acceptable justification for entry into the country only for citizens of the EU and Schengen countries and for people residing in an EU or Schengen country.See the websites below for more information on the entry restrictions and health security requirements in place.