Current affairs

Startups4Peace Alumni Community was launched in February 2025! Throughout its 10 years of operation the Startups4Peace program has rooted in the Cypriot society as one of the bicommunal programs that promote business, peace and reconciliation.

Following legislative amendments that entered into force on 17 February, wild-berry picking carried out by foreign nationals is treated as seasonal work. Companies must hire foreign berry pickers for a contractual employment relationship to enable them apply for an entry permit to Finland. In future, berry pickers will apply for a seasonal work visa for stays up to three months.

Finland is the first country in the world to commission a composer to create an official national soundscape. Ääniä is an original musical work by Lauri Porra, one of the country’s most celebrated composers. It takes the listener on a journey through the impressions, seasons and serene beauty of the happiest country in the world.

Around 130 Finnish peacekeeping veterans and their families visited Cyprus in November 2024 to remember their years of service on the island in the 1960s and 70s. The group included also veterans who served in the first battalion 60 years ago in 1964. Back then, Finland was one of the first countries to deploy troops to the UN peacekeeping operation in Cyprus.

Finland Visa Application Centre maintained by VFS Global will move to new location on Monday 26 August 2024.

The reform of the Foreign Service of Finland took a step forward on 1 August, when the reorganisation of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the updated rules of procedure took effect. The purpose of the organisational reform is to lay a suitable foundation for the Ministry’s work in the current international situation and in terms of Finland’s foreign policy change. At the same time, cooperation across organisational boundaries has become even more important.

Based on predetermined criteria, the contract was awarded to VF Worldwide Holdings Ltd, which is the current provider of the outsourced application services to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland.

Startups4Peace 2024 is here! Are you an entrepreneur ready to make a mark? Don’t miss this game-changing opportunity! Unleash your entrepreneurial potential with Startups4Peace (Su4P), co-funded by the Embassy of Finland and the European Union.

At the presidential session on 12 April, the President of the Republic appointed eight new Ambassadors and three new non-resident Ambassadors.