Current affairs

In the supplementary budget in July, the Government allocated additional funds to Ukraine amounting to EUR 70 million. Half of these funds has now been granted to improving food security and reproductive health services, ensuring the payment of teachers’ salaries, and to providing accommodation in Ukraine for those who have lost their homes.

Minister for Nordic Cooperation and Equality, Thomas Blomqvist, will attend a meeting of the Ministers for Nordic Cooperation in Halden, Norway, on 27–28 June. One of the main topics of the meeting will be Nordic cooperation in times of crisis with a particular focus on the role of the ministers for Nordic cooperation in ensuring the exchange of information between the countries. At the meeting, ministers will adopt a joint declaration on cooperation during crises.

A new fast track service enables specialists, growth entrepreneurs and their family members to obtain a residence permit within 14 days. The service will be launched at the beginning of June. This service pledge is one of the Government's many measures to streamline the immigration of experts.

The second year of the pandemic was busy for the consular assistance services provided by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Finland's missions abroad, and the number of customers continued to increase. In 2021, the Ministry and the missions abroad provided consular services to a total of 255,000 customers.

In Finland’s first county elections, a total of 2,923 persons voted in advance at Finland’s missions abroad. The number of advance voters abroad was approximately eight per cent higher than in the 2021 municipal elections.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has issued a Decree on the Amendment of Fees for Services Produced by the Foreign Service for 2020–2022. The amendment will enter into force on 1 January 2022 and will remain in force until 31 December 2022.

In its session on 25 November 2021, the Government appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Jukka Salovaara to serve as Permanent State Secretary at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs starting on 1 May 2022.

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.

The three-year term 2022-2024 is Finland’s first full membership in the Human Rights Council. Finland will continue its long-term work to promote universal human rights.

The government proposal on the introduction of a long-term national D visa in Finland promotes labour migration and includes the preparation of a fast track pledge. According to the proposal, the national D visa would first cover specialists, growth or start-up entrepreneurs and their family members.