Foreign Ministry's press releases

Finland and Estonia have launched a study of the future relations between the two countries and new opportunities for cooperation. The study will be led by former ministers Anne-Mari Virolainen from Finland and Jaak Aaviksoo from Estonia, supported by the Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA) and the Estonian Foreign Policy Institute (EFPI). Prime Ministers Sanna Marin and Kaja Kallas informed about the decision to start the study at their meeting in Helsinki on 19 February 2021.

Arranged by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in collaboration with the Finnish Development NGOs Fingo and chambers of commerce, the 'Development partners' live broadcast series showcases development cooperation operators from various parts of Finland.

Finland is strengthening its activities to support the rule of law activities in developing countries. Supporting democracy and the rule of law is a key goal of the Government programme and of the development policy of Finland. In recent years the rule of law has considerably weakened in different parts the world. The rule of law is subjected to increasing challenges that are exacerbated further by the COVID-19 pandemic. Work to promote and strengthen the rule of law is increasingly important.

Today, on 8 March 2021, the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) issued its recommendations on Finland’s seventh periodic report concerning the implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

Development cooperation, humanitarian assistance and peace actions should provide a more efficient joint response to the needs of people affected by crises. Closer collaboration between the various actors is therefore vital. This is the key conclusion of the analysis published by the Development Policy Committee (DPC), in which an expert group consisting of representatives of DPC members analyses the current situation and provides recommendations for the next steps to be taken for further improvements.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto will chair the meeting of the Nordic Foreign Ministers on Friday 5 March 2021.

In 2020, Finland processed a total of 152,543 applications for a Schengen visa. The decrease in the visa applications received was 83% as compared to the number of visas processed in 2019 (895,781).

In 2020, the Unit for Consular Assistance provided nearly twice as much guidance compared to the previous year. In the spring, during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic, personal guidance and advice were given to tens of thousands of travellers stranded abroad. Thousands of travellers were assisted in returning to Finland after air traffic ground to a sudden halt.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has granted EUR 1 026 000 in discretionary government grants to 14 civil society organisations (CSOs) operating in the field of foreign and security policy.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has granted EUR 445,000 in discretionary government grants to civil society organisations’ (CSOs) Europe information. Grants were given to 21 CSOs and 23 projects.