Current affairs
Foreign wild-berry pickers now subject to seasonal work rules: legislative amendment combats exploitation and human trafficking
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.
Advance Voting in Egypt for the Finnish County and Municipal Elections, April 2025
Finland’s county elections and municipal elections will be held simultaneously on Sunday 13 April 2025. The advance voting period abroad will be on April 2-5 2025, but for practical reasons many advance polling stations will be open for a shorter period.
Finland Debuts the World’s First National Soundscape
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.
Announcement for the 2024 call for project proposals
The Fund for Local Cooperation (FLC) of the Embassy of Finland in Cairo is an instrument for funding local non-profit projects in Egypt. The call for project proposals is opened on 4.12.2024 and will be closed on 4.1.2025 at 23.55 (UTC/GTM +2).
Foreign Ministry’s organisational reform emphasises teamwork
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.
Foreign Ministry selects partner for reception of visa and residence permit applications
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.
Foreign Ministry invites tenders for services for submitting entry permit applications
The request for participation, instructions for responding and contact details regarding the competitive procedure are available for service providers in the HILMA official service for notices on public procurement in Finland. Service providers are requested to submit their responses by 2 May 2024.
Finland participates in developing interoperability within border and visa policies to detect multiple identities
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs’ project on interoperability (the UMPIO project) coordinates the data related to internal security, border security and migration management in the EU information systems for security. The project is part of the development of entry systems funded by the EU.