The EU Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) will meet in Brussels on 10 December. Finland's representative at the meeting will be Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini. Ukraine's Minister for Foreign Affairs Pavlo Klimkin will attend an informal lunch during the meeting.

The EU Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Council discussed on 22 September the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen area. In practice, the accession would mean that internal border checks be lifted at the borders between Bulgaria and Romania and the other EU countries. ‘Finland considers that it is yet too early to make a decision on the accession of these two states to the Schengen area,’ said Minister of the Interior Päivi Räsänen at the JHA meeting.

Finns’ attitudes concerning development cooperation have become more positive than before. Almost one in four would increase appropriations for development cooperation.

Finnish citizens need to keep their address updated in the Population Register System to ensure that they are informed about their right to vote in the parliamentary elections of spring 2011. Finnish citizens who reside abroad are obligated to make a notification of change of address to a local register office in Finland. It is advisable to inform the address to the nearest Finnish diplomatic or consular mission too.

As from 5 April 2010, Schengen visas will be applied electronically. The new form is linked with the entry into force of the Community Code on Visas and with the harmonisation of processing of applications.

The Baltic Sea Action Summit to be held in Helsinki on 10 February is no ordinary summit. This gathering is made unique by its participants: leaders representing governments, the business community, NGOs and philanthropy. “This promises to be a fine and productive summit,” Jari Luoto, Ambassador for Baltic Sea Issues at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, said on Thursday at the press conference organised to provide background information about the summit.

“Spain takes on the Presidency of the Council of the European Union on 1 January 2010, a strategic moment for Europe.” The wording of the opening sentence of the Spanish presidency programme is much the same as the opening sentence of other member states’ presidency programmes. It is customary to start that way, with slight variations on the theme. The importance of the moment is always underscored.

On 5 November 2009, the Government granted consent for Nord Stream AG’s plan to construct an offshore natural gas pipeline system that would traverse the Baltic Sea. Nord Stream will act as the operator of the natural gas pipeline system, which involves two parallel pipelines.

Over the years Martti Ahtisaari has brought peace to conflicts in Africa, Asia and Europe. Now, the former Finnish president's virtue and toil are to be rewarded with the world's most celebrated prize. In early October he was also awarded the UNESCO Peace Prize.

The 2008 Millennium Technology Prize was presented to Professor Robert Langer today in Helsinki for developing innovative biomaterials for controlled drug release. The world’s largest technology prize is awarded by Technology Academy Finland for a technological innovation that significantly improves quality of human life and promotes sustainable development.