European Union
The management structure of the Team Finland network in Finland will be renewed and the foreign activities of Business Finland will be integrated into the Foreign Service. The changes will proceed in stages and the implementation will take place in cooperation with the business community.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will meet Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs of Albania Igli Hasani in Helsinki on 12 June.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will host the Foreign Ministers’ meeting of the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) in Porvoo on 13–14 June.
A total of 15,071 persons visited the Finnish diplomatic and consular missions abroad to vote in advance in the elections to the European Parliament. Altogether 150 crew members voted on board Finnish vessels. In the 2019 European elections, 16,547 persons voted abroad at the Finnish missions and on board vessels.
In the light of Russia’s continued war of aggression against Ukraine, the Council today adopted a set of legal acts ensuring that the net profits stemming from unexpected and extraordinary revenues accruing to central securities depositories (CSDs) in the EU, as a result of the implementation of the EU restrictive measures, will be used for further military support to Ukraine, as well as its defence industry capacities and reconstruction.
The Council adopted a landmark reform of the European asylum and migration system on the 14th of May.
The European Commission decided on 22 May 2024 to increase Schengen visa fees as of 11 June 2024. The increase will apply worldwide.
Finland’s military participation in the European Union Training Mission in Mali (EUTM) has ended and the remaining four Finnish soldiers serving in the training mission have returned home. Since 2013, EUTM Mali has provided mentoring and training to the Malian armed forces to support restoration of a safe operating environment.
Finland will launch a new bilateral project in Nepal focusing in particular on the development of teacher education. The project will be implemented by the University of Helsinki's company HY+, which provides education and development services.
Information from the Austrian, Finnish, Slovenian and Swedish delegations, supported by the Bulgarian, Czech, Estonian, Hungarian, Irish, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian and Slovak delegations.
