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Prime Minister Sanna Marin and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen discussed topical EU matters in Helsinki on Thursday 3 February. During her visit to Finland, President von der Leyen also met President of the Republic Sauli Niinistö.

The main topics on the agenda at the European Council held on Thursday 16 December in Brussels were the COVID-19 pandemic, crisis management and resilience, energy prices, security and defence, migration, and external relations. The Euro Summit held in connection with the meeting focused on the state of the European economy. Prime Minister Sanna Marin represented Finland at the meeting.

At their summit in Brussels on Wednesday 15 December, the EU Member States and the countries in the Eastern Partnership adopted a joint declaration and a revised programme for Eastern Partnership policy beyond 2000. The long-term policy objectives emphasise recovery, resilience and reform. Prime Minister Sanna Marin represented Finland at the summit.

Former president of the Military Committee of the European Union, General Gustav Hägglund visited Brussels and participated in the 20th annual meeting on Tuesday 26th of October 2021.

Topics on the agenda for the meeting include the EU’s COVID-19 response measures, the digital transformation, energy prices, migration, trade policy and a variety of external relations issues, such as the Eastern Partnership summit, the ASEM summit and the COP26 Climate Change Conference in Glasgow.

Belarus, Russia, COVID-19 ja climate policies were the main topics of discussion during the Special European Council meeting in Brussels. Finland was represented by Prime Minister Sanna Marin.

The European Commission issued a comprehensive communication on the reform of migration and asylum policy on 23 September. The communication was accompanied by five legislative proposals. The Government expressed its position on the Commission's proposals in its communications submitted to Parliament on 12 November.

Finland intends to propose the Saimaa ringed seal habitats in the Lake Saimaa archipelago as a new natural site to be inscribed on the UNESCO’s list of World Heritage sites. Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Krista Mikkonen told about the process to update the tentative list at the World Heritage Forum on 11 November.

The carbon tariffs planned by the EU may curb carbon leakage, but on closer inspection, they can prove problematic in many ways. According to a study published on 29 October, the EU’s carbon tariff project will face challenges in the coming years.

Finland is among the 11 EU Member States that support the new climate target proposed by the European Commission, which aims to reduce emissions by at least 55 per cent by 2030. The countries have issued a joint statement on the matter. Combating climate change is one of the topics on the agenda at the European Council meeting taking place on 15–16 October in Brussels.