News

On 17 December, the two-day meeting of the European Council in Brussels began with discussions on migration and the UK's EU relation. The European Council stated that so far the measures to manage the migratory flows have been insufficient. It is indispensable to regain control over the external borders for the integrity of Schengen to be safeguarded.

The European Council meeting begun on 15 October discussed comprehensive measures for managing migration. Apart from the EU’s own measures, cooperation with Turkey has a key role in resolving the crisis.

At an informal meeting in Brussels on 23 September, the EU heads of state or government urged the EU institutions and member states' governments to accelerate their work on measures proposed by the Commission to manage migration. The EU leaders also discussed how to address the reasons why people leave their home countries.

Prime Minister Juha Sipilä will participate in the Summit of the heads of state or government of the EU Member States and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in Brussels on 10-11 June.

On Friday 29 May, the President of the Republic appointed Finland’s 74th Government.

At the presidential session on Friday 24 April, the President of the Republic decided to appoint Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Piritta Asunmaa to serve as Head of the Mission of Finland to NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) in Brussels from 1 September 2015.

In its extraordinary meeting on 23 April, the European Council discussed illegal immigration over the Mediterranean and the recent tragic accidents. The Council adopted concrete measures aimed at saving human lives and deterring the activities of human trafficking gangs.

The European Council stressed the importance of structural reforms, fiscal responsibility and investments in the National Reform Programmes of all Member States. The European Fund for Strategic Investments is a concrete step in speeding up economic growth in Europe. The European Council also underlined the significance of concluding the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) trade negotiations between the European Union and the United States by the end of the year.

The Ministry of Employment and the Economy (MEE) has invited a number of influential EU figures from Brussels to Finland to learn about the theory and practice of the Finnish bioeconomy. The group of more than 10 people includes top-level civil servants from the various departments of the European Commission, as well as the EU ambassadors of leading bioeconomy countries.

The European Council convened in Brussels on 18 December. The main theme of the meeting was the Commission's investment plan with the aim of creating economic growth and attracting private investments.