Current affairs

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs recommends exercising special caution when travelling to the EU and Schengen area The Ministry also recommends avoiding unnecessary travel to countries outside the EU and Schengen area, except for countries for which the restrictions on entry have been lifted. In addition, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs still recommends avoiding all travel to Brazil, South Africa and India.

Customer service and switchboard of the Embassy of Finland in London will be closed on Friday 25th June for Midsummer Eve.

In accordance with Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare's recommendation, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland recommends to avoid all unnecessary travel to the UK to avoid the spread of the new COVID-19 variant to Finland. Restrictions on movement and gatherings remain in place in Great Britain. Coronavirus guidelines vary depending whether you are in England, Scotland, Wales of Northern Ireland. Please check guidelines prior to travelling to your destination.

Perry Le Dain and Meria Heikelä from Business Finland UK have been awarded Knights of the Order of the White Rose of Finland for their services for Finland. Le Dain received his decoration in 2019 and Heikelä in 2020, but due to the Covid-19 restrictions, the official presentation of the decorations was delayed. Ambassador Markku Keinänen presented the decorations for both of them at the Ambassador's residence in May.

Customer service and switchboard of the Embassy of Finland in London will be closed on Monday 31st May for a local bank holiday. We are also closed on Tuesday 8th June for staff training.

The municipal elections will be held on Sunday 13 June 2021. The Act on the Postponement of the 2021 Municipal Elections entered into force on 29 March 2021. The advance voting period will be from 26 May to 8 June in Finland and from 2 to 5 June abroad.

Walthamstow Wetlands and the William Morris Gallery will be hosting a a year-long celebration of the Finnish artist Tove Jansson (1914-2001) with an unique collaboration of enchanting indoor exhibition and outdoor trail opening to the public in 18th June 2021 in Walthamstow Wetlands, London. The project is supported by the Embassy of Finland and the Finnish Institute in the UK and Ireland.

Finland is championing the gender-neutral Finnish pronoun “hän” to promote equality around the world and to support and showcase the work done for equality. Finland is presenting Hän Honours to individuals and organisations that are advancing inclusivity. This year’s recipient of the honour in the UK is Seyi Akiwowo, founder and CEO of Glitch for her work on battling online harassment.

Do you need more information about the new requirements in trade between the EU and the UK?

Welcome to our first Team Finland newsletter of the year! This newsletter covers some highlights of our past and future Team Finland projects. We publish the newsletter online, but if you'd like to be added to the direct emailing list, please contact us: [email protected]