Team Finland UK Newsletter 1/2021
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].
Photo by Hanson Lu on Unsplash
SPRING GREETINGS FROM TEAM FINLAND COORDINATOR
Terhi Bunders, Team Finland Coordinator in the UK
Our Team Finland network continues to work from home, but looking forward to meeting each other and you in person. That time will come! First months of 2021 have been busy with Brexit-related questions from Finnish firms as well as UK’s Ten Point Plan/Green Recovery(Link to another website.) and opportunities it provides. We have already identified some market opportunities (here on electric vehicles(Link to another website.)) and see further opportunities arising e.g. in district heating, health sector investments and digitalization.
Climate stays very much on the agenda as we approach UN Climate Conference COP26, to be held in Glasgow in November 2021. We are currently working with the other Nordic countries both at the Embassy and business organization level to highlight Nordic Climate policy and sustainability as well as business solutions in a high-level webinar at the end of May. Stay tuned for more info in our social media channels in the coming weeks. For COP26 business engagement, please visit UN page on Race to Zero -campaign.(Link to another website.) You can also be in touch with me ([email protected]) to find out more on business engagement.
On UK leaving the EU single market 1.1.2021 we keep getting questions relating to e.g. online shopping, movement of labour, VAT and rules of origin. Our mailbox [email protected] is working for your questions or concerns. There is a lot of information available, even if the situation is new for all of us. This work will continue. We are also happy to hear feedback from you.
The COVID-19 crisis has also highlighted the importance of wellbeing and smart solutions. Now when offices and even cities face big developments, there will be plenty of room for better and greener solutions in the UK but also elsewhere.
ADVANCE VOTING IN GREAT BRITAIN IN FINLAND'S MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS IN 2021
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 b efrom 26 May to 8 June in Finland and from 2 to 5 June abroad.
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs is responsible for the organisation of advance voting in Finland’s missions abroad and on board Finnish ships sailing outside the Finnish territory during the advance voting period.
In municipal elections, the right to vote is linked with residency in the municipality in question, which means that Finns residing permanently abroad are not entitled to vote in the municipal elections. The Ministry of Justice of Finland has the overall responsibility for conducting the elections. It has published a list of the advance polling stations and their opening hours on its website at vaalit.fi.(Link to another website.) (Opens New Window)
In the UK, you can vote in London at the Embassy of Finland from 2 to 5 June and in Edinburg at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC) on 5 June. You can find the opening hours and more information on the advance polling stations in the UK on the Embassy's webpage.
Voters who are eligible to vote in municipal elections can exercise their right to vote also through postal voting, which is organised by the Ministry of Justice. Eligible voters are requested to order the postal voting documents also in the case that they are planning to cast their vote abroad during the actual advance voting period. Due to the coronavirus situation, postal services are not available to some countries. The Ministry of Justice will cover the cost of the use of commercial courier services for the delivery of postal voting documents to these countries.
If you have ordered postal voting documents prior to the change of the date of the elections, you can use these documents for the municipal elections on 13 June.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is possible that voting cannot be organised in the advance polling stations as planned because local authorities may impose restrictions or lockdowns at short notice. Information on the dates, instructions and an order form for postal voting documents are available at vaalit.fi.(Link to another website.)
JAAKKO NOUSIAINEN APPOINTED DIRECTOR AT THE FINNISH INSTITUTE IN THE UK AND IRELAND
Photos: Sara Ngueyn/Finnish Institute in the UK and Ireland, Jenna Sutela and Steve Kerner / Finnish Institute in the UK and Ireland.
Previously, Jaakko headed the Institute’s Arts Programme. “This is an exciting opportunity to continue our long term work in a new role”, says Nousiainen. More information here.(Link to another website.)
JENNA SUTELA AT LIVERPOOL BIENNIAL
This year’s Liverpool Biennial features two works by Finnish artist Jenna Sutela: sound piece nnother and a new installation building on her I Magma series(Link to another website.). More information here.(Link to another website.)
GET YOUR FREE COPY OF FINNISH INSTITUTE'S COMIC BOOK HIGHLIGHTING SOCIALI NNOVATIONS FROM FINLAND, IRELAND AND THE UK
The Finnish Institute in the UK and Ireland celebrates its 30th birthday with a publication highlighting social innovations that promote equality. Order your free print version of the book in English, Finnish or Swedish by emailing [email protected] or download a digital version here.(Link to another website.)
NEW CLIMATE CHANGE PODCAST BY THE FINNISH AND BRITISH EMBASSIES NOW AVAILABLE
Logo: Embassy of Finland in London/British Embassy in Helsinki.
HEL-LO! Climate Calling –podcast explores climate solutions and sheds light on the people and projects working towards a more sustainable world. The podcast features top-level climate experts from Finland and the UK, such as UK Government's COP 26 Envoy John Murton. The podcast kicks off an important year in global climate talks, with the Glasgow Climate Change Conference COP26 expected to produce significant national climate commitments in November 2021.
HEL-LO! Climate Calling is available to listen on Spotify and Apple podcasts. (Link to another website.)The podcast is hosted by Finnish journalist Noora Mattila.
RECORDING NOW AVAILABLE -FINNISH EMBASSY’S EDUCATION WEBINAR DELVED INTO THE FUTURE OF EDUCATION
Photo: Embassy of Finland in London.
Finnish education is world famous with Finland continuously claiming top spot in international comparisons. How did the transition to distance learning succeed in Finland and what have we learned from schools being forced into remote learning due to COVID-19 pandemic?
The Finnish Embassies in London and Dublin brought together different perspectives from Finland, the UK and Ireland to discuss lessons learnt and digital education models for the future. Finnish edtech companies QRiDi, Kide Science and Code School Finland showcased their solutions to the increased demand for digital learning solutions.
The event was organised in collaboration with Business Finland, Education Finland and the Finnish Institute in the UK and Ireland.
You can watch the full webinar recording and read more about the webinar here.
CHANGES IN THE FINNISH-BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Photo: FBCC
The first quarter of 2021 for FBCC has gone by very fast and it has been full of changes. A new intern, Jonna has started her internship fully remotely from Finland, and two new directors have been appointed to the FBCC Board. To read more about new FBCC board members and our latest news,
click here.(Link to another website.)
Our events have ranged from the annual Economic Update with Nordea in January, to two amazing panel discussions on International Women’s Day, to an arts workshop, and Gin tasting in February. If you’d like to take a peek, please see the webinar recordings on our website!(Link to another website.)
While we are eagerly waiting to get back to organising live events, we’ve been focused on improving our operations internally, stayed active in communication, and provided our members with opportunities for visibility online.
NEW BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES BY BUSINESS FINLAND UK
Business Finland UK published in the beginning of 2021business opportunities in energy for EV charging infrastructure(Link to another website.), and in E-Commerce: for Finnish retail technology providers(Link to another website.) and for Finnish online retailers and consumer brands. (Link to another website.)Both opportunities have attracted interest among Finnish companies. For both themes, there were webinars arranged for Finnish companies to tell about opportunities.
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Team Finland UK wishes everyone sunny spring days!
If you'd like to be added to the direct emailing list of this newsletter, please contact us via email ([email protected]) or ([email protected]). Thank you!