Current affairs
Entry restrictions due to COVID-19 to be lifted on 1 July
Restrictions on entry at Finland’s external borders imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic will be lifted on 1 July 2022. Third-country travellers arriving in Finland will no longer be required to hold vaccination or COVID-19 test certificates, and COVID-19 tests will not be carried out at border crossing points.
Football player Danielle Carter awarded the 2022 UK HÄN honour
Finland is championing the gender-neutral Finnish pronoun “hän” to promote equality around the world and to highlight individuals and organisations engaged in important work for equality. This year’s recipient of the Hän honour in the UK is Danielle Carter, a professional football player who frequently takes part in initiatives to make the world of football equal and inclusive.
Finnish decorations awarded by Ambassador Siukosaari
Juha-Matti Lampola from the FBCC and Terhi Bunders, Riitta Kärkinen, Outi Mäkilä and Jaana Palmer from the Embassy of Finland have been awarded decorations for their services for Finland. Lampola and Bunders received Knights First Class of the Order of the Lion of Finland. Kärkinen, Mäkilä and Palmer were awarded Medals First Class of the Order of the White Rose of Finland. Ambassador Jukka Siukosaari presented the decorations in a small ceremony at the Ambassador’s residence in June 2022.
Seminar on Finland’s concept of comprehensive security delved deep into resilience thinking
In recent years, governments have begun to increase societal resilience and preparedness to manage interconnected security risks and complex crises. These range from the climate disaster to migration, disinformation and transnational terrorism to food insecurity, natural catastrophes, pandemics and conventional inter-state war and beyond.
Finland is preparing to apply for NATO membership
Finland is preparing to apply for membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). On 15 May, the Government submitted a report to Parliament on Finland’s accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and proposed that the President of the Republic decide that Finland will apply for membership in NATO after Parliament has been heard.