Current affairs

The government proposal on the introduction of a long-term national D visa in Finland promotes labour migration and includes the preparation of a fast track pledge. According to the proposal, the national D visa would first cover specialists, growth or start-up entrepreneurs and their family members.

The Government has appointed Mikko Koivumaa as Director General of Communications at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs starting on 18 October 2021. The term of office will be five years. Koivumaa is currently Director of Communications at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment.

In future, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs will update its travel advice for each country individually. In our advice, we will continue to take into account the recommendations with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic, issued by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, and the general security situation in the country in question.

For the last 37 years, Georgios Nikoletopoulos has been a vital member of our embassy team, and a regular sight in the reception of our embassy building. Now, we have said good-bye to Georgios after his long and honorable service. We have asked Georgios a few questions about his time here and about his retirement plans. It seems that one place you might catch a glimpse of this self-appointed young, smart, beautiful and healthy gentleman in the future is his olive farm in the Peloponnese.

Finland is proud to present its candidacy to a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council for the 2022–2024 term. Previously, Finland served as a member of the Human Rights Council for a period of one year starting in 2006, when the Council was newly established.

The prolonged COVID-19 epidemic has led to an exceptional situation for travellers. This summer, borders have gradually started to open up and, thanks to vaccinations, safe and healthy travel is possible to a greater extent. Many Finns are also spending their holidays abroad. However, it is important to remember that the COVID-19 pandemic is still ongoing and that infections are rising again in many holiday destinations popular among Finns. When travelling, it is important to act responsibly and observe guidelines in place to ensure health security.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has sent out for comments a proposal on amendments to the Decree of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs on Fees for Services Produced by the Foreign Service. The consultation round will be open until 6 August 2021. According to the proposal, the prices of identity cards and passports issued by missions abroad would be raised by 6 euros and 55 euros respectively.

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.

Riikka Pulkkinen is a linguistic bridge builder between Finland and Greece. She teaches Finnish language and translates literature both ways between Finnish and Modern Greek. Riikka has edited and translated an anthology of Modern Greek short stories “Kasvotusten” ("Face to face"), which will be published during June 2021. She also works on her dissertation about Athens and the way it is experienced by literary characters in Modern Greek novels of the past decades.

Our embassy interviewed General Manager of Wärtsilä Greece, Mr Yiannis Christopoulos, for his views concerning the Greek maritime and energy sectors since the battle against climate change has an impact for the development of these sectors