Foreign Ministry's press releases

A group of 19 young journalists, invited to Finland by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, will meet Minister for European Affairs and Foreign Trade Alexander Stubb on Tuesday 13 August and Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja on Wednesday 14 August. The meetings are part of the Foreign Correspondents’ Programme (FCP), organised by the Ministry, where young foreign journalists and journalism students get acquainted with Finland and the Finnish society during the month of August.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs 2014 budget proposal for the administrative branch totals 1,298 million euros. The Ministry’s proposed operating expenses for 2014 come to 201.8 million euros. In 2014 work will be continued to restructure and streamline the system of Finnish foreign representation through a stronger focus on Nordic cooperation, the EU’s External Action Service and the Team Finland concept.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has appointed Leena Brandt as Press Officer at Finland’s Permanent EU Representation in Brussels. Her appointment is for a three-year term starting 1 September.

By decision of Minister for International Development, Heidi Hautala, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs has granted an additional one million euros in humanitarian assistance to the victims of the Syrian crisis. Half of this aid will be channelled via the United Nations Children’s Fund UNICEF and the other half via the World Health Organization WHO.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has invited 19 young foreign journalists and journalism students to attend the 21st Foreign Correspondents’ Programme (FCP) in Finland. The training programme provides an opportunity for these young professionals to learn more about Finland and Finnish society.

The United Nations Human Rights Committee has on 25 July published its concluding observations on the implementation of civil and political rights in Finland.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Erkki Tuomioja, Docent of Political History, is set to attend the seminar on “Europe’s Future and the Baltic Sea region” on 25 July at the Kuressaare Cultural Centre in Saaremaa, Estonia.

The EU Foreign Affairs Council is set to convene in Brussels on 22 July. The agenda for the meeting covers the EU’s Southern Neighbourhood and Eastern Partnership, the Middle East peace process, Africa, human rights, and water diplomacy. Finland will be represented at the meeting by Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja.

On Thursday 18 July, by the decision of the Minister for International Development, Heidi Hautala, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs has granted 70,000 euros in humanitarian assistance for refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Uganda. The assistance will be channelled through the Finnish development cooperation organisation Fida International.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has appointed Merja Sundström as Press Officer at the Finnish Embassy in Berlin for a three-year term starting 19 August.