The United States
EU foreign ministers will convene in Brussels on 19 February. State Secretary Lauri Tierala will represent Finland at the meeting.
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs requests comments on a draft proposal for amending the Decree of the President of the Republic on the Locations of Finland’s Diplomatic Missions and the Provision of Consular Services in the Foreign Service. The consultation round will be open until 20 March 2024.
In the second round of the presidential election, a total of 62,294 people cast their vote in advance at Finland’s missions abroad. Altogether 220 crew members voted on board Finnish vessels.
Minister for Nordic Cooperation Anna-Maja Henriksson will attend a meeting of Ministers for Nordic Cooperation in Copenhagen on 9 February. This will be the first meeting during Sweden’s 2024 Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers.
Finland's Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will meet Montenegro’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Filip Ivanović in Helsinki on 12 February.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will visit Vienna on 8–9 February 2024. She will meet Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg and leaders of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO). Minister Valtonen will also give a speech at the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna.
A working group of public officials from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment examined ways to reform the Team Finland export promotion network. The working group’s report was published on 6 February 2024.
Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio will lead a trade mission to the province of Nova Scotia in Canada and visit the country’s capital, Ottawa, on 5–8 February.
The EU Foreign Ministers will convene for an informal Gymnich meeting in Brussels on 2–3 February. The Ministers will discuss the relations between the EU and Africa and EU-Türkiye relations. Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will represent Finland at the meeting.
The implementation of the reform will start with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs’ management group, regional departments, EU coordination and strategy unit. The goal is a more efficient Foreign Service.