Ministry for Foreign Affairs adopts emergency management arrangements

On 16 March 2020, the Government decided that emergency conditions as referred to in the Emergency Powers Act prevail in Finland. From the Foreign Ministry's viewpoint, the serious disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic is simultaneously affecting Finland's missions abroad, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Finland and Finnish society as a whole. The Ministry has therefore decided to make temporary changes in its management structure to be able to operate according to the Ministry's preparedness arrangements. These changes will take place on 24 March 2020.

The new emergency management organisation will assume responsibility for responding to the pandemic and coordinating the situation in the Foreign Service. The key tasks are to safeguard the Foreign Ministry’s operational capacity, to assist Finnish citizens abroad and help in their repatriation, to secure the operation of Finnish missions abroad and to take care of the safety and security of their staff and family members.

The emergency management organisation consists of personnel of the Foreign Service in the particular configuration required by the situation at any given time. The organisation is led by the Ministry's Senior Management Group and the operations headed by the Ministry's Chief of Preparedness.

Inquiries: Paula Parviainen, Director General of Communications, tel. +358 50 477 5827.

The email addresses of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs are in the format [email protected].