Current affairs

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.

A total of 58,757 persons cast their vote in advance in the presidential election at Finland’s missions abroad. The number of crew members who voted on board Finnish vessels was 223.

In 2023, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the missions abroad provided consular services to approximately 244,000 customers. The demand for advisory services remained high. Over the course of the year, the Ministry’s 24/7 service was contacted around 8,000 times in total.

In its plenary session on 14 December 2023, the Finnish Government decided to propose that the President of the Republic authorise Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen, or if he is prevented from doing so, Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen, to sign a Defence Cooperation Agreement with the United States.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has issued a Decree on Fees for Services Produced by the Foreign Service for 2024.

Some of the prices of services provided by the Finnish missions and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs will rise. The new prices will enter into force on 1 September 2023.

Heads of Finland’s missions abroad and foreign policy leaders will meet again at the Annual Meeting of Heads of Mission in Helsinki on 21–23 August.

As of 15 May, the email addresses of the staff members at Finland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs and missions abroad will be, as a rule, in the format [email protected]. The change is part of the overall harmonisation of the Government’s email addresses.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs completes Finland’s relief effort in Sudan on Thursday 27 April.

During the state visit of the President of the Republic of Finland to the Republic of South Africa, a Letter of Intent on Co-Operation in Peace Mediation was signed on 25 April between the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Finland and the Department of International Relations and Cooperation of the Republic of South Africa.