Exercise special caution when travelling to the EU and the Schengen area. Avoid unnecessary travel to countries outside the EU and the Schengen area, except for countries for which the restrictions on entry have been lifted. If you still decide to travel, always check before travelling the current coronavirus and entry restrictions from the authorities of the country of your destination.

The Zambia National Farmers’ Union appealed to the Administrative Court of Helsinki against the Ministry for Foreign Affairs’ decision to reclaim development cooperation funding from the Union related to a case of suspected misuse dating from in 2015. The Administrative Court’s ruling overrules the Ministry for Foreign Affairs’ reclamation decision partially.

On Monday 17 May, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs will host a virtual dialogue on measures to avoid the adverse human rights effects of climate change.

Early this year, Twinning activities were extended to seven new countries under the three-year pilot of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA). The results of the calls for proposals for the first two pilot projects have already been published, and Finland is very proud to have been awarded both projects. Finland will now help Zambia enhance anti-corruption measures and audits of central government finances. Winning these two tenders is a fine complement to Finland’s recent successes in Twinning projects.