Finland is proud to present its candidacy to a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council for the 2022–2024 term. Previously, Finland served as a member of the Human Rights Council for a period of one year starting in 2006, when the Council was newly established.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has sent out for comments a proposal on amendments to the Decree of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs on Fees for Services Produced by the Foreign Service. The consultation round will be open until 6 August 2021. According to the proposal, the prices of identity cards and passports issued by missions abroad would be raised by 6 euros and 55 euros respectively.

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.