Current Affairs

The European Commission and four Mercosur countries, Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, reached an agreement on a trade deal on 6 December 2024. Upon approval, the partnership agreement would open up a large market for European Union businesses. Removing the high tariffs in the Mercosur countries is expected to save EU companies an estimated EUR 4 billion in tariffs per year, boosting trade, investment and economic growth. Dismantling trade barriers would also help European companies diversify their supply chains.

Finland will contribute EUR 107 million to the 21st replenishment of the International Development Association (IDA), which is part of the World Bank. IDA supports the world's poorest countries.

Finland is the first country in the world to commission a composer to create an official national soundscape. Ääniä is an original musical work by Lauri Porra, one of the country’s most celebrated composers. It takes the listener on a journey through the impressions, seasons and serene beauty of the happiest country in the world.

Finland will strengthen its contribution to the NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU). The President of the Republic decided on 5 December that Finland will participate in NSATU with a maximum of six soldiers.

Welcome to a business event hosted by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs on 17 December 2024. We have invited experts to analyse the impacts of the upcoming US presidential term on geopolitics and thereby on foreign trade.

The seas of the world are the main theme of this year’s last issue of the Kauppapolitiikka trade policy magazine. Who owns marine riches and what are the risks of exploiting them?

A delegation of Members of Parliament from the Development Policy Committee visited Ethiopia on 24–30 November to learn more about the humanitarian situation in Tigrey and about the results of Finland’s Country Programme for development cooperation. The delegation was led by Member of Parliament Jani Kokko (Social Democratic Party), who is the Vice-Chair of the Development Policy Committee. Members of Parliament Inka Hopsu (Green League), Tuomas Kettunen (Centre Party), Ari Koponen (Finns Party) and Sari Tanus (Christian Democrats) were also part of the delegation.

Does your company or customers need legislation or guidelines concerning the export control of dual-use items in English? You will find the links on the website of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

Finland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will attend the Ministerial Council of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to be held in Malta on 5–6 December. Malta is currently holding the OSCE Chairpersonship. Finland will take on the Chairpersonship in 2025.

Finland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will attend a meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Brussels on 3–4 December.

Executive Director of UN Women Sima Bahous will visit Finland on 3–4 December. She will meet President of the Republic Alexander Stubb, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio and Minister of Social Security Sanni Grahn-Laasonen. Bahous will also participate in annual consultations on UN Women’s work and results at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

Nepal, Finland’s long-term partner country in development cooperation, is expected to graduate from a Least Developed Country (LDC) status in 2026. Finland and Nepal established diplomatic relations 50 years ago. Finland is now aiming to diversify its partnership with Nepal and increase commercial and economic cooperation with the country by taking advantage of the links between trade and development. Effective development cooperation plays a key role in bilateral relations.

Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ararat Mirzoyan will visit Helsinki on 28–29 November at the invitation of Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen.

According to a survey commissioned by the Embassy of Finland in Moscow, the number of Russians with a negative attitude towards Finland has not increased compared to the previous year, but the hardening of attitudes is evident over a longer observation period. However, some positive perceptions of Finland persist. The most positive attitudes are found among young people.

November 25 is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, as designated by the United Nations (UN). Violence against women is also a significant problem in Finland, and solving this problem is everyone’s responsibility. The Government Palace and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs’ main building, Merikasarmi, will be illuminated in orange as part of the international campaign.

Finland’s Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio will visit Nepal on 25–28 November.

At its session on 1 December, the Government appointed a new Deputy Director General for the Department for Development Policy.

Pasi Rajala, State Secretary to Finland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen and Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen, will attend the Halifax International Security Forum in Canada on 22–24 November. On his way to Halifax, Rajala will visit Washington DC.

Finland will withdraw from the Barents Euro-Arctic Council after 2025. Finland will continue cooperation in the northern regions through other channels.

Finland’s Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio will attend a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in its trade configuration in Brussels on 21 November 2024. Items on the agenda for the Council include trade relations between the EU and the United States and the future of the EU's trade policy, especially trade negotiations. The ministers will also discuss the reform of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

The Finnish Government Programme outlines that the readmission of nationals and support for the international rules-based order are conditions for Finland’s development cooperation. Readmissions cooperation with Somalia, which is one of Finland’s partner countries in bilateral development cooperation, has not progressed as planned. For this reason, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs will suspend the implementation of Finland’s country programme for bilateral development cooperation with Somalia.

Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio will visit Tallinn with a business delegation on 18 November.

On 13-15 November a group of 12 coastal countries from the Baltic Sea and the North Sea met in Helsinki and Tallinn to discuss further joint actions against the Russian “shadow fleet”.

Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio has decided to allocate funding for cooperation between the Finnish Environment Institute and the environmental authorities of Ukraine.

EU foreign ministers will convene in Brussels on 18 November. Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will represent Finland at the meeting.

New trilateral arrangement formalizes collaboration on the production of Arctic and polar icebreakers.

Finland will second five new national experts to the International Criminal Court in The Hague as part of Finland’s contribution to civilian crisis management. The experts will take up their duties in November and January.

On his visit to Kyiv on 12 November, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio announced Finland’s pledge to support the Ukrainian education sector reform and to grant humanitarian assistance. In Kyiv, the Minister also signed a framework agreement on a mixed credit instrument between Finland and Ukraine.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs will organise an event on current export control matters for exporters of dual-use items on 29 November 2024.

Finland is hosting the Scale Accelerator Programme in Espoo together with UN Global Pulse, which is the UN Secretary-General’s Innovation Lab, and Finnish partners. The programme helps to enhance solutions developed by the UN for greater impact together with Finnish and international innovation actors. The seven innovative projects selected for the programme from around the world aim to advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Valtonen will attend the Paris Peace Forum on 11 November. She will speak at a panel dealing with the future of Ukraine.

On 8 November, the President of the Republic decided to extend Finland’s participation in the EU Military Assistance Mission (EUMAM) in support of Ukraine. Finland will continue its participation in EUMAM until 15 November 2026 with a maximum of 60 soldiers serving in training and advisory tasks.

At the presidential session on 8 November, the President of the Republic appointed a Head of Mission to Ottawa and a non-resident Ambassador to Benin and Ghana.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs, The Prime Minister’s Office, The Ministry for Education, Science and Culture, and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment will host the Small Advanced Economies Initiative’s annual Principals Meeting in Helsinki 5-6 November 2024.

Finland, together with Åland, holds the Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2025. The programme for the Presidency “Nordic Region 2025: United and Strong” was presented at the Nordic Council plenary session in Reykjavik on 29 October.

Benin's Minister of Foreign Affairs Olushegun Adjadi Bakari will visit Helsinki on 4–5 November and meet with Finland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen.

Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio will lead a trade mission to China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on 4–8 November.

In June, Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen announced Finland’s and South Africa’s joint mentoring programme for young mediators. The programme is part of the implementation of the Letter of Intent on cooperation in mediation between Finland and South Africa.

The destruction caused by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has further increased the importance of environmental security. Environmental cooperation is one of the priorities of Finland’s development cooperation in Ukraine, and it is financed from development cooperation appropriations administered by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

We, the Nordics, join the international calls for a thorough and impartial investigation of reported irregularities before and during Georgia’s 26 October parliamentary elections. It is essential to dispel doubts that have been cast on the integrity of the electoral process.

UNICEF’s Child-lens Investing Framework helps investors assess how their investments impact children and encourages investors to finance projects that improve children’s wellbeing.

Finland has granted core funding from the 2024 development cooperation appropriation as follows: EUR 25 million to the United Nations Population Fund UNFPA, EUR 19 million to UN Women, EUR 7 million to the United Nations Children’s Fund UNICEF, EUR 2 million to the United Nations Development Programme UNDP and EUR 1.5 million to the United Nations Environment Programme UNEP.

On 18 November, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs together with the US and UK sanctions authorities will organise a business event to discuss what it means to comply with the sanctions imposed by the European Union, the United States and the United Kingdom and how the sanctions may affect your business. This is a unique opportunity to deepen your understanding of the key sanctions, the associated risks, and the circumvention of sanctions.

Following the new Act on the Export Control of Dual-Use Items, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs has granted a national general export authorisation. The national authorisation allows businesses to export dual-use items on the national control list to certain countries simply by notifying the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The Ministry has also issued guidance for businesses on export control legislation.

Finland will launch a new bilateral project in Nepal with a focus on the sustainable use of natural resources and the development of climate measures at the local level. The project will be implemented by Cowater International Finland OY.

Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will visit China on 29–30 October as part of the delegation accompanying President of the Republic Alexander Stubb on his state visit. Minister Valtonen will travel to Beijing and Shanghai.

The Ukraine Capacity Development Fund (UCDF) aims to support Ukraine’s policy and reform agenda. The fund supports on macroeconomic stabilisation, post-war reconstruction and Ukraine’s path to EU membership.