News

The new Ministry for Foreign Affairs Decree on Fees for Services Produced by the Foreign Service in 2025 entered into force on 1 January 2025. With the Decree's entry into force, export control services, such as the processing of various authorisations, were made chargeable.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs requests companies and interest groups to provide their views on the products included in the EU's list of trade countermeasures and information on trade with the United States. The Ministry expects responses from businesses by 2 June.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs will organise export control training for companies exporting dual-use items on Friday 9 May 2025. Registration will be open until 2 May.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs’ programme features a discussion on how to involve young people in peace negotiations. The discussion will take place on the World Village Festival’s Speaker’s Stage at Tiivistämö on 24 May at 13.15. Participants are Cevor Tikerpuu, Finland's Youth Delegate to the UN, and Senior Specialist Laura Hendry from the Foreign Ministry’s Centre for Peace Mediation.

If you are a citizen of a non-EU country and are not a citizen of a EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland, you will need a residence permit for studies. Apply for a residence permit in the Enter Finland online service first and then book an appointment for identification. It is advisable to book the appointment as soon as possible, as the missions may be busy during the summer months.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs is inviting interested candidates to apply for the position of a conciliator and an arbitrator at the Court of Conciliation and Arbitration within the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) by 30 April 2025.

Finland is emphasising climate security and the importance of sustainable development in international diplomacy during its Chairpersonship of the OSCE.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs will organise export control training for companies exporting dual-use items on Friday 9 May 2025.

Finland holds the Chairpersonship of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in 2025. Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen has appointed Prof. Dr Wolfgang Palaver as Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on Combating Discrimination.

Finland has been a forerunner in conducting national evaluations of sustainable development. The new second edition of a guidebook compiles experiences from various countries and provides practical lessons for planning and implementing country-led evaluations of sustainable development.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs requests opinions from companies in relation to the increased tariffs for imports and the EU’s possible countermeasures.

Following legislative amendments that entered into force on 17 February, wild-berry picking carried out by foreign nationals is treated as seasonal work. Companies must hire foreign berry pickers for a contractual employment relationship to enable them apply for an entry permit to Finland. In future, berry pickers will apply for a seasonal work visa for stays up to three months.

The annual OSCE Conference on addressing anti-Semitism opened today, February 10, in Helsinki. The conference is part of the OSCE's work on combating intolerance. In addition to anti-Semitism, the conference touches upon discrimination faced by Muslims, Christians and representatives of other religions.

During its membership of the UN Human Rights Council between 2022 and 2024, Finland defended universal human rights and the multilateral rules-based system. Finland’s key priorities were to ensure accountability and gender equality and to promote and defend the rights of women and girls, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities and LGBTI persons.

Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio held a press conference on the reform of Team Finland's foreign functions on Wednesday 5 February 2025 at 15:30.

Uncertainty about the practical application of the EU’s sustainability regulations may lead companies to wait for further clarification. This is problematic because companies then fail to allocate resources where required to meet their obligations.

Finland’s county elections and municipal elections will be held simultaneously on Sunday 13 April 2025. The advance voting period abroad will be from 2 to 5 April 2025, but for practical reasons many advance polling stations will be open for a shorter period.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs will gain more wide-ranging expertise with the start of two new courses for careers at the Ministry in March 2025.

The EEAS, Finland, Czechia, Estonia, France, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Romania and Sweden denounce Russia’s continued and systematic attempts to manipulate and interfere in the information space of democratic societies.

A Joint Readout by the United States, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Poland, Sweden, and the United Kingdom following recent engagements.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs will open a call for applications for programme-based support available for Finnish civil society organisations (CSOs). In this application round, Finnish CSOs may apply for discretionary government grants for development cooperation programmes and humanitarian assistance included in the programmes for the period 2026–2029. Applications will be accepted from 20 January to 28 February 2025.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland wishes everybody a joyous holiday season and a happy and peaceful New Year 2025!

Finland is supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s war of aggression in many ways. A new form of development aid has been developed to fund public investments in Ukraine carried out by Finnish businesses: the Finland-Ukraine Investment Facility (FUIF). The Ministry for Foreign Affairs is requesting that Finnish businesses submit concepts for projects to be funded.

The new decree of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs on fees charged for services provided by the Finnish Foreign Service in 2025 enters into force on 1 January 2025. Several services that are now provided free of charge will become subject to a fee from 1 January 2025.

The terms and conditions of the Finnpartnership business partnership program will change at the beginning of 2025. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Finnfund signed an agreement in December 2024 to implement the Finnpartnership program's option period. During the option period covering 2025–2027, proven activities and practices from the previous program period will continue, with the addition of innovation financing.

Finland's membership of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) comes to an end at the turn of the year. The three-year term from 2022 to 2024 coincided with a turning point in global politics, which was reflected in both the HRC agenda and Finland's priorities. For Finland, systematically defending the HRC's global mandate to promote and protect human rights has been a prime concern. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs invited civil society organisations to discuss the outcomes of Finland's membership, lessons learned, and Finland's future actions as an HRC observer.

The Public Sector Investment Facility (PIF) is one of Finland’s development policy instruments for financing investments in developing countries. PIF provides financial support to such public sector projects in developing countries that are aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and that make use of Finnish technology and expertise.

The UN Member States adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Paris on 10 December seventy-six years ago. One of the UN's most influential statements, the declaration is a key element of the multilateral rules-based system, writes Finland's Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen on International Human Rights Day.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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, 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.

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.

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.

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.

The consultation on the draft decision on a national general export authorisation has ended, and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs is finalising the decision.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs will update the National Action Plan on Youth, Peace and Security in cooperation with the Finnish National Youth Council Allianssi and the Finnish Youth, Peace and Security Network. For this purpose, young people’s views on peace and security will be canvassed using group consultations and a survey questionnaire, which is now open.

Following Finland’s reform of the Act on Export Control of Dual-Use Items, the United States has added Finland to the list of IEC eligible destinations from 17 September 2024.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs is consulting exporters on the draft decision on a national general export authorisation until 14 October 2024.

This is the last time during its membership period 2022–2024 that Finland will participate as a Member in the regular session of the UN Human Rights Council. In accordance with established practice, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs invited the representatives of the civil society to exchange views on Finland’s objectives and priorities for the upcoming session. The Human Rights Council (HRC) is the UN’s most important intergovernmental body promoting and protecting human rights. The HRC’s 57th session started on 9 September and ends on 11 October.

Finland's Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen met Sweden´s Minister for Foreign Affairs Maria Malmer Stenergard in Helsinki on 13 September. The press conference was broadcast live on Friday 13.9 at 14.45.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs is preparing a call for proposals for programme-based support, which will be open to Finnish civil society organisations (CSOs) in January 2025. In this application round, Finnish CSOs can apply for discretionary government grants for development cooperation programmes and, where applicable, for humanitarian assistance included in the programmes for the period 2026–2029. The grant is awarded from the development cooperation appropriations for Finnish CSOs’ development cooperation and humanitarian assistance.

Finland's Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen met Estonia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna in Helsinki on 6 September.