Changes to management structure and foreign functions of Team Finland network

The management structure of the Team Finland network in Finland will be renewed and the foreign activities of Business Finland will be integrated into the Foreign Service. The changes will proceed in stages and the implementation will take place in cooperation with the business community.

The ministerial working group on employment and entrepreneurship decided on renewing the management structure of the Team Finland network and integrating the foreign activities of Business Finland into the Foreign Service on 14 June 2024. The reform does not apply to domestic RDI funding or to the domestic service path and its funding. 

The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs are responsible for implementing the decision. An external rapporteur will be appointed for the implementation, and their work will be supported by a joint working group consisting of representatives from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, Business Finland and industry organizations.

The implementation of the reform will proceed in stages and with a sufficient transition period to ensure that business services can continue to run smoothly. The need for legislative amendments will be explored in a separate study.

In autumn 2023, a working group of public officials from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs looked into ways to renew the management and activities of the public sector export promotion network, also known as the Team Finland network. The working group proposed solutions to improve the network’s effectiveness and impact. The ministers’ decision is based on the work of the working group and on the export promotion policy outlined in the Programme of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo's Government.

Inquiries

  • Ministry for Foreign Affairs
  • Jarno Syrjälä, Under-Secretary of State, tel. +358 295 350 205
  • Janna Rantanen, Special Adviser, tel. +358 295 351 054
  • Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment
  • Sampsa Nissinen, Senior Ministerial Adviser, tel. +358 295 047 189
  • Teemu Hartikainen, Special Adviser, tel. +358 295 047 296
  • The ministries’ email addresses are in the format firstname.lastname@gov.fi.