Press releases

On Tuesday 17 May 2022, the President of the Republic of Finland decided, on the proposal of the Government, to notify the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) of Finland’s interest to engage in talks on accession to NATO and appointed a delegation to Finland’s accession talks to be held with NATO and its member countries.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation notified Ambassador of Finland Antti Helanterä of their decision on 17 May. Russia has announced corresponding measures also regarding several countries that have expelled Russian diplomats.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a fundamental change has taken place in the security and operating environment of Finland and Europe. On Sunday 15 May, the Government adopted the Report on Finland’s Accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

On Sunday 15 May, the President of the Republic and the Ministerial Committee on Foreign and Security Policy finalised a report on Finland’s Accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). The report will be submitted to the Government in plenary session today at 17.00, and will be submitted to Parliament once it has been adopted.

EU foreign ministers will convene in Brussels on Monday 16 May. State Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Johanna Sumuvuori will represent Finland at the meeting. The Foreign Affairs Council will focus on Russian aggression against Ukraine and on the Western Balkans.

Portugal’s Minister for Foreign Affairs João Gomes Cravinho will visit Finland on 13 May and have a meeting with Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto.

A UN led agreement has been reached to transfer the oil from FSO Safer moored off the coast of Yemen in the Red Sea. Funds for the oil transfer operation are collected in a pledging conference in the Hague on 11 May. Finland will support the operation with one million euros.

NATO ministers of foreign affairs will hold an informal meeting in Berlin on 14–15 May. Finland and Sweden have been invited to a working dinner held in connection with the meeting on 14 May. Finland’s representative at the meeting will be Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto.

Foreign Minister Haavisto's State Secretary Johanna Sumuvuori will attend the Ministerial Meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, held in Marrakesh, Morocco, on 11 May.

Europe Day is celebrated on 9 May. This year, the main event will be held at Helsinki Central Library Oodi and the programme can be viewed online. The programme includes a wide range of topical discussions on the future of Finland and Europe. As part of the programme, Europe Information of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs will organise an open event entitled “European security in transition – the direction of the European Union”.

On 5 May 2022, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of the Interior will hold an invitational discussion on Finland’s priorities and objectives for developing the EU’s civilian crisis management and on our national capabilities for comprehensive crisis management.

President of the European Court of Human Rights Robert Spano will visit Finland on 5–6 May.

Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari will visit Italy on 2–5 May.

Sweden’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Ann Linde will visit Finland on Friday 29 April and have a meeting with Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto.

The Security Committee has granted its 2021 Timanttiteko (Diamond Act) award to the Foreign Ministry’s AI-assisted data analytics experiment. According to the Security Committee, the project has been exemplary in implementing the objectives of the Security Strategy for Society.

Minister for Nordic Cooperation and Equality Thomas Blomqvist will attend a meeting of Ministers for Nordic Cooperation on 26 April. The meeting will be held virtually. The main topics will be the Nordic Council of Ministers cooperation with neighbouring regions in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Nordic cooperation in times of crisis and the dialogue between the Nordic Council of Ministers and the Nordic Council for developing the Council of Ministers budget.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto will meet Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs José Manuel Albares in Helsinki on 27 April.

The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), headquartered in Copenhagen, has informed the Ministry for Foreign Affairs that an internal investigation has been initiated into possible misconduct by the Chief Executive of UNOPS Sustainable Investments in Infrastructure and Innovation (S3i) initiative.

On Wednesday 13 April, the Government adopted a report on changes in the security environment and submitted it to Parliament for consideration. The report assesses fundamental changes in Finland's foreign and security policy environment following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The report does not include any conclusions or present new security policy guidelines.

The war in Ukraine increases hunger and malnutrition in other parts of the world. Finland allocates EUR 26.1 million to domestic and international organisations for their humanitarian response in countries such as Somalia, Myanmar and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

On 12 April, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released preliminary data on development assistance by the EU Member States that are members of the Development Assistance Committee (DAC). Finland’s official development cooperation expenditure in 2021 amounted to EUR 1214 million. Compared to the previous year, the highest increase was reported in development policy investments.

Participation in the European Football Championships attracted the most attention for Finland around the world last year, according to a media review by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. At the same time, the top themes of previous years continued in the global press: Finland’s societal strengths, happiness and the response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The EU Member States approved further sanctions on 8 April 2022. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to a large-scale humanitarian emergency and mass migration. The European Union, together with its close partners, responded to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine by imposing new sanctions. The sanctions adopted on Friday 8 April complement the earlier sanctions package imposed by the EU on Russia’s actions.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto will attend the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg on Monday 11 April 2022. The main topics on the agenda will be Russian aggression against Ukraine and the new European strategy ‘Global Gateway’.

Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari will visit Copenhagen on 7–8 April.

NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs will meet in Brussels on 6–7 April 2022. The meeting will focus on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, NATO’s Strategic Concept and the international security situation.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto will attend the Moldova Support Conference and a meeting of Nordic Foreign Ministers and the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs in Berlin on 5 April.

Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly will visit Finland on 4 April and have a meeting with Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto.

Finland will organise a high-level meeting on adaptation finance in Lahti on 3–4 April. The purposes of adaptation finance include preparing for extreme weather events, such as droughts or floods. The meeting seeks to find a common direction to fulfil the commitments made in the UN Climate Change Conference COP26 and pave the way towards COP27 to be held in November 2022. The aim is also to expand the role of the private sector in the funding.

On 31 March, French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian will arrive in Finland, where he will meet with Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto.

Texas is known for its energy and technology industries, which makes it a promising export market for Finnish companies. Finnair’s new direct flight connection to Dallas is a sign of the growth potential. Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari will visit Texas and Washington from 27 March to 1 April 2022.

Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir will visit Finland on 29–30 March and have a meeting with Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs publishes for the first time its long-term plan for Finland’s international climate finance, extending up to 2026. Finland’s international climate finance will increase nearly twofold during this government term compared to the previous term, and a larger share than before will be allocated to critical climate adaptation measures in developing countries. More attention will be paid to business cooperation as strong investments of the private sector will be needed to achieve the climate objectives.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto will attend the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on 21 March. One of the main topics on the meeting agenda is Russian aggression against Ukraine. In their joint session, the foreign and defence ministers are also to adopt the Strategic Compass for security and defence cooperation in the EU. After the Foreign Affairs Council, Minister Haavisto will attend the opening session of the European Humanitarian Forum. From Brussels, Minister Haavisto will travel to Malmö, where he will attend the Nordic Council Theme Session on 22 March.

Spain’s recovery and resilience plan focuses on the green and digital transitions, which are also Finland’s priorities. Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari, accompanied by a business delegation, will visit Madrid on 20–23 March to promote cooperation between Spain and Finland.

On 17 March 2022, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) declared inadmissible an application concerning alleged discrimination against an applicant for a work-based residence permit.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a fundamental change has taken place in the security and operating environment of Finland and Europe. The Government has launched the preparation of a report assessing the foreign and security policy environment that has changed and the changing operating and security environment as well as their implications for Finland.

The Member States of the European Union approved new sanctions on Tuesday 15 March.

Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari will visit Vienna and Bratislava on 14–16 March.

On 11 March, Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto will attend the Antalya Diplomacy Forum (ADF) in Turkey. During the visit, Foreign Minister Haavisto will also have bilateral discussions on the current security situation.

The Member States of the European Union approved new sanctions on Wednesday 9 March.

The first meeting of foreign ministers under Norway's presidency of the Nordic (N5) cooperation on foreign and security policy will be held as a virtual meeting on 8 March. Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto will represent Finland at the meeting.

EU development ministers will hold an informal meeting in Montpellier, France, on 7 March 2022. The meeting will focus on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine and on the EU’s actions in the current situation. Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari will represent Finland at the meeting.

The European Union responded to Belarus’ involvement in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by imposing new sanctions on it. The EU Member States approved further sanctions against Belarus on 2 March 2022. These sanctions complement the sanctions adopted on 24 June 2021.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto will meet the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, Wopke Hoekstra, who will pay a visit to Helsinki on 7 March. At their meeting, the Ministers will focus on the Ukraine crisis and the rapidly changing security situation in Europe.

On Friday 4 March 2022, Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto will attend a meeting of the North Atlantic Council (NAC) at the level of Ministers of Foreign Affairs and a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels.

The Member States of the European Union approved new sanctions on Tuesday 1 March.

On 28 February 2022, the Finnish Government issued the Decree on the implementation of the Decision and Regulation of the Council of the European Union concerning restrictive measures in view of actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine.

The EU Member States approved the sanctions and they entered into force on Monday 28 February.

On the proposal of the Government, the President of the Republic decided today that Finland will increase its aid to Ukraine and also provide military protective equipment to assist the country. The aid is granted under the Act on the Making of Decisions Concerning the Provision of and Request for International Assistance. The Ministry of Defence is the authority responsible for the aid.