Summary:
Finland’s Minister of Finance Petteri Orpo discusses the splitting of the Finns party in a Helsingin Sanomat interview. He says that Finland must now be particularly active in EU policy, because Germany and France want to deepen integration. This would not have been possible with Jussi Halla-aho’s Finns party in government. For Orpo, patriotism means making decisions that are in the best interest of the nation, which includes being active EU member and working to develop the union. Minister of European Affairs Sampo Terho, part of the splinter group, has spoken about a potential EU referendum. According to Orpo, this will stop now.
Auteur/autrice : David
The Prime Minister met with Federica Mogherini – supported the EU defence cooperation
Summary:
Prime Minister of Finland Juha Sipilä has expressed his support for EU defence cooperation in his meeting with EU Foreign Affairs High Representative Federica Mogherini, who thanked Finland for being active in developing the EU defence cooperation. Juha Sipilä says that the Finnish stance is very ambitious and that Finland hopes to progress also in the area of structural cooperation. Sipilä also highlighted the importance of good communication with France, whose President Emmanuel Macron also supports developing defence cooperation.
Media: Verkkouutiset / Nykypäivä
Date: 15.6.2017
Journalist: Ilkka Ahtokivi
Main source: Prime Minister of Finland Juha Sipilä
EU Arctic Stakeholder Forum in Oulu: Warming in the Arctic twice as fast as in the rest of the globe
Summary:
The first EU Arctic Stakeholder Forum was held in Oulu. EU Commissioner responsible for Arctic policies, Karmenu Vella, stated that warming in the Arctic is twice as fast as in the rest of the globe. According to Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini, who hosted the forum, the Arctic needs growth, but in a sustainable way. Both Mr Vella and Mr Soini said that US President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement was a great disappointment. Soini stated that he would like to appeal to Mr Trump with the fact that protecting the Arctic is « good business ».
Concert de chants finlandais le 30 juin à 20h30 à Lunéville
Billetterie sur place.
Surprisingly strong positive current in Russian economy
Summary:
The chairmans of the Finnish-Russian Intergovernmental Commission for Economic Cooperation met in St. Petersburg at the end of last week in connection with the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. Finnish chairman, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Kai Mykkänen, says that during the meeting with Russian vice prime minister Dmitri Kozak solutions were sought to concrete problems facing Finnish businesses. According to Mr Mykkänen, the recovery of the Russian economy seems to be even stronger than expected and foreign investors were more eager to participate in the economic forum. He estimates that Russian President Vladimir Putin, who spoke at the forum, has adopted a more humble tone and put more emphasis on the economy.
Help for immigrants’ employment with risk financing from private investors
Summary:
The Finnish state aims to employ 2,500 immigrants within three years with the help of private investors. If the immigrants are employed, the investors will get their investment back and receive a profit for the investment. The project is supported by the European Fund for Strategic Investments by 10 million euros. Vice-President of the European Commission Jyrki Katainen noted in a press event on Friday that the Fund has reserved altogether 150 million euros for these types of societal projects. This is a very unique project in Europe, and the whole EU is closely following it, he said.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Soini condemns London terror attacks: Brutal act against innocent people
Summary:
Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini strongly condemns the terror attacks in London on 3 June which he describes as an attack on the European way of life. He emphasises that terrorists will never win. There have been several terror attacks in Britain in recent times. Mr Soini estimates that Britain might have become a target for terrorists because it is a strong democracy and an active player on an international level.
Media: YLE Uutiset
Date: 4.6.2017
Journalist: Pekka Pantsu
Main source: Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini
’Miracle’ happened: Finland’s economy growing faster than Sweden’s
Summary:
Economists celebrated the Statistics Finland’s latest figures regarding the Finnish economy on Thursday. GDP reached 2.7 per cent in the first quarter of the year when compared to Q1 in 2016. The figure was 1.2 per cent when compared to Q4 in 2016. Aki Kangasharju, chief economist at Nordea, tweeted that we have seen the miracle of the Finnish economy growing faster than the Swedish one now. Torbjörn Isaksson, chief analyst at Nordea Markets Sweden, also commented on the subject on Twitter. He was happy about the Finnish economy finally growing and mentioned that the gap between the two countries is not increasing any more. Pasi Sorjonen, chief analyst at Nordea Finland, tweeted back to Mr Isaksson that the gap is something many would like to forget.