Summary:
Finland is to invest EUR 1.54 million in climate projects in Africa. The funding is used to support the development of climate projects particularly in the poorest countries. The money can be used, for example, for the research on wave power utilisation or storing electricity, or to develop completely new earning models.

The Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Anne-Mari Virolainen says in a press release that more than a billion people do not have electricity. Whether they get their electricity from fossil fuels or renewable sources makes a difference.

She adds that in developing countries, electricity supply is also a human rights issue. Lack of electricity hinders the development of societies.

The new collaboration agreement is a continuation to the climate fund established by Finland and International Finance Corporation last year. The fund will invest EUR 114 million in climate and energy projects in the developing countries during the next four years. This is not a donation, but the investment is expected to be paid back, with interests.

The first investment of the fund was made in a major project by Gaia Energy, which aims to build 22 wind power plants in nine different African countries.

Though Finland’s investment is great, it is not enough. The role of Finnish funding is to facilitate private capital investments and to open the market in developing countries.

Media:  Turun Sanomat , YLE Uutiset
Date: 11.10.2018
Journalist:
Main source: Minister Anne-Mari Virolainen

Summary:
YLE reports that Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Anne-Mari Virolainen (National Coalition) hopes that the need to increase the development aid, as noted by Prime Minister Juha Sipilä and other politicians, will be included in the forthcoming government program negotiations.

Ms Virolainen, who guested in TV1’s Ykkösaamu, estimated that almost all parties were prepared to raise development aid during the next parliamentary term. « We are approaching the elections and the signal from the various parties’ leaders has been clear, we must be able to do better, » she said.

According to Ms Virolainen, the next government should build a « credible path » for gradually increasing the amount of development aid to 0.7 per cent of the GDP, which Finland is committed to. This could happen gradually, over a couple of parliamentary elections, she estimated.

Due to the cuts made by the government, the development aid now amounts to about 0.4 per cent of GDP. Ms Virolainen sees no contradiction in the fact that the government parties that have in the past cut the development aid heavily would now like to increase it.

Ms Virolainen noted that the estimates of development aid’s effectiveness are currently being made, and will be submitted to the Parliament at the turn of October-November.

Media:  YLE Uutiset
Date: 8.9.2018
Journalist: Johanna Östman
Main source:

Summary:
According to Demokraatti, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Anne-Mari Virolainen (National Coalition) thinks that Russia’s new customs regulations are « very strange ». Ms Virolainen told Yle that she hoped the Finnish and Russian customs would sort out the situation.

According to a new customs law has come into force in Russia, Finnish citizens are taxed for bringing in more than one non-Russian car per visit. Finnish Customs said on Friday via Twitter that several Finns have already been taxed under the new law.

« If we want tourists to be able to move and trade between our countries, this is certainly not the way to make that easier, » Ms Virolainen said. If the Finnish and Russian Customs offices do not reach a solution to the matter, the Minister said she would step in.

Media:  Demokraatti, YLE
Date: 8.9.2018
Journalist:
Main source:

Summary:
Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Anne-Mari Virolainen will meet with Sweden’s Minister for International Development Cooperation and the Climate, Isabella Lövin, and Minister for European Union Affairs, Ann Linden in Stockholm on Thursday the 17th of May. Minister Virolainen said in a statement that Sweden is a close partner for Finland in both international development and trade policy. The two countries have many shared interests in trade policy.

Ministers Virolainen and Lövin will discuss EU’s budget for the 2021-2027 season, as well as cooperation to promote women’s reproductive and sexual health rights in development policy. With Minister Linden, Virolainen will discuss the agenda of the EU trade minister meeting.

Media:  Verkkouutiset.fi
Date: 16.5.2018
Journalist:
Main source: 19

Summary:
Finland’s Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Anne-Mari Virolainen said that the positive aspect of President Donald Trump’s decision to postpone the steel and aluminium tariffs for the EU is that the tariffs did not take effect yet. President Trump postponed the tariffs until the beginning of June.

Minister Virolainen pointed out that the decision means that the uncertainty continues, which is bad news for all businesses. Furthermore, the decision does not remove the real problem, which is oversupply.

According to Minister Virolainen, the postponement has small direct impact on Finland. ”It still distorts the market, which is a major problem to the competitiveness of the European Union’s steel companies. The biggest concern for Finland and the EU is how the various counter measures affect the growth of world trade and export.

Minister Virolainen sees that the import quotas that President Trump wants to negotiate on are not a solution to the aluminium and steel import issue. She wrote on Twitter that furthermore limiting import is against the rules of the World Trade Organisation WTO.

The European Union’s trade ministers meet on 22 May, and by then there must be some solution in sight to the dispute, Ms Virolainen added. However, there is a possibility that the decisions will again be made in the last minute.

Minister Virolainen said that the negotiations continue and Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmström continues to be in contact with the United States. Once again, she emphasised that the EU’s import is not a threat to the US national security.

The European Union criticised the US’s decision as it prolongs the uncertainty in world markets. According to the European Commission, the EU should be excluded from the tariffs, because the tariffs cannot be justified by national security; there is no oversupply of aluminium and steel in the EU.

Kimmo Järvinen, EU director at Technology Industries of Finland, believes that the negotiations with the US result in a tariff-free quota for steel and aluminium from the EU.

Saila Turtiainen, EU and trade policy expert at the Confederation of Finnish Industries, EK, was concerned that the United States seems to be ignorant of the WTO rules. They do not care about the rules but about their own interests. “At the moment we are paving the way towards the new reality of international trade, which I find concerning,” Ms Turtiainen added.

Media:  Aamulehti , Hufvudstadsbladet, Keskisuomalainen, Turun Sanomat, Verkkouutiset.fi
Date: 1.5.2018
Journalist: –
Main source: Minister Virolainen, Kimmo Järvinen, Saila Turtiainen

Summary:
On Saturday, the European Union and Mexico came to an agreement about renewing their existing tradel deal. The new deal replaces the agreement made in 2000. The deal is almost ready, but negotiations over technical details continue. The Finnish Government said they expect the final agreement to be ready by the end of the year.

Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Anne-Mari Virolainen said the new deal was welcome because it changes outdated trade rules to match the needs of companies, removes duties and creates improved opportunities for Finnish companies on the Mexican market. The deal is particularly significant at a time when open trade and related cooperation has been questioned by many, Minister Virolainen added.

The deal covers the trade of goods and related regulations as well as investments and the trade of services. It is the first EU trade deal to include anti-corruption regulations.

Media:  Maaseudun Tulevaisuus, Verkkouutiset.fi
Date: 23.4.2018
Journalist: Maria Pohjala
Main source:

Summary:
Finland used EUR 935 million in development aid last year, which is 0.41 % of the GDP. The share dropped from 0.44%. Compared to other EU member states, Finland’s share was the 9th biggest in terms of the GDP ratio.

A significant share of the development aid was channeled through the European Union and other multilateral organisations, such as the United Nations.

In the EU’s development aid budget, Finland’s share was EUR 130 million. The combined public development aid of all EU member states was EUR 73.4 billion, which is approximately the same as the year before.

Finland targeted EUR 94 million in humanitarian aid, of which EUR 39 million was bilateral aid. The most important bilateral partners last year were Afghanistan, Nepal, Ethiopia and Mozambique.

Media:  Verkkouutiset.fi
Date: 10.4.2018
Journalist:
Main source:

Finnish leaders comment on US steel tariffs

Summary:
Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö has commented on the steel tariffs set by President Donald Trump, saying that it seems that the tariffs do not create major threats to Finland. However, a more extensive trade war that would spread as a chain reaction would be very harmful to Finland, a country which depends on exports.

President Niinistö said in an interview with STT that there is always a risk of an escalating situation, but found that changes might be made to the tariffs and final conclusions should not be drawn yet. President Niinistö added that he thinks the tariffs are one way for President Trump to show his voters that he keeps his promises made in the election campaign.

In addition, President Niinistö pointed out that Trump has already implied that there may be exemptions to the tariffs. “How flexible the US is with the tariffs, nobody knows,” President Niinistö said.

President Niinistö found that the tariff decision shows that protectionism is here to stay, one way or the other. If the trade war spreads, it can have an impact on third parties, not only the US and its trade partners.

According to President Niinistö, the European Union must take a common stance in the situation, so that it would not have diverse voices.

Minister for Trade and Development Anne-Mari Virolainen pointed out that Finland has good trade relations with the United States, and particularly measured by added value the US is an important partner for Finland.

Minister Virolainen added that the EU should now stand united in the situation. She found that the EU should now give Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmström the full mandate to take care of the negotiations and to avoid a full-scale trade war.

Minister Virolainen also believed that the tariffs could still be cancelled. She mentioned that President Trump’s tariffs would take effect on 23 March, so there would be some time to affect the decision.

Vice President of the European Commission Jyrki Katainen said in an interview to STT that the US cannot use the threat of steel tariffs to get better trade conditions from the European Union. President Trump has hinted that the EU could get an exception from steel tariff, if the tax on import cars is decreased. Vice President Katainen finds that car tariffs are part of a wider whole. Mr Trump’s style of trade negotiations with threats is not acceptable, Katainen finds.

According to Mr Katainen, the European Union keeps searching for a solution to the steel tariffs dispute with the United States. Speaking at a discussion event arranged by the European Commission Representation in Finland, Mr Katainen noted that it seems the US administration does not know what it wants.

Media:  Helsingin Sanomat, Keskisuomalainen (E-edition, PDF) , MTV – Finland, Turun Sanomat, Turun Sanomat (E-edition, PDF)
Date: 12.3.2018
Journalist:
Main source: