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23.4.2025 | Finland has sent material assistance to the regions affected by earthquake in Myanmar through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. The assistance consists of storage and hall tents and water purification tablets requested by the country.

9.1.2023 | Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari and Minister of the Interior Krista Mikkonen are visiting Kyiv, Ukraine, on 9 January. In Kyiv, the ministers are meeting Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration, Minister of Energy, Minister of Internal Affairs and the Mayor of Kyiv.

29.9.2022 | The Government appointed an advisory board for rescue services under the Ministry of the Interior in line with the Act on Organising Rescue Services. The advisory board consists of representatives from the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, the Ministry of Finance, the wellbeing services counties and the City of Helsinki. The first task of the advisory board is to discuss the national objectives of rescue services.

9.2.2023 | Finland has around 50,500 civil defence shelters with space for about 4.8 million people. Finland has a sufficient number of places in shelters. Civil defence shelters are located in large cities in particular. The highest number of places in civil defence shelters in relation to the population can be found in the Greater Helsinki area and Pirkanmaa. This is evident in the preliminary data of the Ministry of the Interior’s report.

2.4.2025 | The earthquake and its aftershocks in Myanmar on Friday 28 March have caused extensive damage. By decision of the Ministry of the Interior, Finland will send an expert to Bangkok through the EU's Civil Protection Mechanism to support the coordination of assistance to Myanmar. The Finnish expert will be posted to Myanmar for two weeks (2 to 15 April 2025).

31.8.2021 | The Ministry of the Interior has set up a legislative project to prepare urgent and necessary amendments to the Rescue Act. The aim is to update the Rescue Act on the basis of a preliminary study and the comments received on it during the consultation round.

16.2.2023 | The Government has adopted a resolution on the National Strategy for the Prevention of and Response to Environmental Damage extending to 2035. The Strategy was adopted at the government session on 16 February. Its main objective is to guide the authorities’ preparedness for current and future threats of environmental damage. The Strategy needed to be updated to ensure that the responsibilities of different actors are in line with the current legislation.

12.10.2022 | In August-September, Finland delivered a total of five trucks to Ukraine that contained civil defence equipment, hospital supplies and scanning equipment. The material assistance was provided through the EU’s Civil Protection Mechanism.

30.11.2022 | On 24 November, Finland sent much needed help for the energy sector in Ukraine. The delivery package comprised components of the electricity grid, such as current transformers, circuit breakers and relays. Earlier this autumn, 28 current transformers were delivered to Ukraine.

7.12.2022 | On Wednesday 7 December, Finland sent buses to Ukraine to be used to transport children and young people to school. This donation is part of the European Commission’s solidarity campaign. Russia’s war of aggression has affected an estimated 5.7 million schoolchildren in Ukraine with many schools having been destroyed in bombing.

5.6.2020 | The Government has finalised the policy outlines for the health and social services reform, on the basis of which preparations for the reform will continue. The aim is to circulate the draft bills on the restructuring of health and social services for comments in June.

21.6.2022 | Every year, Midsummer bonfires lead to forest fires. Most of the fires are due to poor preparations or carelessness. The Ministry of the Interior would like to remind the public that it is always prohibited to light a bonfire when the Finnish Meteorological Institute has issued a forest fire or grass fire warning.

20.10.2022 | The Government aims to improve the status of victims of human trafficking and strengthen their right to services, regardless of the progress of related criminal proceedings in a human trafficking case. The purpose is to loosen the link between assistance to victims and criminal proceedings by amending the Act on the Reception of Persons Applying for International Protection and on the Identification of and Assistance to Victims of Trafficking in Human Beings.

8.12.2020 | The Government proposes that wellbeing services counties be established and healthcare, social welfare and rescue services be reformed. The proposed counties would be established as soon as possible after the passing and approval of the relevant bills. The bills would enter into force in stages, the first ones on 1 July 2021 and the last ones on 1 January 2023. However, Parliament needs to pass the legislative package before the reform can enter into force.

28.2.2023 | Over the weekend and on Monday, Finland sent more material assistance to the areas hit by the earthquake in Türkiye. Some of the assistance will be delivered from Türkiye to Syria. There is still a great need for material assistance, such as emergency accommodation and heating, in the region.

11.9.2020 | In its session on 11 September, the Government adopted a resolution on a new operating model for implementing the hybrid strategy to manage COVID-19 in border traffic and travel. The operating model will make it possible to ease restrictions on entry while also combating the pandemic at the borders.

11.9.2020 | In its session on 11 September, the Government adopted a resolution on a new operating model for implementing the hybrid strategy to manage COVID-19 in border traffic and travel. The operating model will make it possible to ease restrictions on entry while also combating the pandemic at the borders.

15.6.2020 | The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of the Interior request comments on the draft government proposal concerning the health and social services reform and the organisation of rescue services from the municipalities and joint municipal authorities of mainland Finland and other parties mentioned in the request for comments. The deadline for submitting comments is 25 September 2020.

21.10.2020 | A summary of comments received on the draft government proposal on the organisation of health, social and rescue services is published. Respondents welcome the objectives of the reform and agree on its necessity.

12.9.2022 | The prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine and accelerating climate change have led to a situation in Finland and globally where the future seems rather uncertain. In the midst of uncertainty, decision-making is difficult. Finland will hold parliamentary elections in spring 2023, and the new Government Programme will outline policies for the next few years.