Government adopted the Policy Programme for Expatriate Finns 2017–2021

The Government adopted the Policy Programme for Expatriate Finns 2017–2021 in its negotiations. The programme looks after the interests of Finns living abroad and concerns some 1.6 million expatriate Finns. The Government adopted its first Policy Programme for Expatriate Finns in 2006.

Continuity of the implementation of Finland’s expatriate policy reinforced

The Government’s Policy Programme for Expatriate Finns includes 17 policies and a number of measures for promoting them. The programme targets are linked to elections, passports and identity cards and other citizenship issues, the operations of Finnish and European schools abroad, basic education of children, social security, and healthcare services.

Ministry of the Interior coordinates the programme

The Policy Programme for Expatriate Finns was prepared in cooperation between the Finland Society, the Finnish Expatriate Parliament and several ministries and authorities. The Ministry of the Interior is responsible of the coordination of the programme.

Around 1.6 million expatriate Finns covered

In the programme, expatriate Finns are defined as Finnish citizens or people of Finnish origin who live permanently outside Finland. The largest communities of Finnish expatriates are in Sweden, the United States, Canada, Australia, Russia, the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain and Estonia.

Some 242,000 Finnish citizens eligible to vote in Finland’s national elections lived abroad in April 2015.

Policy Programme for Expatriate Finns 2017–2021 (in Finnish)

Inquiries: Jarmo Tiukkanen, Chief Specialist, tel. +358 295 488 606, [email protected]