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23.1.2020 | On 23 January, the Government appointed Kirsi Pimiä, Master of Laws with court training, as Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of the Interior. She will take up her new post on 1 February and her term of office will last for five years.

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.

20.12.2019 | The start of 2020 will see the entry into force of amendments to acts and decrees related to the police, immigration and rescue services. This press release provides a summary of the most important changes.

31.5.2020 | The restrictions put in place to mitigate the COVID-19 epidemic are being phased out gradually and in a controlled manner starting on 1 June. The aim is to curb the epidemic while minimising the adverse impact on people, businesses, society and the exercise of fundamental rights. From the beginning of June, certain restrictions will be alleviated, including the restrictions on gatherings, the organisation of events and the opening of public spaces.

4.3.2020 | Minister of the Interior Maria Ohisalo will attend an extraordinary meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council on 4 March. The home affairs ministers of EU Member States will meet in Brussels to discuss the current situation at the Greek-Turkish border.

20.9.2018 | In the future, the reserve police could be deployed during a state of emergency as well as during disorder in a normal situation. This will allow for a more effective response to a changed security situation and new threats and strengthen the operational capability of the Finnish police in extensive and wide-reaching incidents and security situations. On 20 September, the Government submitted a proposal to Parliament for legislation on reserve police and certain related acts.

6.5.2020 | In its negotiations on 6 May, the Government decided on measures to ensure the availability of seasonal labour needed in agriculture and horticulture, the entry of seasonal employees from abroad to Finland, and incentives to attract domestic labour.

27.5.2021 | The Government’s third supplementary budget proposal for 2021 includes an appropriation totalling EUR 111 million to alleviate the adverse impacts of the coronavirus on children and young adults.

7.2.2020 | The Ministry of the Interior has set up a project to prepare the national legislative amendments required by the regulation on the European Border and Coast Guard. The regulation entered into force in December 2019.

21.12.2021 | In its negotiations on Tuesday 21 December, the Government discussed the COVID-19 situation and decided on new restrictions and other necessary measures. In addition to increasing vaccination coverage, effective national and regional measures to limit close contacts are needed to slow down the spread of the epidemic. This will allow more time for giving people third vaccine doses.

20.8.2020 | The various provisions on the processing of personal data by authorities dealing with migration matters will be brought together in a new act. The Government submitted the bill for approval on Thursday 20 August. The President of the Republic is to approve the bill on Friday. The act will then enter into force on 1 September.

23.10.2019 | The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the International Centre for the Development of Migration Policy (ICMPD) are important partners for Finland.

13.1.2020 | The Ministry of the Interior has set up a legislative project to implement the EU directive on access to financial information at national level. The directive contains rules to facilitate the use of information held in bank account registries by the authorities for the purpose of preventing, detecting, investigating or prosecuting certain offences.

4.7.2018 | A project appointed by the Ministry of the Interior on 3 July will investigate and draft possible amendments to the Aliens Act concerning the processing of subsequent applications for international protection and the implementation of the Finnish Immigration Service’s decisions enabled by the EU Asylum Procedures Directive. In connection with this project, an amendment required by the Court of Justice of the European Union will also be made to the Aliens Act.

15.3.2018 | Finland intends to update its reserve police system. The purpose of the new system would be to ensure public security in situations where police must focus their resources on dealing with unexpected and unforeseen situations.

20.2.2019 | Permanent Secretary Ilkka Salmi and Finland's Roving Ambassador to Iraq Päivi Laine visited Iraq from 17 to 19 February. They had meetings with senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Displacement and Migration, and Ministry of Justice of Iraq. The topics of the meetings were the relations between Finland and Iraq, the security situation in Iraq, fight against terrorism, and migration from Iraq to Finland.

21.11.2019 | The Government has appointed a new Advisory Board on Gaming for the parliamentary term 2019–2023. According to the Lotteries Act, the task of the Advisory Board is to monitor the achievement of gambling policy goals and development needs in order to maintain and strengthen the exclusive right system.

7.1.2021 | On 7 January 2021, the Ministry of the Interior sent out for comments a proposal for reforming the Lotteries Act, which regulates gambling in Finland. The key points of the proposal include preventing the harm caused by gambling in an effective manner, combating marketing that violates the Lotteries Act, and securing Veikkaus Oy’s capacity to channel the demand for gambling. The basic premise of ...

20.3.2020 | After discussions with the chairpersons of the parliamentary groups represented in the Government, Minister of the Interior Maria Ohisalo has instructed that practices for crossing internal borders be specified in order to combat the threat to internal security posed by the spread of the coronavirus.

20.12.2018 | The start of 2019 will see the entry into force of amendments to acts and decrees related to the police, immigration, rescue services and civilian crisis management. This press release provides a summary of the most important changes.

22.11.2018 | Plans are in place to amend the Act on the Processing of Personal Data by the Police in order to bring it in line with the new EU data protection requirements. The Act also includes provisions on the processing of personal data by the Finnish Security Intelligence Service. Following the updates, the Act would be connected to the purposes of processing personal data rather than to specific registers or data management systems.

25.1.2018 | The Government plans to strengthen the powers of the Finnish Border Guard to quickly and effectively intervene in hybrid threats. Better preparedness for hybrid threats would improve the Finnish Border Guard's crisis resilience and capacity to manage large-scale incidents. On 25 January, the Government submitted a proposal for necessary legislative amendments to Parliament. The amendments are scheduled to enter into force as soon as possible.

14.9.2018 | The Finnish and Russian migration authorities will convene for a seminar on migration in Helsinki on 14 September 2018. The purpose of the meeting is to establish permanent structures for cooperation between Finland and Russia in migration issues. Similar cooperation is already being carried out between the Finnish and Russian police authorities.

15.7.2020 | The majority of Finnish people continue to have confidence in the police. According to the latest Police Barometer survey, a total of 91 per cent of the respondents trust the police a lot or a fair amount. Trust in the police has slightly decreased compared to the previous survey (2018: 95 per cent). Based on the results, the police have succeeded well in performing their most important duties and the work of the police is appreciated.

16.9.2019 | The Conference on Preventing Violent Radicalisation will bring together a wide range of international experts at Finlandia Hall, Helsinki, on 17–18 September 2019. They will discuss the prevention of violent radicalisation from the viewpoint of research, practical experiences and the work of public authorities.

3.9.2024 | The 2025 budget proposal of Prime Minister Orpo's Government bolsters conditions for economic growth. Economic growth driven by the private sector will also serve to secure the financing base for central government finances. The fast-acting measures to curb indebtedness that were decided on due to the difficult situation in central government finances will move forward.

14.12.2018 | A new Migration Review has been published. The report provides a concise summary of Finland’s migration-related policies, key legal amendments and up-to-date statistics. It also includes an extensive media review.

11.6.2020 | On 11 June 2020, the Government adopted a strategy and an action plan for tackling the grey economy and economic crime for 2020–2023. The tackling of the grey economy will focus on prevention, more effective access to information and cooperation between authorities.

15.11.2018 | The EU is examining new means to improve detection and removal of online content that incites to terrorist acts. The European Commission is proposing a new regulation to tackle dissemination of terrorist content online. The Commission’s proposal includes obligations on both internet service providers and Member States. On 15 November, the Finnish Government submitted a communication to Parliament on the Commission’s proposal for a regulation.

5.12.2018 | In future, people found guilty of certain serious offences could lose their Finnish citizenship. Such offences would include treason, high treason and offences against the vital interests of Finland committed with terrorist intent. The Government submitted a proposal to amend the Nationality Act to Parliament on 5 December.

18.11.2019 | The Fire Protection Fund’s innovation award for 2019 was shared between Senior Research Scientist Marko Hassinen for developing a detection scope for extinguishing fires and Firefighter Kalle Kuparinen for a wall support used for firefighting and clearance work.

16.3.2018 | The Ministry of the Interior has set up a legislative project with the aim of ensuring that the police have necessary powers to intervene in the use of drones and unmanned aircraft, vessels and other vehicles. The project will also examine the possibility of the police to use these powers in their work.

29.11.2018 | Finland’s counter-terrorism preparedness and capabilities are based on close cooperation between authorities and other actors in society. The Government adopted a Resolution on the National Counter-Terrorism Strategy on 29 November. The Strategy includes 31 actions that are either already being carried out or the implementation of which will begin immediately as a collaborative effort of authorities and other actors.

15.10.2015 | Uuteen rahapeliyhtiöön tähtäävän lainsäädännön valmistelu alkaa

8.5.2019 | Written by the Ministry of the Interior, the Migration Review provides current information about developments in labour migration and the asylum-seeker situation as well as about recent legislative amendments.

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.

26.4.2019 | The Ministry of the Interior coordinates the work preventing violent radicalization and extremism nationally. The work is based on the national action plan, which was verified in spring 2016. The assessment on the implementation of the plan and its objectives and actions is now ready. The assessment was completed by KPMG on the assignment of the Ministry of the Interior.

30.11.2018 | The Ministry of the Interior began a survey concerning the asylum procedure on 30 November. The project will begin with a tendering process to select a party to carry out the survey. The purpose of the independent survey is to identify development needs concerning the asylum procedure, examine the cooperation between different authorities and assess the practices of the administrative courts for dealing with asylum-related issues.

11.7.2018 | Minister of the Interior Kai Mykkänen will attend the informal meeting of the EU Justice and Home Affairs Council in Innsbruck on 12–13 July. The topics to be addressed at the meeting include European border management, a crisis-resilient asylum system and themes related to police cooperation. As part of the work to reform the Common European Asylum System (CEAS), the Council will also discuss m...

25.1.2018 | New act to lay down provisions on crime combating by the Finnish Border Guard

27.11.2018 | Actions against hate speech and online bullying will be intensified through cooperation between an expert working group and public officials. The Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Education and Culture have together established a project to prepare proposals for more efficiently preventing hate speech punishable under the Criminal Code of Finland and harassment prohibited by law and for promoting a discussion culture that takes other people into consideration.

4.10.2018 | The operating conditions of the Crisis Management Centre Finland (CMC Finland) will be strengthened and the rights and responsibilities of experts deployed abroad will be clarified. On 4 October, the Government submitted a proposal to Parliament on the amendment of the Acts concerning civilian crisis management. The intention is for the amendments to enter into force on 1 January 2019.

20.6.2018 | Action against trafficking in human beings should be coordinated at the government level. The Government needs to have a permanent coordinator, and such a position should be established at the Ministry of the Interior. These are the findings of a recent report that looked into the coordination and reporting of human trafficking issues by the Government.

25.10.2018 | In order to reduce the negative economic, social and health impacts of gambling, the Government is proposing requiring players to identify themselves when they play slot machines found in shops or kiosks, for example. The proposal on this matter was submitted to Parliament on 25 October.

7.3.2018 | The home affairs ministers of the EU countries will discuss interoperability between EU information systems on 8 March at the meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council. Finland's representative at the meeting will be the new Minister of the Interior, Kai Mykkänen. Interoperability between information systems is an important issue for Finland with a view to improving both national and EU internal security.

17.5.2019 | Hate speech is such a serious problem that the Government must define policies for its eradication. A working group that examined the phenomenon proposes that an action plan against hate speech be drawn up, a centre of expertise be established, and the relevant legislation be amended. Hate speech has harmful consequences not only for the victim but also for democratic society as a whole, the rule of law, and freedom of expression.

27.6.2019 | The survey report provides information on the standards and efficiency of the asylum procedure and the asylum applicants’ legal protection. The survey, examining the entire procedure and all authorities involved, was the first of its kind.

21.6.2018 | It is proposed that players of slot machines located across the country, excluding those located in game arcades, be required to identify themselves from the start of 2021. Compulsory identification would make it technically possible to introduce restrictions to manage at-risk gambling on slot machines too. At the moment, players must identify themselves when they play Veikkaus online games. The propo...

9.5.2019 | The Acts on the Processing of Personal Data by the Police and the Border Guard will be amended in order to bring them in line with the new EU data protection requirements. In addition, passenger information collected by air carriers may in future be utilised more extensively in prevention of terrorism and serious crime.

4.6.2018 | The EU home affairs ministers will meet at the Justice and Home Affairs Council in Luxembourg on 4–5 2018. Finland's representative at the meeting will be Minister of the Interior Kai Mykkänen. The home affairs ministers will review the package containing seven legislative proposals related to the reform of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS).

25.1.2018 | The Government has proposed the adoption of intelligence legislation in Finland, with the aim of improving our protection capabilities against serious threats to national security. Such threats include terrorism, espionage by foreign states or disruption of critical infrastructure. The focus of intelligence gathering by the Finnish Security Intelligence Service would therefore be on identifying threats and responding to them at an earlier stage.

4.5.2018 | The changes required by the EU Firearms Directive are being implemented in Member States. In Finland, the Directive causes changes particularly to the Firearms Act. The draft government proposal for implementing the Firearms Directive was circulated widely for comments on 4 May. The basis of the proposal is to prevent specially dangerous firearms and their components from falling into the wrong ha...

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.

5.10.2017 | The Internal Security Strategy, A Safe and Secure Life, is a road map for ensuring that Finland will be the safest country in the world, as envisaged in the Government Programme. Good internal security means that everyone can enjoy the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the rule of law without fear or insecurity caused by crime, disorder, accidents or national or international events. The Government adopted a Resolution on the Internal Security Strategy on 5 October.

30.11.2016 | The ministerial working group on migration discussed an action plan on the prevention and control of illegal residence in the country. The plan has been prepared as a collaborative effort of various ministries and it focuses on the illegal residence in the country of people who have received a negative asylum decision.

17.3.2020 | The Government has decided to begin restricting cross-border traffic at Finland’s borders starting on Thursday 19 March at midnight. Border-crossing points will be closed and border controls will be reintroduced. The police will monitor, within the limits of their resources, compliance with the restrictions on public gatherings imposed due to the coronavirus and, if necessary, provide executive assistance to other authorities.

13.9.2017 | The EU home affairs ministers will meet at the Justice and Home Affairs Council in Brussels on 14 September. They will discuss counter-terrorism action and assess the current situation following the recent terrorist attacks in Europe. Finland’s representative at the meeting will be Minister of the Interior Paula Risikko, who will give an update on the situation in Finland.

22.3.2018 | Residence permits for researchers and students would be extended and job-seeking and entrepreneurship would be encouraged through a residence permit granted for this. The goal of this act implementing the EU Directive on students and researchers is that most students completing their degrees in EU countries stay and work in the Union.

7.9.2017 | The licensing process for firearms will be reformed by amending the Firearms Act and some of the related acts. The licencing process will become smoother and quicker without compromising firearms safety. The Government proposed on 7 September that the relevant legislative amendments be approved. The President of the Republic is to approve the amendments on 8 September. The amendments will enter into force on 1 December 2017, and in certain parts, in December 2018.

13.4.2018 | Finland's new National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security was published on Friday 13 April. This is Finland's third National Action Plan (NAP), extending from 2018 to the end of 2021. Through the NAP, Finland aims to contribute effectively to sustainable peace by strengthening women's participation.