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28.4.2020 | The loss limits of Veikkaus Oy's fast-paced gambling games are to be lowered. The maximum loss limit will be lowered to EUR 500 (now 2,000) per month and EUR 500 (now 1,000) per day. Amendments to the Act will enter into force on 1 May and will remain in force until 30 September 2020. The aim of the amendments is to prevent and reduce more effectively economic, social and health harm caused by gambling during the coronavirus epidemic.

29.5.2019 | The Finnish Government laid down two decrees today concerning civilian intelligence. The decrees will take effect on 1 June at the same time with the intelligence legislation.

25.1.2018 | On 25 January, the Government submitted to Parliament four legislative proposals that together form a legislative package on intelligence. The Ministry of Justice has drafted a proposal to amend the Constitution as well as legislation on the oversight of intelligence gathering. Legislation on civilian intelligence has been drafted at the Ministry of the Interior and that on military intelligence at the Ministry of Defence.

11.1.2019 | Research agency Owal Group has been selected to carry out an independent survey concerning the asylum procedure. The Ministry of the Interior selected Owal Group following a tendering process that began in November 2018. The survey, which will examine the asylum procedure in its entirety, is set to be completed in summer 2019.

14.6.2018 | Based on a report made by the Finnish Immigration Service, decisions on asylum applications largely meet the criteria laid down in the law. Deficiencies in the quality of interpretation of asylum interviews and processing of asylum applications were, however, detected. It is likely that the number of deficiencies became bigger than normal following a sudden tenfold increase in asylum seekers in 2015 and a need to quickly increase the amount of human resources required for the process.

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.

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.

17.5.2018 | The Ministry of the Interior proposes that a new act on the processing of personal data by migration authorities be enacted. The new act would replace the old Act on the Register of Aliens adopted over 20 years ago. The relevant legislative proposal was sent out for comments on 17 May.

15.11.2018 | The enforcement of decisions on removal from the country will be speeded up. Certain removal decisions related to public order and security can be enforced after 30 days from the service of the decision, unless the administrative court has prohibited its enforcement. The removal procedure is applied to removal from the country when the person concerned has or has had a residence permit in Finland or the residence of an EU citizen has been registered.

4.10.2019 | A third of municipal decision-makers and almost half of the Members of Finnish Parliament or their assistants have been subjected to hate speech due to their official duties or positions of trust. In addition, about a third of the decision-makers consider that hate speech in public debate has increased in recent years. These are the results of a recent study.

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.

4.9.2019 | Minister of the Interior Maria Ohisalo and Minister of Justice Anna-Maja Henriksson will present themes for Finland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union before the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) of the European Parliament in Brussels on 4 September.

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.

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.

3.4.2019 | Permanent Secretary Ilkka Salmi and Alexander Gorovoy, First Deputy Minister of the Interior of the Russian Federation, met in Tampere on 2–3 April. This a was Deputy Minister Gorovoy’s first visit to Finland.

20.2.2019 | On 20 February, the Finnish Government published measures to prevent and combat sexual offences in general and crimes committed by immigrants. The package of measures was prepared by the ministerial working group on internal security and administration of justice and the ministerial working group on migration, led by the Minister of the Interior Kai Mykkänen.

29.5.2019 | The Ministry of the Interior examined the needs to develop gambling legislation. The pilot study assessed, for example, whether gambling harms could be reduced by using technical blocking measures to restrict gambling offerings against the Lotteries Act.

25.5.2018 | The European Commission will carry out a Schengen evaluation in Finland between May and June 2018. The evaluation teams coordinated by the Commission will visit Finnish authorities and evaluate whether the Schengen acquis is being applied correctly in all of its areas.

19.3.2019 | On 19 March, Parliament adopted a government proposal to amend the Firearms Act and the Act on Voluntary National Defence. The amendments will introduce the changes required by the EU Firearms Directive into Finnish legislation. The amendments will enter into force as soon as possible.

11.6.2020 | On 11 June, the Government outlined its proposal that border control will continue partially at internal borders and external border traffic will continue to be restricted until 14 July 2020. The restrictions will continue to the extent that they are considered mandatory due to a serious threat posed by the epidemiological situation. The Government will take the decision on this matter in its plenary session on 12 June.