Nordics & Baltics
Swedish-Israeli relations warming up
After a seven-year hiatus, Sweden and Israel are on speaking terms again as the two countries may open a new chapter in their relations ahead of the Malmo International Forum on Holocaust Remembrance and Combating Anti-Semitism. Strained relations between the...
US, Russia hold first post-Afghanistan talks in Helsinki
US General, Mark Milley, chair of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Russian General Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian General Staff, held a six-hour-long meeting in Helsinki on Wednesday, in the first face-to-face meeting between them since 2019....
Finland’s purchase of new fighter jets could get political
The choice between five bidders offering 64 fighter planes to replace Finland’s current Hornet fleet at a €9.4 billion price tag has become increasingly political for the government after Australia scrapped a submarine order with Paris in favour of a deal...
Swedish minority government proposes generous budget
The red and green minority government of social democrats and greens has announced a budget bill for 2022, which provides another shot in the arm for the economy already seeing a strong recovery. The estimated growth for Sweden’s economy this...
EU should stay away from Finnish forests
Forestry should be based on local conditions and knowhow in each member state, the Finnish government’s ministerial committee on EU affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Sanna Marin, said on Friday, highlighting that forest policy belongs to the competences of member...
New Defence Report puts new focus on cyberspace and the Arctic
According to the government’s new Defence Report, Finland’s defence environment is “tense” and “difficult to predict”. Cyber and information environments and space are lifted as areas next to traditional land, sea and air. The superpower activity in the Arctic is...
The Greens ready to legalise cannabis
The virtual party conference of the Greens was expected to be all about climate. But two votes can make all the difference. Somewhat unexpectedly, the party approved by a margin of 183 and 181 the initiative to decriminalise the manufacture,...
Lithuanian PM: Refugee situation at Belarus border stable
Although more than 3,000 primarily Iraqi refugees flown in by the Belarus regime were in Lithuanian custody, the situation is now relatively stable, Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė told journalists at the European People’s Party (EPP) congress on Thursday in...
Finnish government survives internal row over emissions slashing plan
A compromise was finally reached Thursday after the Greens and the Centre Party – who are part of the five-party government and have a strong affiliation to the agriculture sector – could not agree on how to finance the country’s...
Estonia fortifies its border with Russia
Estonia is constructing a new steel fence on its southeast border facing Russia, following steps other Baltic countries and Poland have already taken to ‘fortify’ their borders. In a secretive project, Estonia is close to finishing the first 23 kilometres...
Finnish government launches new COVID-19 strategy to open society
The five-party government has launched a new COVID-19 hybrid strategy that aims to have all restrictions lifted once 80% of the population is fully vaccinated, the government announced on Monday. Rather than subject people to testing, tracking and going into...
Norwegian newspaper challenges Russian censorship
Norwegian online newspaper Barents Observer has launched its own channel on the Telegram messaging app popular among Russians, in a bid to retain its readership there. The English and Russian-language newspaper has been targeted several times by Russian authorities since...
Non NATO-member Sweden rejects EU rapid reaction force
***This article has been updated with a quote from the minister. The proposal made by EU defence ministers of a European rapid reaction force to respond quickly to crises in the wake of the Afghanistan crisis has not been welcomed...
Gun violence becoming ‘new normal’ in Sweden
Stockholm was again a scene for lethal gun violence at the end of August as four separate shootings in the capital left one person dead and another seriously wounded – incidents so common the Swedish media is talking of a...
Mayor: Helsinki could be an English-speaking city
Helsinki could declare itself an English-speaking city, Helsinki’s new Mayor, Juhana Vartiainen, has suggested as the country continues to debate the worsening shortage of skilled workers on the labour market which could heavily hamper the recovery from the pandemic. Immigration...
Alar Karis elected Estonia’s new president
Alar Karis was elected Estonia’s president on Tuesday after receiving the required two-thirds majority in parliament during a second round of voting. The 63-year-old former rector of the Tartu University and the Estonian University of Life Sciences and a former...
French infrastructure company acquires strong foothold in Northern market
French company Colas has acquired Destia, Finland’s largest infrastructure company from family-owned investment company Ahlström Capital Group for an undisclosed amount. The transaction has been hailed by both sides as a win-win arrangement as it remains to be approved by the relevant competition...
Estonia needs a second ballot to elect a president
Alar Karis, the only candidate nominated in Estonia’s presidential election has failed to get the votes in the parliament needed to become the republic’s ceremonial president. In the first round of voting on Monday, Alar Karis, the director of the...
Finland set to ban therapies aimed at converting gay and transgender people
A citizens’ initiative to ban sexual orientation and gender identification conversion therapy is moving forward to being considered by parliament after it gathered the needed 50,000 signatures within only a month. In all likelihood, such therapies will be prohibited and...
Estonia to elect new president
Estonia on Monday is set to elect a new president to succeed Kersti Kaljulaid, who has been in office for the last five years. Presidential candidates are selected by political parties in the 101-seat parliament, Riigikogu. A candidate needs the...
Finnish, German defence forces test cooperation between manned, unmanned aircraft
The Finnish and German defence administrations are together investigating the cooperation of manned and unmanned weapons systems and platforms in various situations. The first tests and flight demonstrations carried out by the two countries’ armed forces took place in the...
Lithuania accuses Belarus of border violations
A dozen Belarusian officers in riot gear illegally crossed into Lithuanian territory on Tuesday (17 August) while pushing a group of Iraqi migrants over the border, Lithuania's border guard service said.
Lithuanian MPs call for tightening Europe’s ‘too liberal’ migration rules
Two Lithuanian parliamentary committees have suggested pushing for tighter EU immigration policies, calling on Lithuania’s foreign ministry to draft proposals and initiate discussions in Brussels, BNS reported. The initiative comes in reaction to a recent spike in irregular migration to...