About: Finland Archives

Sweden has revealed plans to introduce a new bank tax to fund the country's future increase in defence spending from 2022, as it revamps efforts to counter Russia’s military build-up in the Baltic Sea region.

President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday (21 August) that the United States was in a position to deploy a new land-based cruise missile in Romania and Poland and that Russia considered that a threat which it would have to respond to.

In July, a spat broke out between Hungary and Finland, which took over the EU's rotating Council presidency Romania and with its program quickly became a new enemy for Budapest.

"A sustainable Europe - a sustainable future". This is Finland's motto to kickstart its presidency in the European Council for the next six months. The Finnish programme seeks to achieve climate neutrality by 2050 at the latest, expand the digital internal market and strengthen military cooperation. EURACTIV Germany reports. 

The goals of the new Finnish EU Presidency include a socially, ecologically and economically sustainable EU, the same priorities as its domestic agenda, writes Kaisa Penny.

Finland will push for a review of the bloc’s internal security strategy to better face new challenges including hybrid threats, Finnish ministers explained on Thursday (27 June), as the country geared up to start its six-month-stint at the helm of the EU's rotating presidency.

On the eve of assuming the EU's rotating presidency, the new centre-left Prime Minister of Finland, Antti Rinne, accepted on Wednesday (26 June) the possibility of a “small” eurozone budget to support investments, as long as it remains part of the EU’s long-term spending plans.

Finland’s new government said on Monday (4 June) the country will aim to cut its carbon emissions completely by 2035. The Nordic nation will take over the rotating EU presidency in July, with an ambitious pan-European climate deal still left on the negotiating table.

Finland joined the EU together with its neighbour Sweden in 1995, turning away from its former foreign policy of  Finlandisation, in which it was forced to accept certain measures of Soviet influence on their domestic governance and foreign policy to maintain sovereignty.

At a meeting of the Arctic Council, secretary of state Mike Pompeo refused to identify global warming as a threat, instead hailing an oil rush as sea ice melts. EURACTIV's media partner Climate Home News reports.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday (6 May) that Russia is behaving aggressively in the Arctic and China’s actions there had to be watched closely as well, amid growing divisions in the polar region over global warming and access to minerals.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will meet the German and British leaders this month facing a raft of trans-Atlantic disputes, on a trip that will also affirm US interests in the Arctic.

The performance of the far-right in Finland's elections has shown the strength of anti-immigrant parties across the continent, just over a month before the European parliament elections. The Finns Party strengthened their position in the country's Parliament under the leadership of …

Finland's leftist Social Democrat party (SDP) leader Antti Rinne has declared victory in Sunday's general election. But it was one of the closest wins he could possibly get.

Jussi Halla-aho, whose nationalist Finns Party only narrowly failed to clinch victory in Finland's parliamentary election, is a former medieval language lecturer turned hardline MEP and vehement critic of immigration and Islam.

The German crowdfunding project "Mein Grundeinkommen” (my basic income) has already funded 300 people who have benefitted from a monthly income of €1,000 for a year and 13 Departments in France are eager to introduce such a financial subsidy. EURACTIV Germany reports.

The Arctic region’s co-operation in the battle against global warming by reducing black carbon emissions is being hampered by the United States and Russia, the Finnish foreign ministry said on Wednesday (20 March).

Finland’s government resigned on Friday (8 march) after ditching plans to reform the healthcare system, a key policy, the Finnish president’s office said, throwing the country into political limbo.

The Arctic has so far been largely conflict-free. If this ever changes, it will probably be the result of a spillover from other parts of the world, Arctic expert Svein Rottem told EURACTIV.com in an interview, in which he spoke about Arctic governance and the EU’s role in the region.

Northern Europe's indigenous Arctic people battle to maintain traditions as their culture and age-old way of life is increasingly threatened by climate change and globalisation.

Democratic forces of Europe will win back the trust of the people by making decisions and by implementing them, at home and here in Brussels, Finland’s Juha Sipilä on Thursday (31 January) told EU lawmakers in Brussels.

In a meeting in Paris on Wednesday (7 November), the nine ministers from the member countries of European Intervention Initiative (EI2) welcomed Finland as the tenth participant. The group’s objective is to promote Europe’s strategic autonomy in security and defence. EURACTIV France reports.

After serving his country as a minister and prime minister, and gaining first-hand experience in dealing with some of the EU's biggest crises, Alexander Stubb is now vying for the top job in the European Commission. He presented his credentials during an interview with EURACTIV.

Estonia and Finland will start exchanging digital prescriptions at the end of the year, in a groundbreaking move that Estonian Health Minister Riina Sikkut said she hoped other EU countries will follow.