Summary: The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health wants travellers arriving in Finland to continue getting two Covid tests.

Public health institute THL has criticised plans by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health to ask Parliament to continue travel restrictions for inbound travellers through the end of the year.
 These include demanding travellers get two Covid tests if they're unvaccinated.
 Mika Salminen , the THL's health security director, said people exposed to coronavirus do not risk broadly spreading the virus once 80 percent of people in Finland are fully vaccinated, a target Finland has set for October.
 He pointed out that the situation was different before the vaccine rollout.
 "The thinking here must have been that we could prevent the spread of new variants in Finland. But variants haven't been prevented elsewhere either and have arrived in Finland anyway," Salminen said.
 Markus Lohi  (Cen), chair of Parliament's Social Affairs and Health Committee, also criticised the fact that improved vaccine coverage in Finland has not translated into the lifting of restrictions for travellers coming to Finland.
 Current rules for travellers arriving in Finland are valid through mid-October. These include two Covid tests for those lacking a vaccine certificate or proof of having recovered from Covid-19 in the past six months. Travellers must get an initial test in their home country or immediately upon arrival in Finland, as well as a second test in Finland three to five days later.
 "It's difficult to understand why we would test everyone coming here," Lohi said.
 Sanna Kärkkäinen  of Visit Rovaniemi said it would be a giant leap forward for the travel industry if Finland were to demand one test upon arrival from unvaccinated tourists, instead of two.
 She said EU citizens and British nationals make up the majority of international travellers headed to Finnish Lapland this winter.
 "The message to travellers would be simpler if we could say, 'you can come in with one test,' than to explain to them how they should get re-tested a few days later."

Government and health authority at odds over travel restrictions


Summary: MP Jussi Halla-aho told tabloid newspaper Iltalehti that he will not be back in Parliament until 3 October, but would not comment further.

The former chair of the Finns Party, MP  Jussi Halla-aho , has not participated in any parliamentary sessions for over four weeks, tabloid newspaper Iltalehti has reported.
 IL wrote that Halla-aho has been absent from all nine of Parliament's plenary sessions since the end of last month, and during this time has also missed meetings of Parliament's Grand Committee — which discusses legislative, budget and treaty issues relating to the EU — as well as those of the Administrative Committee.
 The former Finns Party leader's absence has also been noted in the minutes of Parliament.
 Halla-aho confirmed to Iltalehti that he is on sick leave until 3 October, but he was not willing to comment further.
 Halla-aho last attended a plenary session on 20 August, when Parliament met to discuss the  deployment of the Finnish Defence Forces  for a security operation in the area surrounding Kabul International Airport in Afghanistan.
 In June, the then-leader of the populist Finns Party  caused a stir  when he unexpectedly announced that he was not planning to seek re-election to the role of party chair. Kirkkonummi MP  Riikka Purra  was subsequently  elected leader of the party  at a summer congress in the city of Seinäjoki on 14 August.

Iltalehti: Former Finns Party leader on sick leave


Summary: The pilots' union argues that the company has violated the terms of the collective agreement by unilaterally making changes.

Finland's national airline Finnair is in dispute with the Finnish Air Line Pilots' Association over changes the company made to pilots' working hours and per diem payments.
 The airline is also facing a similar feud with the Transport Workers’ Union AKT, which represents cabin crew.
 "At the moment, we have disagreements with Finnair over two issues," the pilots' union chair  Pekka Erkama  told Yle. "The first is that Finnair has cut the daily allowances of pilots and cabin crew staff. The second relates to a change in work routines, in which routines previously carried out during working hours have been transferred to leisure time. Finnair has made changes to both unilaterally, without negotiations."
 Pilots signed a collective agreement in the spring, Erkama said, after which these changes were introduced by Finnair.
 "It is a violation of both the pilots' employment contracts and the collective agreements," he said, adding that the per diem allowance has been paid under the collective agreement for decades, in accordance with the regulation established by the tax administration.
 "This was changed unilaterally by the employer shortly after the conclusion of the collective agreement. For us, this must be agreed between the parties, and cannot be changed unilaterally," Erkama said.
 The change to work routines means that a pilot's shift begins when they arrive at the gate to board the plane. For decades, according to Erkama, the practice has been that the pilots' work time also included coming to the airport, preparing for the flight in a preparation room, and boarding the plane through passport control and security checks.
 This is clear from the employment contract, he added.
 "Some of the routine is now transferred to the pilots' leisure time," he said. "These matters should have been the subject of co-determination negotiations, as is required for changes in employment contracts, and they have not taken place," Erkama said.
 "The company is trying to make savings by transferring work tasks to leisure time."
 Finnair: We fully comply with collective agreements
 Jari Paajanen , Finnair's Vice President of Flight Operations, told Yle that the airline fully complies with the collective employment agreements of all personnel groups, including pilots.
 "So we are following the collective agreement negotiated in the spring," Paajanen said.
 He added that it is difficult to comment on the pilots' point of view, but he emphasised that Finnair is committed to complying with the collective agreement regarding both of the issues in dispute, working hours and the daily allowance payments.
 "The daily allowance is still paid for additional expenses incurred during a business trip, such as meals. This is also in line with the tax administration's guidelines. We therefore fully comply with the records and policies of the collective agreement," Paajanen said.
 The changes to the work routines have been made possible by a change in processes, he added, as cabin crew now check in at the departure gate or on the aircraft instead of as previously via the operations centre.
 This is made possible by mobile devices and the digitalisation of the flight preparation process: crew can now prepare for a flight anywhere and no paperwork is needed. The operating model has been used in the past at all other destinations to which Finnair flies, and in Helsinki since the beginning of June.
 "There has been no change in working hours - the pilot's working hours will continue to start 60 minutes before the departure time of the aircraft, as stated in the collective agreement. Instead, the work now begins in a different place than before," Paajanen explained. "Digital tools enable pilots to prepare for flights regardless of time and place."
 Paajanen conceded that the need to make savings was a reason for the introduction of the changes.
 "Finnair is in a rather critical state financially and we are examining very carefully various process changes and cost items that would bring us savings," he said, adding that the company does not feel that it is necessary to negotiate further on these issues.
 "As an employer, we do not really see any reason to negotiate this. The issue has been addressed throughout the spring when the collective agreement was negotiated. Of course, we will continue the dialogue," he said, emphasising that the savings initiatives introduced during the last year and a half have all been agreed with the pilots.
 "We have had big austerity programmes, and we have reached a consensus in all negotiations. We all hope for a rapid recovery of air traffic, which will enable pilots to return to work as quickly as possible," Paajanen said.
 Pilots: Legal options are available
 According to Erkama of the pilots' union, commercial pilots are currently investigating the legality of Finnair's interpretations and actions by "legal means".
 "We start from the fact that things will be resolved along legal routes and solutions will be found on how to act in this situation. I’m not going to go into more detail about what these are," he said.
 "An opinion has been requested from the Labour Council [an independent special authority under the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment] on the working time issue. We will move forward with the other things when we are ready. The company didn’t want to negotiate these things, so we won’t be able to take things further with them," Erkama said, adding that so far the pilots have been flexible and ready to reach agreements.
 Story continues after the photo.
 File photo of a Finnair pilot simulation training programme. Jorge Gonzalez / Yle
 It has always been possible to agree on areas to make savings, when necessary, he said.
 "Significant savings and flexibility have been agreed during the coronavirus crisis, which has enabled Finnair to operate under these exceptional circumstances. The latest collective agreement also includes structural changes that will enable the company to operate after the crisis. The aviation industry is going through a historical crisis and it is understandable that the airlines' finances are tight. Savings are sought everywhere," Erkama said, adding that Finnair's actions in this situation have "undermined confidence in the company" as a negotiating partner.
 Cabin crew also challenge changes
 According to the AKT union, which represents flight attendants and stewards, Finnair is also violating the terms of their collective agreement that is valid until January 2022.
 The union has challenged the airline on this issue and it will be resolved by the Labour Court.
 According to Finnair's new interpretation of the terms of the agreement, per diem allowance is paid to cabin crew only when they stay overnight at the destination. Crew do not receive daily allowances for domestic flights, nor from flights to European destinations if they do not stay overnight, according to  Marianne Arteva  of Finnish Cabin Crew Association (SLSY).
 The reason for the change is a new process in which working hours are recorded using mobile devices,  Eveliina Huurre , Vice President of Finnair's Inflight Experience, told Yle.
 This is the source of the dispute, Huurre added.
 The collective agreement for cabin crew is valid until January 2022. The collective agreement for pilots was signed in April and is valid for three and a half years.

Finnair in dispute with pilots over changes to working hours, daily allowances


Summary: Protestors called for an end to the vaccination of children as well as demonstrating against the possible introduction of Covid passports.

An estimated 1,300 people took part in a demonstration against coronavirus vaccinations in downtown Helsinki on Saturday afternoon and evening.
 Organisers of the "freedom to choose" demonstration said they were protesting against Covid passports and the vaccination of minors.
 Story continues after the photo.
 Protestors gathered outside Parliament buildings in downtown Helsinki on Saturday afternoon. Mikko Ahmajärvi / Yle
 Protestors initially gathered outside Parliament buildings before later moving to Esplanade Park. Police said the demonstration was peaceful and ended at about 6.30pm.
 The protest in Helsinki was part of an international series of demonstrations, with similar events held elsewhere around the world. Aside from demanding an end to the vaccination of children, protestors also called for the eradication of other measures such as coronavirus testing and the possible introduction of a Covid passport.
 "I have come here just because I oppose these coronavirus vaccinations, tests and passports. I think taking the vaccine should be voluntary, and it should be reported as it really is," protestor  Leena Ahola  said.
 Story continues after the photo.
 Protestor Leena Ahola. Mikko Ahmajärvi / Yle
 In Finland, taking a coronavirus vaccine is a voluntary choice. Ahola told Yle that she has not taken the vaccine because she believes it is a hoax.
 There is more information on the safety of coronavirus vaccines used in Finland  on the website  of the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare THL.

Over 1,000 people attend anti-vaccine protest in Helsinki


Summary: One morning paper reports that last year, 80 percent of people in Finland received some type of public financial support.

Helsinki daily  Helsingin Sanomat  writes that last year approximately 4.4 million people in Finland received benefits paid out by the Social Insurance Institution Kela. This means that 80 percent of the population received some form of public financial support.
 This figure recently came in discussions when  Mikko Kautto , Managing Director of the Finnish Centre for Pensions, criticised the current benefits model in an interview with Helsingin Sanomat. According to Kauto, Finland has become a country of income transfers and these ever-increasing expenditures threaten the welfare state.
 "Suddenly, 80 percent sounds like a really big number. Is the welfare state a failure if so many turn to it for help?" asks the paper.
 Minna van Gerven , Professor of Social Policy at the University of Helsinki says it is not, rather the opposite is true.
 "The Finnish welfare state is based on the Nordic universal model, which covers everything from cradle to grave. In fact, the figure could be even higher. It could be a hundred percent," van Gerven says.
 She added that two different things are easily confused in the debate - the fact that some people's livelihoods depend entirely on Kela benefits, and that extensive benefits are part of the Nordic welfare state.
 "Everyone pays and everyone gets. That is what makes this model equitable and workable," van Gerven argues.
 Kela provides many general benefits, such as child benefits and reimbursing medical costs. These are paid to everyone, regardless of income level.
 Those entirely dependent on Kela benefits are  some pensioners  and people receiving unemployment payments.
 Sickness benefits are by far the most common benefit paid by Kela. Most medical reimbursements are paid for spending on medication. Last year, almost three million people in Finland received drug-cost reimbursements from Kela.
 Another similar common payment is the child benefit, which is paid to all families with minor children, regardless of income level. Last year,  child benefits  were paid to about half a million families.
 Income-independent benefits have traditionally been thought to strengthen the welfare state.
 "When you yourself benefit from the welfare state, it may strengthen your willingness to pay taxes," points out Kela Senior Researcher  Signe Jauhiainen .
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 Expanded services for victims of sexual assault
 The number of support centres for victims of sexual violence is being more than doubled, according to a syndicated article carried by several papers, including Jyväskylä's  Keskisuomalainen .
 At present there are ten units, known as "Seri Support Centres for Victims of Sexual Assault" at university or other large hospitals.
 THL specialist  Katriina Bildjuschkin  says that in the future, there will be additional support available in 13 new locations, including Joensuu, Jyväskylä, Kotka, Lahti and Mikkeli.
 The first Seri Support Centre was established at Helsinki University Hospital in 2017. Since then, centres have also opened in Kokkola, Kuopio, Lappeenranta, Oulu, Pori, Rovaniemi, Seinäjoki, Tampere and Turku.
 These centres are for people over the age of 16, regardless of gender, for cases in which no more than a month has passed since an incident of sexual violence. The service is free of charge.
 A large proportion of those seeking support are younger women. According to Bildjuschkin, there was a sharp rise over the summer months,
 "As soon as restaurants and other public events were opened, the number of clients at the Seri support centres increased," she explained.
 In contrast, in the spring of 2020, during after closures due to the coronavirus pandemic, there was a decline. This is despite the fact that intimate partner violence is estimated to have increased at the time.
 It is believed that half of incidents of serious violence inflicted by partners in relationships involves sexual violence.
 In addition to those who experience violence in relationships, Bildjuschkin believes that people of immigrant background, members of various minority groups, and men and boys are all groups that need to be better reached by these support services.
 Big winter power bills
 The Tampere-based daily  Aamulehti carries a head-up  from  Jukka Ruusunen , CEO of the electricity transmission grid company Fingrid, that electricity bills this coming winter could be unusually large, especially if norther Norway doesn't get above-average levels of rainfall soon.
 The price of electricity on the Nordic electricity exchange has fluctuated at an exceptionally high level recently, which is due, among other things, to the low level of rainfall in the region last summer. As water reserves have been lower than normal, the output of Norwegian hydropower plants, which are crucial to Nordic electricity production, threatens to be lower than normal.
 German energy policy is also having an impact. The Nordic electricity market is now more closely linked to the central European market through new transmission connections. Central Europe is still highly dependent on fossil fuels, and higher prices for those fuels may be reflected in Finland.
 In order to avoid huge electricity bills, consumers should pay attention to their use of the most electricity-intensive devices in their homes, such as electric heaters, advises  Päivi Suur-Uski , an expert at the state sustainability-focused company Motiva.
 "If you can tweak the electric sauna's operating time even a little, you will be able to lower your electricity bill quite effectively," Suur-Uski says, but at the same time calls for accuracy with all other electrical devices.
 In addition to the day-to-day use of electrical equipment, Suur-Uski points out that consumers can most easily cut electricity bills by purchasing low-power consuming devices..
 Waiting to name baby
 The farmers' union paper,  Maaseudun Tulevaisuus  provides readers with what may be yet one more reason for Finnish people being, as famously put by  Bertolt Brecht , the only nation that is "silent in two languages".
 In most western countries and cultures parents are happy to share the name chosen for  a newborn  with family and friends, sometime well in advance of its arrival.
 Not so in Finland. Here is it more customary to keep a child's name under wraps until it is first pronounced in church at the baptismal font, when the child is already weeks, sometimes months old.
 Pastor  Jenni Kahenvirta  of the Mikael parish in Helsinki tells Maaseudun Tulevaisuus that while many Finns themselves think this is a requirement of some sort, in fact it is an old Finnish folk custom, not a Christian tradition, as such.
 However, since new members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church have traditionally been baptised as infants, the disclosure of a child's name has been used in Finland to be specifically associated with baptism and Christianity.
 This Finnish-style name secrecy would not even be possible in many other countries, Kahenvirta points out, "Often the child's name has to be registered in the maternity hospital, but in Finland you get some time to think."
 There is another reason, though, she explains , "In the old days, people believed, for example, that if the [child's] name is revealed before baptism, the child will become talkative. These folk beliefs are not well remembered today, but the custom has survived."

Monday's papers: Income transfers, more help for sexual assault victims, baby names


Summary: An estimated 16 percent of patients that have been treated in intensive care units in Finland have died, according to the latest figures.

The number of coronavirus patients in need of intensive care treatment in Finland has remained "stubbornly high" since the summer, according to a specialist report, despite the steady progress of vaccination coverage.
 The latest report from the Finnish Coordination Office for Coronavirus Treatment has revealed that the number of patients in need of intensive care jumped in August from about 10 to just over 30 patients.
 "In recent weeks, the number of patients [in intensive care units] has remained stubbornly high, at between 20 and 30 patients," Professor  Matti Reinikainen  of the coordination office told Yle.
 Currently there are 29 patients being treated in intensive care units across the country, according to the  latest figures  provided by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare THL.
 Reinikainen added that the future need for intensive care treatment will be substantially affected by the number of unvaccinated people in the population.
 "If unvaccinated people spread the epidemic, the need for intensive care may increase significantly," he said, adding that there are two main reasons for concern: the virus is directly life-threatening for some people, and as restrictions are lifted, contacts will increase.
 "If the number of unvaccinated people remains high, serious cases of the disease can also occur," he pointed out.
 "The end is not yet in sight"
 According to the government's latest guidelines, the most important indicators for monitoring the epidemic include monitoring the number of hospital and intensive care patients instead of daily infection rates. This practice was changed because vaccination coverage should reduce the number of more serious forms of the disease.
 However, Reinikainen told Yle that the need for intensive care has not yet decreased as fast as had been hoped.
 "And the end of this need is not yet in sight," he said, emphasising that this could impact when restrictions are fully lifted and life returns to normality.
 The government has stated that restrictions could be extensively lifted as early as October, in line with the projected increase in vaccination coverage. The goal set by the government for this to happen is 80 percent vaccination coverage for the population aged 12 years and over.
 "There is still plenty of work to be done, because the virus can spread quickly even within localised clusters," Reinikainen said, citing the return of football fans from Russia in June as an example of how the  situation can deteriorate rapidly  due to clusters of infections.
 An estimated 16 percent of patients that have been treated in intensive care units in Finland have died, according to figures provided by the Coordination Office for Coronavirus Treatment.
 "There are also young adults among them," Reinikainen added.

Report: Number of Covid patients in intensive care remains "stubbornly" high


Summary: The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health said that vaccine coverage should reach the government's target by the middle of next month.

The nationwide recommendation for people to work remotely where possible should end on 15 October, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health have proposed in a joint press release.
 The proposal further suggests that a return to workplaces could begin earlier, depending on risk assessments and each region's epidemiological situation.
 "Extending the recommendation on remote work until mid-October gives workplaces, in consultation with employees, an opportunity to flexibly transition to an increasingly hybrid model that combines remote and in-office work," the statement said.
 The ministries stated that by the middle of next month vaccine coverage would be close to the government's  target for 80 percent  of the population aged 12 and over to be fully-vaccinated, allowing people to return to workplaces.
 Therefore, employers should begin preparing for workers to combine on-site and remote working, the ministries said.
 If the telecommuting recommendation does end, employers will assume more responsibility for occupational health and safety, they added.
 "With more people present in the workplace, protection against the coronavirus will continue to be necessary," the statement said.
 The ministries added that the proposal was based on assessments provided by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare THL and the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health.

Remote work recommendation to end in October, ministries propose


Summary: The end of limits on public gatherings in Uusimaa on 1 October means the whole of Finland will be free of restrictions on assembly.

Restrictions on gatherings and public events in Uusimaa will end next week, the Southern Finland Regional State Administrative Agency (Avi) has announced.
 The Southern Finland Avi took the decision after the Helsinki Metropolitan Area Coronavirus Coordination Group proposed allowing the current limits on gatherings to expire on 30 September.
 Once Uusimaa's restrictions end on Friday 1 October, there will no longer be any limits on assembly imposed by Regional State Administrative Agencies in any part of Finland.
 Current recommendations on remote working and mask wearing will remain in place, as will hygiene requirements for indoor venues, the Southern Finland Avi said.
 This means that indoor facilities like shopping centres, sports facilities, museums, theatres and libraries will still have to provide hand disinfection facilities and ensure that service users and customers are kept as far apart as reasonably possible, the Avi said.
 The capital region's Covid coordination group had asked for swimming pools, gyms and group exercise classes to be exempted from safety distance requirements and other measures from the beginning of October.
 Improving situation
 Helsinki and Uusimaa Hospital District's (HUS) acting chief medical officer  Jari Petäjä  said on Tuesday that the capital region's coordination group made the decision to call for the ending of the restrictions because of the improving pandemic situation in and around Helsinki.
 The number of coronavirus-infected people requiring hospital care has remained at a relatively low level for a sustained period of time, Petäjä said.
 "Five or fewer than five patients have needed intensive care in recent days, and there have been just over 20 [coronavirus] patients in the wards," he said, adding that the current numbers are easily manageable by the HUS system.

Confirmed: Uusimaa Covid-19 gathering restrictions end next week


Summary: The Finnish Financial Ombudsman Bureau has been dealing with a growing number of cases in which victims of phishing scams want banks to carry some some of the responsibility for their losses.

The national Financial Ombudsman Bureau (FINE) has resolved some 20 disputes so far this year involving members of the public who have fallen victim to phishing scams, which redirect users to fake banking sites in order to steal their account login details.
 Non-binding decisions have been issued, some which rule in favour of clients, but others have freed banks of responsibility for losses.
 According to the Financial Ombudsman Bureau, the customers have indisputably been the victims of a crime, but the decisive factor in the division of responsibilities between the customer and the bank is how carefully the customer has acted with regard to maintaining the security and secure use of his or her bank card and account identification information.
 "If a customer is considered to have acted with gross negligence, the losses will also be borne by the customer,"  Tuomas Hidé , the head of FINE's insurance and finance advisory service explained in a press release on Monday.
 The bureau has also ruled on several cases of phishing scams involving emails purported to be from Microsoft.
 "It feels like we are in a constant race with scammers. The technical skills of criminals are evolving rapidly and with it the credibility of scams. Customers of all ages are being targeted, including people with a high degree of technical know-how. Some customers have lost large sums of money," Hidén said.
 The Finnish Financial Ombudsman Bureau is an independent body which is an alternative to the courts in resolving disputes. Its decisions are, however, non-binding.
 Hundreds of crime reports filed
 The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said in June that residents of Finland had lost millions of euros in cases of fraud in which scammers claim to represent banks. According to the NBI, fake websites resembling online banking are cleverly formulated and are often difficult to identify as a scam.
 Accessing one's online banking service via a search engine or other links should be avoided, they warned.
 "Looking up a bank's name with a search engine may not get genuine site results at all. Instead the search engine may offer a fake website as the top listing," explained Detective Chief Inspector  Petteri Laitila  of the National Bureau of Investigation.
 Police say that there was a surge in bank account phishing scams during the spring and summer months. Around 700 formal crime reports have been filed with the police with losses to the victims totalling close to seven million euros.

Millions lost to phishing scams – victims turn to arbitration


Summary: The price per square metre of the Logomo bridge is estimated to be about 28,000 euros, nearly three times the cost of similar projects.

A new pedestrian bridge in the city of Turku, which is three years behind schedule and set to be completed in the middle of October, will be the most expensive bridge in Finland in terms of price per square metre.
 The 140-metre-long, six-metres-wide bridge provides pedestrian access over rail tracks between the city centre and the Logomo concert and conference venue as well as nearby residential areas.
 The price per square metre is estimated to be about 28,000 euros.
 By comparison, the price per square metre of a conventional bridge is about 1,500–3,000 euros per square metre, according to  Markku Äijälä  of the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency.
 However, specialist bridges — such as the Logomo bridge, which boasts bronze coated gates and full height exterior wall glazing — tend to be more expensive, typically costing in the region of 10,000 euros per square metre.
 There is no comprehensive list of Finnish bridges and their costs, as each contract is different and may include other road, track or street work that affect the overall costs.
 Story continues after the photo.
 The Logomo bridge as photographed in August 2021. Arash  Matin / Yle
 The completion of the Logomo bridge has so far been delayed by about three years, mainly due to design problems.
 The City of Turku first made a decision on financing the construction in 2015, when a little over 5 million euros of public money was set aside for the project.
 The amount was increased after a design and tender process in 2017, when construction company the Lemminkäinen Group secured the contract with an estimate of 8.5 million euros. Lemminkäinen merged with the YIT Corporation in 2018, and work on the bridge has continued under this new corporate restructuring.
 Earlier this year, the city set a limit of 21.6 million euros for the project, with more than 10 million euros of this amount being allocated for costs associated with extra repair work and the delayed construction.
 Similar projects have been cheaper
 In general, the construction costs of bridges are rising, but the sharp increase in the cost of the Logomo bridge puts it in a class of its own.
 The Logomo bridge resembles the Tikkurila railway station bridge in Helsinki, which was completed in 2015 in line with the planned construction schedule of one year.
 The initial cost estimate for the Tikkurila bridge was 19 million euros, and the 28-metre-wide, 75-metre-long bridge eventually cost 23 million euros. The price per square meter was therefore 11,000 euros.
 Story continues after the photo.
 The bridge at Tikkurila train station cost about 11,000 euros per square metre. Eleni Paspatis / Yle
 The Isoisä pedestrian and cycling bridge, which connects the Kalasatama neighbourhood on the Helsinki mainland to the island of Mustikkamaa, is also comparative with the Logomo project.
 The Isoisä bridge was completed in 2016, less than two years after construction began. The bridge is 170 metres long and about four metres wide. The price rose from an estimate of about four million to seven million euros, giving it a final price per square metre cost of about 10,000 euros.
 Story continues after the photo.
 The Isoisä bridge was officially opened in 2016. Juhani Kenttämaa / Yle
 Another interesting comparison on the cost of building bridges can be found in Sweden.
 The 140-metre-long, 45-metre-wide  Guldbron  or "Golden Bridge" was built in China and then shipped to Sweden in one piece via the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean, through the English Channel and the Baltic Sea to Stockholm.
 Despite the costs associated with construction and shipping of the  Guldbron , the bridge still cost less than the Turku pedestrian bridge, at about 20 million euros, or just under 3,200 euros per square metre.

Turku bridge set to be Finland's most expensive per square metre - half of costs for repairs, delays


Summary: In Pori, the manual process of re-entering the document's data takes about an hour.

Many residents across Finland have started to notice errors in their digital EU Covid certificates which are available on the  MyKanta  public health care platform.
 In Helsinki, the mistakes include incorrectly spelled names or date of birth entries, according to Communications Manager of the City's Social Services and Health Care Sector,  Jaana Juutilainen-Saari .
 She said that Helsinki residents who notice mistakes in their certificate should return to the vaccination point they used, where staff can make corrections to the document, Svenska Yle reported on Monday.
 Because the correction process needs to be done manually, amending the documents takes time. Errors in the certificates have been reported in other municipalities, including Espoo, Porvoo and Pori.
 Residents who are planning to use the Covid certificates for a trip abroad are advised to double check the documents on the  MyKanta  website well before departure and to reach out to local health care services for guidance if any mistakes are found.
 Hundreds of people in Pori have found errors on their certificates, with dozens of requests to fix the documents coming in every week, according to the city's health and social services division controller,  Ilkka Manninen , who added that the process is not instantaneous.
 "It's all done by hand. The document's previous information is cleared and then re-entered into the system, including who administered the vaccine, where, when and which vaccine was given. If all goes well, fixing one [certificate] takes about an hour," Manninen explained.
 However, the process of correcting the documents varies in different areas of the country. Residents who need to have their certificates fixed should contact their local health care provider.

Corrections of typos, wrong dates needed in some of Finland's EU Covid certificates


Summary: The number of burglaries at Finnish holiday homes has fallen by more than 40 percent since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, as many telecommuting workers have spent more time in the countryside.

Telecommuting, closed borders and growing use of surveillance systems are all factors in the recent sharp drop in the number of burglaries targeting holiday homes, according to police.
 Nationwide, burglaries at cottages have fallen by more than 40 percent over the past year. In some regions burglaries are down 60 percent. However, there are a few areas showing an exception to the trend.
 In the regions of Eastern Uusimaa, Southwest Finland and Central Finland, fewer than half as many cottage burglaries were registered by the end of June than for the same period of time last year.
 "There are definitely many reasons. One of the biggest factors is that people have been telecommuting from their cottages for the last year and a half. As a result, they spend more time in residence," says Detective Inspector  Jarmo Katila  from the Southwest Finland Police Department.
 Story continues after the photo.
 Jarmo Katila of the Southwest Finland Police Department. Kati Rantala / Yle Pori
 According to Katila, an occupied summer cottage, or the presence of cottage neighbours, clearly reduces its attractiveness in the eyes of burglars.
 Border closures helped
 Police also believe that the closure of Finland's borders to regular levels of traffic as a measure to curb the spread of the coronavirus was another factor in the fall in the number of burglaries.
 "Internal EU border control was carried out until the end of July this year. Tighter border controls prevented foreign criminal elements from entering Finland," says Jarmo Katila.
 Leif Malmberg , of the Eastern Uusimaa Police Department, agrees with Katila's evaluation. He points to statistics showing that the total number of crimes against property committed by foreign nationals visiting Finland declined during the pandemic.
 Exception in Oulu area
 However, figures for holiday home burglaries in the Oulu area differ from the rest of the country, showing a slight increase.
 By the end of June, 41 cottage burglaries had been reported there, compared to 35 during the same period of 2020.
 But,  Janne Koskela , Director of the Crime Prevention Unit in Oulu, points out that the difference of six additional burglaries is actually quite small.
 According to Koskela, the slight spike in burglaries at holiday homes can be explained by the fact that this past spring there were two local individuals roaming the area and stealing items from summer cottages, including a snow blower, chainsaws, outboard motors and a boat.
 Statistically, Helsinki stands out with a grand total of four cases of holiday home burglaries between January and the end of June, a 100 percent increase from the two during the same period of last year.
 Better surveillance
 Growing numbers of Finnish summer cottages are nowadays equipped with some type of electronic security system.
 Hannu Tarkkio , Satakunta's managing director of security services says this is a result of our more connected world.
 "Cottages are now much better equipped in terms of electricity and telecommunications. As a result, installing a surveillance system is easier and cheaper," Tarkkio says.
 According to Tarkkio, cottage owners often want motion detectors with cameras in their security systems, as well as sensors that measure the cottage's temperature and humidity conditions.
 Story continues after the photo.
 Motion detectors and various sensors can be found in increasing numbers of summer cottages. Kati Rantala / Yle Pori
 Better security equipment is also making it easier for police to solve burglaries.
 "They [security systems] are being seen at more and more locations. For example, cameras can be crucial if they capture the face of the suspect or a vehicle registration number," says Jarmo Katila says.
 Story continues after the photo.
 Like many other cottage owners, Hannu Tarkkio has surveillance cameras to capture the images of unauthorized passers-by. Kati Rantala / Yle Pori
 According to Katila, even environmental monitoring systems can also be useful if windows are broken during the burglary. Sensors can notify the cottage owner of changes in humidity, allowing for a faster response.
 "Any damage will be lessened if the cottage is not left at the mercy of the weather and wild animals for a long time," reminds the points out.

Telecommuters have kept burglars at bay


Summary: The prosecution says the defendants lured the victim outside of his apartment by offering to buy drugs and then shot him as his young son watched the scene unfold from a window.

The murder trial of two men who stand accused of taking part in the shooting death of a 27-year-old man in the city of Järvenpää earlier this year began at Eastern Uusimaa District Court on Monday.
 The prosecutor said that the victim was  shot in broad daylight  in the courtyard of a Järvenpää apartment building on 26 May. The incident stemmed from a 150 euro drug deal the previous day, according to the prosecution.
 One of the defendants contacted the victim via a messaging app, saying he knew someone who wanted to buy drugs from him, according to court documents. The defendants had agreed together to contact the victim, the prosecution said.
 The defendant who sent the message arranged to meet the victim outside his apartment building in the city's Pajala neighbourhood. The pair, according to the prosecution, then drove to the apartment in Järvenpää, where the defendant who initially contacted the victim waited in the yard, so that he would not know the other defendant was there.
 The second defendant allegedly brought along an unregistered handgun to the scene.
 The charges state that the defendants made efforts to ensure that the victim came out from the apartment building.
 After the victim came outside, the man carrying the gun allegedly began threatening to shoot the victim. The victim then tried to grab the weapon, at which point the other defendant encouraged his accomplice to shoot him, the prosecution said.
 The first shot hit the victim in the palm, then the defendant fired a second, fatal shot. Prosecutors said the round caused the man to collapse to the ground and that the tips of the bullets they used had been hollowed out with a drill to cause more damage upon impact.
 The defendants then left the scene and returned to Kerava in the car, according to the prosecution.
 The prosecutor has demanded that the men each receive life sentences.
 Drug deal dispute
 The prosecutor told the court that the act was premeditated, and was carried out in a particularly brutal and cruel manner, because the victim's seven-year-old child witnessed the shooting from the fourth-floor window of the family's apartment.
 The two defendants, who both have previous criminal records, denied the charges of murder.
 In written testimony, the defendant who initially texted with the victim said that there was no common plan made to carry out violence against him. The defendant admitted that he had sent the message to the victim.
 The men also both face drug and firearms charges.
 According to both of the defendants, the purpose of the meeting was to sort out a disagreement about a previous drug deal.
 According to the prosecutor, the defendants had bought drugs from the victim the day before the shooting. But the drug parcel they received, which cost 150 euros, was not what not the substance that was agreed to and contained a cutting agent, according to the prosecutor.
 According to the defence, the fact that the shooting took place in the middle of the day suggested that the men did not plan to kill the victim.
 The defendant who is accused of shooting the victim said he took the gun along for intimidation purposes. The man who sent the victim messages said he was not aware that the other defendant had the gun with him and he also denied encouraging his accomplice to shoot the victim.
 The shooter said he panicked when the victim approached him. The shooter said he started walking away from the scene after his first shot hit the victim in the hand.
 He said that he thought he saw the victim reaching for something from his trouser leg, thinking that he had a gun and was going to shoot him, and then fired his second, fatal, shot.
 The defendants also claim that they did not know the victim lived in the apartment building and the defence said it was unclear how much of the course of events the victim's family could have seen from the window.
 The men were detained by police 6 June and ordered to be held on remand, under suspicion of murder. At the time of their detainment, one of the defendants was found with an unauthorised starting pistol and revolver.
 Yle reported at the time that the suspects had extensive rap sheets, including ties to the outlawed Cannonball motorcycle gang.

Murder trial begins: 2 accused in Järvenpää drug deal shooting


Summary: Transport workers have expressed concern about a move toward privatisation, which they say would undercut working contracts, quality and safety.

Two member associations of the public and welfare sector trade union JHL have called on police to investigate whether Helsinki's city transport authority HKL violated labour laws during cooperation negotiations held earlier this year.
 The Tram and Metro Staff Association JHL, which represents drivers, and the Helsinki Tram Workers JHL, which represents maintenance workers, submitted a request for an investigation to Helsinki police on Sunday 19 September.
 The case is related to the City of Helsinki's plans to incorporate the city transport authority HKL, but exclude the metro system. Staff representatives have argued that the most recent restructuring scheme does not correspond to what was agreed upon between city management and drivers' representatives in the cooperation negotiations this past spring.
 According to the Tram and Metro Staff Union's president,  Petri Lillqvist , staff did not learn until August that the incorporation plans did not include HKL's metro services and staff.
 "During the negotiations, staff were informed that HKL is to be incorporated as a single entity so that all business operations and personnel would be transferred to the new company. It was not until August that it became clear that the employer already knew in the spring that this would not happen," Lillqvist said.
 Details about the exclusion of the metro side of the business from the incorporated company should have been made known to employees, Lillqvist added, as the move will inevitably have an impact on staff.
 "I don't understand why the employer kept this a secret. It is better for the police to find out if procedures have been followed here or not," he said.
 Tram and metro drivers held a  two-day strike in protest against the incorporation plans  on Thursday and Friday of last week.

Transport unions accuse employer of withholding information, request police probe


Summary: Helsinki is keen to build more houses.

Helsingin Sanomat carries  a story  from the north Helsinki suburb of Pakila, outlining locals' concerns about plans to raise the density of housing there.
 The neighbourhood is currently home to mostly detached houses, with the plots owned by individual householders. The City of Helsinki has decided that those plots can now be used for two or three housing units, changing the look of the neighbourhood dramatically.
 Householders won't be forced to knock down their homes and build anew, but the financial incentives are clear. Selling one detached house brings in much less than three smaller terraced houses, even if they don't have much of a garden.
 The local residents association is concerned about the development.
 "Developers are hunting older detached homeowners like hawks," said  Raimo Rahkonen  of the Pakila association.
 Investors have even been known to go door to door in the neighbourhood seeking those who might want to sell up.
 Local estate agents tell HS that those who do stand to make some 325,000-500,000 euros from a standard 1,000 square metre plot of land, if they sold it for a rebuild.
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 Nordea problems
 Taloussanomat is  reporting  that Nordea has started to fix problems that manifested over the weekend, as some customers were charged twice for the same purchase.
 The bank's social media channels were flooded with complaints, with some customers' accounts emptied unexpectedly.
 MTV Uutiset  carried  a harrowing tale from  Maiju  in Lempäälä, who wrote on Facebook that she was unable to give her daughter mashed potatoes and fish fingers because of the bank's mixup.
 She's not alone. MTV reports that customers have seen their accounts go overdrawn, and only realised the problem when they tried to spend money they now — thanks to Nordea's issues — don't have.
 The bank's normal communication channels were also jammed, with an estimated wait of up to two days before an adviser is available via the online chat service.
 Nordea told MTV that the problem affects Nordea customers who used their bank cards over the weekend, and customers can seek compensation via the company's website.
 Electricity price jump
 Electricity prices are also on the news agenda. Southeastern daily Loviisan Sanomat and its stablemates run  a story  on a drop in transfer prices implemented by power firm Caruna.
 The company announced on Monday that customers in Espoo, Kauniainen, Kirkkonummi and Joensuu would see prices cut by 2.5 percent from November.
 The firm has been heavily criticised for previous price increases, so the reduction will be welcome.
 All the more so because the cost of power itself (as opposed to the transfer along cables run by Caruna) is set to increase.
 Taloussanomat  says  wholesale prices in January 2022 are set to be double what they were in January 2021. Taloussanomat says customers on fixed-price deals will weather that price spike best, and luckily enough some 90 percent of Finnish households have such agreements.
 Meanwhile Iltalehti  chimes  in on rising electricity prices, saying in an editorial that rules on fighting climate change are partly to blame for higher costs.
 The paper also lauds a consumer watchdog investigation into the market, and says Finland should be slower to give up more polluting forms of energy.

Tuesday's papers: Suburban angst, banking mistakes and electricity costs


Summary: The THL now says that children under 12 should stay home from school if they are suffering from symptoms, but don't always need to be tested.

The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) has updated its guidance around children under 12, who are not yet eligible to receive Covid vaccines in Finland.
 Those aged 12 or over should always seek a test if they are suffering from symptoms associated with Covid, according to THL.
 But the institute now says that children under 12 should stay home from school if they are suffering from symptoms, but don't always need to be tested.
 "Those with mild symptoms can stay home under observation without testing," said  Emmi Sarvikivi , a Chief Physician at THL. "Symptoms are mild when the child is bright and able to play, even though he or she has for example a runny nose, a temperature or a cough. They should however avoid contacts outside the family until symptoms have cleared up."
 Children can return to early education or school when they are clearly recovering, even before all symptoms have disappeared.
 "A new infection is always cause to stay home, but if symptoms have clearly reduced and the child is lively, he or she can return to school or daycare," said Sarvikivi. "As with other viral infections, with Covid infectiousness reduces quickly after the onset of symptoms, and an ongoing runny nose or cough doesn't change that."
 In daycare or school, an infection in the classroom setting is not regarded as exposing the whole class to Covid, according to THL.
 In those situations, contact tracers investigate to clarify who has been in closest contact and is at greatest risk of infection.
 "Previously in schools whole classes and groups have been quarantined based on the precautionary principle," said Sarvikivi. "The infection risk in schools has however been shown to be small. For example in the 2020-21 academic year only 1.9 percent of the 95,000 people exposed in daycare, school or another educational setting were infected."
 Others in the same premises are not regarded as exposed, unless they were sitting close to the infected individual. They can be informed that there is a small risk, and urged to get a test if they suffer from symptoms, according to THL.
 Final decisions on exposure and any necessary steps to take are taken by municipal or hospital district doctors, however.

THL updates guidance, kids can skip Covid tests in certain circumstances


Summary: A longtime Finnish foreign minister says the elections do not provide democratic legitimacy to Vladimir Putin's party.

Finnish politicians have followed Russia's contested election closely, with concerns expressed in Parliament's foreign affairs committee about the approval of candidates and limits on the activities of international observers.
 The three-day election concluded on Sunday, with official results showing President  Vladimir Putin's  United Russia party taking nearly half of the vote and two-thirds of the seats in the Russian Duma (parliament).
 Key opposition figures were  banned from running in the elections , and there were reports of ballot-stuffing and voter intimidation.
 The Finnish Parliament's foreign affairs committee's chair,  Mika Niikko  (Finns), says Russia could be moving further away from the west.
 "The elections surely raise concerns among everyone about democracy," said Niikko. "And of course it is also concerning that Europeans are less and less interested in Russia."
 Election observers' activities have been limited by Russian officials citing the Covid pandemic, with the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) eventually deciding not to send observers.
 "At first election observers were shown the green light," said Niikko. Then there was a U-turn just before the election, with only a small group allowed in."
 The EU has also criticised an "atmosphere of intimidation" in the lead-up to the election, and criticised Russia's actions around election observers.
 Niikko says he is also concerned about media reports of election irregularities, and limits on social media in Russia.
 Google and Android removed apps endorsed by opposition leader  Alexei Navalny  designed to guide voters to the opposition candidate most likely to win in their regions, while YouTube also removed Navalny videos ahead of the election.
 Tuomioja: Putin's party does not have the people's support
 Erkki Tuomioja  (SDP), a former long-time foreign minister and the current vice-chair of the foreign affairs committee, joined the criticism.
 He said Russia's electoral system lacks democratic legitimacy.
 "These elections cannot in any way be considered honest and free, starting from the candidate registration process, which excluded large numbers of candidates from running," said Tuomioja.
 Tuomioja drew attention to the low turnout numbers and the communists' improved support. People did not vote in large numbers even though employers bussed many of their workers to polling stations.
 "The only conclusion to draw is that Putin's government and his party don't have a lot of legitimacy and real support from the people," said Tuomioja.
 "It's interesting to note that even the communists are already accusing the election authorities of cheating," he added.
 Observers from the European Council were on hand, and they will publish their own report on the election in due course.
 The European Parliament has said it will not recognise the new Russian Duma if too many election irregularities are proven.
 Tuomioja said that despite the problems, Finland will have to work with the new parliament over the eastern border.
 "We had businesslike relations even during the Soviet Union, so of course they will continue with this administration too, but it doesn't have any kind of democratic legitimacy," said Tuomioja.
 NCP's Virolainen: Opposition voice isn't heard in Russia
 Anne-Mari Virolainen  (NCP), another member of Parliament's foreign affairs committee, says she is not surprised by the results of the election.
 "Turnout seems to have remained surprisingly low, even though people were pressured to vote," said Virolainen.
 Virolainen also drew attention to the candidate registration issues.
 "The process was such that real opposition voices were not allowed to be heard, because everyone who has criticised the current leadership was barred from running," she said.
 Virolainen said the election makes co-operation with the Finnish Parliament more difficult.
 "It will surely be pretty difficult, as we cannot trust that these people have been genuinely and democratically elected to these roles," said Virolainen.
 "This is surely a slightly bigger discussion than just whether or not we can work with the Russian Duma," said Virolainen.
 The opposition National Coalition MP said that the question was a fundamental issue of how democracy, human rights and the principles of a law-based society are respected.

Finnish politicians criticise Russian elections


Summary: The two defendants in the case are suspected of spreading sexually indecent imagery of a child and sexual exploitation of a child.

The District Court of Southwest Finland has charged two suspects with filming underage girls in the shower rooms of a school, according to a  report  (in Finnish) by regional newspaper Turun Sanomat.
 One of the two defendants in the case is a former mayoral candidate for the Left Alliance party in the city of Turku.
 The two defendants are suspected of spreading sexually indecent imagery of a child and sexual exploitation of a child.
 The court confirmed to Yle that the case is now with the prosecutor.
 Police have previously said that there are 17 plaintiffs involved in the case.
 Regional prosecutor  Merja Hoppari  told Turun Sanomat that although the suspected crime in the case is the dissemination of sexual images of a child, the images may not have been shared anywhere.

Former mayoral candidate charged with secretly filming children in school showers


Summary: Restaurants and cultural events, for instance, may require guests over age 12 to show a pass. However, its use may be negligible if restrictions are loosened next month.

Finland's government has submitted a proposal to Parliament on amending the Communicable Diseases Act to allow domestic use of the EU digital coronavirus certificate.
 News agency STT reports that the government has approved the long-awaited domestic use of the coronavirus pass.
 According to Yle sources, private companies will be allowed to require a valid coronavirus pass for entry by anyone over 12 years of age in areas where restrictions are in effect.
 For example, restaurants, cultural events and hobby organisers may require customers to show a pass for entry. If so, they would not need to follow other restrictions on gatherings that might be in force in the area.
 In practice, the EU coronavirus certificate, which is already available via the official health site My Kanta, will serve as a coronavirus pass. The document certifies if an individual has had a complete coronavirus vaccination series, a recent negative coronavirus test result, or has had the illness.
 Event organisers can use an app to read the QR code of the certificate on the phone screen or on paper, and instantly approve or reject entry. The customer's personal or health information is not displayed to the company. Antti Kolppo / Yle
 Bill behind schedule, may become moot anyway
 The significance of the coronavirus pass may ultimately be negligible. The government has promised to lift restrictions as early as October if the target of 80 percent vaccine coverage among people aged 12 and over is achieved. As of Tuesday that figure was 66.6 percent.
 The bill is behind schedule, as it was to have been presented to Parliament in mid-September. Due to parliamentary proceedings, implementation may be delayed until mid-October. The events industry has been calling for the use of Covid passes for months.
 The coronavirus pass could however be useful if the epidemic situation worsens again, and restrictions have to be reintroduced.
 Free testing for unvaccinated minors, others must pay
 According to the proposal, testing of unvaccinated minors aged 12-17 will be free of charge from public health clinics. Other unvaccinated people will have to pay for the testing themselves via private healthcare providers.
 According to government sources, the primary aim of the pass is to allow events to re-open safely, not to increase vaccine coverage. However, anyone who can currently take the vaccines is encouraged to do so.
 The coronavirus pass is to be added to section 58 of the Communicable Diseases Act, which defines measures related to the high risk of infection.
 Companies that do not use the coronavirus pass for entry must comply with any existing safety restrictions such as social distancing or limits to capacity and/or opening hours.
 The use of the coronavirus pass is to be limited to private companies, as no one can be prevented from accessing public services such as libraries, museums or swimming pools. This would have caused constitutional problems.
 Finland will not make any changes to entry procedures for now. Russian passengers at passport control at Helsinki Airport. Jani Saikko / Yle
 No changes to current border entry restrictions
 In an afternoon press conference that was postponed from the morning, Minister of Family Affairs and Social Services  Krista Kiuru  (SDP) confirmed that there will be no changes to Finland's  current cross-border entry  regulations, which are to be extended until the end of the year.
 Kiuru stated that a lot of false information is circulating about Finland's restrictions on entry, but the current measures are in line with the EU average.
 "It must be remembered that some 300 million fully-vaccinated EU citizens can enter Finland freely: so come and enjoy autumn or the land of Santa Claus," she said.
 Travellers from high-risk countries do not need to take a coronavirus test in Finland if they have a certificate proving a complete series of vaccinations or having had coronavirus within the previous six months. In other cases, testing will be mandatory.
 In its updated coronavirus strategy, the government said that border security measures will continue at least until 80 percent vaccine coverage is achieved.
 According to Yle's information, the morning press conference was postponed until the afternoon due to a dispute between government coalition partners over proposed changes to entry restrictions, but Kiuru said the delay was due to administrative issues.
 "It took a little longer than expected to complete the draft. Last night, some translations were made in a hurry and unfortunately we were unable to hold a government session or a press conference in the morning, as there was a three-hour delay," the minister explained.

Update: No changes to border restrictions as Covid pass proceeds to Parliament


Summary: Finland's employment rate of 72.8 percent in August was the highest level since the pandemic began.

Finland's employment rate trend rose to 72.8 percent in August, according to Statistics Finland's latest Labour Force Survey, with 104,000 more people in employment compared to the same month last year.
 This is a very slight improvement on the  numbers from July , when the rate hit 72.7 percent. That was then the highest level since February 2020 when the coronavirus pandemic first began to impact the Finnish economy.
 The latest increase equated to 59,000 more employed women and 44,000 more employed men, the number-crunching agency's data revealed.
 The latest figures also show that there were 33,000 fewer unemployed people this year compared to August 2020, with the unemployment rate dropping to 7.6 percent.
 By the end of August, a total of 281,000 people were registered as unemployed jobseekers at nationwide employment and economic development offices or in local government pilot projects.
 The regions of Ostrobothnia, Southern Ostrobothnia and Pirkanmaa saw the sharpest decreases in joblessness, while Kainuu, Central Finland, Häme and Uusimaa only saw very small drops in the local unemployment rate.
 Employers' group foresees labour shortages
 Despite the latest increase in the employment rate, lobby group the Technology Industries of Finland noted in a press release that Finland faces a skilled labour shortage over the coming decade that could undo the benefits of projected economic growth.
 As an example, the group cited a recent report which found that the tech industry will need 130,000 skilled specialists over the next decade — or about 13,300 per year.
 Many its subsectors, including metal processing and IT, will need to recruit skilled workers — the majority from abroad — to plug the gap caused by Finland's ageing population. If this does not happen, the group noted, the rate of economic growth will not be sustained.
 "The indisputable fact is that, due to the ageing population and low birth rates, the working-age population will fall sharply in the coming years and there will not be enough workers in all sectors," Executive Vice President  Minna Helle  wrote in the press release. "If we want to ensure economic growth, welfare services and living standards, our only option is to facilitate labour migration in many different ways — and quickly."
 Yle News' podcast All Points North looked into the challenges facing skilled workers coming to Finland. You can listen to the full podcast using the embedded player here, via Yle Areena, Spotify or Apple Podcasts or on your usual podcast player using the RSS feed.

Finland's employment rate hits 72.8% as lobby group warns of skilled labour shortages


Summary: Police in Eastern Finland narrowly missed colliding with an elk and shared the video as a reminder that early autumn is a high-risk time for elk and deer-related accidents.

Police officers on a recent emergency call in Eastern Finland barely avoided a collision with an elk (known as a moose in North America). The driver first saw one elk on the side of the road. As the police patrol approached the scene, another animal appeared near the road.
 The driver managed to manoeuvre the vehicle between the two elk, with one running right in front of it and the other just behind the car.
 At the time of the incident, the police were driving at about 100 kilometres an hour due to an urgent alarm. The speed limit in the area is 80 kph, at least until winter begins.
 When the patrol stopped for a moment next to the road, a third elk approached and headed for the road.
 Incident caught on dashcam
 The situation was recorded on the dashboard camera of a police car, with one of the officers capturing the screen view on his mobile phone.
 The Eastern Finland police department shared the video on Facebook on Tuesday as a reminder that elk are on the move. Police urge motorists to exercise moderate speeds and be especially alert at this time of year.
 "Traffic safety is also important for the police, as our patrols must get to their destinations intact. We shared this video to remind you that if you slow your speed by a quarter, then your braking distance is halved," says police constable  Ville Hokkanen  of the Eastern Finland Police.
 A European elk ( Alces alces ) – known in North America as a moose – can weigh up to 700 kg.
 According to the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Finland's elk population declined by around 10 percent last year to just over 82,000 animals.

Dramatic police video shows how abruptly an elk can appear


Summary: The Finnish Immigration Service Migri is concerned that some 1,000+ British citizens living in Finland have not yet applied for right of residence.

An estimated 1,000 British citizens living in Finland have yet to apply for a right of residence to remain in the country, a mandatory requirement under the terms of the UK’s withdrawal agreement.
 The deadline for submitting the so-called 'Brexit permit' applications to the Finnish Immigration Service Migri is Thursday 30 September.
 The office said that a total of 3,923 applications had been received by the end of last month, but there are an estimated 5,000 British citizens currently residing in Finland.
 "As the deadline for submissions draws closer, we are still expecting to receive a large number of applications from British citizens," Migri Senior Adviser  Mika Walldén  said in a press release.
 The Brexit permit application period  opened in October  last year for British citizens who resided in Finland before the end of the so-called Brexit transition period to apply for the right to remain in the country.
 Migri has so far issued 2,280 decisions regarding the permits, but warned that processing times can take up to 14 months due to a backlog of applications. The office therefore urged all British citizens to submit their applications before the deadline.
 "Once the application has been submitted, the applicant’s right of residence in Finland is valid until processing has been completed, and they may continue to work or study as before," Walldén said, adding that the fastest way to submit an application is via the Enter Finland online service.

Deadline approaches for 'Brexit permit' applications


Summary: Helsinki Mayor Juhana Vartiainen (NCP) said the ending of the measures would mean the "return to normal" could begin.

The Helsinki Metropolitan Area Coronavirus Coordination Group has proposed that restrictions on public events in the capital region should not be extended beyond the current end date of 30 September.
 "We are now finally in a situation where restrictions are ending and the return to normal begins," Helsinki Mayor  Juhana Vartiainen  (NCP) said at a press conference announcing the proposal.
 The expert group further suggested that restrictions on hobbies and the use of sports facilities should also end.
 This means that swimming pools, gyms and group exercise classes would no longer be subject to safety distance requirements or other measures from the beginning of October. Regulations on sports and exercise activities in city-managed premises should also be changed from an obligation to a recommendation, the group added.
 Both proposals were submitted to the Southern Finland Regional State Administrative Agency (Avi) after a coordination group meeting on Tuesday afternoon.
 Telecommuting, mask recommendations remain in force
 Helsinki and Uusimaa hospital district's (HUS) Acting Chief Medical Officer  Jari Petäjä  said that the coordination group made the decision to call for the ending of the restrictions because of the improving pandemic situation in the capital region.
 The number for people infected with the virus requiring hospital care has remained at a relatively low level for a sustained period of time, Petäjä said.
 "Five or less than five patients have needed intensive care in recent days, and there have been just over 20 [coronavirus] patients in the wards," he said, adding that the current numbers are easily manageable by the HUS system.
 Following the meeting on Tuesday, the coordination group said that recommendations on telecommuting and the use of face masks in the capital region should remain in force, at least for the time being.
 "National guidelines are expected for these [recommendations]. After that, we can react quickly if necessary," Mayor of Espoo  Jukka Mäkelä  said at the Tuesday afternoon press conference.

Covid restrictions on hobbies, public events in Helsinki set to be lifted from October


Summary: According to the group's estimates, the reforms will cost the average earner about 1,800 euros per year in extra municipal taxes for the first eight years of the reforms.

Broad reforms to Finland's social and healthcare system, colloquially known as 'sote,' will end up costing taxpayers billions of euros, according to  Eero Laesterä , director of the Finnish Consulting Group.
 Once implemented, the reforms will change how social and healthcare services are organised and provided in Finland. Responsibility for the services is set to pass from the country's current 293 municipalities to 21 regional authorities plus the city of Helsinki by the beginning of 2023.
 Laesterä said that there will be around 6.4 billion euros in extra costs during the first eight years following implementation of the reforms.
 "You have to believe the figures when the officials have done the math," Laesterä said.
 According to his calculations, that 6.4 billion-euro sum equates to a municipal tax hike of five percentage points.
 Meanwhile, according to the Taxpayers Association of Finland, a five-percentage-point tax hike would cost an average income earner an additional 1,800 euros per year, while it would cost jointly-filing taxpayers around 3,400 euros extra annually.
 Equal services?
 Jukka Lindberg , who is leading the work on sote reforms in the Kanta-Häme region and has worked on sote matters since 2006, agreed that the extra costs will eventually be picked up by taxpayers.
 Story continues after photo.
 Jukka Lindberg Ville Välimäki / Yle
 He said the reforms have the potential to save money but that it doesn't seem to be a priority for policymakers.
 "The current government's ideas seem to be about securing services, not about costs. Finding savings in the process would require work and political courage, which is a rather precious resource," Lindberg said.
 One of the key promises regarding the sote reforms has been that there will be the same and equally-high level of social and health care services across the country.
 "I can't believe that anyone seriously believes this promise. Maybe a minimum level of service will be available everywhere, but [total] equality cannot be achieved," the Consulting Group's Laesterä said.

Specialist says sote reform will bring extra costs, not savings


Summary: Due to Covid restrictions, only 74 MPs were allowed to participate in plenary sessions at any one time.

All 200 of Finland's Members of Parliament will be permitted to sit in the plenary hall at the same time from 5 October.
 Due to Covid restrictions, only 74 MPs were allowed to participate in plenary sessions at any one time, but the office of the Speaker of Parliament announced ton Friday afternoon hat restrictions can be lifted as 82 percent of MPs are fully vaccinated.
 This figure also means that 36 MPs have only received one dose or no doses of a coronavirus vaccine so far.
 Parliamentary committees will also be able to return to their designated meeting rooms, the office added.

Parliament returning to normal as 82% of MPs fully-vaccinated


Summary: Among other topics, papers report that Helsinki's Deputy Mayor for Education said teachers have avoided taking jobs in some districts because of social problems.

The foreign affairs ministry's decision to publicise the name of the local security contractor it used to protect its mission in Kabul has put people's lives in jeopardy, writes  Helsingin Sanomat .
 Fifty-seven Afghans employed through a local security contractor worked at the Finnish embassy in Kabul. However, Finland evacuated just a fraction of these outsourced workers, noting that it was only helping guards employed in " visible roles " leave the country.
 HS writes that Finland did, for example, not evacuate a man who guarded the embassy's gate. He has now sold everything he owns and is moving his family from house to house to avoid being caught by the Taliban.
 Positive discrimination?
 Helsinki's Deputy Mayor for Education,  Nasima Razmyar , tells  HS  the city may need to raise the pay of teachers working in economically disadvantaged areas, similar to the extra funding schools in poorer neighbourhoods receive.
 Razmyar said teachers have started avoiding taking jobs in certain districts because of social problems, noting that 40 percent of families in some areas rely on basic social assistance.
 "But it would be lazy to think that throwing money at this problem will solve it. It's really an issue of working conditions and coping at work."
 Companies in schools
 Business magazine  Talouselämä  explores the grey area of commercial interests in schools and examines an app intended to teach students financial literacy.
 Some 8,500 students in the capital can access the influencer-backed app, ROI, which costs schools 209 euros per month.
 While the introduction of commercial apps in schools is a novel phenomenon in Finland, the involvement of corporations in education is not.
 Since 2006, the insurance company If has, for example, distributed yellow baseball caps to all first graders.
 "Consumer protection laws create obligations for companies, but we don't monitor what happens in schools," said  Kristiina Vainio  of the Finnnish Competition and Consumer Authority (KVV).

Wednesday's papers: Afghans left behind, positive discrimination and companies in schools


Summary: President Niinistö said that while nations face increased volatility, other challenges, like Covid-19, have become global commonalities.

During his speech at the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, Finnish President  Sauli Niinistö  raised topics including climate change, women's rights and the Covid pandemic.
 At the beginning of his speech, the Finnish president referred to a report by UN Secretary-General  António Guterres  stating that "in our biggest shared test since the Second World War, humanity faces a stark and urgent choice: a breakdown or a breakthrough."
 In response, Niinistö called for an increase in global responsibility.
 "We are indeed at a critical juncture. If humanity is to make the right choice, a breakthrough rather than a breakdown, we have to shoulder our human responsibilities. Responsibilities for our common future," Niinistö said.
 He said that while nations face increased volatility, challenges like Covid-19 and climate change were global commonalities.
 "The pandemic has had an impact on every one of us. The same will increasingly be true of climate change and emerging technologies alike. Conflicts no longer remain local or regional – they have consequences, direct or indirect, across the globe. All of these cross-border challenges are crying for a global response. With the right mindset, such a response is within reach," Niinistö said.
 'Spirit of Helsinki'
 The president also mentioned the role Finland played in 1975 when it facilitated the signing of 35 countries to the Helsinki Final Act, which focused on European security and cooperation. The president similarly brought up the ' spirit of Helsinki ' at a diplomats' conference last month.
 "The spirit that arose from that meeting can have a more global significance, if we succeed in reviving and expanding it. A willingness of adversaries and competitors to engage in dialogue, to build trust, and to seek common denominators – that was the essence of the Helsinki Spirit. Its potential today is by no means limited to the OSCE area."
 "It is precisely that kind of a spirit that the entire world, and the United Nations, urgently needs. I am convinced that the more we speak about the Helsinki Spirit, the closer we get to rekindling it – and to making it come true. And that will bring us closer to solving our common challenges together," Niinistö said.
 The president also spoke about the need for humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan, following the recent exodus of allied troops and emergence of the Taliban as the country's leaders.
 "The dramatic events of Afghanistan in the past weeks have again reminded us of the fragility of peace and security. The humanitarian needs in Afghanistan are immense, and it is critical that we act together to ensure the access of humanitarian assistance to its people. The UN organizations staying on in Afghanistan play a key role here. And the international community must be steadfast on this: women and girls in Afghanistan must not be forgotten or made invisible," he said.

Finnish President calls for global responsibility at UN General Assembly


Summary: Police launched the investigation in 2018.

The police investigation into tax fraud at Airiston Helmi, a Russian-owned firm based in the Turku archipelago, has been delayed once again.
 The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said that the investigation into domestic tax fraud will not report until the end of the year, attributing the delay to the large volume of material they need to translate and process.
 The parallel investigation into international money laundering, on the other hand, will only report next year.
 In 2018 police seized 3.5 million euros in cash, among other assets, when they started the probe into a Russian businessman's properties off the south-west coast.
 "We have not previously seen such a large volume of confiscated data, and going through it is a demanding job," said Superintendent  Mikko Laaksonen , who is heading up the investigation for NBI.
 Laaksonen told Yle's Swedish language regional affiliate that co-operation has worked well with foreign law enforcement agencies, even though there have been delays in harmonising processes.

Airiston Helmi probe delayed again as extensive material surprises police


Summary: The Autobarometer 2021 survey also found that Finland's young people were becoming more interested in car ownership.

The coronavirus pandemic has reversed a trend that saw young people's interest in owning a car wane, a new survey released on Friday claims.
 The Autobarometer 2021 survey found that people under 36 years old were most likely to have increased their car use and reduced their use of public transport.
 Around a quarter of young adults in Finland said they had increased their car use in the last year, compared to 16 percent of the population as a whole.
 Almost half of those surveyed in Finland said the Covid-19 pandemic had no impact on their travel habits, while 29 percent said it had led to them cutting their use of public transport.
 "The coronavirus has broken the trend where young people preferred to travel by public transport or by renting a car when necessary," said  Altti Kuuri  of Danske Bank, which has commissioned the annual survey since 2013.
 "The popularity of private cars fell sharply until 2019, when just over half of young people saw themselves driving their own car in five years' time, down from 82 percent in 2015. Now, 60 percent of young people want to have their own car in five years' time," Kuuri said.
 Alternative power sources on the rise
 While the thought of a new generation of petrolheads may raise concerns about the impact cars have on the environment, the new survey also found that people in Finland were more open to buying a hybrid, electric or biogas vehicle than ever before.
 Almost half of those considering buying a car were thinking of buying an electric, hybrid or biogas-powered one. A year ago, that figure was 39 percent. In 2015, it was just 15 percent
 "Media attention, technological advances and environmental awareness have clearly increased interest. Lower fuel costs have overtaken lower emissions as the main reason to buy an alternative car," Kuuri said.
 However, most of those surveyed said that the high cost of hybrids, EVs and other alternatives to internal combustion engine vehicles put them off making the switch.
 For people in northern Finland, the lead concern was the range of such vehicles when compared to petrol or diesel equivalents.

Survey: Almost half of car buyers would consider an electric vehicle


Summary: The research also found that vocabulary levels were lower among children who were not read to on a daily basis.

An abundance of 'screen time' can hinder the linguistic development of young toddlers, according to results of a study carried out by Tampere University Hospital (TAYS).
 The study examined the development of speech and linguistic expression in kids at 18 and 24 months of age, and found that as parents' and their children's use of electronic devices increased — so-called 'screen time' — the kids' vocabularies decreased.
 Following invitations from regional maternity clinics, a total of nearly 1,700 Finnish-speaking families agreed to take part in the project before their children were born. The data was collected during 2013-2015.
 To reach their findings, the researchers asked parents to describe their child's vocabulary, word combinations, speech intelligibility as well as their finger-pointing and instruction-following abilities.
 About two thirds of the youngsters had vocabularies of no more than 20 words, while around a third spoke fewer than five words.
 Meanwhile, less than one third had vocabularies of more than 40 words and about 10 percent of the young children had 40 to 50 word vocabularies. The study's findings showed that children's vocabularies appear to be developing more slowly than before, according to  Marja Asikainen , the chief speech therapist at the university's department of phoniatrics, as well as the study's lead author.
 Screen time
 The use of electronic devices by parents, as well as children, appears to have an impact on a child's linguistic development. Asikainen said their frequent use has the potential to limit the amount of conversation and play between parents and their children.
 However, the researchers said that electronic devices and media can also be harmless or even help to develop a child's ability to function, if they have plenty of time for other activities and the content consumed during periods of screen time is chosen carefully.
 The 'use of electronic media' included watching content on TVs, tablets or other devices.
 Use of the devices could also be particularly detrimental for children who face other linguistic development challenges, the researchers found.
 "The effects of the rapid increase in the use of mobile devices will be seen everywhere in about 10 to 15 years," Asikainen said, adding that the topic should be researched in more detail.
 The study also took into account how much parents read and explore picture books with their kids, for instance at bedtime. Vocabulary levels were lower among children who were not read to on a daily basis, according to the study.
 The study, which was  published  in the scientific journal Acta Pediatrics, was carried out in collaboration with the University of Tampere and THL, the Institute for Health and Welfare.

Parents' and kids' screen time use can delay vocabulary skills in young children, study finds


Summary: The minister's comments come after the Central Chamber of Commerce proposed a two percentage point cut to the income tax rate.

Minister of Finance  Annika Saarikko  (Cen) has suggested that the incumbent coalition government could agree on a reduction in Finland's rate of income tax.
 The minister's comments followed an event organised by Finland's Central Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday morning, where a proposal was put forward that income tax should be reduced by two percentage points across the board during the term of the next government.
 However, Saarikko responded that implementing such a reduction would not necessarily mean waiting for a change of government.
 "Personally, I think that this government still has a window of opportunity to make a decision," she told Yle. "I think that even during this government's term, tax cuts on waged income could be agreed."
 2022 budget already agreed
 Saarikko's made her comments a couple of weeks after the governing parties  already reached an agreement  on next year's budget.
 "Traditionally, tax decisions have always been made during the autumn budget debate. One would have to carefully assess how it [a decision] would affect other matters," she said, adding that the issue would have to be considered in the wider context of how the Finnish economy will recover from the Covid crisis.
 "It is even more important to look at the broader issue of how economic growth will become sustainable. Taxation is one way of doing this, to strengthen growth and employment," the minister said.
 Any decisions on income tax cuts made in next year's budget negotiations would only come into force in 2023, at the earliest.
 Education Minister shoots down suggestion
 Minister of Education and leader of a Centre Party coalition partner the Left Alliance,  Li Andersson , seemed to shoot down the suggestion of a tax cut within this current government's term of office via a series of tweets shortly after Yle reported Saarikko's comments.
 "Working life is suffering from a severe shortage of experts," Andersson wrote. "With regard to science funding, the cuts of 2023 are still unresolved and vocational education will need permanent additional investment. Instead, the finance minister wants to prioritise tax cuts in a recovery."
 "She [Saarikko] correctly anticipates that there will be no consensus within the government," Andersson added.

Finance minister hints government may cut income tax


Summary: The meeting's agenda has not been made public, but it coincides with the aftermath of the US military withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Top military officials from the United States and Russia met in Helsinki on Wednesday, according to US news agency Associated Press (AP).
 The daylong meeting between General  Mark Milley , chair of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, and General  Valery Gerasimov , chief of the Russian General Staff, came at a crucial juncture in the aftermath of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
 Although the exact agenda of the meeting was not made public, Milley's spokesperson told AP that the two officials discussed efforts to improve communications between the two nations as well as how to reduce potential risk factors.
 "Both sides seek increased transparency to reduce misunderstanding and increase stability," Colonel  Dave Butler  said. "The meeting is serious, both generals display mutual respect for each other though both have taken the opportunity to quip or joke on occasion."
 AP further reported that US military leaders want to ensure that they will continue to receive intelligence from Afghanistan even after the withdrawal of US troops — including information on Al-Qaeda and Islamic State militants in the country.
 US military bases in the region a "sensitive" subject
 The United States may also conduct counter-terrorism surveillance and even launch strikes on Afghanistan from military bases in other countries, but flights from current bases in the Persian Gulf may prove too long.
 The US and their allies therefore want to reach agreements on bases and intelligence-sharing with nations closer to Afghanistan, such as Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan or Tajikistan.
 However, the possibility of the US establishing military bases in these countries is a highly sensitive subject.
 AP reported that Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister  Sergei Ryabkov  said in July that Russia had warned the United States that any deployment of American troops in countries neighbouring Afghanistan would be "unacceptable".
 He also said that Russia had warned the Central Asian countries not to allow US troops within their borders.
 Helsinki has hosted meetings between the US and Russia on a number of occasions in the past, including a  2018 summit  between then-US President  Donald Trump  and his Russian counterpart  Vladimir Putin .

Top US, Russian military chiefs meet in Helsinki


Summary: September polling looks good for the largest opposition party, according to Thursday's Helsingin Sanomat.

The latest  Helsingin Sanomat-commissioned voter poll  has found that the opposition National Coalition Party (NCP) is still the most popular political party in Finland, extending its lead over the governing SDP.
 Support for Prime Minister  Sanna Marin 's SDP slipped by 0.8 percentage points since the last HS poll in August, while the number of voters backing the NCP, led by Southwest Finland MP  Petteri Orpo , rose by a single percentage point.
 Both changes were within the HS poll's margin of error.
 If parliamentary elections were to be held now, the NCP would take 20.8 percent of the vote and the SDP 18.4 percent, according to the Helsingin Sanomat poll.
 Shifts in voter backing for the other parties were tiny, the paper writes, with the Finns Party rising 0.2 to 17.4 percent and the Centre Party remaining level at 12.9 percent support.
 Sakari Nurmela , research director at Kantar TNS, which produced the survey for HS, told the paper the NCP bounce was reflective of the party's municipal election victory in June.
 "Yes, they have received quite a boost from the election victory. The NCP has also been in the public eye quite a lot lately," he told the paper.
 Governing coalition parties the Greens and Left Alliance saw small drops in support, at 0.3 and 0.1 percentage points, respectively.
 The Swedish People's Party saw its support creep up by 0.1 percentage points, as did the opposition Movement Now party.
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 Finnair considers bus replacement service
 Tampere-based Aamulehti reports  that national carrier Finnair plans to cut flights between Tampere, Turku and Helsinki this winter.
 The paper reports that the state-backed airline will replace domestic flights to the regional hubs with direct bus routes linking the two cities to Helsinki Airport.
 The loss of the Helsinki route would be a blow to Tampere's airport, which was renovated in 2018 at a cost of around €15 million, Aamulehti writes.
 Finnair's head of communications  Päivyt Tallqvist  told the paper the plans were only "on the drawing board," and pointed out the environmental impact of flying short distances.
 "Tampere and Turku are important parts of our network and we want to ensure good connections to the world. On the other hand, they are also the shortest routes and have a higher carbon dioxide load per passenger kilometre," she said.
 A flight from Tampere to Helsinki covers just 143 kilometres, Aamulehti writes.
 Finnair has struggled with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the travel industry. In July the carrier posted its sixth consecutive quarterly loss.
 Pukki purchases Helsinki home
 Norwich City and Finland star striker  Teemu Pukki  has bought a new home in Helsinki,  according to tabloid Iltalehti .
 The 31-year-old footballer is thought to have paid around 1.6 million euros for a 255 square-metre apartment in July, the paper writes. Iltalehti does not identify where in the city Pukki's new home is.
 However, Pukki will count some of Finland's rich and famous among his closest neighbours, Iltalehti says.
 Timo Ritakallio , president and CEO of the OP banking group and former chairman of the Finnish Olympic Committee, and  Timo Hiltunen , former CEO of digital marketing firm Fonecta, live next door, the paper writes, while Formula 1 star  Kimi Räikkönen 's home is just a couple of hundred metres away.

Thursday's papers: NCP widens poll lead, Finnair mulls domestic cuts, Pukki's new home


Summary: The agency said lower speed limits often meant fewer accidents, but a survey found 30 percent of respondents said 30km/h was "too slow".

The Finnish Transport Safety Agency Liikenneturva has called on more municipalities to lower the speed limit on their roads to 30 kilometres an hour.
 The call to lower speed limits in built-up areas across Finland comes after the agency compared speed limits on municipal streets with the number of accidents that occurred.
 Liikenneturva found that there was a correlation between the number of accidents and the number of streets with 30km/h speed limits. In general, more roads with the lower speed limit meant fewer accidents, the agency said.
 "In Espoo, for example, almost 60 percent of the streets are 30 km/h. The number of road accident victims per capita is low compared to other large cities," Liikenneturva head of research  Juha Valtonen  said.
 Keep cars and pedestrians apart
 While roughly half of all traffic accidents resulting in personal injury occur in urban areas, only a quarter of Finnish streets have a 30 km/h limit, the agency said.
 The agency suggested that municipalities enforce the lower speed limit in areas with more cyclists and pedestrians, adding that further measures to separate cars from people could help lower accident rates further.
 "Another solution for municipalities may be to separate walking and cycling from motorised traffic. It is essential that the traffic environment supports the speed limit," Valtonen said.
 While there was a positive link between lower speed limits and fewer accidents, some municipalities like Oulu saw both low accident rates and fewer streets with 30 km/h limits.
 The transport safety agency also surveyed people's attitudes to 30km/h speed limits and found that 62 percent of respondents said the limit was "safe", while 19 percent called it "appealing".
 However, 30 percent said a 30km/h speed limit was "too slow" and 13 percent called it "awkward".

Safety agency calls for more 30km/h speed limits on Finland's roads