Summary: The plan, based on a similar model in Norway, would offer full or partial student debt relief to graduates of courses such as medicine or teaching if they move to a rural area.

A proposal by Minister of Science and Culture  Antti Kurvinen  (Cen) which would  incentivise highly-educated workers to move to sparsely populated areas of Finland  has not received widespread backing from student organisations or his party's government coalition partners.
 Both the Green Party and the Left Alliance have indicated that they do not believe the debt forgiveness proposal would be the most effective means of addressing Finland's regional skilled labour shortage, adding that the financing of such a reform would be surprisingly high.
 The Green Party further added that any changes to the student financial aid system should first focus on raising study grant levels or other financial aid initiatives.
 Greens MP  Iiris Suomela  — who will  become the party's interim leader  while current chair  Maria Ohisalo  is on maternity leave — said that the current level of study support does not provide students with a sufficient income during their studies. This complicates students' daily lives, Suomela added, and can even delay their graduation as students have to work long hours while studying.
 "In the case of study grants, I would consider securing students' livelihoods to be the most important thing, and I would not raise these regional policy goals ahead of that priority," Suomela told news agency STT in response to a question about Minister Kurvinen's proposal.
 The proposed plan, which is based on a similar model in Norway, would offer full or partial student debt relief to graduates of courses such as medicine or teaching if they move to a rural area.
 "The aim is to complete the legislation during this parliamentary term. I hope that we will also start this reimbursement model during this term of office," Kurvinen said at the announcement of the proposal, adding that he hoped the draft could be passed into law during this current government's term of office.
 However, Suomela told STT that she finds it difficult to understand why another government party is looking at proposals that would increase expenditure, especially as funding for education and science could face significant cuts over the coming years.
 "The number one priority is to reverse cuts in education and science, instead of looking for new expenditure projects which are outside of the government's programme," she said.
 Good objective, questionable means
 Chair of the Left Alliance party's parliamentary group  Jussi Saramo  told STT that Kurvinen's proposal has left him wondering where the Centre Party — which has pursued a policy of strict financial discipline during the governing parties' budget negotiations — has suddenly found the money in the state coffers to offset student loans.
 Saramo also further echoed Suomela's comments about possible impending cuts in education, culture and sports.
 "If there is room for maneuver, then this list of cuts will probably be thoroughly reviewed again and then we will see what the priorities are," Saramo told STT.
 Both Suomela and Saramo emphasised that they considered the objectives of the Norwegian model — to alleviate the problems of employment and the provision of services in rural areas — to be good, but doubted the effectiveness of the model in achieving those goals.
 "If the student aid system and regional policy are mixed, it must be absolutely certain that it is an effective and economically viable measure. This doesn't seem like it," Saramo said, but added that his party has not formed its final position on the matter as Kurvinen's proposal came unexpectedly and has not been negotiated with the other coalition parties.
 PM Marin: Proposal worth considering
 Kurvinen's proposal did however receive some support from among the other governing parties. Prime Minister  Sanna Marin  (SDP) said the option was "worth considering".
 "I consider it one of the possible tools we have in the box. This issue of getting specialists to relocate to the regions is very real, it is serious and that is why we need different ways of responding to it, and I myself am open to this proposal," Marin said at an SDP press conference last Thursday.
 However, the PM stressed that the government parties have not yet made any decisions on the matter.
 Union: Student financial aid system of "higher priority"
 Meanwhile, the National Union of University Students in Finland (SYL) said it did not support plans for a debt relief programme.
 The union, which represents university students, said in a statement released on Friday that the study grant scheme should be considered a higher priority by the government rather than seen as supporting other policy goals.
 According to SYL, Kurvinen's proposal makes the system of student financial aid an instrument of regional policy.
 "Student financial aid, like other social benefits, must be equal for all its users, regardless of their place of residence or field of study. The sectoral and regional conditions planned for the regional student loan debt relief scheme would seriously contrast with this principle of equality," the union's president  Annika Nevanpää  said in a statement.

Government parties, student unions oppose debt forgiveness proposal


Summary: Finland's discussions on public debt often take on a negative tone.

Helsingin Sanomat has an  analysis piece  on Finland's attitude to the state taking on debt. Finland has traditionally set a limit at the start of each government's four-year term in office, and spending does not rise above it.
 For the first time in recent history, that limit has been breached because of the disruption caused by Covid. Prime Minister  Sanna Marin  (SDP) says she wants to re-think the country's attitude to debt on a more fundamental level, in order to fight climate change.
 The so-called 'green transition' will cost billions of euros as advanced economies switch to a low-carbon future. Debt is very cheap right now, so the argument is that it's okay to take on huge new loans to pay for decarbonisation projects.
 That argument has already won out in France and, significantly, in Holland, which is one of the leaders of the so-called 'Frugal Four' countries that take a particularly negative view of new public sector borrowing.
 Marin now wants to consider similar moves in Finland, but the country's dominant discourse may make that problematic. HS notes that a precedent might come from the 10 billion euro fighter jet acquisition that's currently going through, and hasn't been seriously questioned.
 It's regarded as crucial to Finland's defence, and therefore its future as an independent state. The question for Finnish decision-makers now is whether they see climate change mitigation as a similarly important priority.
 Tesco takes flight
 There's bad news for lovers of British grocery chain Tesco's products, as Finland's S Group announces that they will no longer stock products from the UK's largest supermarket brand.
 S Group has stocked around 200 items from Tesco's Finest and Free From ranges, but that is to end next spring as Tesco winds down its supplies.
 Kauppalehti  reports  that the decision is down to Brexit, with Tesco tiring of the bureaucracy that now surrounds trade between Britain and the European Union.
 The Brits will be replaced by French competitor Carrefour, which started supplying S Group with products last week.
 Autumn storm on the way
 Iltalehti carries  news  of stormy weather on the way as schools in parts of the country get set for autumn half-term holidays next week.
 The weather starts on Friday, with parts of Lapland set to receive up to 30 centimetres of snow over the course of the weekend.
 That will make driving conditions poor for a time in the north, but Iltalehti quotes a meteorologist as saying the snow cover could stay for the winter now — enabling a longer ski and winter sport season.

Thursday's papers: Debt discussion, Tesco departure, and an autumn storm


Summary: Onni Sarmaste, known for a botched face mask deal with the state, was found in the Pandora Papers offshore data leak.

More than  200 Finnish citizens  have been named in the largest financial data leak in history, 20 of whom have criminal convictions. The latest name to emerge in Finland is  Onni Sarmaste , a heavily-indebted payday lender.
 Sarmaste was the target of a preliminary probe by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) regarding a deal with the National Emergency Supply Agency (Nesa) that paid him and entrepreneur  Tiina Jylhä  10 million euros for a delivery of face masks from China. The masks were later deemed  to be unusable . In August the NBI  handed the stockpile agency case over to the prosecutor .
 Sarmaste's shells
 Yle's investigation of the Pandora files revealed that Sarmaste has owned shell companies in Cyprus and the British Virgin Islands. Documents obtained by Yle indicate that Sarmaste made efforts to conceal his ownership of these firms.
 The leaked files show Sarmaste had roughly 250,000 euros flowing to his Cyprus-based company annually, with the majority of funds coming from Finland and Switzerland. While Sarmaste told Yle he has no recollection of owning two offshore firms, he has confirmed having a company in Switzerland.
 "Not in Finnish tax jurisdiction"
 Sarmaste told Yle he lived abroad for long periods in the 2010s, saying he was not within Finnish tax jurisdiction during that time. A person's place of residence is not public information, making this claim difficult to verify.
 Between 2010 and 2016 Sarmaste did not report any income in Finland. However despite his debts, Sarmaste's social media accounts suggest a lavish lifestyle.
 He marked the 4.9-million-euro windfall from the national stockpile agency Nesa by buying a 500,000-euro Bentley and a Porsche. At the time he owed 46,000 euros in arrears, according to Iltalehti.
 In May of 2020, Nesa's boss,  Tomi Lounema ,  resigned  over the mask procurement scandal.

Disgraced face mask dealer surfaces in Pandora Papers


Summary: Following around 18 months of remote working scenarios, Finnish employers are looking for ways to maintain productivity while also addressing workers' needs.

Employers in Finland are making preparations for the return of employees who have been working remotely for much of the Covid crisis.
 The government's telecommuting recommendations are  scheduled to end  in the middle of October, but employee opinions are divided on whether returning to the workplace is a good idea.
 Some workers feel it has been proven they can do their jobs just as well remotely as they could on site and have balked at the idea of returning to their official workplaces, while others miss the company of fellow employees.
 Following a year-and-a-half of remote working arrangements prompted by the recommendations, many employers are now busy devising plans for what has been dubbed the "new normal." In the spring of 2020 more than one million workers in Finland transitioned to telecommuting, but they have started gradually heading back to workplaces to a certain degree, as vaccination coverage has increased.
 Yle asked eight major employers in Finland about their plans. The terms 'hybrid' and 'flexible' were often brought up.
 Taina Susiluoto , the head of HR at the Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK) said companies are in the process of figuring it all out.
 Story continues after photo.
 Taina Susiluoto Berislav Jurišić / Yle
 "We're looking for ways to work effectively — when is it important to be present, innovate and be communal — and to find out when remote work is done most productively," Susiluoto explained.
 All eight of the employers queried by Yle said they planned to offer opportunities to combine telecommuting and in-person working arrangements. There were some differences in how such scenarios would be implemented, however.
 For example, a response from data security firm F-Secure said the company has not specified exactly how many days of the week employees will be required to work onsite. Instead, the matter will be decided on a team-by-team basis.
 Private health care firm Mehiläinen and the City of Helsinki have similar plans.
 Story continues after photo.
 Open office arrangement, file photo. Esa Syväkuru / Yle
 Face-to-face fosters community
 On the other hand, Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Company is rolling out a 50/50 model at the corporate level, while the firm has asked individual teams to work out how the model will be implemented.
 "Fostering a functioning and communal work community requires that people are together and face-to-face sometimes," said  Sami Ärilä , Ilmarinen's HR director.
 He said the matter was also a question of equality and ensuring work capacities, pointing out that if some employees are never onsite they may not be as visible as in-person workers and there is a risk that workloads would increase for those onsite.
 Story continues after photo.
 Sami Ärilä Esa Syväkuru / Yle
 Retail giant K-Group has similar plans and has emphasised the importance of face-to-face interactions among employees.
 K-Group's HR chief  Matti Mettälä  said that in-person working environments improve community spirit and a common work culture.
 "It's very important that supervisors are able to have precise discussion with teams and that everyone is headed in the same direction. That's when things work best."
 The retail group has already noticed that, for example, holding meetings can be difficult if some people attend them remotely.
 "Then it makes sense to agree that everyone should be present on a given day to get the most efficiency out of the meetings," Mettälä said.
 Meanwhile, the construction firm YIT's SVP  Pii Raulo  explained that routine meetings are carried out remotely but planning and project initiation meetings need to be face-to-face, adding that in-person work is good for well-being.
 Story continues after photo.
 Pii Raulo  Markku Pitkänen / Yle
 Free gloves and masks
 However, many employees at Ilmarinen still have concerns about coronavirus and are balking at the idea of regrouping en masse, according to Ärilä.
 "Staff members are clearly divided in terms of whether returning to the office is seen as a threat or an opportunity," he explained.
 To address those concerns, the company is disinfecting surfaces, improving ventilation methods and offering disposable gloves and face masks for employees to use at work. Employees who are at heightened risk from Covid are being given the opportunity to talk about the matter with occupational health care services.
 Financial group Nordea is also preparing for situations in which workers may feel returning to the office is difficult, according to Nordea's SVP of HR  Johanna Bergström .
 Open communication important
 She said that achieving a smooth return to work requires open and trusted communication between workers and management.
 Employers told Yle they want to offer options to employees, as the matter of telecommuting vs in-person working arrangements is a divisive one.
 For example, one third of Mehiläinen's staff that have been working remotely said they had been very satisfied with the opportunity to work from home, while another third said they did not think telecommuting was the best way to work, according to the health care firms' HR chief  Tatu Tulokas .
 Story continues after photo.
 New office space, file photo. Timo Leponiemi / Yle
 One third of the company's workers said remote working had improved their well-being at work and one third said the opposite. The remainder of employees said they did not notice a difference to previous working arrangements.
 The Finnish Institute of Occupational Health — which is researching the effects of the year-and-a-half telecommuting period, new work arrangements and patterns — is keen to see what happens, according to the institute's research professor  Annina Ropponen .
 She said that new working cultures are not created instantaneously, adding that it is good to look for new practices through supervisor-led experimentation for a period of three months, for example.
 After such trial periods end, Ropponen said supervisors and employees should consider what has worked and what hasn't, saying supervisors and teams need to be flexible and prepared to quickly adjust their practices.
 Respondents to the informal survey came from Kesko, Nordea Bank, Mehiläinen, Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Company, YIT, forestry firm Stora Enso, F-Secure and the City of Helsinki. Altogether they employ a total of about 109,000 people in Finland. Replies were mainly provided in writing.

New normal? Eight employers describe hybrid work plans


Summary: The press on Tuesday chews over big changes in politics.

The board of Finland's Green Party met on Monday evening to decide who would replace party leader  Maria Ohisalo  as Interior Minister when she starts her parental leave.
 It was not a simple process,  reports  Iltalehti. The six-hour meeting was effectively deciding who would get the thankless task of managing the Interior Ministry, not a natural portfolio for the pro-immigration Greens, who generally support climate protesters.
 The party's deliberations were something of a sudoku puzzle.  Pekka Haavisto  remained as Foreign Minister, and the party did not want two men to hold three of their ministerial posts.
 The heavily Helsinki-based party also wanted someone from the regions in its ministerial team. That's why they earlier chose Tampere MP  Iiris Suomela , the youngest MP in Finnish history, to serve as leader while Ohisalo is gone . But Suomela did not want to serve as minister.
 In the end Joensuu MP  Krista Mikkonen  was chosen as Minister of the Interior, moving on from her current job as Environment Minister.
 Media had reported her initial rejection of the post over the weekend, but in the end she agreed to take on the task.
 "I would have been happy to continue as Environment Minister, but we pondered it for a long time and thought that this was a good solution for the party as a whole," said Mikkonen. "I'll now eagerly go and get to grips with the Interior Minister's job."
 When she returns, Ohisalo will take up the Environment Minister portfolio. In the meantime, Helsinki MP Emma Kari will get the job.
 Disappearance resolved
 Ilta-Sanomat has a happy ending to a story that started thirteen years ago, when a man disappeared from his home in the small logging village of Kolho.
 The 52-year-old man was not seen again, and in 2014 was declared 'missing' after his relatives reported him to police.
 Since then his name and picture has been published regularly in the local paper, but no sightings were reported. Until now.
 Police announced that they had located the man in Keuruu, a town around 20km north of Kolho. The man had lived his life without incident in the intervening time, and simply did not want to be contacted.
 Ilta-Sanomat  travelled  to Kolho to get more colour on the story, finding plenty of respect among the townsfolk for a man who just wanted the quiet life.
 "One can do what one likes of one's own accord," said local resident  Hannele Airikka . "It's wonderful that this man has found his own way to live his life."
 Olympic Stadium renovation gets thumbs down
 Helsinki’s Olympic Stadium got a 330 million euro renovation that was finished during the pandemic to much architectural acclaim.
 The building got its first real stress test at the weekend, when nearly 30,000 fans attended Finland’s World Cup qualifier against Ukraine. It was a disappointing night for the Eagle Owls, who went down to a 2-1 defeat to leave their hopes of playing in the World Cup finals hanging by a thread.
 But the stadium itself didn't do too well either. Fans complained of not being able to get to the toilet, to buy refreshments, and of big queues almost everywhere.
 First  Ilta-Sanomat  and then  Kauppalehti  reported on the problems, with stadium officials putting the issues down to a lack of information and a dearth of security staff to provide guidance.
 One issue was toilets. Because the stadium is a protected structure and not very much can be changed there, the renovation couldn’t expand concourses to add toilets and bars there.
 Instead, there is a subterranean "WC-World" offering facilities for 500 fans at a time to do their business, hidden from view. Indeed it was so well-hidden that people could not find it and ended up taking a leak by the fence instead.
 Fans attending the France game in November are urged to seek turnstiles, toilets and bars in other parts of the stadium, as they’re able to move freely from one section to the next and don't have to use the entry point or facilities in the action where their actual seat is located.
 KL says that with large events planned for next summer, including concerts at the stadium by Ed Sheeran, Antti Tuisku and Sunrise Avenue, organisers face a battle to find or train enough stewards and security staff.

Tuesday's papers: Green changes, man re-found, and Olympic Stadium complaints


Summary: Among other things, Prime Minister Sanna Marin was asked whether she had made the decision to receive the meal benefits herself.

The Chancellor of Justice has requested clarification from Prime Minister  Sanna Marin  (SDP) about free meal benefits she had received at her official residence until earlier this year.
 A minor scandal referred to as 'breakfastgate' surrounded the PM following reports she and members of her family had received meal benefits, including breakfast foods, they may not have been entitled to.
 The Chancellor of Justice wants clarification from the PM about whether she had made the decision to receive the meal benefits herself; whether she was aware of any legal uncertainty surrounding the benefits; and also asked if government officials had informed her about the meal benefits.
 At the time police had found no reason to open a formal preliminary investigation into the issue.
 Questions
 According to the law regarding the Prime Minister's benefits, the PM is granted use of an apartment in a state-owned building, with maintenance, heating, lighting and furnishings — as well as necessary staff — paid for by state funds.
 In the request for clarification, the Chancellor of Justice pointed out that the law did not mention meal benefits should be paid by the state.
 The request also asked for explanations from officials in the PM's office — including Permanent State Under-Secretary  Timo Lankinen  and another official — who made decisions regarding the benefits.
 The PM has nearly two months to respond to the Chancellor's questions, with a deadline of 8 December.
 Background
 When the news about the meal benefits came to light Marin said she would give up the meal benefits.
 Police also looked into the PM's monthly food expenses, which amounted to 850 euros per month, but the inquiry was  closed  at the end of June, with authorities saying there was no reason to believe anything criminal had taken place.
 Later in the summer, it was reported that — as she  promised  — Marin had  repaid  the state a majority of the roughly 14,000 euros that was spent on meals between January 2020 and May 2021.
 At the time the Prime Minister's office said that according to instructions specified in 2019, the PM could order food for breakfast and cold meals when she and her family stayed at the PM's official residence in Helsinki, Kesäranta.
 The official residence is in Helsinki's Meilahti seaside district, not far from the president's official residence.

Chancellor of Justice queries PM over 'breakfastgate' benefits


Summary: The Juho Kuosmanen film won the Grand Prix prize at Cannes earlier this year.

Finland's Oscar jury has selected  Compartment No. 6  as the country's candidate for the best International Feature Film.
 The  Juho Kuosmanen -directed film stars  Seidi Harla  and  Juri Borisov , and mostly takes place inside a sleeping compartment on a moving train.
 Harla's Finnish student meets Borisov, a miner, as the train makes its way to the Arctic.
 Every year the Oscar jury, officially known as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), asks every film-producing country to nominate a candidate for the award.
 Compartment No. 6  won the Grand Prix award in Cannes earlier this year, and gets a general release in Finnish cinemas on 29 October.

Finland picks 'Compartment No. 6' as Oscar candidate


Summary: The board said it has closely followed public discourse about the protest and submitted a request for clarification to the Helsinki Police Department.

The National Police Board has launched an internal investigation into the events surrounding a climate protest outside Government Palace last Friday.
 Police  detained a total of 52 activists  from the Elokapina protest movement — the Finnish branch of the environmental group Extinction Rebellion — after protestors chained and glued themselves to the entrance of the building.
 The protestors are suspected of causing a public obstruction, disobedience towards police officers as well as aggravated breaches of peace.
 The last of those charges — aggravated breach of the peace — has provoked lively debate as well as criticism of the proportionality of the police's actions in removing the protestors.
 The Helsinki police department has  already conceded that they failed to accurately assess  the security threat posed by the climate demonstration, and that there were additional failures in their communications about the event.
 On Saturday evening, police said in a statement that security was judged to have deteriorated to such a degree that the president, ministers and other officials were told to leave the building through alternative routes after a meeting of the Council of State.
 However, President  Sauli Niinistö   told newspaper Helsingin Sanomat  that he was not directed to follow a different route when leaving the Government Palace, and Education Minister  Li Andersson  (Left) also said that she left the building in the same way as always.
 The Police Board stated in a press release that it has closely followed public discourse in relation to the protest and will begin an internal probe, adding that a request for clarification on the events has already been sent to the Helsinki Police Department.
 Once a report has been received from the department, the board will evaluate the matter in more detail and submit a written decision.
 The Police Board's role is to plan direct and supervise police operations at a national level.
 Ohisalo: Ministry asked Police Board to investigate
 Minister of the Interior  Maria Ohisalo  (Green) told news agency STT that she asked the board to initiate an investigation into the activities of officers at the climate protest, adding that her ministry has also launched a probe into the events.
 Ohisalo said that she considers it very important that the police strive to be as neutral as possible in all their activities and communications, as this avoids any possible perception that the police have taken sides on a particular issue.
 "The police have admitted that they have made a mistake in their assessment of the threat and also failed in their communication on the matter. I consider this important for the police that mistakes are admitted and lessons learned," Ohisalo wrote to STT in an email.

Police Board to probe handling of climate protest


Summary: Covid's effect on state gambling coffers is expected to affect the funding of hobby groups, libraries and cultural organisations for years.

The Ministry of Education and Culture announced on Tuesday that there will be funding cuts for the arts, culture, science and sport sectors in its 2022 budget, due to declining revenue from state gambling monopoly Veikkaus.
 This year the state fully compensated the dwindling gambling revenues, but next year such losses will no longer be fully covered, a situation which will force groups and organisations to find other funding alternatives.
 Next year the ministry will see a reduction of around 43 million euros in Veikkaus funding.
 For decades, Veikkaus has been a significant  source of funds  for cultural, veterans', youth, sporting and social and health care organisations. However, the state-owned firm has recently seen  heavy losses  due to the coronavirus crisis.
 Among other problems, the  firm shut down  nearly all of its gambling arcades and fruit machines — which are commonly seen in grocery stores, petrol stations and bars — for months in an effort to reduce the spread of coronavirus.
 Next year's anticipated shortfall means that arts, culture, sport, science and youth organisations will increasingly need to look elsewhere for funding or look for ways to save money.
 In a tweet on Tuesday, Prime Minister  Sanna Marin  (SDP) acknowledged that the funding drop was a difficult issue for many groups during the Covid era.
 "The five [party chairs in the coalition government] will look at the funding of organisations during the autumn's budget process and look for a solution," Marin tweeted.
 Shortfalls to affect many
 Veikkaus' losses will cause a roughly 15 percent shortfall for most groups within the culture and arts sector next year. Similar-sized funding holes will be seen by translation and literature publication groups as well as grants issued to museum and heritage organisations.
 Meanwhile, libraries will see around six percent less support from Veikkaus and funding for movie production, scriptwriting and promotion are set to drop by eight percent.
 Cultural publications will see Veikkaus funding decline by nine percent.
 The funding for libraries' purchase of low-circulation publications will disappear, meaning that the availability of such content will decline.
 National youth groups will see Veikkaus funding decline by four percent, or a total of around 700,000 euros — around the same amount to be lost by local hobby organisations.
 Support for sports associations will decrease by nearly 12 million euros next year, with the largest cuts to affect sport facility construction.
 Science funding
 Veikkaus-sourced funding for science and research is set to decrease by 8.3 million euros, while the Heureka science centre in Vantaa will see a seven percent reduction in such funding.
 Gambling funds will decrease by five percent for political think tank groups.
 The government has previously said that the state's compensation for Veikkaus' proceeds will progressively decrease in coming years. This year the state paid for the shortfall nearly entirely, while next year the proportion will be around 80 percent, or about 330 million euros.
 In 2023 the state is scheduled to compensate about 306 million euros.

Culture, sport and science sectors facing 15% funding shortfall due to Veikkaus losses


Summary: The tradition dates back to at least 1873 in the Oulu region.

A foundation has asked people to stop using blackface as part of the traditional 'Star Boys' performance, which tells the bible story of the three wise men and their role in Christian nativity plays.
 The foundation said it had taken note of the reaction in wider society to racism, and wanted to show that it takes the message seriously.
 Traditionally, one of the 'three kings' has worn blackface in the Oulu telling of the tale. The first record of this tradition dates back to 1873.
 Originally groups of youths would travel around a district or area performing the story, asking for donations at the end of the performance. They were known as ' Tiernapojat ', or 'Star Boys'.
 Blackface has gained notoriety as a way for white actors to portray black characters in often stereotypical or offensive ways.
 The Star Boy foundation ( Tiernasäätiö  in Finnish) says that it would like those performing the ritual outside its own events to take note of its stance and change their ways.
 The foundation had recommended that blackface not be used, and that the 'King of the Moors' character be renamed as 'King of the Mauris', after the popular Finnish male name, Mauri.
 Now the organisation has said it will not allow blackface at its own events and recommends others follow its lead.
 That entails darkening beards below the nose, but not full blackface — but only for male actors.
 The foundation organises a Star Boy competition in Oulu city centre on the last weekend of November, where groups from across the country gather to compete.

Foundation asks for end to blackface ritual


Summary: The PM said she did not understand why the list of cuts was publicised on Tuesday when coalition leaders were still to resolve the issue.

Prime Minister  Sanna Marin  (SDP) has criticised her Culture Minister  Antti Kurvinen  (Cen) for  publishing a list of spending cuts  even though he knew the government was already planning to revisit them.
 "I would have hoped that this week we would not have upset the sector and its operators because we are in any case going to resolve this situation," said Marin.
 The specific cuts were announced by Kurvinen on Tuesday, but by Thursday leaders of three of the five parties in government had said they want a re-think.
 Spending on youth work, the arts, sport and culture would contract under Kurvinen's plan for spending in 2022, which contained cuts totalling 43 million euros to spending on culture, science, the arts, youth work and sport.
 The biggest single cut of 18.4 million euros was to art and culture.
 'Careful message' to sector
 They stem from a reduction in income for the state betting and lottery firm Veikkaus, whose profits are earmarked to fund cultural and sporting activities along with non-governmental organisations.
 Marin said that when Kurvinen invited culture sector organisations to hear about the list of spending cuts, he knew the five leaders of government parties planned to revisit the plan.
 The five will gather on Friday for a meeting agreed between Centre party leader  Annika Saarikko  and Marin last week. Kurvinen sent out invitations on Friday for his announcement of the cuts which, apparently, were not certain to be implemented.
 "Myself I have been quite careful about what kind of message it sends to the culture sector when this issue is in any case being resolved by coalition party leaders," said Marin.
 No promises
 For his part, Kurvinen says that his ministry had received a request for the list from parliament, so it was going to be made public anyway.
 On Thursday Saarikko, who is Finance Minister as well as Centre leader, said that she could not promise that all of the cuts would be reversed.
 The splits in the government had come into full public view on Thursday, when Marin tweeted her desire to reverse them.
 "I'll say it straight,"  tweeted  Marin. "The SDP wants to reverse these culture sector cuts. We also need to resolve the situation of other organisations and beneficiaries."
 On Wednesday evening Li Andersson, the leader of the Left Alliance, had appeared on Yle's A-Studio programme urging a reversal of the cuts. On Thursday Green chair Maria Ohisalo joined the chorus, saying her party wanted to see funding maintained.
 The Centre Party, on the other hand, criticised the premier. Jouni Ovaska, a Centre MP from Pirkanmaa,  tweeted  "I'll say it straight. Your credibility is slipping away."
 Two other Centre MPs also sent out press releases criticising the premier, while Marin herself said the governing parties had agreed in principle to revisit the cuts before Kurvinen announced his plan.
 The cuts prompted widespread criticism from the culture sector, with threats of job losses and services contracting due to the austerity measures.

Marin slams Centre Party Minister over culture cuts


Summary: The long-expected coronavirus vaccination certificate will be available from the OmaKanta medical portal for people aged 16 years old and above.

Finland's Covid vaccination certificate — otherwise known as the Covid passport — was officially unveiled at a press conference hosted by Parliament's Committee on Social Affairs and Health on Tuesday afternoon.
 If approved by Parliament in a vote expected later this week, the pass will be available from the OmaKanta healthcare portal and meant to be used as an alternative to coronavirus restrictions. Use of the pass would permit businesses like restaurants or gyms to permit more customers than could be allowed under Covid-related restrictions.
 The certificate confirms that the holder has either: been fully vaccinated against Covid, has tested negative for the disease within a period of the previous 72 hours, or has contracted but recovered from the virus within the past six months.
 Speaking at the Tuesday press conference, committee chair  Markus Lohi  (Cen) confirmed the parliamentary body recommended that the Covid pass age limit be raised from the government's proposal of 12 years and above to 16 years and up.
 "In practice, the Covid passport could create significant obstacles to children's hobbies and recreation. That is why the committee is proposing to raise the age limit to 16," Lohi said.
 He added that young people aged between 12 and 15 years old may encounter difficulties downloading the pass from the OmaKanta website, as they may not have the necessary means of online identification.
 This age group was also much less likely to become seriously ill from the virus, he said.
 In addition, the committee recommended changes to the government's proposal so that 16- and 17-year-olds should receive free-of-charge coronavirus tests from public health services if they are not vaccinated. This should also apply to people who cannot get vaccinated for health reasons, the committee added.
 Border entry rules remain in force
 In its report, the committee also proposed extending Finland's current border entry requirements until the end of this year.
 According to the current regulations, unvaccinated or one-dose passengers arriving from at-risk or otherwise designated countries are required to undergo two coronavirus tests: one on arrival and the second within 3–5 days of arrival in Finland.
 The committee disagreed on the need for the second test, with a narrow vote of 7 to 6 ultimately decided that the need for a second test would be maintained.
 Both Lohi and the committee's vice chair  Mia Laiho  (NCP) expressed disappointment that the second test stipulation would remain, with Laiho saying that it would directly impact Finland's attractiveness as a tourism destination.
 "Yes it certainly has an effect, as [the tourist] might rather choose Norway or Sweden. This also affects the spring season, as it can have a knock-on effect on the decision of where to go on holiday," Laiho said.
 "In that sense, this is an unfortunate day for the tourism industry," Lohi said.
 Pass could be in use by end of this week
 Members of Parliament are scheduled to vote on passing the draft proposal into law this week, most likely on Friday afternoon, meaning the Covid pass could come into use as early as Saturday 16 October.
 If passed, the law would be temporary and only valid until the end of this year.
 However, Lohi emphasised that although the law may enter into force, the pass would only be effectively in use in regions where restrictions on public gatherings or the amount of people that can attend a particular event are still in effect.
 Based on current infection rates, these regions include Southwest Finland, Ostrobothnia, Satakunta, Päijät-Häme as well as the metropolitan Helsinki region.
 Otherwise, the pass would only be used if the epidemic situation deteriorates and restrictions need to be tightened or re-introduced.
 "The goal should be that the Covid passport is never used, that is, that the epidemic situation throughout Finland would be such that there would be no new restrictions," Lohi said.

Finland unveils Covid pass draft bill — Parliament votes this week


The European Commission’s competition authorities began separate, unannounced inspections of the premises of Finnish forestry firms UPM and Stora Enso on Tuesday.
 A similar inspection was also launched at the premises of Metsä Fibre, part of the Metsä Group.
 The inspections are related to commission concerns that companies in the wood pulp sector may have violated EU antitrust rules that prohibit cartels and restrictive business practices.
 In a press statement, the EU commission said that the inspections are a first step towards an investigation into suspected anticompetitive practices, but do not necessarily mean that competition law has been infringed.
 "The Commission has concerns that the inspected companies may have violated EU antitrust rules that prohibit cartels and restrictive business practices," the statement said, adding that inspections are being carried out at the premises of pulp companies located in several EU member state countries.
 The Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority (KKV) will assist the commission in conducting the inspections within Finland, KKV's Research Manager  Juuli Broms  confirmed to Yle, but the authority could not comment any further.
 However, Broms did say that, at a general level, unannounced inspections are standard practice in cases where there is a suspicion of illegal activity.
 The commission did not disclose the names of the companies involved in the preliminary stages of the investigation, but news agency Reuters  reported  that the Swedish forestry company Holmen has not been contacted by the commission in its investigation of possible cartel activity in the wood pulp sector.
 Stora Enso, UPM and Metsä Group are all big players within the forestry sector on a Europe-wide scale, with Finnish and Swedish companies dominating the market.
 Companies' share prices decline
 The share prices of Stora Enso and UPM both fell by about 4 percent on the Helsinki Stock Exchange on Tuesday afternoon as reports emerged of the inspections.
 Similarly, the share price of Metsä Board, which is part of the Metsä Group, fell by more than 5 percent. According to the latest information, Metsä Board will not be subject to any inspection, a Metsä Group press release stated.
 The duration of the inspections is affected by many factors, the EU Commission said, but was not willing to elaborate further on their progress at this stage.

EU commission suspects Finnish forestry firms of cartel activities, begins unannounced inspections


Summary: Elonvaalijat, the registered association which organises the activities of the Elokapina climate protest movement, has denied committing any fundraising crimes.

Helsinki District Court has ordered the freezing of assets worth a total of 20,000 euros belonging to Elonvaalijat, the registered association which organises the activities of the Elokapina climate protest movement.
 Police  filed a request to the court last week  asking for the sequestration of the group's assets as they had reason to suspect fundraising laws had been violated on two separate occasions, the first between 26 April 2021 and 18 June 2021 and the second on 15 September.
 Elonvaalijat's vice chair  Lauri Kangassalo  has previously told Yle that the climate action group denies committing any crime.
 However, according to police, Elonvaalijat's fundraising activities have violated Section 6 of Finland's Money Collection Act, which states that fundraising may not be used to "fund activities that clearly endanger public order or security, or that are illegal."
 Police argue the group has raised money in order to fund Elokapina demonstrations, which have led to the detention of activists on suspicion of committing offences such as causing a public obstruction, disobedience towards police officers and aggravated breaches of the peace.
 Police further suspect that the Elonvaalijat association has exceeded its maximum number of approved fundraising notifications, which are required before public collections can be legally made.
 The head of the investigation, Detective Chief Inspector  Juha-Matti Suominen , has previously declined to say which of the association's representatives are under investigation.
 The sequestration of assets is a standard procedure in the investigation of suspected crimes, as it aims to ensure that if a crime is proven, any criminal proceeds can be seized.
 If Elonvaalijat are found guilty in court of violating fundraising law, the punishment would be a fine.
 The Helsinki police department has  already conceded that they failed to accurately assess  the security threat posed by the climate demonstration outside the Government Palace last week, and that there were additional failures in their communications about the event.
 The National Police Board has  launched an internal investigation  into the events surrounding the protest.
 Elokapina is an activist group that has organised protests to pressure the government to declare a climate emergency in Finland. It has  blocked streets in Helsinki  during several demonstrations to draw attention to its demands for action against climate change.

Helsinki court freezes climate action group's assets


Summary: The Eagle Owls' remaining qualification games are against Bosnia and Herzegovina on 13 November and world champions France three days later.

Two goals from  Teemu Pukki , scored either side of half time, have reignited the Finnish national football team's hopes of qualifying for next year's World Cup finals in Qatar.
 The nation's chances of qualifying for the finals of the tournament for the first ever time suffered a significant setback on Saturday, when the  Huuhkajat  — or Eagle Owls — lost 2-1 at home to Ukraine and dropped from second place in qualifying Group D to fourth.
 However, Tuesday evening's 2-0 win over Kazakhstan in the city of Astana has put  Markku Kanerva 's side back in the race with just two games left to play.
 Pukki's first goal came just on the stroke of half time when he latched onto a ball over the top of the Kazakhstan defence from US-based midfielder  Robin Lod , and slipped the ball past the advancing goalkeeper  Igor Shatskiy .
 His second, scored just three minutes into the second half, was an easy tap-in finish after Statskiy failed to hold a stinging 20-yard drive from the impressive  Urho Nissila , who was making his first start for the national team.
 The Norwich City striker's brace — his 32nd and 33rd for his country — means he has now surpassed former Liverpool and Ajax legend  Jari Litmanen  as Finland's all-time record goalscorer.
 Finland's remaining games are against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the city of Zenica on 13 November followed by a home tie against world champions France in Helsinki three days later.

Pukki goals keep Finland's World Cup dreams alive


Summary: Evening paper Iltalehti is Finland's most popular newspaper, a survey by Media Audit Finland revealed.

Parliament has now approved the updated content of the Communicable Diseases Act that lays the path for the adoption of the EU Covid pass in Finland,  Ilkkapohjalainen  writes. The move could see the pass requested by restaurants, clubs and other public spaces  as early as Saturday .
 The debate over the Covid pass and entry restrictions involved over 50 MPs taking the floor, and stretched for three hours, until 11pm on Tuesday evening, according to Ilkkapohjalainen.
 Among the changes approved was the raising of the Covid pass age limit, from the government's proposed 12 years and above to 16 years and up, Tampere-based  Aamulehti  adds, citing children's ability to participate in extracurricular activities for the tweak.
 The final vote to pass the proposal into law is set to take place on Friday afternoon.
 Some 70 percent of Finns pessimistic about climate crisis
 A strong majority of people in Finland (70 percent) are not convinced of humanity's ability to reach the climate goals set out by the Paris Climate Agreement. This is according to a poll commissioned by  Helsingin Sanomat  (HS).
 The Paris Climate Agreement seeks to keep global warming between 1.5 and 2 degrees Celsius, however scientists predict that current climate policies would at best limit warming to 2.7 degrees, according to HS.
 The pessimism was evident across population and age groups, especially among those in their 40s. There was room however for some optimism, mainly from young people and students, the daily paper writes. Some three percent of the poll's respondents expressed confidence in humanity succeeding in curbing climate change.
 Iltalehti most popular paper in Finland
 Another poll, this time conducted by Media Audit Finland, revealed that  Iltalehti  (IL) is now the most well-read paper in Finland, the popular paper itself revealed.
 According to the latest figures, Iltalehti attracts nearly 3 million readers both on paper and online each week. This is almost 100,000 readers more than its counterpart, Ilta-Sanomat, IL proudly reports.
 Around 23,000 respondents, above the age of 15, participated in the poll.

Wednesday's papers: Covid Pass, climate pessimism and newspaper readership


Summary: More than half of the population of Finland still get their news from physical copies of newspapers.

Some 96 percent of people in Finland read newspapers and tabloids each day, according to Media Audit Finland's latest  report . Readership overall is equally high across population demographics and age groups.
 "People in Finland have once again proven their interest in reliable news and current affairs content that's delivered according to the principles of journalism. This is a great thing for all of us, both on a societal and local level," Marketing and Research Director at News Media Finland,  Sirpa Kirjonen  said.
 Published on Wednesday morning, the poll further revealed that some 86 percent of people residing in Finland opt online for their news.
 Print versions are most popular (four readers out of five) among those aged over 65. On the other hand, less than a third of 15-34 year-olds flick through the pages of physical copies, according to the poll.
 The latest readership statistics involved data of some 23,000 respondents, all above the age of 15.

Poll: Newspapers reach 96 percent of population daily


Summary: An agreement reached last week between forestry company Stora Enso and the Paperworkers' Union could set a precedent for other sectors.

Salary increases agreed last week between forestry company Stora Enso and staff representatives may determine the level of pay rises in other sectors across the Finnish labour market.
 Antti Palola , chair of The Finnish Confederation of Salaried Employees STTK, told Yle that the agreement sets a benchmark for negotiators in other sectors to strive towards.
 Under the deal, the forestry firm's employees will receive a 1.9 percent pay increase in the first two years and 0.9 percent in the third year. The collective agreement is valid for two years and four months, so wages will increase by two percent annually.
 The pay rises agreed between Stora Enso and the Paperworkers' Union are higher than those agreed with the wider industry in the previous round of negotiations two years ago.
 In a  surprise move announced  last autumn, the Finnish Forest Industries Federation (FFIF) said it would abandon collective bargaining in the Finnish labour market and instead allow companies in the sector to agree directly with their workforces on salaries, shifts and working conditions.
 Last week's agreement therefore marks the first wage negotiation in the forestry sector since the end of collective bargaining and the move towards a company-specific model.
 According to Palola, when a major company in a major export industry enters into such an agreement on pay, it grabs a lot of attention.
 "A stake has been put into the ground, and everyone is paying attention," the union chief said. "This is certainly what we will be aiming for at other negotiating tables."
 Traditionally in Finland, the first agreement on wages and working conditions has set the tone for the talks that follow. Palola added that negotiators should even set their sights higher.
 "We have to remember that we are now in a boom. Businesses are doing quite well, the economy is growing and there is a shortage of manpower," he pointed out.
 Employers' unions: No precedent set
 As employers' associations across the country prepare to enter talks with staff representatives over pay and working conditions, some were quick to point out that the Stora Enso deal does not set a precedent.
 In an interview with Yle last week, the Technology Industry Employers of Finland's CEO  Jarkko Ruohoniemi  said that the most telling guide will be set by agreements made in the technology and chemical industries, which account for more than 70 percent of Finnish exports.
 However, Palola responded that the STTK union does not believe that deals made in the export industry will have such a knock-on effect, saying that it is very difficult to talk about broad impacts as more sectors move away from the collective bargaining model.
 "There is now a decentralised, union-specific round of negotiations, and the unions are pursuing their own goals at the negotiating table," Palola said.

Union leader says workers want minimum 2 percent pay rise


Summary: Minister Pekka Haavisto also said that the Ministry for Foreign Affairs has begun preparations to speed up family reunifications.

Finnish authorities are still attempting to arrange the safe evacuation of around 50 people from Afghanistan, Foreign Minister  Pekka Haavisto  (Green) told Yle's Ykkösaamu morning show.
 The figure includes about 30 Finnish citizens covered by the government's evacuation decree, Haavisto said, and an estimated 20 people with permanent residence permits in Finland who requested consular assistance.
 Finland  evacuated some 400 people  from Afghanistan during the month of August after the Taliban military group took power in the country.
 Haavisto further revealed that a major evacuation operation in the Afghan capital Kabul led to "a number of people" being evacuated to Finland via Doha, the capital of Qatar.
 "This task continues. We strive to help those who have been promised help and get them out of the country," Haavisto said, adding that the Ministry for Foreign Affairs has also begun preparations to speed up family reunifications.
 The ministry is investigating whether reunifications can be accelerated through consular units operating around Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, or the Iranian capital Tehran.
 However, the timetable for evacuations and family reunifications is open because the situation in Afghanistan is still unstable, with Haavisto saying that Kabul Airport is still not operating as normal and commercial flights are not following normal aviation standards and schedules.
 He added that Finland has allowed people to be evacuated via Kabul airport with the help of certain other countries, such as Qatar, and the aim is to continue this cooperation.
 "On behalf of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, we are in regular contact with all those who have requested consular assistance and we strive to ensure their safety by all means possible to find a way out of Afghanistan as safely as possible," Haavisto said.

Foreign Minister: Finland still trying to evacuate 50 people from Afghanistan


Summary: Most fruit and vegetables sold in French supermarkets will no longer be wrapped in single use plastic from next year.

In a move to reduce non-recyclable waste, France will be implementing a total ban on plastic packaging for some fresh products such as apples and potatoes, a move that the Finnish trade sector is yet to warm up to.
 Ilkka Nieminen , the director of the Finnish Grocery Trade Association (PTY), an industry lobby group, is among the skeptics. Nieminen said the total ban implemented by France will contradict the EU's goal of reducing food waste and would prefer to see corporations come up with their own plans to reduce plastic waste.
 "We shouldn't focus solely on the issue of plastics for that product group and ignore the issue of food waste," the PTY director said, adding that fruits and vegetables make up a significant proportion of the food that ends up in landfill.
 Switch to less single-use already underway
 Supermarkets have already taken steps towards reducing plastic packaging. Many grocery shops in Finland are already selling some fruits and vegetables unpackaged while looking for eco-friendlier solutions for products that cannot do without.
 According to K-Group, packaging reforms it carried out last year helped to avoid the use of plastic equivalent to 14 million plastic bags.
 "We aim for our packaging to be recyclable, compostable or reusable by 2025," the Finnish supermarket giant told Yle via email.
 Plastic affects the shelf life of fresh food
 S-Group Sustainability and Compliance Manager  Anni Loukaskorpi  agrees with Nieminen that banning all plastic packaging would have major negative impacts in relation to food waste.
 Packaging often accounts for less than five percent of the environmental load of the entire product, Loukaskorpi said, adding that for example, "the plastic packaging of cucumbers is quite thin and light, yet it can significantly improve the shelf life of the product."
 The EU wants to reduce plastic pollution
 Program Manager at the Ministry of the Environment,  Merja Saarnilehto , says that packaging bans akin to the one in France, aim to reduce the use of single use plastics overall in line with the EU's efforts to tackle non-recyclable waste.
 Meanwhile, Saarnilehto says ecologically-friendlier packaging solutions must "not cause greater disadvantages in relation to food preservation," however the program manager argues that a lot of the fruit sold in areas such as central Europe arrives pre-packaged.
 "I believe that, especially in the case of fruit and vegetables, pre-packaging is often not necessary for preservation," she said.
 The implementation of the  EU's single-use plastics directive  in Finland is still underway. The government is set to make a proposal on how to put the directive into practise by the end of the year. Saarnilehto says the alternatives include rigid legislation or more flexible regulations targeting specific actors in each field.

Grocery lobby skeptical about bringing French plastic ban to Finland


Summary: In the HUS area, Covid patients needing intensive care spend an average of 11 days in ICU wards, while people suffering from other illnesses spend an average of three to four days in intensive care.

Hospitals may soon have to decide whether to treat a single Covid patient requiring intensive care or be able to carry out surgeries on three patients suffering from other illnesses who would also need ICU treatment, according to the Chief Medical Officer of the Helsinki and Uusimaa Hospital District (HUS),  Jari Petäjä .
 HUS management is concerned about the prolonged effects that the Covid crisis will have on health care services in coming years.
 The district recently estimated that Finland will need to spend one billion euros in additional funding to treat the population who are not vaccinated against Covid — with 200 million euros of that spent in Uusimaa.
 "If that amount is left to health care services to sort out, it means other treatments will not be performed. The current system is not able to handle such pressure and [the ability to provide] other health care is threatened," Petäjä said.
 Story continues after photo.
 Chief Medical Officer at the Helsinki and Uusimaa Hospital District (HUS), Jari Petäjä. Matti Myller / Yle
 He added that there is an urgent need for a national debate on how Finland plans to deal with the additional financial burdens — both current and future — caused by Covid, as the country carries out major reforms to its social and health care system.
 Petäjä said it is impossible to estimate how much caring for Covid patients will cost Finland in the long term, as the country may end up treating people with the illness for years to come. Additionally, there will also be costs to address patients suffering from 'long Covid.'
 He said that as there is still a large number of people in the country who are still not vaccinated against the disease, Covid-19 will be an issue for "a long time and it will also put a strain on ICU and hospitals for a long time."
 Ethical decisions loom
 Queues for treatment in the HUS region are severely congested, and the hospital district has been unable to meet nationally-mandated care guarantees during the Covid crisis, with patient waiting periods up to three to four times longer than in 2018-2019.
 Petäjä also noted that there are ethical issues associated with long-term Covid care, as Finland needs to find a balance between adequate specialist care of Covid patients and the needs of patients suffering from numerous other ailments.
 In the HUS area, Covid patients needing intensive care spend an average of 11 days in ICU wards, while people suffering from other diseases needing such treatment spend an average of three to four days in intensive care.
 "As a result, treating a Covid patient could require cancelling the surgeries of three or four other patients. The load cannot be that heavy. If capacities are full, there will be excessive pressure to prioritise [decisions on who receives] intensive care," Petäjä said.
 According to the chief medical officer, Finland needs to plan for the care of Covid patients in the future.
 Nurse shortage
 HUS hospitals are already facing staffing shortfalls, he said.
 "There was a shortage of nurses even before Covid and the crisis has not helped the situation," Petäjä said, adding that getting new staff up to speed on training is time consuming.
 HUS currently treats about 40 Covid patients on a daily basis in regular wards while the district's ICUs serve seven to eight such patients a day.
 Due to the country's growing Covid vaccination coverage, Petäjä said the threshold to re-introducing broad restrictions on society was high, but if they are implemented they should be necessary and effective.
 "In order for restrictions to be considered effective, they should reach as many non-vaccinated people as possible," Petäjä said.
 Using this measuring stick, Petäjä said that restrictions on bars and restaurants are the most effective way to prevent Covid's spread.
 He is also strongly in favour of using  Covid passes  to keep large gatherings of people safe from Covid outbreak risks. He said if restaurant restrictions were imposed alongside the use of Covid passes, it would particularly encourage more young people to get vaccinated, as meeting with friends at public establishments would require proof of vaccinations or proof of testing negative for Covid.

Covid ICU patients could cause patient backlogs, HUS chief doc warns


Summary: Almost one-third of Finland's land mass is located in the Arctic Circle.  The EU plans to bolster its role as a geopolitical player in the at-risk region.

The Arctic region has reached an "unprecedented crisis point" due to climate change, a problem which is the "most comprehensive threat" facing the region, the EU Commission said in a joint statement on Wednesday.
 Issued by the Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the statement called for more EU engagement to foster a "peaceful, sustainable and prosperous Arctic."
 "The Arctic is especially sensitive to global warming - it has warmed three times as fast as the planet on average during the last 50 years. Current Arctic sea ice cover is at its lowest level since at least 1850 and is projected to reach practically icefree conditions at its summer minimum at least once before 2050," the document stated.
 Almost one-third of Finland's land mass is located in the Arctic Circle.
 The risks posed to the Arctic by global warming will have a knock on effect which will cause sea levels to rise, coastal erosion, biodiversity loss and ecosystem destruction. As sea ice melts away, according to the statement, more greenhouse gases will be released into the atmosphere and accelerate climate change.
 EU aims to cap Arctic fossil fuel extraction
 According to Commissioner of the Environment,  Virginijus Sinkevičius , the EU is prepared to bolster its role as a geopolitical player in the Arctic. He said that the role of indigenous populations, particularly women and young people, need to have a louder voice regarding decisions made about the region.
 "The EU is committed to make the Arctic safe, stable, sustainable and prosperous. Safe and stable, through enhanced international cooperation; sustainable and prosperous, by ensuring a strong link between the EU's Arctic engagement and our climate policy, the European Green Deal and its blue economy dimension," Sinkevičius said in a statement.
 The Commission's statement said that extracting fossil fuels in the region should no longer increase in scale. Sinkevičius acknowledged, however, that gaining international consensus about those goals would require "intensified diplomatic efforts."
 The  communication  (PDF file) also noted that gas and oil extracted from the Arctic by Russia continues to be imported to the EU. However, the EU's broader climate goals include a planned shift to green energy sources and a reduction in the reliance on fossil fuels.
 The EU said it is directing funds towards the green transition of the region, and was also planning to set up a European Commission office in Nuuk, Greenland, in order to raise the profile of Arctic issues in the EU. Greenland is an autonomous region belonging to Denmark, but does not belong to the European Union.
 The EU's Arctic policy statement issued on Wednesday was an update to one it issued in 2016, as its policy has been regularly updated since it began issuing such policy statements about the region in 2008.

EU Commission: Climate change 'most comprehensive threat' facing Arctic


Summary: Vaccine specialist Mika Rämet said kids in at-risk groups would likely be first in line to get the jabs.

Covid vaccinations of children between the ages of 5 to 11 could begin in Finland by the end of this year at the earliest, according to vaccine specialist Mika Rämet, from the Vaccine Research Centre at the University of Tampere.
 The authorisation process for use of the Pfizer-Biontech Covid vaccine is currently underway in the United States, with Rämet estimating the authorisation process by the European Medicines Agency would begin soon.
 In September, Pfizer-Biontech released initial results on the effectiveness of the vaccine in younger children. Among other things, studies found that the correct dosage for youngsters aged 5 to 11 was 10 micrograms, or one-third of the dose normally administered to adults.
 Story continues after photo.
 Vaccine specialist Mika Rämet, from the Vaccine Research Centre at the University of Tampere Joni Tammela / Yle
 "It's known that at that dose level, immune responses form in exactly the same way as in young adults at a dose of 30 micrograms. About 2,500 children aged 5 to 11 took part in the study, there were no serious side effects in the study and the vaccine was tolerated in the same way as in [the kids'] parents," Rämet told Yle.
 If the EMA does extend the marketing authorization to the 5 to 11 age group, then the National Advisory Committee on Vaccines (Krar) will evaluate use of the vaccine in that age group in Finland.
 Rämet suggested that kids 5 to 11 who were at higher risk from Covid could be the first in line in that age group to get vaccinated.

Expert: Finland could begin Covid vaccinations of 5-11-year-olds by end of this year


Summary: Pump prices for petrol in Finland are currently at their highest this century, reports the Jyväskylä daily Keskisuomalainen.

Motorists are finding that their wallets are increasingly light,  writes Keskisuomalainen,  as petrol prices have shot up.
 The paper reports that last weekend, at some service stations in central Finland, the price of 95-octane petrol was well over 1.8 euros, close to 2 euros for 98-octane and just barely under 1.7 euros for diesel.
 Keskisuomalainen points to Statistics Finland's consumer price index, which shows the average for Finland as a whole in January for the same grades of petrol were 1.38, 1.48 and 1.57 euros per liter. A year ago in May they were 1.16, 1.28 and 1.36.
 The price of petrol is affected by the world market price of crude oil.
 "Last year was really exceptional, because the price of crude oil has not been so low for a long time. Crude oil was sold last summer on certain days even at negative prices,"  Hanna Kalenoja , of the Finnish Automobile Sector's Information Centre told the paper.
 The world market price of crude oil has been rising faster than expected now that the recession brought about by the coronavirus pandemic has subsided.
 "During the summer it seemed that the price would level off. It was thought that rising oil prices would not increase inflation, but now concerns about the development of crude oil prices are turning into inflationary concerns," Kalenoja continued.
 Jari Salonen , CEO of the association representing independent petrol station operators pointed a finger at Finland's tax authorities, noting that about two-thirds of the pump price of petrol is made up of various taxes.
 Unpopular health tax
 The Kuopio-based  Savon Sanomat is among the papers  carrying a syndicated article reporting that almost half of people surveyed in a new poll are opposed to a health tax being prepared by the government.
 Minister of Finance  Annika Saarikko  (Cen) said last month that the government is planning to introduce a health-based tax. According to the government programme, the new tax is aimed at promoting public health and targets, for example, sugar.
 A poll commissioned by the Uutissuomalainen newspaper group found 48 percent of the public oppose the new tax. Only 37 percent though it was a good idea.
 People in the 30-44 year-old age group were the most positive about imposing taxes aimed at furthering health policies. According to the survey, supporters of the Left Alliance and the Greens, as well as high-income earners, are most strongly in favour of the tax.
 There were some doubts cast upon the accuracy of the poll, however.  Vertti Kiukas , who heads the Finnish Federation for Social Affairs and Health, Soste, pointed out that the introductory text to the polling questions mentions the government. Kiukas said be thinks it is possible that this could have boosted negative responses from supporters of the opposition National Coalition and the Finns Party.
 No to moving carbon goalpost
 Most papers, including  the tabloid Ilta-Sanomat , report that National Coalition Party chair  Petteri Orpo  announced on Wednesday that his party would not partner in government with any party that backs off from measures aimed at climate action.
 Speaking at a panel discussion of party leaders, Orpo's comment was immediately interpreted as a response to Finns Party chair  Riikka Purra  who earlier this week issued a demand for Finland's carbon neutrality target be postponed to 2050.
 The goal of the government of Prime Minister Sanna Marin (SDP) is for Finland  to achieve carbon neutrality  by 2035.
 The EU's target date is 2050, and Purra has said not only that Finland's ambitious goal is impossible, but also raises the issue of the nation's competitiveness in international markets.
 Orpo stated that the path to carbon neutrality must tred wisely, but that he would not compromise on the goal itself.
 Political correspondent  Marko Junkkari  of Helsingin Sanomat, one of the organizers of the panel,  writes  that the audience was taken aback by Orpo's response about possibily taking part in a government that would delay carbon neutrality measures, "He answered unequivocally 'no.' Full stop. And then silence."
 School holiday concerns
 The  Swedish-language Hufvudstadsbladet  looks at rising rates of coronavirus infections in Finland, and fears among medical staff that the autumn school holidays will result in more pediatric patients being seen in hospitals.
 The paper reports that the intensive care unit at Helsinki's Meilahti Tower Hospital is full at the moment. One thing that is now very different there now, compared to the situation during the first year of the pandemic, is that it is no longer seniors who are seriously ill with Covid-19, but mainly people of working age.
 With autumn school holidays starting soon, Chief Physician  Minna Tallgren  says that she is worried about the possible spread of the virus among children.
 In principle, all children under the age of 12 in Finland are unvaccinated. Only younger children in high-risk groups may have received a vaccine.
 "If people gather in large crowds during the autumn holidays, it will be potential risk factor for infections to spread among unvaccinated children, also on a larger scale," Tallgren told Hufvudstadsbladet.
 Minna Tallgren added that even greater vaccination uptake is essential both in terms of the carrying capacity of the healthcare system and for personal well being.
 "It would give us who work in healthcare a respite and create a greater sense of security in society."

Thursday's papers: Petrol prices, health tax, school holiday concerns


Summary: A day in a Finnish prison costs the same as a stay in a top hotel. Officials now favour cheaper ways for offenders to serve their sentences.

The price of a day in a Finnish prison has risen over the past decade, spurring a move to the expanded use of open prison facilities and probation for offenders.
 Every inmate in a closed prison facility costs society 82,500 euros a year. That works out to more than 225 euros a day, and a 10 percent increase in the past decade.
 For the same price, a guest can stay in a high-quality room in a hotel in the centre of Helsinki.
 However, the number of inmates in prisons has fallen by more than 500 during the past ten years, bringing down spending by tens of millions of euros. Nevertheless, the price per prisoner per day continues to climb.
 "Among other things, this is due to the fact that, for example, salaries and facility operational costs are high in relation to variable expenditure. If the number of prisoners falls, the unit price increases. 100 euros spent when there are three prisoners is 33 euros each and for four 25 euros," is how  Mika Ulmanen , Accounting Manager of the Criminal Sanctions Agency, explains it.
 In other words, the fixed costs of prisons do not fall even when the number of prisoners declines.
 Keeping more prisoners in open penal facilities would be much cheaper for society. A day in open prison costs 168 euros per prisoner. Supervised probation costs 63 euros per prisoner per day.
 Ageing population, fewer criminals
 Almost two-thirds of prisoners in the country are serving their sentences in closed facilities.
 The total number of prisoners, including those in closed institutions, open prisons and on supervised probation, averaged 2,800 last year. There were 152 fewer prisoners in 2020 than during the previous year.
 According to the Criminal Sanctions Agency, the numbers were temporarily affected by the coronavirus pandemic, which limited the start of some short-term prison sentences and sentences that were changed from fines to prison time. Those restrictions ended this past summer.
 Over the longer term, a significant factor in the fall in the number of prisoners is the ageing of the general population. Overall, the number of crimes reported to the police has decreased for many types of serious offences.
 The number of inmates in Finnish prisons has been steadily declining. Jaani Lampinen / Yle
 Open facilities and probation
 With the aim of cost savings, the Criminal Sanctions Agency has been moving to place more and more prisoners in open facilities and on supervised probation.
 Agency officials see  a number of advantages in open prisons compared to closed penal institutions . Good results have been achieved in open prison rehabilitation efforts, breaking the prison spiral, which also has the effect of reducing costs.
 The target for the occupancy rate of open prisons is 90 percent. This year, it has fallen to 84 percent. In order to improve the occupancy rate, officials are considering allowing more inmates to start their sentences in open facilities, rather than transferring after an initial period behind bars.
 Supervised probation is also a means to facilitate the adjustment of prisoners to normal life, and even less expansive than a stint in an open prison.
 Supervised probation can be granted up to six months before parole or the end date of a full sentence.
 The Criminal Sanctions Agency's target for the number of prisoners on supervised probation this year is 235, next year 240.
 Unauthorised leaves on the rise
 Since open prisons lack physical barriers inmates can't "escape" from these facilities, but some do avail themselves of the temptation to take "unauthorised leave".
 Last year, 73 prisoners walked out of open penal institutions without permission. That was twice as as many as in 2019. The Criminal Sanctions Agency believes the most likely explanation for the upswing was a significantly tightened exit permit policy implemented due to the coronavirus pandemic.
 Leaving an open facility is not treated as escape. However, once apprehended a prisoner who has left an open institution without authorisation can be sentenced to a maximum of 10 days solitary confinement.

High cost of incarnation spurs more alternatives to prison


Summary: While members of Finland's Roma community have seen improvements in recent decades, they still face discrimination in the job market.

Finding a job clearly becomes easier for a Roma in Finland  by changing his or her first and last names , according to  Ossi Blomerus , chair of the Savonlinna Region Roma Association.
 "You have to change your identity in order to get the chance to engage with society," he says.
 Blomerus told Yle that it is still difficult for Roma to find jobs and internships in Finland. This, in his view, is the most important change that is needed from the point of view of equality.
 His view is that better communication and negotiations between employers and job seekers would be the key.
 "Employers need to understand that Roma are just like everyone else and do their jobs really well. It is worthwhile trying out hiring Roma," Blomerus says.
 Job market lagging behind
 The Roma Association of the Savonlinna Region celebrated its 50th anniversary on Tuesday. According to Blomerus, the position of the Roma has improved considerably during the past half a century, although equal access to the job market has lagged behind.
 He pointed out that education and housing were sectors where the Roma have long faced problems, but are now in good shape.
 "Society has changed for the better, and equality for the Roma is being achieved. Of course, there is always room for improvement. We are constantly working to ensure that equality is also achieved within Roma culture," he adds.
 "You just have to push through"
 Tenho Blomerus  found a vocational school internship as soon as he started looking for one, without any problem, and says he did not face discrimination on the job.
 He believes that his wide circle of acquaintances in the small community where he lives, and the networks of his father has access to also helped.
 "It is really difficult to get a job in the Helsinki metropolitan area because [Roma] people are still stigmatized," Tenho Blomerus says.
 Some of his fellow students, studying for their degrees in social services like he is, say that they have experienced  discrimination in the capital region  when looking for an internship without success.
 This is at the same time that Blomerus' teachers are telling students that there is such strong demand for social services professionals that they may be recruited by employers even before they finish their degrees.
 "My friends were not accepted because they are Roma. It sounds crazy because we're living in 2021, and you would think people would understand and accept others better, but that may not always be the case," Tenho Blomerus points out.
 Blomerus says that he wants to show that he is good employee, by giving "120 percent".
 "You just have to push through and show that you're doing the job," is how he puts it.
 Family ways changing
 Roma culture is also going through a transformation. According to Ossi Blomerus, it is now fighting for its existence within majority culture and is no longer as rich as it once was.
 "The new generation does not understand what Roma culture really is, even though we parents try to advise and guide. We are working to retain our culture. There are some really good things in it," he explains.
 Among those aspects, according to Blomerus, is that most young people respect their parents. The elderly are rarely institutionalised, but are rather cared for at home for as long as possible.
 Still, large extended family groups are disappearing. In the past, extended families lived in the same house, or traveled in the same horse-drawn wagons. Today, most Roma families usually consist of a father, mother, and their children.
 "It can no longer be said that we have a collective responsibility for each other. The support network is no longer as strong as it once was," Blomerus says.

Name change still eases job hunts for Roma


Summary: Behind the increase are higher repair costs for houses and a spike in petrol prices.

The year-on-year change in consumer prices was 2.5 percent in September, according to the latest calculations of Statistics Finland.
 That is an increase of 0.3 percent from August, when inflation year-on-year stood at 2.2 percent year-on-year.
 Some of the reasons behind the inflationary spike include a surge in house repair and renovation costs as well as an increase in the world market price of crude oil, the number-crunching agency said in its press release.
 The rise in consumer prices was partly balanced out, however, by reductions in daycare costs, the interest rate on housing loans and consumer credit as well as the reduced prices of refundable prescription drugs and gambling services.
 Upswing likely short-lived
 Economists Patrizio Lainà from STTK and Aki Kangasharju from ETLA both told Yle News that they expected the hike in prices to be only "transitory," a predicted temporary side effect of the pandemic that does not call for concern.
 "This inflation period derives mostly from energy prices and I think that after these bottlenecks go away and supply picks up then we will also probably see a drop in the inflation rate. So I think that it's something that consumers will probably not notice anymore in the longer term," Lainà said, adding that the hike in prices consumers are seeing now should only be short-lived.
 Kangasharju further added that the inflation rate is expected to recover already by 2022-2023.
 The STTK Chief economist said that inflation will be reflected in upcoming wage negotiations. "I think raising rates and more rapid rate development will also help in achieving that inflation goal of the ECB (European Central Bank). And that's actually what the former chairman of the ECB, Mario Draghi has said many times, that we also need wage development to pick up in order to achieve the inflation target sustainably," Lainà told Yle.
 The seeming spike in prices is, however, according to the ETLA's managing director, only a byproduct of the "technical comparison" to the increased demand of last year and wage increases should thus be considered carefully.
 "So if we now increase wages inporportionally to the inflation, then we also deteriorate our cost competitiveness, the competitiveness in the international markets, and so strong wage increases then destroys our upswing in the economy," Kangasharju said.
 Statistics Finland calculates the Consumer Price Index based on data from 19,000 prices on nearly 400 commodities from approximately 2,100 corporations.
 _You can read more on the rise in petrol prices in Thursday's  newspaper round-up ._

Statistics Finland: Inflation at 2.5 percent


Summary: Finnish schools will be breaking for autumn holidays during the next few weeks.

Autumn holiday travellers should think twice before booking a trip to the Baltics, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) warns.
 Case numbers have been rising in the area exponentially; the incidence rate in Estonia alone has shot up to 1,200 cases a day.
 Viking Line's communications director  Johanna Boijer-Svahnström  said that the ferry company is yet to see a noticeable surge in cancellations, but at the same time added that bookings to and from Estonia have recovered the slowest of the company's various travel routes.
 "Cancellations can be carried out according to our regular cancellation policies, so there are no special policies. It just depends on the trip destination and time as well as how early in advance the cancellation or changes are made," the communications director said of customers' ability to alter bookings in light of the deteriorating situation.
 Latvia's sharp rise in infections also saw the country re-declaring a three-month state of national emergency.
 THL said that an already burdened healthcare system operating at the limits of its capacity could potentially mean trouble for tourists in case they need to seek medical care.
 Fully vaccinated people can, however, travel with relative peace of mind while following safety precautions such as good hand hygiene and avoiding crowded places, THL professor  Hannu Kiviranta  said.
 The professor added that travellers that have not received the vaccine should wear a mask as much as possible and be more cautious overall when travelling.

Finland urges caution for Baltic travellers due to worsening Covid situation


Summary: THL and Health Ministry officials said Thursday the Åland Islands is the first Finnish region to hit the 80 percent vaccination coverage target.

According to figures released at Thursday's briefing by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, the pace of coronavirus vaccination has slowed down significantly.
 As of Thursday, 77.4 percent of people over the age of 18 in Finland had received a full series of two vaccinations. 74 percent of those over 12 years of age have received a full series.
 However, the rate of vaccination uptake has slowed considerably, according to THL vaccine specialist  Mia Kontio .
 Nationwide, about 238,000 people still need to receive a second dose to bring vaccination coverage up to a targeted level of 80 percent of the population over 12 years of age.
 Meanwhile, there are about 756,000 completely unvaccinated people in that age group.
 Vaccination coverage varies greatly from region to region. The lowest level of vaccination coverage is at 69 percent and the highest now just over 80 percent.
 The Åland Islands was the first Finnish region to hit the 80 percent vaccination coverage target.
 Hospitalisations up
 The number of patients hospitalised has been increasing in Finland recently with the number of those in intensive care varying between 27-32 over the past week.
 "The risk of being hospitalised [for coronvirus infection] is 15-20 time greater for the unvaccinated than it is for those who have been vaccinated," said THL Director of Health Security  Mika Salminen .
 The load on hospitals is at the same level as in March this year. According to these experts, it is difficult to predict the need for hospital care capacity in the short term.
 Information on third doses next week
 A group of national vaccine experts met on Wednesday to discuss the administration of a third dose of coronavirus vaccines to the general public. Work is still ongoing and no recommendations have yet been made.
 THL says that more information is likely to be announced on Tuesday next week.
 Mia Kontio emphasised that it is now important to take the first and second doses of the vaccine.
 "A rush to roll out third vaccinations is not an immediate concern. We will first look at the results of the study and think about to whom a third vaccination is to be recommended," Kontio said.
 Mika Salminen added that there are no signs that the protection provided two vaccinations is waning in Finland.

THL: Pace of Covid vaccination slows, hospitalisations up


Summary: This week All Points North explores pension funding as Finland fades to grey and probes if the country needs to lobby for nuclear power.

As Finland greys, Yle News' All Points North podcast talks to economists with differing ideas on how the country can balance growing pension outlays with other social protections.
 Sanna Kurronen , an economist at the Finnish Business and Policy Forum EVA, a right-leaning think-tank, said Finland may "end up with a system that's cutting down on schools and other types of social security networks, except for pensions."
 We also hear from  Ohto Kanninen , a pension expert at the Labour Institute for Economic Research, which is more left-leaning than Kurronen's think-tank. He was less worried about pensions draining the welfare state, noting that pension tax progressivity can be upped. "We can take from the rich and give to the poor," he said of the state's tools to balance public finances.
 Article continues after audio.
 Winds of change
 News that Finland lobbied the EU to  declare nuclear power sustainable  has made waves. We explore new findings that  onshore wind farms  will blow away other energy production methods in Finland.
 "We don't need new nuclear power to solve our demand, so with wind and other solutions, we don't need to add to existing nuclear capacity,"  Samuli Puroila , a climate specialist at Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra, told APN.
 Join the conversation!
 This week's show was presented by  Zena Iovino  and  Ronan Browne . The producer was  Mark B. Odom  and the audio engineer was  Anttoni Wikström .
 If you have any questions or would like to share your thoughts, just contact us via WhatsApp on +358 44 421 0909, on our Facebook or Twitter accounts, or at yle.news@yle.fi and allpointsnorth@yle.fi.
 Do you want the main stories from Finland curated and delivered straight to your inbox? Then sign up for our weekly All Points North newsletter!

APN podcast: "We can take from the rich and give to the poor," pension expert says


Summary: The total tax debt is currently about 3.7 billion euros, according to the tax-collection agency.

The total taxes owed to Finland's tax authorities has fallen by more than 100 million euros since the beginning of 2021. This is according to the latest figures released by the Finnish Tax Administration.
 Such a decline is unusual, as the total debt typically increases towards the end of the year up until old debts expire. Between January and October 2020 the tax debt increased by 1.3 billion euros.
 According to the tax-collection agency, companies and retail customers were offered the opportunity to apply for extensions and easier terms on repayment plans between April and August this year, with 26,000 taxpayers opting to do so.
 The introduction of lighter interest rates may have eased payment difficulties, said Tuomas Hurskainen of the Tax Administration's Risk Management in a press release.

Tax debts down by 110 million euros


Summary: The PM said she did not understand why the list of cuts was publicised on Tuesday when coalition leaders were still to resolve the issue.

Prime Minister  Sanna Marin  (SDP) has criticised her Culture Minister  Antti Kurvinen  (Cen) for  publishing a list of spending cuts  even though he knew the government was already planning to revisit them.
 "I would have hoped that this week we would not have upset the sector and its operators because we are in any case going to resolve this situation," said Marin.
 The specific cuts were announced by Kurvinen on Tuesday, but by Thursday leaders of three of the five parties in government had said they want a re-think.
 Spending on youth work, the arts, sport and culture would contract under Kurvinen's plan for spending in 2022, which contained cuts totalling 43 million euros to spending on culture, science, the arts, youth work and sport.
 The biggest single cut of 18.4 million euros was to art and culture.
 'Careful message' to sector
 They stem from a reduction in income for the state betting and lottery firm Veikkaus, whose profits are earmarked to fund cultural and sporting activities along with non-governmental organisations.
 Marin said that when Kurvinen invited culture sector organisations to hear about the list of spending cuts, he knew the five leaders of government parties planned to revisit the plan.
 The five will gather on Friday for a meeting agreed between Centre party leader  Annika Saarikko  and Marin last week. Kurvinen sent out invitations on Friday for his announcement of the cuts which, apparently, were not certain to be implemented.
 "Myself I have been quite careful about what kind of message it sends to the culture sector when this issue is in any case being resolved by coalition party leaders," said Marin.
 No promises
 For his part, Kurvinen says that his ministry had received a request for the list from parliament, so it was going to be made public anyway.
 On Thursday Saarikko, who is Finance Minister as well as Centre leader, said that she could not promise that all of the cuts would be reversed.
 The splits in the government had come into full public view on Thursday, when Marin tweeted her desire to reverse them.
 "I'll say it straight,"  tweeted  Marin. "The SDP wants to reverse these culture sector cuts. We also need to resolve the situation of other organisations and beneficiaries."
 On Wednesday evening Li Andersson, the leader of the Left Alliance, had appeared on Yle's A-Studio programme urging a reversal of the cuts. On Thursday Green chair Maria Ohisalo joined the chorus, saying her party wanted to see funding maintained.
 The Centre Party, on the other hand, criticised the premier. Jouni Ovaska, a Centre MP from Pirkanmaa,  tweeted  "I'll say it straight. Your credibility is slipping away."
 Two other Centre MPs also sent out press releases criticising the premier, while Marin herself said the governing parties had agreed in principle to revisit the cuts before Kurvinen announced his plan.
 The cuts prompted widespread criticism from the culture sector, with threats of job losses and services contracting due to the austerity measures.

PM Marin slams Centre Party Minister over culture cuts


Finland's government decided on Thursday that the Vainikkala border point would open to rail traffic from Monday 18 October.
 The crossing handles rail traffic between Russia and Finland, and has been closed due to the Covid pandemic.
 Although the border guard told Yle it is ready to check trains if they start running, passenger traffic is not expected to start straight away.
 Any decision on starting passenger rail services again will be taken by the Finnish and Russian state railway firms.
 The government also decided on Thursday to remove all entry restrictions on passengers arriving in Finland from any of the countries or regions on the EU's ' green list '. Other entry restrictions will remain in force until 7 November.

Vainikkala rail border to open from Monday


Summary: Finland's three-year term begins next year.

Finland has been voted on to the UN Human Rights Council for the 2022-2024 term. In addition to Finland, Luxembourg and the United States were elected onto the body.
 The main message of Finland's campaign was that human rights are for everybody in a diverse world. Women and girls' rights, the rights of disabled people, new technology, climate change and education around human rights were the points emphasised in Finland's campaigning.
 The Human Rights Council is the UN's highest organ dealing with human rights. It's role is, among other things, to try to promote adherence to human rights norms and standards.

Finland claims seat on UN Human Rights Council


Summary: Finland's discussions on public debt often take on a negative tone.

Helsingin Sanomat has an  analysis piece  on Finland's attitude to the state taking on debt. Finland has traditionally set a limit at the start of each government's four-year term in office, and spending does not rise above it.
 For the first time in recent history, that limit has been breached because of the disruption caused by Covid. Prime Minister  Sanna Marin  (SDP) says she wants to re-think the country's attitude to debt on a more fundamental level, in order to fight climate change.
 The so-called 'green transition' will cost billions of euros as advanced economies switch to a low-carbon future. Debt is very cheap right now, so the argument is that it's okay to take on huge new loans to pay for decarbonisation projects.
 That argument has already won out in France and, significantly, in the Netherlands, which is one of the leaders of the so-called 'Frugal Four' countries that take a particularly negative view of new public sector borrowing.
 Marin now wants to consider similar moves in Finland, but the country's dominant discourse may make that problematic. HS notes that a precedent might come from the 10 billion euro fighter jet acquisition that's currently going through, and hasn't been seriously questioned.
 It's regarded as crucial to Finland's defence, and therefore its future as an independent state. The question for Finnish decision-makers now is whether they see climate change mitigation as a similarly important priority.
 _Would you like a summary of the top stories each week straight to your inbox? Then  sign up for our weekly email !_
 Tesco takes flight
 There's bad news for lovers of British grocery chain Tesco's products, as Finland's S Group announces that they will no longer stock products from the UK's largest supermarket brand.
 S Group has stocked around 200 items from Tesco's Finest and Free From ranges, but that is to end next spring as Tesco winds down its supplies.
 Kauppalehti  reports  that the decision is down to Brexit, with Tesco tiring of the bureaucracy that now surrounds trade between Britain and the European Union.
 The Brits will be replaced by French competitor Carrefour, which started supplying S Group with products last week.
 Autumn storm on the way
 Iltalehti carries  news  of stormy weather on the way as schools in parts of the country get set for autumn half-term holidays next week.
 The weather starts on Friday, with parts of Lapland set to receive up to 30 centimetres of snow over the course of the weekend.
 That will make driving conditions poor for a time in the north, but Iltalehti quotes a meteorologist as saying the snow cover could stay for the winter now — enabling a longer ski and winter sport season.

Friday's papers: Debt discussion, Tesco departure, and an autumn storm