17.5.13
Finland and Norway seek deeper Arctic cooperation
Prime Minister Katainen had a meeting with the Prime Minister of Norway, Stoltenberg. The discussions focused on enhancing Arctic cooperation between the two countries.
Current issues
16.5.13
Young people should be involved in building up the Nordic welfare
On 15-16 May, Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen attended the traditional summer meeting of the Nordic prime ministers in Stockholm. In connection with the meeting, Prime Minister Katainen participated in a Nordic job summit on young people and employment on 16 May.
16.5.13
Finland joined the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage
UNESCO's Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage will enter into force in Finland on 21 May 2013. The Convention has been ratified by 152 nations to date. Finland was the last of the Nordic countries to join.
Intangible cultural heritage consists of phenomena that are passed down through the generations and remain alive. This means elements related to oral traditions, performing arts, practices in social life, rituals, festivities as well as knowledge, skills and practices related to the natural environment and the universe.
16.5.13
Working group: Transportation must reduce its dependence on oil
A working group of the Ministry of Transport and Communications proposes radical changes to the choice of power for Finnish transport. The objective is to mitigate climate change and to improve the fuel self-sufficiency.
The vision of the Future powers in transport -working group is to completely eliminate the use of fossil fuels in passenger vehicles in Finland by 2050. This is feasible since there are a number of cost-efficient alternatives available.