Prime Minister Marin and several other ministers to attend virtual Nordic meetings

Prime Minister Sanna Marin will take part in three video meetings with the other Nordic prime ministers on 27 and 28 October. Several other Finnish ministers will also participate in a series of virtual meetings taking place during the week when the Nordic Council would normally hold its plenary session. This year’s Session Week was to be held in Reykjavik but was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Tuesday 27 October, Prime Minister Marin will present Finland’s programme for next year’s Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers to the Presidium of the Nordic Council and the other Nordic prime ministers. The meeting will also include a discussion on public safety. Later that day, the Nordic Council and the Nordic prime ministers will meet with UN Secretary-General António Guterres to discuss the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic from a global and Nordic perspective. The meeting will be broadcast live on the norden.org website starting at 19.00 Finnish time. On Wednesday 28 October, the prime ministers will hold a videoconference together with the heads of government of the Nordic autonomous regions, which are the Faroe Islands, Greenland and the Åland Islands. Their meeting will focus on sustainable recovery and green investments.

Minister for Nordic Cooperation Thomas Blomqvist will attend a video meeting of Ministers for Nordic Cooperation and a meeting between the ministers and the Nordic Council Presidium on Tuesday 27 October. At the latter meeting, Minister Blomqvist will present the 2021 budget for the Nordic Council of Ministers, among other matters.

Minister of the Interior Maria Ohisalo will attend a meeting between the Presidium of the Nordic Council and the ministers responsible for civilian preparedness and contingency planning on Wednesday 28 October. The meeting will include a discussion on the recommendations of the Nordic Council’s strategy for public safety.

Minister of Defence Antti Kaikkonen will attend a meeting of the Presidium of the Nordic Council and the Nordic Defence Ministers on Wednesday 28 October. Items on the agenda include an overview NORDEFCO’s activities.

On Wednesday 28 October, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Krista Mikkonen will attend the meeting of the Nordic Council of Ministers for the Environment and Climate.

Minister of Science and Culture Annika Saarikko will attend the meeting of the Nordic Ministers of Culture on Wednesday 28 October. At the meeting, the ministers will decide on the Nordic cooperation programme for culture for 2021–2024.

Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari will attend the meeting of Nordic Development Ministers on Wednesday 28 October and Minister of Finance Matti Vanhanen will attend the meeting of Nordic Finance Ministers on Thursday 29 October.

The Nordic Council’s prizes for literature, children and young people’s literature, music, film and the environment will be awarded at a virtual gala on Tuesday 27 October at 22.05 Finnish time. The gala will be broadcast live on the norden.org website. 

Follow the meetings on social media using these hashtags: #nrpol #nrsession #norden2020 ja #norden2021

Inquiries:

Prime Minister: Lauri Voionmaa, Special Adviser (International Affairs), tel. +358 295 160 306 and Anne Sjöholm, Head of Communications for EU and International Affairs, tel. +358 40 537 0733, Prime Minister’s Office

Minister for Nordic Cooperation: Silja Borgarsdóttir Sandelin, Special Adviser, tel. +358 295 150 166 and Johan Schalin, Chief of the Secretariat for Nordic Cooperation, tel. +358 295 351 781

Minister of the Interior: Sameli Sivonen, Special Adviser, tel. +358 504 066 855 and Marja Avonius, Specialist, tel. +358 295 488 668

Minister of Defence: Anton Staffans, Senior Specialist, tel. +358 295 140 053

Minister of the Environment and Climate Change: Antti Heikkinen, Special Adviser, tel. +358 50 348 1406 and Kaarina Saramäki, Ministerial Adviser, tel. +358 295 250 362

Minister of Science and Culture: Markus Ylimaa, Special Adviser, tel. +558 50 374 8192 and Sini Keinonen, Senior Ministerial Adviser, tel. +358 295 330 145

Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade: Kirsi Airio, Special Adviser, tel. +358 50 574 1729 and Katja Ahlfors, Counsellor, tel. +358 295 350 191

Minister of Finance: Minna Aaltonen, Senior Ministerial Adviser, tel. +358 295 530 325 and Financial Counsellor Kristina Sarjo, tel. +358 295 530 056