MFA: Foreign Ministry’s key functions are secured, additional allocations also to development cooperation and export promotion

MINISTRY FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS
http://formin.finland.fi/english

Press release 144/2017
31 August 2017

Foreign Ministry’s key functions are secured, additional allocations also to development cooperation and export promotion

The Foreign Ministry’s resources were secured in the budget session The Ministry's operating expenses total EUR 218.14 million. The Government decided to increase the appropriations for development cooperation and export promotion.

The additional resources will be channelled to efforts to resolve the root causes of migration and to unblock bottlenecks confronted by Finland's exports. Development cooperation will be allocated an additional appropriation of EUR 9.5 million next year. Of this, EUR 2 million will be channelled to partnership programmes that serve both the internationalisation of Finnish companies and the development of the private sector in developing countries. EUR 52.56 million was allocated to crisis management. Crisis management is a part of the comprehensive strengthening of stability and security, which will have impacts on the management of the migratory flows, too. The appropriation will be used to safeguard Finland’s participation in the operations where it has decided to take part and their continuation as planned in 2018.

“Sustainable management of migration is not possible unless there is hope for a better future in the countries of origin. We therefore channel more resources to job creation and, on the other hand, to strengthening of the position of women in Africa and the Middle East,” says Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Kai Mykkänen.

In its budget proposal, the Government allocated an additional appropriation of EUR 5 million to development cooperation in Africa and the Middle East. This additional funding will be used for building sustainable societies in regions in Africa and the Middle East with high emigration rates, placing emphasis on the position of women and girls.

The Government is making active efforts to secure the establishment of a UN innovation campus in Finland and is prepared to support its operation in 2018–2020 by EUR 2.5 million a year.  The mission of the campus is to facilitate the adoption of technology innovations within the UN. The Finnish campus would focus on education, health, the circular economy and cleantech as well as peace and security.

“We are now about the get a global innovation campus of the UN to Otaniemi, Espoo. The campus would present great opportunities for us to open doors for our new technology businesses in the UN’s massive procurements and to support the adoption of efficient tools in the UN,” Mykkänen emphasises.  

The Government will allocate an additional EUR 2 million to the FinnPartnership business partnership programme and the BEAM Business with Impact Programme, which support sustainable economic growth.  These programmes support Finnish companies’, higher education institutions’ and organisations’ partnerships in developing countries.

Granting of visas for Chinese business and private tourists will be accelerated by expanding the use of electronic systems of visa processing to China. The Government will increase the funding of export services offered by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs by EUR 1.5 million.

“With the launch of Business Finland, Finland's ambassadors in the missions abroad will have a stronger role as country coordinators of export promotion activities. At the same time we will contribute to Finnish companies’ access to international development financiers’ projects in the rapidly growing developing country markets,” emphasise Foreign Minister Timo Soini and Minister Mykkänen.

Inquiries: Riikka Taivassalo, Special Adviser to the Foreign Minister, tel. +358 40 46 923 4581, Pasi Rajala, Special Adviser to the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development, tel. + 358 400 464 393

The Foreign Ministry’s email addresses are in the format firstname.lastname@formin.fi.