Wille Rydman<\/strong><\/a>, from the far-right Finns Party, first told public broadcaster Yle on Monday morning that certain people were \"spreading false claims\" about the government, and the Finnish media should be wary about the role of foreign media when it reports news about Finland.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In a separate Yle television interview on Monday evening, Rydman said that international media outlets, including German newspaper S\u00fcddeutsche Zeitung, were being given false claims by \"various researchers and social media activists, including journalists.\"\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"This government has been branded with the most unsubstantiated and baseless claims,\" said Rydman, who got his job when the previous minister resigned after <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2023//06//20//racism-and-rape-fantasies-the-pr-headache-facing-finlands-new-right-wing-government/">being exposed<\/strong><\/a> by Euronews and other media outlets for attending a 2019 event organised by neo-Nazis; and later controversially calling for <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2023//06//30//embattled-finland-minister-quits-amid-mass-africa-abortions-scandal/">mass abortions<\/strong><\/a> for African women to combat the climate crisis.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The leader of the Finns Party, Deputy Prime Minister <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//ir_rkp/">Riikka Purra<\/strong><\/a>, was also unmasked last week by media outlets as the author of racist and violent blog posts, for which she apologised.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Afterwards, the leaders of the four parties which make up Finland's right-wing coalition government had to\u00a0<a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////valtioneuvosto.fi//en//-//10616//government-party-leaders-declaration-11-july-2023/">release a statement<\/strong><\/a> saying they were against racism.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Prime Minister <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//PetteriOrpo/">Petteri Orpo<\/strong><\/a>'s office was quick to distance itself from Rydman's televised remarks, telling Euronews that \"Minister Rydman\u2019s statement represent his own thinking, not on behalf of the government.\"\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Minister Rydman and his press team were given the opportunity to comment for this article, but did not respond to requests.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-tweet widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio\u2014auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <div class=\"widget__tweet\" data-tweet-id=\"1678648521052880899\"><\/div>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2>Reaction from Finland<\/h2><p>There has been widespread criticism in Finland of Rydman's most recent comments.<\/p>\n<p><a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//MartinScheininF/">Martin Scheinin<\/strong><\/a>, a professor of international law and human rights said that Rydman \"appears to have presented a conspiracy theory,\" and called for him to \"take responsibility\" for his words.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Green MP <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//AtteHarjanne/">Atte Harjanne<\/strong><\/a> said that government ministers \"have excelled in sowing conspiracy theories.\"<\/p>\n<p>\"The international media has quite understandably caught on to the extraordinary, miserable twists and turns of Finnish politics,\" Harjanne added.\u00a0 <\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//VuorelmaJohanna/">Johanna Vuorelma<\/strong><\/a>, a researcher at the University of Helsinki, wrote that there had been four years of \"mayhem\" during the Trump administration in the USA which included \"attacks on free media, hostility towards experts, normalisation of conspiracy thinking, downplaying of racist speech, stalling of climate action.\" <\/p>\n<p>\"That era should serve as a warning to Finland,\" she added.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1689714071,"publishedAt":1689741611,"updatedAt":1689741632,"expiresAt":0,"canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2023\/07\/19\/conspiracy-theory-finland-government-minister-says-foreign-media-spreading-false-claims","images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/76\/18\/70\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_3ede005c-cf57-5584-9bf1-8361ef0c191f-7761870.jpg","altText":"FILE: Finland's Minister for Economic Affairs Wille Rydman, July 2023","caption":"FILE: Finland's Minister for Economic Affairs Wille Rydman, July 2023","captionCredit":"Finnish Government \/ Lauri Heikkinen","captionUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/76\/18\/70\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_6634ffe8-3312-5370-a6be-56a592e6caec-7761870.jpg","altText":"FILE: Finland's Minister for Economic Affairs Wille Rydman, July 2023","caption":"FILE: Finland's Minister for Economic Affairs Wille Rydman, July 2023","captionCredit":"Finnish Government \/ Lauri Heikkinen","captionUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900}],"authors":{"journalists":[{"urlSafeValue":"mac-dougall","title":"David Mac Dougall","twitter":"@davidmacdougall"}],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":10529,"slug":"finland-politics","urlSafeValue":"finland-politics","title":"Finland politics","titleRaw":"Finland politics"},{"id":114,"slug":"finland","urlSafeValue":"finland","title":"Finland","titleRaw":"Finland"},{"id":11378,"slug":"far-right","urlSafeValue":"far-right","title":"Far-right","titleRaw":"Far-right"},{"id":28330,"slug":"disinformation","urlSafeValue":"disinformation","title":"disinformation","titleRaw":"disinformation"},{"id":24812,"slug":"misinformation","urlSafeValue":"misinformation","title":"misinformation","titleRaw":"misinformation"}],"widgets":[{"slug":"twitter","count":1}],"related":[{"id":2319712},{"id":2321232},{"id":2324966}],"technicalTags":[{"path":"euronews.byenglishwebteam"},{"path":"euronews"}],"video":0,"videos":[],"externalPartners":[],"liveStream":[{"startDate":0,"endDate":0}],"isLiveCoverage":0,"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"freeField2":null,"type":"","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"world 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alliance 'more united than ever,' says Biden, as he celebrates newest member Finland","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"'Putin\u2019s already lost the war,' Biden says as welcomed in Finland","titleListing2":"Biden proclaims NATO alliance 'more united than ever' as he celebrates newest member Finland","leadin":"The itinerary included a NATO summit, a brief stop in the United Kingdom and a coda in the Finnish shoreline capital that included a news conference in the ornate Gothic Hall at the presidential palace.","summary":"The itinerary included a NATO summit, a brief stop in the United Kingdom and a coda in the Finnish shoreline capital that included a news conference in the ornate Gothic Hall at the presidential palace.","url":"nato-alliance-more-united-than-ever-says-biden-as-he-celebrates-newest-member-finland","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"The president was Donald Trump and the year was 2018. In July of that year, Trump had upended the annual gathering of the military alliance, criticized the British prime minister to the London tabloids and ultimately, in Helsinki, sided with Russian leader Vladimir Putin while casting doubt on his own intelligence community. \n\nPresident Joe Biden\u2019s journey through Europe this week was nearly identical, but every point of his three-country tour was an unsaid yet indelible rebuke of his predecessor who tore through the continent a half-decade ago. It was a portrait of a leader whose ardent belief in international alliances will be part of his case for reelection, particularly if Biden faces a rematch against Trump and his opposing worldviews next year. \n\nDuring Biden\u2019s concluding news conference in Helsinki, he took umbrage at a question about whether he could guarantee the United States would continue to be a reliable partner abroad, a query that conveyed allies\u2019 concerns about Trump, whose foreign policy disdained the same alliances Biden cherishes. \n\nHistory of military nonalignment \n\nEarlier Thursday, Biden met with the leaders of other Nordic nations including Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland. Sweden is poised to be admitted as NATO\u2019s 32nd member country after it pledged more cooperation with Turkey on counterterrorism efforts while backing Ankara\u2019s bid to join the European Union. Finland gained NATO membership earlier this year. \n\nBoth Finland and Sweden abandoned a history of military nonalignment and sought to join the NATO alliance after Russia invaded Ukraine last year. \n\nBiden's brief stop in the shoreline Finnish capital is the coda to a tour that was carefully sketched to highlight the growth of a military alliance that the president says has fortified itself since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Finland's admittance to NATO effectively doubled the alliance\u2019s border with Russia. \n\nBiden arrived in Helsinki after what he deemed a successful NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, where allies agreed to language that would further pave the way for Ukraine to also become a future member. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the summit's outcome \u201ca significant security victory\" for his country but nonetheless expressed disappointment at not getting an outright invitation to join. \n\nBiden and other administration officials also held what aides said were pivotal conversations with Turkey before that country dropped its objections to Sweden joining NATO. \n\nBiden said he felt good about the trip. \u201cWe accomplished every goal we set out to accomplish,\u201d he told reporters Wednesday before the flight to Finland. \n\nAnd despite Zelenskyy's expressed frustrations, Biden - who met with the Ukrainian leader Wednesday in Vilnius - said Thursday that Zelenskyy \u201cended up being very happy.\u201d \n\nInternational opposition to Russian invasion \n\nThe US president\u2019s trip this week \u2014 a meticulously choreographed endeavour meant to showcase international opposition to Russian leader Vladimir Putin\u2019s war in Ukraine \u2014 played out nearly five years to the day since then-President Donald Trump infamously stood alongside Putin in Helsinki and cast doubt on his own intelligence apparatus. That was just days after Trump tore through a NATO summit where he disparaged the alliance and from which he threatened to withdraw the United States. \n\nIn contrast, Biden has heartily embraced the tenets of multilateralism that Trump shunned, speaking repeatedly of having to rebuild international coalitions after four tumultuous years led by his predecessor. The garrulous former Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman is in his element at summits abroad and speaks of how his background in international policy is proof positive that decades of experience on the world stage has mattered for the presidency. \n\nOpening the broader meeting, Niinist\u00f6 said his Nordic counterparts had one overriding objective: \u201cguarantee the future \u2014 security-wise, environmental-wise and technology-wise.\u201d Biden added that the \u201cnations around the table not only share a common history, but we share common challenges, and I would add presumptuously, common values.\u201d \n\n'Finland is a symbol' \n\nBiden is the sixth US president to visit Finland, a country of 5.5 million that has hosted several US-Soviet and US-Russia summits. The first involved President Gerald Ford, who would sign the so-called Helsinki Accords with more than 30 other nations in 1975. \n\nBut Charly Salonius-Pasternak, senior researcher at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, noted that Biden's visit marked the first time a sitting US president came to Finland to honour the country itself, rather than as a neutral location for meeting Russian leaders or other similar reasons. \n\n\u201cThe fact that Biden has chosen to go specifically to Finland for Finland is symbolic and, in some ways, very concrete,\u201d he said. \"It\u2019s a kind of deterrence messaging that only the United States can do.\u201d \n\nIn the Cold War era, Finland acted as a neutral buffer between Moscow and Washington, and its leaders played a balancing act between the East and West, maintaining good relations with both superpowers. \n\nFinland and neighbouring Sweden gave up their traditional political neutrality by joining the European Union in 1995 but both remained militarily nonaligned, with opinion polls showing a clear majority of their citizens opposed to joining NATO. That changed quickly after February 24, 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>The president was Donald Trump and the year was 2018. In July of that year, Trump had upended the annual gathering of the military alliance, criticized the British prime minister to the London tabloids and ultimately, in Helsinki, sided with Russian leader Vladimir Putin while casting doubt on his own intelligence community.<\/p>\n<p>President Joe Biden\u2019s journey through Europe this week was nearly identical, but every point of his three-country tour was an unsaid yet indelible rebuke of his predecessor who tore through the continent a half-decade ago. It was a portrait of a leader whose ardent belief in international alliances will be part of his case for reelection, particularly if Biden faces a rematch against Trump and his opposing worldviews next year.<\/p>\n<p>During Biden\u2019s concluding news conference in Helsinki, he took umbrage at a question about whether he could guarantee the United States would continue to be a reliable partner abroad, a query that conveyed allies\u2019 concerns about Trump, whose foreign policy disdained the same alliances Biden cherishes.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-tweet widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio\u2014auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <div class=\"widget__tweet\" data-tweet-id=\"1679500750446030848\"><\/div>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2>History of military nonalignment<\/h2><p>Earlier Thursday, Biden met with the leaders of other Nordic nations including Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland. Sweden is poised to be admitted as NATO\u2019s 32nd member country after it pledged more cooperation with Turkey on counterterrorism efforts while backing Ankara\u2019s bid to join the European Union. Finland gained NATO membership earlier this year.<\/p>\n<p>Both Finland and Sweden abandoned a history of military nonalignment and sought to join the NATO alliance after Russia invaded Ukraine last year.<\/p>\n<p>Biden's brief stop in the shoreline Finnish capital is the coda to a tour that was carefully sketched to highlight the growth of a military alliance that the president says has fortified itself since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Finland's admittance to NATO effectively doubled the alliance\u2019s border with Russia.<\/p>\n<p>Biden arrived in Helsinki after what he deemed a successful NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, where allies agreed to language that would further pave the way for Ukraine to also become a future member. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the summit's outcome \u201ca significant security victory\" for his country but nonetheless expressed disappointment at not getting an outright invitation to join.<\/p>\n<p>Biden and other administration officials also held what aides said were pivotal conversations with Turkey before that country dropped its objections to Sweden joining NATO.<\/p>\n<p>Biden said he felt good about the trip. \u201cWe accomplished every goal we set out to accomplish,\u201d he told reporters Wednesday before the flight to Finland.<\/p>\n<p>And despite Zelenskyy's expressed frustrations, Biden - who met with the Ukrainian leader Wednesday in Vilnius - said Thursday that Zelenskyy \u201cended up being very happy.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.6669921875\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//07//75//00//22//808x539_cmsv2_516f86fa-48c9-5ce8-aa82-4363cd0e7455-7750022.jpg/" alt=\"AP/Ukrainian Presidential Press Office\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/75\/00\/22\/384x256_cmsv2_516f86fa-48c9-5ce8-aa82-4363cd0e7455-7750022.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/75\/00\/22\/640x427_cmsv2_516f86fa-48c9-5ce8-aa82-4363cd0e7455-7750022.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/75\/00\/22\/750x500_cmsv2_516f86fa-48c9-5ce8-aa82-4363cd0e7455-7750022.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/75\/00\/22\/828x552_cmsv2_516f86fa-48c9-5ce8-aa82-4363cd0e7455-7750022.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/75\/00\/22\/1080x720_cmsv2_516f86fa-48c9-5ce8-aa82-4363cd0e7455-7750022.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/75\/00\/22\/1200x800_cmsv2_516f86fa-48c9-5ce8-aa82-4363cd0e7455-7750022.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/75\/00\/22\/1920x1281_cmsv2_516f86fa-48c9-5ce8-aa82-4363cd0e7455-7750022.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, left, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, talk during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, April 20, 2023.<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">AP/Ukrainian Presidential Press Office<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2>International opposition to Russian invasion<\/h2><p>The US president\u2019s trip this week \u2014 a meticulously choreographed endeavour meant to showcase international opposition to Russian leader Vladimir Putin\u2019s war in Ukraine \u2014 played out nearly five years to the day since then-President Donald Trump infamously stood alongside Putin in Helsinki and cast doubt on his own intelligence apparatus. That was just days after Trump tore through a NATO summit where he disparaged the alliance and from which he threatened to withdraw the United States.<\/p>\n<p>In contrast, Biden has heartily embraced the tenets of multilateralism that Trump shunned, speaking repeatedly of having to rebuild international coalitions after four tumultuous years led by his predecessor. The garrulous former Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman is in his element at summits abroad and speaks of how his background in international policy is proof positive that decades of experience on the world stage has mattered for the presidency.<\/p>\n<p>Opening the broader meeting, Niinist\u00f6 said his Nordic counterparts had one overriding objective: \u201cguarantee the future \u2014 security-wise, environmental-wise and technology-wise.\u201d Biden added that the \u201cnations around the table not only share a common history, but we share common challenges, and I would add presumptuously, common values.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>'Finland is a symbol'<\/h2><p>Biden is the sixth US president to visit Finland, a country of 5.5 million that has hosted several US-Soviet and US-Russia summits. The first involved President Gerald Ford, who would sign the so-called Helsinki Accords with more than 30 other nations in 1975.<\/p>\n<p>But Charly Salonius-Pasternak, senior researcher at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, noted that Biden's visit marked the first time a sitting US president came to Finland to honour the country itself, rather than as a neutral location for meeting Russian leaders or other similar reasons.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe fact that Biden has chosen to go specifically to Finland for Finland is symbolic and, in some ways, very concrete,\u201d he said. \"It\u2019s a kind of deterrence messaging that only the United States can do.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.6669921875\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//07//75//00//22//808x539_cmsv2_814ebc16-cc1d-5bde-94ca-bdd204a391fb-7750022.jpg/" alt=\"Sergei Grits/Copyright 2023 The AP. All rights reserved.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/75\/00\/22\/384x256_cmsv2_814ebc16-cc1d-5bde-94ca-bdd204a391fb-7750022.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/75\/00\/22\/640x427_cmsv2_814ebc16-cc1d-5bde-94ca-bdd204a391fb-7750022.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/75\/00\/22\/750x500_cmsv2_814ebc16-cc1d-5bde-94ca-bdd204a391fb-7750022.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/75\/00\/22\/828x552_cmsv2_814ebc16-cc1d-5bde-94ca-bdd204a391fb-7750022.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/75\/00\/22\/1080x720_cmsv2_814ebc16-cc1d-5bde-94ca-bdd204a391fb-7750022.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/75\/00\/22\/1200x800_cmsv2_814ebc16-cc1d-5bde-94ca-bdd204a391fb-7750022.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/75\/00\/22\/1920x1281_cmsv2_814ebc16-cc1d-5bde-94ca-bdd204a391fb-7750022.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">People watch as motorcade with U.S. President Joe Biden drives through the streets of Helsinki, Finland, Thursday, July 13, 2023.<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Sergei Grits/Copyright 2023 The AP. All rights reserved.<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>In the Cold War era, Finland acted as a neutral buffer between Moscow and Washington, and its leaders played a balancing act between the East and West, maintaining good relations with both superpowers.<\/p>\n<p>Finland and neighbouring Sweden gave up their traditional political neutrality by joining the European Union in 1995 but both remained militarily nonaligned, with opinion polls showing a clear majority of their citizens opposed to joining NATO. That changed quickly after February 24, 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1689262351,"publishedAt":1689268435,"updatedAt":1689313694,"expiresAt":0,"canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2023\/07\/13\/nato-alliance-more-united-than-ever-says-biden-as-he-celebrates-newest-member-finland","images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/75\/00\/22\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_580047f3-2900-53d3-9dd5-8afd660f750a-7750022.jpg","altText":"President Joe Biden waves following a family photo with Nordic leaders at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland, Thursday, July 13, 2023.","caption":"President Joe Biden waves following a family photo with Nordic leaders at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland, Thursday, July 13, 2023.","captionCredit":"Susan Walsh\/Copyright 2023 The AP. All rights reserved.","captionUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"height":683},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/75\/00\/22\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_516f86fa-48c9-5ce8-aa82-4363cd0e7455-7750022.jpg","altText":"NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, left, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, talk during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, April 20, 2023.","caption":"NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, left, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, talk during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, April 20, 2023.","captionCredit":"AP\/Ukrainian Presidential Press Office","captionUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"height":683},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/75\/00\/22\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_814ebc16-cc1d-5bde-94ca-bdd204a391fb-7750022.jpg","altText":"People watch as motorcade with U.S. President Joe Biden drives through the streets of Helsinki, Finland, Thursday, July 13, 2023.","caption":"People watch as motorcade with U.S. President Joe Biden drives through the streets of Helsinki, Finland, Thursday, July 13, 2023.","captionCredit":"Sergei Grits\/Copyright 2023 The AP. All rights reserved.","captionUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"height":683},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/75\/00\/22\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_41a92a6f-eef9-5f43-9d8f-3dd91e6cecf3-7750022.jpg","altText":"President Joe Biden, left, meets with Finland's President Sauli Niinisto, right, at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland, Thursday, July 13, 2023.","caption":"President Joe Biden, left, meets with Finland's President Sauli Niinisto, right, at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland, Thursday, July 13, 2023.","captionCredit":"Susan Walsh\/Copyright 2023 The AP. All rights reserved.","captionUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"height":683}],"authors":{"journalists":[],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":26692,"slug":"war-in-ukraine","urlSafeValue":"war-in-ukraine","title":"Ukraine war","titleRaw":"Ukraine war"},{"id":27848,"slug":"ukraine-russia-war","urlSafeValue":"ukraine-russia-war","title":"Russia's war in Ukraine","titleRaw":"Russia's war in Ukraine"},{"id":4137,"slug":"helsinki","urlSafeValue":"helsinki","title":"Helsinki","titleRaw":"Helsinki"}],"widgets":[{"slug":"image","count":2},{"slug":"twitter","count":1}],"related":[],"technicalTags":[],"video":1,"videos":[{"format":"mp4","quality":"md","type":"normal","url":"https:\/\/video.euronews.com\/mp4\/med\/EN\/NW\/SU\/23\/07\/14\/en\/230714_NWSU_52418152_52418178_92000_070931_en.mp4","editor":null,"duration":91000,"filesizeBytes":11645690,"expiresAt":0},{"format":"mp4","quality":"hd","type":"normal","url":"https:\/\/video.euronews.com\/mp4\/EN\/NW\/SU\/23\/07\/14\/en\/230714_NWSU_52418152_52418178_92000_070931_en.mp4","editor":null,"duration":91000,"filesizeBytes":17689338,"expiresAt":0}],"externalPartners":{"dailymotionId":"x8mi7yz","youtubeId":"-K-wgAXxmoE"},"liveStream":[{"startDate":0,"endDate":0}],"isLiveCoverage":0,"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":"AP ","additionalSources":"","additionalReporting":"Euronews","freeField1":"","freeField2":null,"type":"","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"world news","online":1,"url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/programs\/world"},"vertical":"news","verticals":[{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"themes":[{"id":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World","url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/news\/international"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":1,"urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"isDfp":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":""},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":104,"urlSafeValue":"europe","title":"Europe"},"country":{"id":114,"urlSafeValue":"finland","title":"Finland","url":"\/news\/europe\/finland"},"town":{"id":1875,"urlSafeValue":"helsinki","title":"Helsinki"},"grapeshot":"'gv_safe','gs_politics','gs_science','gb_death_injury_high_med','gb_death_injury_high_med_low','gb_death_injury_news-ent','gs_popculture','gs_politics_american','gs_news_and_weather','gs_science_weather','gs_travel_locations'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"path":"\/2023\/07\/13\/nato-alliance-more-united-than-ever-says-biden-as-he-celebrates-newest-member-finland","lastModified":1689313694},{"id":2319712,"cid":7745314,"versionId":1,"archive":0,"housenumber":"230712_NWSU_52387567","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":3},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"Finland's far-right leader Riikka Purra 'sorry' for her racist, violent writings","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Finland's far-right leader 'sorry' for her racist, violent writings","titleListing2":"\ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddee Finland's far-right leader apologises for her racist, violent writings. \"I've made mistakes\" says Riikka Purra.","leadin":"Riikka Purra says \"I've made mistakes\" as the government was forced to issue a statement affirming strong support for human rights and equality in the Nordic nation. ","summary":"Riikka Purra says \"I've made mistakes\" as the government was forced to issue a statement affirming strong support for human rights and equality in the Nordic nation. ","url":"finlands-far-right-leader-riikka-purra-sorry-for-her-racist-violent-writings","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"The leader of Finland's far-right Finns Party, finance minister Riikka Purra , has apologised for \"stupid social media comments\" she made, saying she is \"not a perfect person.\"\u00a0 \n\n\"I've made mistakes\", Purra, who leads one of the parties in Finland's right-wing coalition government, wrote on Twitter .\u00a0 \n\nThis week comments she posted on a far-right forum 15 years ago re-emerged after Finnish media matched up entries made by someone using the nickname \"riikka\" and Riikka Purra.\u00a0 \n\nThey included racist rants about Turkish and Somali immigrants; violent posts about shooting people on a commuter train if she had a gun; and the use of the n-word in a post about wanting to spit on beggars and beat up children with an African background in Helsinki.\u00a0 \n\nAt first Purra neither confirmed nor denied she made the comments, which were written in her 30s when she had an academic career as a university researcher, but before she was active in politics. She later admitted that she wrote the posts.\u00a0 \n\n\" Taken out of context and evaluated in the present moment, some texts look even worse,\" wrote Purra, adding \"I do not accept any kind of violence, racism or discrimination\".\u00a0 \n\nThe Finnish government has also issued a statement , co-signed by the leaders of the ruling National Coalition Party, Finns Party, Swedish People's Party and Christian Democrats about human rights in the Nordic nation. \n\n\"The government works purposefully to promote equality, equality and non-discrimination in society. Everyone has the right to feel safe and well in Finland, regardless of their background,\" the statement says.\u00a0 \n\nIt was published after Finnish President Sauli Niinist\u00f6 told reporters at the NATO summit in Vilnius that the government should \"take a clear stance of zero tolerance of racism.\" \n\n","htmlText":"<p>The leader of Finland's far-right Finns Party, finance minister <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//ir_rkp/">Riikka Purra<\/strong><\/a>, has apologised for \"stupid social media comments\" she made, saying she is \"not a perfect person.\"\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"I've made mistakes\", Purra, who leads one of the parties in Finland's right-wing coalition government, <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//ir_rkp//status//1678756768233537536/">wrote on Twitter<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This week comments she posted on a far-right forum 15 years ago re-emerged after Finnish media matched up entries made by someone using the nickname \"riikka\" and Riikka Purra.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>They included racist rants about Turkish and Somali immigrants; violent posts about shooting people on a commuter train if she had a gun; and the use of the n-word in a post about wanting to spit on beggars and beat up children with an African background in Helsinki.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>At first Purra neither confirmed nor denied she made the comments, which were written in her 30s when she had an academic career as a university researcher, but before she was active in politics. She later admitted that she wrote the posts.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"Taken out of context and evaluated in the present moment, some texts look even worse,\" wrote Purra, adding \"I do not accept any kind of violence, racism or discrimination\".\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-tweet widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio\u2014auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <div class=\"widget__tweet\" data-tweet-id=\"1678648521052880899\"><\/div>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The Finnish government has also <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////vnk.fi//-//hallituspuolueiden-puheenjohtajien-julkilausuma-11.7.2023/">issued a statement<\/strong><\/a>, co-signed by the leaders of the ruling National Coalition Party, Finns Party, Swedish People's Party and Christian Democrats about human rights in the Nordic nation.<\/p>\n<p>\"The government works purposefully to promote equality, equality and non-discrimination in society. Everyone has the right to feel safe and well in Finland, regardless of their background,\" the statement says.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It was published after Finnish President Sauli Niinist\u00f6 told reporters at the NATO summit in Vilnius that the government should \"take a clear stance of zero tolerance of racism.\"<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1689135858,"publishedAt":1689137638,"updatedAt":1689137642,"expiresAt":0,"canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2023\/07\/12\/finlands-far-right-leader-riikka-purra-sorry-for-her-racist-violent-writings","images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/74\/53\/14\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_27e41cfa-4c23-51e0-bd49-822a2e941726-7745314.jpg","altText":"FILE: Far-right Finns Party leader Riikka Purra looks at camera, with other party leaders in government, 15 June 2023","caption":"FILE: Far-right Finns Party leader Riikka Purra looks at camera, with other party leaders in government, 15 June 2023","captionCredit":"AFP","captionUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900}],"authors":{"journalists":[{"urlSafeValue":"mac-dougall","title":"David Mac Dougall","twitter":"@davidmacdougall"}],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":10529,"slug":"finland-politics","urlSafeValue":"finland-politics","title":"Finland politics","titleRaw":"Finland politics"},{"id":114,"slug":"finland","urlSafeValue":"finland","title":"Finland","titleRaw":"Finland"},{"id":11378,"slug":"far-right","urlSafeValue":"far-right","title":"Far-right","titleRaw":"Far-right"},{"id":25122,"slug":"extremism","urlSafeValue":"extremism","title":"extremism","titleRaw":"extremism"}],"widgets":[{"slug":"twitter","count":1}],"related":[{"id":2298992},{"id":2301136},{"id":2310658}],"technicalTags":[{"path":"euronews.byenglishwebteam"},{"path":"euronews"}],"video":0,"videos":[],"externalPartners":[],"liveStream":[{"startDate":0,"endDate":0}],"isLiveCoverage":0,"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"freeField2":null,"type":"","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"world news","online":1,"url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/programs\/world"},"vertical":"news","verticals":[{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"themes":[{"id":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World","url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/news\/international"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":1,"urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"isDfp":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":""},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":104,"urlSafeValue":"europe","title":"Europe"},"country":{"id":114,"urlSafeValue":"finland","title":"Finland","url":"\/news\/europe\/finland"},"town":[],"grapeshot":"'gv_safe','castrol_negative_uk','neg_mobkoi_castrol','neg_nespresso','neg_facebook_2021','pos_equinor','pos_facebook','pos_pmi','pos_ukraine-russia','pos_ukrainecrisis','gs_politics_issues_policy','sm_politics','gs_politics','gs_politics_misc','gb_hatespeech_high_med','gb_hatespeech_high_med_low','gb_hatespeech_news-ent','gt_negative','gs_science','gs_science_geography','gs_tech_compute_net_social','gs_busfin','gs_society_misc','gt_negative_anger'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"path":"\/2023\/07\/12\/finlands-far-right-leader-riikka-purra-sorry-for-her-racist-violent-writings","lastModified":1689137642},{"id":2318840,"cid":7742550,"versionId":2,"archive":0,"housenumber":"230711_NWSU_52372328","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":3},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"Racism and violence: Finland's government plagued by new scandal on eve of Biden visit","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Racism and violence: Finland's government plagued by new scandal","titleListing2":"\ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddee \"Is anyone up for spitting on beggars and beating n****r children today in Helsinki?\" - #Finland government embroiled in new scandal about the author of racist and violence blog comments.","leadin":"Inflammatory blog post comments from 15 years ago have been linked to the far-right Finns Party leader and current finance minister, Riikka Purra, who hasn't denied it.","summary":"Inflammatory blog post comments from 15 years ago have been linked to the far-right Finns Party leader and current finance minister, Riikka Purra, who hasn't denied it.","url":"racism-and-violence-finlands-government-plagued-by-new-scandal-on-eve-of-biden-visit","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Finland's right-wing government is facing yet another crisis after old comments from a far-right blog forum, purportedly written by Finns Party leader Riikka Purra , re-surfaced.\u00a0 \n\nThe author of the posts writes anti-Islamic and violent comments, among others, and disparages immigrants including Somalis and \"Turkish monkeys\".\u00a0 \n\nPurra, Finland's finance minister, leads one of the four parties which make up the coalition government headed by Prime Minister Petteri Orpo of the National Coalition Party.\u00a0 \n\nIn recent days Finnish media and social media users have matched details of Riikka Purra's life including her upbringing, where she lived, occupation, age, husband's job, studies, favourite foods and travel schedules with a woman called 'riikka' who posted the comments mostly during 2008.\u00a0 \n\n\"Greetings from Barcelona,\" wrote 'riikka', on the same\u00a0day in August that\u00a0Riikka Purra was also in Barcelona speaking at a conference on multiculturalism.\u00a0 \n\n\"There is no 'alarming immigration problem' to be seen here. Negroes sell pirate Vuittons on Las Ramblas,\" she blogged.\u00a0 \n\n\"Oh, it was wonderful civil racism again today on the ground floor of McDonald's, when our little boy ate Happy Meal Nuggets,\u00a0and at the neighbouring table a Somali family with a BMI [body mass index] +30 ate their own,\" 'riikka'\u00a0wrote in June 2008. \n\n\"Do you know what 'the reeds rustle' means?\" 'riikka' asked her readers in January 2008. 7 \n\n\"Well, that's the sound these darker male characters make when they approach\/pass by\/in the escalator\/elevator\/wherever. It's not whistling (that would be too obvious) but a f****** hiss between the teeth - the more eager Abdullah is, the more saliva comes with it.\"\u00a0 \n\n\"Netsit,\" wrote 'riikka' in July 2008, a nickname for anti-immigration netizens which is also a play on the Finnish word for Nazis.\u00a0\u00a0 \n\n\"Is anyone up for spitting on beggars and beating n****r children today in\u00a0Helsinki?,\" she asked.\u00a0 \n\n\"I'm so full of hate and pure rage that I'm about to melt on my chair. Holy hell what are you doing to my psyche, Islam?\" 'riikka' wrote in January 2008.\u00a0 \n\nAnd in September 2008 'riikka' wrote \"If I were given a gun, there would be dead bodies even on the commuter train.\"\u00a0 \n\nWhat has the response been like in Finland? \n\nRiikka Purra has neither confirmed nor denied she wrote these specific comments, though\u00a0she has conceded she wrote things in the past she would not write today.\u00a0 \n\n\"My angry text is just angry text, nothing else. I do not accept and have never accepted any kind of violence,\" Purra tweeted \u00a0on Monday evening.\u00a0 \n\nShe said she felt \"frustrated and hopeless\" about immigration in Finland, \"for example the harassment and sexual crimes against women and the unequal practices of Islam.\" \n\nPurra asked to be judged not on anything she might have written in the past but on her actions as an elected member of parliament, party leader and government minister. \n\nThe contrite nature of Purra's comments might be enough to mollify prime minister Orpo, who relies on the Finns Party to stay in power.\u00a0 \n\nBut it is yet another embarrassing chapter for a government not even a month old, coming the same week he'll want to show good leadership when US President Joe Biden makes a brief visit to Helsinki for talks. \n\nPolitical opponents have been quick to condemn the blog post comments. \n\n\"Finance Minister Riikka Purra has not only racist but also violent content on the same platform. No regrets, no resignation,\" said Maria Ohisalo , former Green party leader and interior minister in the last government. \n\nShe also threw PM Orpo's own words back at him when he said that there must be \"zero tolerance\" for ministers who flirt with extremism, Nazim or anti-Semitism. \n\nFinnish MEP Ville Niinist\u00f6 from the Greens wrote that \"repeated racist policies and language tells a lot about a person's world of values.\" \n\n\"'Rikka's' thinking is not suitable for the Finnish finance minister.\" \n\nThere has even been criticism from within Orpo's own National Coalition Party, with Helsinki councillor Otto Meri writing that the old blog posts by 'riikka' \"are very shocking.\"\u00a0 \n\n\"Idolising violence is not healthy. And I find the use of the n-word not only inappropriate but also racist.\" \n\nWhat's the background to this latest incident? \n\nThere has been increased scrutiny of the activities, sympathies and writings of Finns Party politicians, especially those in government, since Euronews reported on the former minister for economic affairs who made 'Heil Hitler' jokes and posted swastika pictures on his social media channels.\u00a0 \n\nAlthough the minister, Vilhelm Junnila, survived a confidence vote in parliament , he was later forced to resign after it emerged he had called for mass abortions of African women to tackle the climate crisis.\u00a0 \n\nJunnila was replaced by another politician with a problematic recent history.\u00a0 \n\nWille Rydman had been a member of prime minister Orpo's National Coalition Party until last year when a newspaper investigation uncovered complaints from teenage girls about his interactions with them.\u00a0 \n\nFinnish police declined to charge Rydman with rape, but by this spring he had switched parties and stood as an election candidate for the Finns Party.\u00a0 \n\nSince his appointment as minister for economic affairs, it transpired that police are now looking into whether Rydman used confidential information from the investigation in a book he published earlier this year, which could be a breach of confidentiality.\u00a0 \n\nRydman's appointment was anyway seen as a slap in the face for Orpo, who just months\u00a0earlier had condemned Rydman's behaviour towards women, especially young girls,\u00a0and who now has to sit alongside him in cabinet meetings. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>Finland's right-wing government is facing yet another crisis after old comments from a far-right blog forum, purportedly written by Finns Party leader <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//ir_rkp/">Riikka Purra<\/strong><\/a>, re-surfaced.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The author of the posts writes anti-Islamic and violent comments, among others, and disparages immigrants including Somalis and \"Turkish monkeys\".\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Purra, Finland's finance minister, leads one of the four parties which make up the coalition government headed by Prime Minister <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//PetteriOrpo/">Petteri Orpo<\/strong><\/a> of the National Coalition Party.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In recent days Finnish media and social media users have matched details of Riikka Purra's life including her upbringing, where she lived, occupation, age, husband's job, studies, favourite foods and travel schedules with a woman called 'riikka' who posted the comments mostly during 2008.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"Greetings from Barcelona,\" wrote 'riikka', on the same\u00a0day in August that\u00a0Riikka Purra was also in Barcelona speaking at a conference on multiculturalism.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"There is no 'alarming immigration problem' to be seen here. Negroes sell pirate Vuittons on Las Ramblas,\" she blogged.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"Oh, it was wonderful civil racism again today on the ground floor of McDonald's, when our little boy ate Happy Meal Nuggets,\u00a0and at the neighbouring table a Somali family with a BMI [body mass index] +30 ate their own,\" 'riikka'\u00a0wrote in June 2008.<\/p>\n<p>\"Do you know what 'the reeds rustle' means?\" 'riikka' asked her readers in January 2008. 7<\/p>\n<p>\"Well, that's the sound these darker male characters make when they approach\/pass by\/in the escalator\/elevator\/wherever. It's not whistling (that would be too obvious) but a f****** hiss between the teeth - the more eager Abdullah is, the more saliva comes with it.\"\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"Netsit,\" wrote 'riikka' in July 2008, a nickname for anti-immigration netizens which is also a play on the Finnish word for Nazis.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"Is anyone up for spitting on beggars and beating n****r children today in\u00a0Helsinki?,\" she asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"I'm so full of hate and pure rage that I'm about to melt on my chair. Holy hell what are you doing to my psyche, Islam?\" 'riikka' wrote in January 2008.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>And in September 2008 'riikka' wrote \"If I were given a gun, there would be dead bodies even on the commuter train.\"\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//07//74//25//50//808x454_cmsv2_1235cdd3-7c0f-5526-8373-8feec1f1ff1a-7742550.jpg/" alt=\"AFP\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/74\/25\/50\/384x216_cmsv2_1235cdd3-7c0f-5526-8373-8feec1f1ff1a-7742550.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/74\/25\/50\/640x360_cmsv2_1235cdd3-7c0f-5526-8373-8feec1f1ff1a-7742550.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/74\/25\/50\/750x422_cmsv2_1235cdd3-7c0f-5526-8373-8feec1f1ff1a-7742550.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/74\/25\/50\/828x466_cmsv2_1235cdd3-7c0f-5526-8373-8feec1f1ff1a-7742550.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/74\/25\/50\/1080x608_cmsv2_1235cdd3-7c0f-5526-8373-8feec1f1ff1a-7742550.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/74\/25\/50\/1200x675_cmsv2_1235cdd3-7c0f-5526-8373-8feec1f1ff1a-7742550.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/74\/25\/50\/1920x1080_cmsv2_1235cdd3-7c0f-5526-8373-8feec1f1ff1a-7742550.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">FILE: Leaders of the four parties which make up the new Finnish coalition government arrive at House of the Estates, Helsinki, 16 June 2023<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">AFP<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2>What has the response been like in Finland?<\/h2><p>Riikka Purra has neither confirmed nor denied she wrote these specific comments, though\u00a0she has conceded she wrote things in the past she would not write today.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"My angry text is just angry text, nothing else. I do not accept and have never accepted any kind of violence,\" Purra <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//ir_rkp//status//1678475972050296844/">tweeted/u00a0on Monday evening.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>She said she felt \"frustrated and hopeless\" about immigration in Finland, \"for example the harassment and sexual crimes against women and the unequal practices of Islam.\"<\/p>\n<p>Purra asked to be judged not on anything she might have written in the past but on her actions as an elected member of parliament, party leader and government minister.<\/p>\n<p>The contrite nature of Purra's comments might be enough to mollify prime minister Orpo, who relies on the Finns Party to stay in power.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But it is yet another embarrassing chapter for a government not even a month old, coming the same week he'll want to show good leadership when US President Joe Biden makes a brief visit to Helsinki for talks.<\/p>\n<p>Political opponents have been quick to condemn the blog post comments.<\/p>\n<p>\"Finance Minister Riikka Purra has not only racist but also violent content on the same platform. No regrets, no resignation,\" said <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//MariaOhisalo/">Maria Ohisalo<\/strong><\/a>, former Green party leader and interior minister in the last government.<\/p>\n<p>She also threw PM Orpo's own words back at him when he said that there must be \"zero tolerance\" for ministers who flirt with extremism, Nazim or anti-Semitism.<\/p>\n<p>Finnish MEP <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//VilleNiinisto/">Ville Niinist\u00f6<\/strong><\/a> from the Greens wrote that \"repeated racist policies and language tells a lot about a person's world of values.\"<\/p>\n<p>\"'Rikka's' thinking is not suitable for the Finnish finance minister.\"<\/p>\n<p>There has even been criticism from within Orpo's own National Coalition Party, with Helsinki councillor <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//OttoMeri//status//1678392544051228673/">Otto Meri<\/strong><\/a> writing that the old blog posts by 'riikka' \"are very shocking.\"\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"Idolising violence is not healthy. And I find the use of the n-word not only inappropriate but also racist.\"<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-tweet widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio\u2014auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <div class=\"widget__tweet\" data-tweet-id=\"1671171047373275139\"><\/div>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2>What's the background to this latest incident?<\/h2><p>There has been increased scrutiny of the activities, sympathies and writings of Finns Party politicians, especially those in government, since <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2023//06//20//racism-and-rape-fantasies-the-pr-headache-facing-finlands-new-right-wing-government/">Euronews reported<\/strong><\/a> on the former minister for economic affairs who made 'Heil Hitler' jokes and posted swastika pictures on his social media channels.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Although the minister, Vilhelm Junnila, <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2023//06//28//finlands-nazi-joke-government-minister-survives-parliament-no-confidence-vote/">survived a confidence vote in parliament<\/strong><\/a>, he was later <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2023//06//30//embattled-finland-minister-quits-amid-mass-africa-abortions-scandal/">forced to resign<\/strong><\/a> after it emerged he had called for mass abortions of African women to tackle the climate crisis.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-tweet widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio\u2014auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <div class=\"widget__tweet\" data-tweet-id=\"1674779836118867974\"><\/div>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Junnila was replaced by another politician with a problematic recent history.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//willerydman/">Wille Rydman<\/strong><\/a> had been a member of prime minister Orpo's National Coalition Party until last year when a <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.hs.fi//sunnuntai//art-2000008840422.html/">newspaper investigation<\/strong><\/a> uncovered complaints from teenage girls about his interactions with them.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Finnish police <strong><a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.helsinkitimes.fi//finland//finland-news//domestic//22731-prosecutors-choose-not-to-charge-rydman-with-rape.html/">declined to charge<\/a><\/strong> Rydman with rape, but by this spring he had switched parties and stood as an election candidate for the Finns Party.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Since his appointment as minister for economic affairs, it transpired that <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.iltalehti.fi//politiikka//a//f460ebef-f16c-4bdb-9f1c-977d93769a1b/">police are now looking into<\/strong><\/a> whether Rydman used confidential information from the investigation in a book he published earlier this year, which could be a breach of confidentiality.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Rydman's appointment was anyway seen as a slap in the face for Orpo, who just months\u00a0earlier had condemned Rydman's behaviour towards women, especially young girls,\u00a0and who now has to sit alongside him in cabinet meetings.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1689029473,"publishedAt":1689054661,"updatedAt":1689062588,"expiresAt":0,"canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2023\/07\/11\/racism-and-violence-finlands-government-plagued-by-new-scandal-on-eve-of-biden-visit","images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/74\/25\/50\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_5241dafb-e54c-5f46-a1cd-a59f7ff1e886-7742550.jpg","altText":"Finland's new Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (R) and his new Finance Minister Riikka Purra hold a press conference in Helsinki, Finland on June 20, 2023","caption":"Finland's new Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (R) and his new Finance Minister Riikka Purra hold a press conference in Helsinki, Finland on June 20, 2023","captionCredit":"AFP","captionUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/74\/25\/50\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_1235cdd3-7c0f-5526-8373-8feec1f1ff1a-7742550.jpg","altText":"FILE: Leaders of the 4 parties which make up the new Finnish coalition government arrive at House of the Estates, Helsinki, 16 June 2023","caption":"FILE: Leaders of the 4 parties which make up the new Finnish coalition government arrive at House of the Estates, Helsinki, 16 June 2023","captionCredit":"AFP","captionUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900}],"authors":{"journalists":[{"urlSafeValue":"mac-dougall","title":"David Mac Dougall","twitter":"@davidmacdougall"}],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":10529,"slug":"finland-politics","urlSafeValue":"finland-politics","title":"Finland politics","titleRaw":"Finland 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for a mission to Mars: This Finnish firm wants to feed astronauts proteins from microbes","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"How microbial protein is shaping food production on Earth and in space","titleListing2":"Food for a mission to Mars: This Finnish firm wants to feed astronauts proteins from microbes","leadin":"Finnish foodtech firm Solar Foods makes microbial protein using just hydrogen, CO2 and electricity. Could it help astronauts get to Mars?","summary":"Finnish foodtech firm Solar Foods makes microbial protein using just hydrogen, CO2 and electricity. Could it help astronauts get to Mars?","url":"food-for-a-mission-to-mars-this-finnish-firm-wants-to-feed-astronauts-proteins-from-microb","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Sending humans to Mars is a monumental challenge, with countless variables to take into account to ensure the crew\u2019s health and safety. \n\nBut one of the most important ingredients to a successful deep space mission is often taken for granted: food. \n\n\u201cIf you just look at the history of exploration or long sea voyages, it's food that can make or break the success of those endeavours,\u201d says Ralph Fritsche, NASA\u2019s space crop production manager. \u201cThe quality of the food system is the first line of defence for crew health and performance.\u201d \n\nBut it\u2019s not enough to simply plug astronauts with flavourless calories that will keep them alive \u2013 maintaining morale on a long journey is primordial, and good food helps keep astronauts happy and healthy. \n\n\u201cOne of the things we\u2019ve learned along the way is that if astronauts do not like the food, they won\u2019t eat it,\u201d Fritsche told Euronews Culture . \u201cAnd if they don\u2019t eat it, they lose weight. So the variety of flavour, texture, all that is key.\u201d \n\nRising to the challenge of food production in space \n\nFiguring out the food problem is a major priority as NASA aims to launch astronauts to Mars by the late 2030s or early 2040s, on a trip that could take two to three years to complete. \n\nIt\u2019s one of the reasons NASA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) launched the Deep Space Food Challenge (DSFC), inviting the public to present food solutions for long-haul manned missions that require minimal resources, produce minimal waste, and provide safe, nutritious and tasty food. \n\nSolar Foods, a Finnish foodtech company, is one of two European winners of the DSFC\u2019s Phase 2. Their solution is called Solein, a sustainable protein source that the company says is made \u201cout of thin air.\u201d \n\nSolein is produced using only electricity, carbon dioxide and hydrogen \u2013 all of which are readily available on a spacecraft (astronauts have to breathe, after all). \n\nThese inputs, along with some minerals, are put into a bioreactor and fed to a microbe that grows and multiplies, producing a form of protein that can be dried into a powder and used as an ingredient in a variety of recipes. \n\nThe process can be likened to fermentation of yeast (think of sourdough starters), except instead of yeast this process uses single-cell organisms that are found in nature on Earth. And instead of feeding them sugar, it's feeding them tiny gas bubbles. \n\n\u201cOn Earth, we make Solein as a food ingredient to replace egg or milk, for instance, because it doesn't have a particularly strong taste on its own so it blends in with many foodstuffs,\u201d says Arttu Luukanen, the Senior Vice President of Space & Defense at Solar Foods who has led the team participating in the DSFC.\u00a0 \n\n\u201cIt would be a similar approach in space,\u201d he told Euronews Culture . \u201cWe can actually utilise various techniques to turn Solein into sort of a meat-like jerky product that resembles meat, add some flavours, maybe some oils that could either be produced onboard from the plants that are grown, or stored.\u201d \n\nAnother advantage to making Solein in space is the fact that one of the byproducts of its production is water. \n\n\u201cThe bioreactor actually does not only produce food, but there\u2019s water that comes out of the pipe,\u201d Luukanen said. \u201cAnd we argue that we could save 1200 kilos of water in addition to producing food onboard.\u201d \n\nNo single solution to feeding astronauts on a long space mission \n\nWhile the Deep Space Food Challenge was billed as a competition, it\u2019s nearly impossible to find one solution to all the problems related to food on long-haul space trips. \n\n\u201cIt\u2019s not going to be one solution,\u201d Luukanen confirmed. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be an essay of solutions, because ultimately what you would like to do is develop a few dozen recipes that are different enough to give the variability in the food over those two years, so the crew doesn\u2019t go mad and they get everything they need to stay alive and thrive.\u201d \n\nLuukanen said that an easy way to think of the way Solein could fit in with other foods in space is that \"they're making the salad, we're providing the dressing.\" While protein is an important part of a balanced diet, astronauts would also need carbohydrates like fruits and vegetables. \n\nFritsche, who was one of the judges of the DSFC\u2019s Phase 2, said the most surprising thing about the challenge was watching this kind of collaboration and exchange, and seeing how different competing teams built off of each other\u2019s knowledge to improve their products. \n\n\u201cEven though different teams may not have won that round of the challenge, they had an aspect or a component or a process that another team who did win could take advantage of,\u201d he said. \u201cI think going into this, I had expected that it was going to be one versus another. But what's really the output, hopefully, is that you have multiple teams adding up to make a better solution.\u201d \n\nFritsche said that in the short-term, we're more likely to see foods being integrated into a Mars mission that don't need to be cooked or processed, like fresh produce or mushrooms. But further down the line creating sources of protein onboard is something NASA is looking at as well. \n\nLessons from space that can be applied to Earth \n\nFritsche was one of the judges who visited Helsinki to review Solar Foods\u2019 submission, and taste a \u201cSpace Shake\u201d made from Solein powder and fruit. He said what struck him about the company was its commitment to building a solid and scalable terrestrial business. \n\n\u201cWhat I really appreciated about what they were doing was the fact that they had what appeared to be a really good terrestrial business model case,\u201d he said. \u201cThey stand out as a real positive aspect of us (NASA) trying to canvas this newer technology arena and see how we can take some of these ideas and incorporate them as solutions for spaceflight food.\u201d \n\nLuukanen said that despite thinking about applications in space, Solar Foods' focus is still producing Solein for people to consume on Earth. But there are valuable lessons to be learned from a challenge like the DSFC. \n\n\"Space is the ultimate, ultimate test for a circular economy,\" he says. \"I think living by the same philosophy on the planet here might not be such a silly idea, to try to close these loops that we currently are running open-ended. So that we could recycle more of the things that we waste and produce added-value products, whether it's food or materials from these wastes.\" \n\nAs the Earth gets hotter and hotter, sources of protein\u00a0\u2013\u00a0like Solein\u00a0\u2013\u00a0that use less resources and produce fewer emissions than animal proteins are becoming more mainstream. \n\nSolar Foods received regulatory approval to sell Solein in Singapore last year. A local Italian restaurant started selling the world's first Solein chocolate gelato, replacing the eggs and milk with Solein to make a product that's entirely vegan. \n\nEuropeans will have to wait a while longer. Luukanen says the firm hopes to receive approval to sell Solein in the EU by next year. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>Sending humans to Mars is a monumental challenge, with countless variables to take into account to ensure the crew\u2019s health and safety.<\/p>\n<p>But one of the most important ingredients to a successful deep space mission is often taken for granted: food.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you just look at the history of exploration or long sea voyages, it's food that can make or break the success of those endeavours,\u201d says Ralph Fritsche, NASA\u2019s space crop production manager. \u201cThe quality of the food system is the first line of defence for crew health and performance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But it\u2019s not enough to simply plug astronauts with flavourless calories that will keep them alive \u2013 maintaining morale on a long journey is primordial, and good food helps keep astronauts happy and healthy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne of the things we\u2019ve learned along the way is that if astronauts do not like the food, they won\u2019t eat it,\u201d Fritsche told <em>Euronews Culture<\/em>. \u201cAnd if they don\u2019t eat it, they lose weight. So the variety of flavour, texture, all that is key.\u201d<\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"7729566,7702810\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2023//07//05//how-can-we-transform-the-global-food-system-to-preserve-our-planet/">How can we transform the global food system to preserve our planet?<\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//06//25//fish-have-feelings-too-why-animal-sentience-means-we-should-rethink-food/">Fish have feelings too: Why animal sentience means we should rethink food<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2>Rising to the challenge of food production in space<\/h2><p>Figuring out the food problem is a major priority as NASA aims to launch astronauts to Mars by the late 2030s or early 2040s, on a trip that could take two to three years to complete.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s one of the reasons NASA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) launched the Deep Space Food Challenge (DSFC), inviting the public to present food solutions for long-haul manned missions that require minimal resources, produce minimal waste, and provide safe, nutritious and tasty food.<\/p>\n<div data-oembed-url=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CsdyQ7DO-S_\/?hl=en\" class=\"widget widget--type-instagram widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CsdyQ7DO-S_\/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\"><div style=\"padding:16px;\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.instagram.com//p//CsdyQ7DO-S_//?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\%22 style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;\" target=\"_blank\"> <div style=\" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\"><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\"><\/div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 19% 0;\"><\/div> <div style=\"display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;\"><svg width=\"50px\" height=\"50px\" viewBox=\"0 0 60 60\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\"><g stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><g transform=\"translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)\" fill=\"#000000\"><g><path d=\"M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631\"><\/path><\/g><\/g><\/g><\/svg><\/div><div style=\"padding-top: 8px;\"> <div style=\" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\">View this post on Instagram<\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\"><div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div> <div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: auto;\"> <div style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div> <div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div><\/div><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div><\/div><\/a><p style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\"><a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.instagram.com//p//CsdyQ7DO-S_//?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\%22 style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\" target=\"_blank\">A post shared by Deep Space Food Challenge (@deepspacefoodchallenge)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote> <script async src=https://www.euronews.com/"////platform.instagram.com//en_US//embeds.js/"> \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>Solar Foods, a Finnish foodtech company, is one of two European winners of the DSFC\u2019s Phase 2. Their solution is called Solein, a sustainable protein source that the company says is made \u201cout of thin air.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Solein is produced using only electricity, carbon dioxide and hydrogen \u2013 all of which are readily available on a spacecraft (astronauts have to breathe, after all).<\/p>\n<p>These inputs, along with some minerals, are put into a bioreactor and fed to a microbe that grows and multiplies, producing a form of protein that can be dried into a powder and used as an ingredient in a variety of recipes.<\/p>\n<p>The process can be likened to fermentation of yeast (think of sourdough starters), except instead of yeast this process uses single-cell organisms that are found in nature on Earth. And instead of feeding them sugar, it's feeding them tiny gas bubbles.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//07//73//55//04//808x454_cmsv2_d99da4cb-5c7a-59cd-ae77-6c7e1c350b9f-7735504.jpg/" alt=\"Courtesy: Solar Foods\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/73\/55\/04\/384x216_cmsv2_d99da4cb-5c7a-59cd-ae77-6c7e1c350b9f-7735504.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/73\/55\/04\/640x360_cmsv2_d99da4cb-5c7a-59cd-ae77-6c7e1c350b9f-7735504.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/73\/55\/04\/750x422_cmsv2_d99da4cb-5c7a-59cd-ae77-6c7e1c350b9f-7735504.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/73\/55\/04\/828x466_cmsv2_d99da4cb-5c7a-59cd-ae77-6c7e1c350b9f-7735504.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/73\/55\/04\/1080x608_cmsv2_d99da4cb-5c7a-59cd-ae77-6c7e1c350b9f-7735504.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/73\/55\/04\/1200x675_cmsv2_d99da4cb-5c7a-59cd-ae77-6c7e1c350b9f-7735504.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/73\/55\/04\/1920x1080_cmsv2_d99da4cb-5c7a-59cd-ae77-6c7e1c350b9f-7735504.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Solein in powder form (right), and being created in a bioreactor (left).<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Courtesy: Solar Foods<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cOn Earth, we make Solein as a food ingredient to replace egg or milk, for instance, because it doesn't have a particularly strong taste on its own so it blends in with many foodstuffs,\u201d says Arttu Luukanen, the Senior Vice President of Space & Defense at Solar Foods who has led the team participating in the DSFC.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt would be a similar approach in space,\u201d he told <em>Euronews Culture<\/em>. \u201cWe can actually utilise various techniques to turn Solein into sort of a meat-like jerky product that resembles meat, add some flavours, maybe some oils that could either be produced onboard from the plants that are grown, or stored.\u201d<\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"7648114,7616158\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//next//2023//06//02//nitrosamines-what-to-know-about-the-cancer-causing-chemicals-being-found-in-our-food-and-m/">Nitrosamines: What to know about the cancer-causing chemicals being found in our food and medicines<\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//culture//2023//05//20//get-ready-to-enjoy-some-of-the-best-european-food-festivals-coming-up/">Get ready to enjoy some of the best European food festivals coming up<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Another advantage to making Solein in space is the fact that one of the byproducts of its production is water.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe bioreactor actually does not only produce food, but there\u2019s water that comes out of the pipe,\u201d Luukanen said. \u201cAnd we argue that we could save 1200 kilos of water in addition to producing food onboard.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>No single solution to feeding astronauts on a long space mission<\/h2><p>While the Deep Space Food Challenge was billed as a competition, it\u2019s nearly impossible to find one solution to all the problems related to food on long-haul space trips.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s not going to be one solution,\u201d Luukanen confirmed. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be an essay of solutions, because ultimately what you would like to do is develop a few dozen recipes that are different enough to give the variability in the food over those two years, so the crew doesn\u2019t go mad and they get everything they need to stay alive and thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//07//73//55//04//808x454_cmsv2_9b3c8e31-c086-56cc-9850-160f63ab458b-7735504.jpg/" alt=\"Courtesy: Solar Foods\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/73\/55\/04\/384x216_cmsv2_9b3c8e31-c086-56cc-9850-160f63ab458b-7735504.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/73\/55\/04\/640x360_cmsv2_9b3c8e31-c086-56cc-9850-160f63ab458b-7735504.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/73\/55\/04\/750x422_cmsv2_9b3c8e31-c086-56cc-9850-160f63ab458b-7735504.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/73\/55\/04\/828x466_cmsv2_9b3c8e31-c086-56cc-9850-160f63ab458b-7735504.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/73\/55\/04\/1080x608_cmsv2_9b3c8e31-c086-56cc-9850-160f63ab458b-7735504.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/73\/55\/04\/1200x675_cmsv2_9b3c8e31-c086-56cc-9850-160f63ab458b-7735504.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/73\/55\/04\/1920x1080_cmsv2_9b3c8e31-c086-56cc-9850-160f63ab458b-7735504.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">An example of how Solein can be combined with fresh produce to create a nutritious, balanced meal.<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Courtesy: Solar Foods<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Luukanen said that an easy way to think of the way Solein could fit in with other foods in space is that \"they're making the salad, we're providing the dressing.\" While protein is an important part of a balanced diet, astronauts would also need carbohydrates like fruits and vegetables.<\/p>\n<p>Fritsche, who was one of the judges of the DSFC\u2019s Phase 2, said the most surprising thing about the challenge was watching this kind of collaboration and exchange, and seeing how different competing teams built off of each other\u2019s knowledge to improve their products.<\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"7610464,7613092\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//05//18//just-like-eating-frogs-legs-inside-the-european-companies-that-want-to-convince-us-to-eat-/">Just like eating frogs\u2019 legs? Inside the European companies that want to convince us to eat insects<\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//culture//2023//05//18//suckling-piglets-and-a-broccoli-forest-some-of-the-winners-of-food-photo-competition/">Suckling piglets and a broccoli forest; some of the winners of food photo competition<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cEven though different teams may not have won that round of the challenge, they had an aspect or a component or a process that another team who did win could take advantage of,\u201d he said. \u201cI think going into this, I had expected that it was going to be one versus another. But what's really the output, hopefully, is that you have multiple teams adding up to make a better solution.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Fritsche said that in the short-term, we're more likely to see foods being integrated into a Mars mission that don't need to be cooked or processed, like fresh produce or mushrooms. But further down the line creating sources of protein onboard is something NASA is looking at as well.<\/p>\n<h2>Lessons from space that can be applied to Earth<\/h2><p>Fritsche was one of the judges who visited Helsinki to review Solar Foods\u2019 submission, and taste a \u201cSpace Shake\u201d made from Solein powder and fruit. He said what struck him about the company was its commitment to building a solid and scalable terrestrial business.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//07//73//55//04//808x454_cmsv2_eaa874d1-5a51-57b4-b363-f655f6a2cb0a-7735504.jpg/" alt=\"Courtesy: Solar Foods\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/73\/55\/04\/384x216_cmsv2_eaa874d1-5a51-57b4-b363-f655f6a2cb0a-7735504.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/73\/55\/04\/640x360_cmsv2_eaa874d1-5a51-57b4-b363-f655f6a2cb0a-7735504.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/73\/55\/04\/750x422_cmsv2_eaa874d1-5a51-57b4-b363-f655f6a2cb0a-7735504.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/73\/55\/04\/828x466_cmsv2_eaa874d1-5a51-57b4-b363-f655f6a2cb0a-7735504.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/73\/55\/04\/1080x608_cmsv2_eaa874d1-5a51-57b4-b363-f655f6a2cb0a-7735504.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/73\/55\/04\/1200x675_cmsv2_eaa874d1-5a51-57b4-b363-f655f6a2cb0a-7735504.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/73\/55\/04\/1920x1080_cmsv2_eaa874d1-5a51-57b4-b363-f655f6a2cb0a-7735504.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">For Phase 2 of the DSFC, Solar Foods made judges a "Space Shake" from Solein powder and fruit.<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Courtesy: Solar Foods<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat I really appreciated about what they were doing was the fact that they had what appeared to be a really good terrestrial business model case,\u201d he said. \u201cThey stand out as a real positive aspect of us (NASA) trying to canvas this newer technology arena and see how we can take some of these ideas and incorporate them as solutions for spaceflight food.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Luukanen said that despite thinking about applications in space, Solar Foods' focus is still producing Solein for people to consume on Earth. But there are valuable lessons to be learned from a challenge like the DSFC.<\/p>\n<p>\"Space is the ultimate, ultimate test for a circular economy,\" he says. \"I think living by the same philosophy on the planet here might not be such a silly idea, to try to close these loops that we currently are running open-ended. So that we could recycle more of the things that we waste and produce added-value products, whether it's food or materials from these wastes.\"<\/p>\n<p>As the Earth gets hotter and hotter, sources of protein\u00a0\u2013\u00a0like Solein\u00a0\u2013\u00a0that use less resources and produce fewer emissions than animal proteins are becoming more mainstream.<\/p>\n<p>Solar Foods received regulatory approval to sell Solein in Singapore last year. A local Italian restaurant started selling the world's first Solein chocolate gelato, replacing the eggs and milk with Solein to make a product that's entirely vegan.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//07//73//55//04//808x454_cmsv2_c98fd7e0-7371-5732-8eed-2c71c95c747f-7735504.jpg/" alt=\"Courtesy: Solar Foods\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/73\/55\/04\/384x216_cmsv2_c98fd7e0-7371-5732-8eed-2c71c95c747f-7735504.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/73\/55\/04\/640x360_cmsv2_c98fd7e0-7371-5732-8eed-2c71c95c747f-7735504.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/73\/55\/04\/750x422_cmsv2_c98fd7e0-7371-5732-8eed-2c71c95c747f-7735504.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/73\/55\/04\/828x466_cmsv2_c98fd7e0-7371-5732-8eed-2c71c95c747f-7735504.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/73\/55\/04\/1080x608_cmsv2_c98fd7e0-7371-5732-8eed-2c71c95c747f-7735504.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/73\/55\/04\/1200x675_cmsv2_c98fd7e0-7371-5732-8eed-2c71c95c747f-7735504.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/73\/55\/04\/1920x1080_cmsv2_c98fd7e0-7371-5732-8eed-2c71c95c747f-7735504.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Fico, a Singapore-based restaurant, created the world\u2019s first Solein Chocolate Gelato, using Solar Foods' microbial protein.<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Courtesy: Solar Foods<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Europeans will have to wait a while longer. Luukanen says the firm hopes to receive approval to sell Solein in the EU by next year.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1688731877,"publishedAt":1689052547,"updatedAt":1689070212,"expiresAt":0,"canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/culture\/2023\/07\/11\/food-for-a-mission-to-mars-this-finnish-firm-wants-to-feed-astronauts-proteins-from-microb","images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/73\/55\/04\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_669d6c8a-9ff9-5c83-bcda-17b52034b8d4-7735504.jpg","altText":"Finnish foodtech company Solar Foods' Solein, seen here in powder form, could be used to feed astronauts on long space trips.","caption":"Finnish foodtech company Solar Foods' Solein, seen here in powder form, could be used to feed astronauts on long space trips.","captionCredit":"Courtesy: Solar Foods","captionUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1920,"height":1080},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/73\/55\/04\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_c98fd7e0-7371-5732-8eed-2c71c95c747f-7735504.jpg","altText":"Fico, a Singapore-based restaurant, created the world\u2019s first Solein Chocolate Gelato, using Solar Foods' microbial protein.","caption":"Fico, a Singapore-based restaurant, created the world\u2019s first Solein Chocolate Gelato, using Solar Foods' microbial protein.","captionCredit":"Courtesy: Solar Foods","captionUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1920,"height":1080},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/73\/55\/04\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_eaa874d1-5a51-57b4-b363-f655f6a2cb0a-7735504.jpg","altText":"For Phase 2 of the DSFC, Solar Foods made judges a \"Space Shake\" from Solein powder and fruit.","caption":"For Phase 2 of the DSFC, Solar Foods made judges a \"Space Shake\" from Solein powder and fruit.","captionCredit":"Courtesy: Solar Foods","captionUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1920,"height":1080},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/73\/55\/04\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_9b3c8e31-c086-56cc-9850-160f63ab458b-7735504.jpg","altText":"An example of how Solein can be combined with fresh produce to create a nutritious, balanced meal.","caption":"An example of how Solein can be combined with fresh produce to create a nutritious, balanced meal.","captionCredit":"Courtesy: Solar Foods","captionUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1920,"height":1080},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/73\/55\/04\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_d99da4cb-5c7a-59cd-ae77-6c7e1c350b9f-7735504.jpg","altText":"Solein in powder form (right), and being created in a bioreactor (left).","caption":"Solein in powder form (right), and being created in a bioreactor (left).","captionCredit":"Courtesy: Solar Foods","captionUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1920,"height":1080},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/73\/55\/04\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_aadd00ea-d937-5a0d-8e76-8101ee41f764-7735504.jpg","altText":"Solein, seen here in powder form, is a sustainable source of microbial protein made by Finnish company Solar Foods.","caption":"Solein, seen here in powder form, is a sustainable source of microbial protein made by Finnish company Solar Foods.","captionCredit":"Courtesy: Solar Foods","captionUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1920,"height":1080}],"authors":{"journalists":[{"urlSafeValue":"ulea","title":"Anca 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nature, everyone is equal: Finnish Forest Administration embraces gender-neutral language","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Finland's Forest Administration embraces gender-neutral language","titleListing2":"In nature, everyone is equal: Finnish Forest Administration embraces gender-neutral language","leadin":"The updated term seeks to emphasise the inclusive ethos that lies at the heart of Finland's efforts to promote equality in all areas of life.","summary":"The updated term seeks to emphasise the inclusive ethos that lies at the heart of Finland's efforts to promote equality in all areas of life.","url":"in-nature-everyone-is-equal-finnish-forest-administration-embraces-gender-neutral-language","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Freedom to roam is part of everyday life in Nordic countries, where foraging, relaxing and exercising in nature is a widely popular leisure activity. \n\nNow, the state-owned Finnish Forest Administration (Mets\u00e4hallitus) has changed the term describing the freedom to roam from \u2018jokamiehenoikeudet\u2019 (everyman's right) to \u2018jokaisenoikeudet\u2019 (everyone's right) to highlight their commitment to foster equality in nature. \n\n\"Words affect the way we think, and with our communications, we wish to promote equality,\" Liina Aulin, the communications director from the Finnish Forest Administration, told Euronews. \n\nThe Forest Administration governs Finland\u2019s forests and waters, which cover a third of the country and are used by millions yearly. \n\n\"This is why we see that we have an opportunity to show example and encourage other organisations to use \u2018jokaisenoikeus\u2019 in their communications,\" Aulin added. \n\nA Finnish way of life \n\nFreedom to roam was first defined in Finland\u2019s law books in 1920 when a berry picker Ilma Lindgren won a court case against a local landowner in the Saimaa Lakeland region with the word everyman\u2019s right (jokamiehenoikeus) used since 1930 to define this freedom to roam and forage. \n\nIn Finland, residents and visitors have the right to enjoy nature regardless of land ownership. The legal concept of everyone\u2019s rights gives nature lovers immense freedom to roam \u2013 but comes with responsibilities, primarily to respect nature, other people and property. \n\nTo put it simply, everyone is allowed to walk, cycle, or horseback ride freely as well as camp out temporarily, except very near homes and other private buildings. \n\nPeople are also free to pick wild berries, mushrooms and flowers (as long as they are not protected species) as well as fish with a simple rod and line. The freedom to forage doesn\u2019t apply to collecting moss, lichen, or fallen trees from other people's property. \n\nFinns can also use boats, swim or bathe in inland waters and the sea while winter activities including skiing, driving a motor vehicle, or ice fishing on frozen lakes, rivers, and the sea are also accepted. \n\n'Nature is for everyone' \n\nThe new term used by the Finnish Forest Administration has been welcomed as positive by Fatim Diarra, a member of parliament and chairperson of the feminist association of Finland. \n\n\"It is a better term to describe something that runs very deeply in us Finns. Nature is for everyone. This is a great way to put it into words and more descriptive of the Finns\u2019 attitudes toward nature,\" she said. \n\nDiarra, who has also been a member of the Scouts of Finland for twenty years, said the change in terminology sends a particularly important message of inclusiveness to children.\u00a0 \n\nThe only bad feedback she's heard, she said, has been on social media.\u00a0\"I noticed shouting from the conservative right-wing people saying that everything is ruined. But other than that also many men have said that this is a good change. \n\n\"Nature doesn't care about people's gender,\" Diarra said. \n\nAki Kuitunen, a father of two who enjoys picking\u00a0bilberries with his family, is among the men who have embraced the change, believing that it will advance equality.\u00a0 \n\n\"The change in the term affects the way we speak, and our speech becomes our values, which in turn become our actions,\" Kuitunen said. \n\nThe layered rollout \n\nWhile the gender-neutral term has already been employed by some companies and organisations in Finland, the Finnish Forest Administration's recent announcement further reinforces the shift toward gender-neutral language in government communication, aligning with recommendations from the Council of Europe. \n\nThe implementation of the new term in the Finnish Forest Administration's digital channels has been swift, but it will take some years for the new term to appear in physical signposts. \n\n\"The terms on signs, info boards, and printed materials will be changed in due course when their renewal is timely, thus avoiding additional costs caused by the change,\" Aulin said. \n\nMeanwhile, there is little need to adapt the term to the other two commonly used languages as\u00a0\u2018everyman\u2019s right\u2019 is already used in the Finnish Forest Administration\u2019s English communications. Similarly, in Swedish,\u00a0Finland's second language, the term \u2018allemansr\u00e4tt\u2019 includes a passive form, which encompasses people in general, and is not being altered to a more gender-neutral expression. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>Freedom to roam is part of everyday life in Nordic countries, where foraging, relaxing and exercising in nature is a widely popular leisure activity.<\/p>\n<p>Now, the state-owned Finnish Forest Administration (Mets\u00e4hallitus) has changed the term describing the freedom to roam from \u2018jokamiehenoikeudet\u2019 (everyman's right) to \u2018jokaisenoikeudet\u2019 (everyone's right) to highlight their commitment to foster equality in nature.<\/p>\n<p>\"Words affect the way we think, and with our communications, we wish to promote equality,\" Liina Aulin, the communications director from the Finnish Forest Administration, told Euronews.<\/p>\n<p>The Forest Administration governs Finland\u2019s forests and waters, which cover a third of the country and are used by millions yearly.<\/p>\n<p>\"This is why we see that we have an opportunity to show example and encourage other organisations to use \u2018jokaisenoikeus\u2019 in their communications,\" Aulin added.<\/p>\n<h2>A Finnish way of life<\/h2><p>Freedom to roam was first defined in Finland\u2019s law books in 1920 when a berry picker Ilma Lindgren won a court case against a local landowner in the Saimaa Lakeland region with the word everyman\u2019s right (jokamiehenoikeus) used since 1930 to define this freedom to roam and forage.<\/p>\n<p>In Finland, residents and visitors have the right to enjoy nature regardless of land ownership. The legal concept of everyone\u2019s rights gives nature lovers immense freedom to roam \u2013 but comes with responsibilities, primarily to respect nature, other people and property.<\/p>\n<p>To put it simply, everyone is allowed to walk, cycle, or horseback ride freely as well as camp out temporarily, except very near homes and other private buildings.<\/p>\n<p>People are also free to pick wild berries, mushrooms and flowers (as long as they are not protected species) as well as fish with a simple rod and line. The freedom to forage doesn\u2019t apply to collecting moss, lichen, or fallen trees from other people's property.<\/p>\n<p>Finns can also use boats, swim or bathe in inland waters and the sea while winter activities including skiing, driving a motor vehicle, or ice fishing on frozen lakes, rivers, and the sea are also accepted.<\/p>\n<h2>'Nature is for everyone'<\/h2><p>The new term used by the Finnish Forest Administration has been welcomed as positive by Fatim Diarra, a member of parliament and chairperson of the feminist association of Finland.<\/p>\n<p>\"It is a better term to describe something that runs very deeply in us Finns. Nature is for everyone. This is a great way to put it into words and more descriptive of the Finns\u2019 attitudes toward nature,\" she said.<\/p>\n<p>Diarra, who has also been a member of the Scouts of Finland for twenty years, said the change in terminology sends a particularly important message of inclusiveness to children.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The only bad feedback she's heard, she said, has been on social media.\u00a0\"I noticed shouting from the conservative right-wing people saying that everything is ruined. But other than that also many men have said that this is a good change.<\/p>\n<p>\"Nature doesn't care about people's gender,\" Diarra said.<\/p>\n<p>Aki Kuitunen, a father of two who enjoys picking\u00a0bilberries with his family, is among the men who have embraced the change, believing that it will advance equality.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"The change in the term affects the way we speak, and our speech becomes our values, which in turn become our actions,\" Kuitunen said.<\/p>\n<h2>The layered rollout<\/h2><p>While the gender-neutral term has already been employed by some companies and organisations in Finland, the Finnish Forest Administration's recent announcement further reinforces the shift toward gender-neutral language in government communication, aligning with recommendations from the Council of Europe.<\/p>\n<p>The implementation of the new term in the Finnish Forest Administration's digital channels has been swift, but it will take some years for the new term to appear in physical signposts.<\/p>\n<p>\"The terms on signs, info boards, and printed materials will be changed in due course when their renewal is timely, thus avoiding additional costs caused by the change,\" Aulin said.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, there is little need to adapt the term to the other two commonly used languages as\u00a0\u2018everyman\u2019s right\u2019 is already used in the Finnish Forest Administration\u2019s English communications. Similarly, in Swedish,\u00a0Finland's second language, the term \u2018allemansr\u00e4tt\u2019 includes a passive form, which encompasses people in general, and is not being altered to a more gender-neutral expression.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1688545606,"publishedAt":1688706003,"updatedAt":1688706024,"expiresAt":0,"canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/my-europe\/2023\/07\/07\/in-nature-everyone-is-equal-finnish-forest-administration-embraces-gender-neutral-language","images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/72\/91\/92\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_f7abf0a5-5e7d-5836-98a8-04867421aca7-7729192.jpg","altText":"Youths jump into the sea on a hot summer's day, in Vaasa, Finland, July 19, 2018.","caption":"Youths jump into the sea on a hot summer's day, in Vaasa, Finland, July 19, 2018.","captionCredit":"Mikko Stig\/Lehtikuva via 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Finland minister quits amid new 'mass abortions for Africa' scandal","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Finland minister quits amid new 'mass abortions for Africa' scandal","titleListing2":"\ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddee Embattled Finland minister quits amid 'mass abortions for Africa' scandal","leadin":"The extremist comments and behaviour of Vilhelm Junnila have come under scrutiny since his appointment as minister for economic affairs just last Tuesday.","summary":"The extremist comments and behaviour of Vilhelm Junnila have come under scrutiny since his appointment as minister for economic affairs just last Tuesday.","url":"embattled-finland-minister-quits-amid-mass-africa-abortions-scandal","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Finland's minister for economic affairs resigned on Friday, a little more than a week after taking office, amid a flurry of scandals linking him to neo-Nazi ideology.\u00a0\u00a0 \n\nVilhelm Junnila, of the far-right Finns Party, quit amid a new furore over comments he made in parliament where he said a solution for the climate crisis is to give more abortions to African women.\u00a0 \n\nHe called the concept \"climate abortions\".\u00a0 \n\nJunnila made the speech in parliament in 2019 when he was a freshman MP.\u00a0 \n\n\"It would be justified for Finland to shoulder its responsibility by promoting climate abortions. Climate abortion would be a small step for a person, but a giant leap for humanity,\" he said at the time.\u00a0 \n\nWhen the parliament documents re-surfaced, Christian Democrat MP P\u00e4ivi R\u00e4s\u00e4nen -- who has become a cause celebre \u00a0for the Evangelical right-wing over her uncompromising stance on abortion and LGBTQ issues -- also criticised Junnila.\u00a0 \n\n\"The concept of climate abortion is eco-fascist anyway without the racist connection. And eco-fascism is also an extremist movement,\" said R\u00e4s\u00e4nen, a former interior minister. \n\nJunnila said he was resigning to spare Finland's reputation, \"despite the trust of the party and my parliamentary group.\"\u00a0 \n\nCurrent education minister, and leader of the Swedish People's Party, Anna-Maja Henriksson , said it was a \"wise decision\" that Junnila quit his post.\u00a0\u00a0 \n\nOn Friday, Finland's public broadcaster Yle\u00a0 revealed in an investigation that Junnila had never taken any political science classes at university, despite claiming to be studying the subject.\u00a0 \n\nYle also found no proof of Junnila's claim that he started, then sold, a tech company in Poland. \n\nThe new minister also appeared to have lost the confidence of Finnish President Sauli Niinist\u00f6 who said during a Friday morning interview the situation was \"very embarrassing, to say the least.\" \n\nWhat were Vilhelm Junnila's other controversies? \n\nLast week Euronews highlighted how Junnila had given a speech at an event in the southwestern city of Turku in 2019. \n\nThe event was organised by the Coalition of Nationalists, an umbrella group formed in 2017 for those on the far-right including the Finns Party, the now-banned Nordic Resistance Movement militia, and the Soldiers of Odin vigilante movement. \n\nExperts say the event Junnila attended was a \"who's who of neo-Nazis in Finland\", with members of these shadowy extreme right-wing organisations seen in photographs standing behind Junnila as he spoke, albeit on the opposite riverbank. \n\nThe revelations caused an outcry in Finland, prompting Junnila to issue an apology for attending the event. \n\nHe also apologised for joking about the number 88, which was randomly assigned by the Finnish Election Commission as his candidate number in the 2019 parliamentary elections. \n\nFor neo-Nazis, 88 is coded shorthand for Heil Hitler, as H is the eighth letter of the alphabet. \n\nHe described his actions as \"stupid and childish\", and said, \"I have done something wrong and I am sorry for my actions.\" \n\nNew issues come to light \n\nOn Wednesday, Junnila survived a vote of confidence in parliament even as new and problematic issues about him were being raised on an almost-daily basis.\u00a0 \n\nEarlier this week social media posts from Junnila to his parliamentary assistant were unearthed, which included a picture of a snowman taken from the internet which resembled a Ku Klux Klan member holding a noose, with the comment \"I made a snowman according to your instructions.\" \n\nThere was also a birthday video message featuring Adolf Hitler sent in 2013, and in 2014 he posted a picture of a gate with a swastika, writing how much he liked the design. \n\nJunnila's election campaign has also featured the word \"get gassed\" which is the same wording as Germany's far-right AfD had used in a previous campaign. \n\nAnalysts say it sends an innocuous message on the surface to potential voters, but gives another, darker, meaning to other far-right supporters about Junnila's thoughts on the Holocaust. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>Finland's minister for economic affairs resigned on Friday, a little more than a week after taking office, amid a flurry of scandals linking him to neo-Nazi ideology.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Vilhelm Junnila, of the far-right Finns Party, quit amid a new furore over comments he made in parliament where he said a solution for the climate crisis is to give more abortions to African women.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>He called the concept \"climate abortions\".\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Junnila made the speech in parliament in 2019 when he was a freshman MP.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"It would be justified for Finland to shoulder its responsibility by promoting climate abortions. Climate abortion would be a small step for a person, but a giant leap for humanity,\" he said at the time.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>When the parliament documents re-surfaced, Christian Democrat MP <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//PaiviRasanen/">P/u00e4ivi R\u00e4s\u00e4nen<\/strong><\/a> -- who has become a <em>cause celebre<\/em>\u00a0for the Evangelical right-wing over her uncompromising stance on abortion and LGBTQ issues -- also criticised Junnila.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"The concept of climate abortion is eco-fascist anyway without the racist connection. And eco-fascism is also an extremist movement,\" said R\u00e4s\u00e4nen, a former interior minister.<\/p>\n<p>Junnila said he was resigning to spare Finland's reputation, \"despite the trust of the party and my parliamentary group.\"\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Current education minister, and leader of the Swedish People's Party, <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//anna_maja/">Anna-Maja Henriksson<\/strong><\/a>, said it was a \"wise decision\" that Junnila quit his post.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>On Friday, Finland's public broadcaster Yle\u00a0<a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////yle.fi//a//74-20039152/">revealed in an investigation that Junnila had never taken any political science classes at university, despite claiming to be studying the subject.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Yle also found no proof of Junnila's claim that he started, then sold, a tech company in Poland.<\/p>\n<p>The new minister also appeared to have lost the confidence of Finnish President <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//niinisto/">Sauli Niinist\u00f6<\/strong><\/a> who said during a Friday morning interview the situation was \"very embarrassing, to say the least.\"<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-tweet widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio\u2014auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <div class=\"widget__tweet\" data-tweet-id=\"1671171047373275139\"><\/div>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2>What were Vilhelm Junnila's other controversies?<\/h2><p>Last week Euronews highlighted how Junnila had given a <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2023//06//22//finland-government-minister-apologises-for-neo-nazi-rally-speech/">speech at an event<\/strong><\/a> in the southwestern city of Turku in 2019.<\/p>\n<p>The event was organised by the Coalition of Nationalists, an umbrella group formed in 2017 for those on the far-right including the Finns Party, the now-banned Nordic Resistance Movement militia, and the Soldiers of Odin vigilante movement.<\/p>\n<p>Experts say the event Junnila attended was a \"who's who of neo-Nazis in Finland\", with members of these shadowy extreme right-wing organisations seen in photographs standing behind Junnila as he spoke, albeit on the opposite riverbank.<\/p>\n<p>The revelations caused an outcry in Finland, prompting Junnila to issue an apology for attending the event.<\/p>\n<p>He also apologised for joking about the number 88, which was randomly assigned by the Finnish Election Commission as his candidate number in the 2019 parliamentary elections.<\/p>\n<p>For neo-Nazis, 88 is coded shorthand for Heil Hitler, as H is the eighth letter of the alphabet.<\/p>\n<p>He described his actions as \"stupid and childish\", and said, \"I have done something wrong and I am sorry for my actions.\"<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//07//71//84//40//808x454_cmsv2_f8547da1-f049-5770-a59c-c5f8c12d3007-7718440.jpg/" alt=\"Cleared\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/71\/84\/40\/384x216_cmsv2_f8547da1-f049-5770-a59c-c5f8c12d3007-7718440.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/71\/84\/40\/640x360_cmsv2_f8547da1-f049-5770-a59c-c5f8c12d3007-7718440.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/71\/84\/40\/750x422_cmsv2_f8547da1-f049-5770-a59c-c5f8c12d3007-7718440.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/71\/84\/40\/828x466_cmsv2_f8547da1-f049-5770-a59c-c5f8c12d3007-7718440.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/71\/84\/40\/1080x608_cmsv2_f8547da1-f049-5770-a59c-c5f8c12d3007-7718440.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/71\/84\/40\/1200x675_cmsv2_f8547da1-f049-5770-a59c-c5f8c12d3007-7718440.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/71\/84\/40\/1920x1080_cmsv2_f8547da1-f049-5770-a59c-c5f8c12d3007-7718440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">FILE: Finnish MP Vilhelm Junnila gives a speech in Turku, 2019<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Cleared<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2>New issues come to light<\/h2><p>On Wednesday, Junnila <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2023//06//28//finlands-nazi-joke-government-minister-survives-parliament-no-confidence-vote/">survived a vote of confidence<\/strong><\/a> in parliament even as new and problematic issues about him were being raised on an almost-daily basis.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Earlier this week social media posts from Junnila to his parliamentary assistant were unearthed, which included a picture of a snowman taken from the internet which resembled a Ku Klux Klan member holding a noose, with the comment \"I made a snowman according to your instructions.\"<\/p>\n<p>There was also a birthday video message featuring Adolf Hitler sent in 2013, and in 2014 he posted a picture of a gate with a swastika, writing how much he liked the design.<\/p>\n<p>Junnila's election campaign has also featured the word \"get gassed\" which is the same wording as Germany's far-right AfD had used in a previous campaign.<\/p>\n<p>Analysts say it sends an innocuous message on the surface to potential voters, but gives another, darker, meaning to other far-right supporters about Junnila's thoughts on the Holocaust.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1688117937,"publishedAt":1688124843,"updatedAt":1688138212,"expiresAt":0,"canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2023\/06\/30\/embattled-finland-minister-quits-amid-mass-africa-abortions-scandal","images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/71\/84\/40\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_e255eaac-273f-50f3-b4fa-e4e4625d66a3-7718440.jpg","altText":"Vilhelm Junnila addresses media in the Finnish parliament in Helsinki, Finland on June 28, 2023","caption":"Vilhelm Junnila addresses media in the Finnish parliament in Helsinki, Finland on June 28, 2023","captionCredit":"AFP","captionUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/71\/84\/40\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_f8547da1-f049-5770-a59c-c5f8c12d3007-7718440.jpg","altText":"FILE: Finnish MP Vilhelm Junnila gives a speech in Turku, 2019","caption":"FILE: Finnish MP Vilhelm Junnila gives a speech in Turku, 2019","captionCredit":"Cleared","captionUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900}],"authors":{"journalists":[{"urlSafeValue":"mac-dougall","title":"David Mac Dougall","twitter":"@davidmacdougall"}],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":10529,"slug":"finland-politics","urlSafeValue":"finland-politics","title":"Finland politics","titleRaw":"Finland 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'Nazi joke' government minister survives parliament no confidence vote","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Finland's 'Nazi joke' government minister survives no confidence vote","titleListing2":"\ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddee Finland's 'Nazi joke' government minister survives parliament no confidence vote","leadin":"Vilhelm Junnila had been under scrutiny over the past week for his apparent enthusiasm for far-right ideology - even as more troubling pictures are coming to light. ","summary":"Vilhelm Junnila had been under scrutiny over the past week for his apparent enthusiasm for far-right ideology - even as more troubling pictures are coming to light. ","url":"finlands-nazi-joke-government-minister-survives-parliament-no-confidence-vote","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"A Finnish government minister who joked about 'Heil Hitler' and was the featured speaker at an event organised and attended by neo-Nazi groups has survived a vote of confidence in parliament on Wednesday morning by a margin of 95-86. \n\nFinland's Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said he had given Minister for Economic Affairs Vilhelm Junnila a warning before the vote that he \"can't act\" like that in a ministerial role.\u00a0 \n\n\"Let this be a very serious warning to him about what can be done and what can't be done,\" Orpo told reporters. \n\nThe leader of the Finns Party Riikka Purra refused to comment substantively on the issues, saying that \"Minister Junnila got the trust [of parliament] and I'm leaving.\"\u00a0 \n\nThere was drama ahead of the vote as the 10 MPs from the Swedish People's Party, one of the other parties in government, walked out of the plenary session to discuss their position.\u00a0 \n\nIn the end, none of them voted in favour of Junnila.\u00a0 \n\nWhat was the controversy behind the vote? \n\nLast week Euronews highlighted how Junnila, from the far-right Finns Party -- one of the four parties which make up Finland's new coalition government -- had given a speech at an event in the southwestern city of Turku in 2019. \n\nThe event was organised by the Coalition of Nationalists, an umbrella group formed in 2017 for those on the far-right including the Finns Party, the now-banned Nordic Resistance Movement militia, and the Soldiers of Odin vigilante movement. \u00a0\u00a0 \n\nExperts say the event that Junnila attended was a \"who's who of neo-Nazis in Finland\", and members of these various shadowy extreme right-wing organisations can be seen in photographs standing behind Junnila as he spoke, albeit on the opposite riverbank.\u00a0 \n\nThe revelations caused an outcry in Finland, prompting Junnila to issue an apology for attending the event.\u00a0 \n\nHe also apologised for joking about the number 88, which was randomly assigned by the Finnish Election Commission as his candidate number in the 2019 parliamentary elections. \n\nFor neo-Nazis, 88 is coded shorthand for Heil Hitler, as H is the eighth letter of the alphabet. \n\nHe described his actions as \"stupid and childish\", and said, \"I have done something wrong and I am sorry for my actions.\" \n\nNew controversies come to light \n\nWednesday's vote in parliament took place as new controversies came to light about Junnila.\u00a0 \n\nResearcher Oula Silvennoinen, an Associate Professor at the University of Helsinki who has studied the far-right and is a lightning rod for their criticism, uncovered social media posts from Junnila to his parliamentary assistant which included a picture of a snowman built to look like a Ku Klux Klan member holding a noose, with the comment \"I made a snowman according to your instructions.\"\u00a0 \n\nThere was also a birthday video message featuring Adolf Hitler sent in 2013, and in 2014 he posted a picture of a\u00a0gate with a swastika, writing how much he liked the design.\u00a0\u00a0 \n\nJunnila's election campaign has also featured the word \"gassed\" which is the same word as Germany's far-right AfD had used in a previous campaign.\u00a0 \n\nAnalysts say it sends an innocuous message on the surface to potential voters, but gives another, more obscure, meaning to other far-right supporters. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>A Finnish government minister who joked about 'Heil Hitler' and was the featured speaker at an event organised and attended by neo-Nazi groups has survived a vote of confidence in parliament on Wednesday morning by a margin of 95-86.<\/p>\n<p>Finland's Prime Minister <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//PetteriOrpo/">Petteri Orpo<\/strong><\/a> said he had given Minister for Economic Affairs Vilhelm Junnila a warning before the vote that he \"can't act\" like that in a ministerial role.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"Let this be a very serious warning to him about what can be done and what can't be done,\" Orpo told reporters.<\/p>\n<p>The leader of the Finns Party <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//ir_rkp/">Riikka Purra<\/strong><\/a> refused to comment substantively on the issues, saying that \"Minister Junnila got the trust [of parliament] and I'm leaving.\"\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>There was drama ahead of the vote as the 10 MPs from the Swedish People's Party, one of the other parties in government, walked out of the plenary session to discuss their position.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In the end, none of them voted in favour of Junnila.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//07//71//31//98//808x454_cmsv2_a7b5f9d5-77eb-56dc-ab0e-d688db92a409-7713198.jpg/" alt=\"AFP\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/71\/31\/98\/384x216_cmsv2_a7b5f9d5-77eb-56dc-ab0e-d688db92a409-7713198.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/71\/31\/98\/640x360_cmsv2_a7b5f9d5-77eb-56dc-ab0e-d688db92a409-7713198.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/71\/31\/98\/750x422_cmsv2_a7b5f9d5-77eb-56dc-ab0e-d688db92a409-7713198.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/71\/31\/98\/828x466_cmsv2_a7b5f9d5-77eb-56dc-ab0e-d688db92a409-7713198.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/71\/31\/98\/1080x608_cmsv2_a7b5f9d5-77eb-56dc-ab0e-d688db92a409-7713198.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/71\/31\/98\/1200x675_cmsv2_a7b5f9d5-77eb-56dc-ab0e-d688db92a409-7713198.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/71\/31\/98\/1920x1080_cmsv2_a7b5f9d5-77eb-56dc-ab0e-d688db92a409-7713198.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Vilhelm Junnila (C) attends the Finnish parliament session in Helsinki, Finland on June 28, 2023.<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">AFP<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2>What was the controversy behind the vote?<\/h2><p>Last week <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2023//06//20//racism-and-rape-fantasies-the-pr-headache-facing-finlands-new-right-wing-government/">Euronews highlighted<\/strong><\/a> how Junnila, from the far-right Finns Party -- one of the four parties which make up Finland's new coalition government -- had given a speech at an event in the southwestern city of Turku in 2019.<\/p>\n<p>The event was organised by the Coalition of Nationalists, an umbrella group formed in 2017 for those on the far-right including the Finns Party, the now-banned Nordic Resistance Movement militia, and the Soldiers of Odin vigilante movement. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Experts say the event that Junnila attended was a \"who's who of neo-Nazis in Finland\", and members of these various shadowy extreme right-wing organisations can be seen in photographs standing behind Junnila as he spoke, albeit on the opposite riverbank.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The revelations caused an outcry in Finland, prompting Junnila to issue an apology for attending the event.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>He also <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2023//06//22//finland-government-minister-apologises-for-neo-nazi-rally-speech/">apologised for joking<\/strong><\/a> about the number 88, which was randomly assigned by the Finnish Election Commission as his candidate number in the 2019 parliamentary elections.<\/p>\n<p>For neo-Nazis, 88 is coded shorthand for Heil Hitler, as H is the eighth letter of the alphabet.<\/p>\n<p>He described his actions as \"stupid and childish\", and said, \"I have done something wrong and I am sorry for my actions.\"<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//07//71//31//98//808x454_cmsv2_57ee6f74-dc66-5058-b373-001408d3dec5-7713198.jpg/" alt=\"Facebook\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/71\/31\/98\/384x216_cmsv2_57ee6f74-dc66-5058-b373-001408d3dec5-7713198.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/71\/31\/98\/640x360_cmsv2_57ee6f74-dc66-5058-b373-001408d3dec5-7713198.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/71\/31\/98\/750x422_cmsv2_57ee6f74-dc66-5058-b373-001408d3dec5-7713198.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/71\/31\/98\/828x466_cmsv2_57ee6f74-dc66-5058-b373-001408d3dec5-7713198.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/71\/31\/98\/1080x608_cmsv2_57ee6f74-dc66-5058-b373-001408d3dec5-7713198.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/71\/31\/98\/1200x675_cmsv2_57ee6f74-dc66-5058-b373-001408d3dec5-7713198.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/71\/31\/98\/1920x1080_cmsv2_57ee6f74-dc66-5058-b373-001408d3dec5-7713198.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">FILE: Picture of snowman as KKK member holding hanging noose<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Facebook<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2>New controversies come to light<\/h2><p>Wednesday's vote in parliament took place as new controversies came to light about Junnila.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Researcher Oula Silvennoinen, an Associate Professor at the University of Helsinki who has studied the far-right and is a lightning rod for their criticism, uncovered <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//oula_silver//status//1673774212698210304/">social media posts<\/strong><\/a> from Junnila to his parliamentary assistant which included a picture of a snowman built to look like a Ku Klux Klan member holding a noose, with the comment \"I made a snowman according to your instructions.\"\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>There was also a birthday video message featuring Adolf Hitler sent in 2013, and in 2014 he posted a picture of a\u00a0gate with a swastika, writing how much he liked the design.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Junnila's election campaign has also featured the word \"gassed\" which is the same word as Germany's far-right AfD had used in a previous campaign.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Analysts say it sends an innocuous message on the surface to potential voters, but gives another, more obscure, meaning to other far-right supporters.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1687946066,"publishedAt":1687953705,"updatedAt":1687953713,"expiresAt":0,"canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2023\/06\/28\/finlands-nazi-joke-government-minister-survives-parliament-no-confidence-vote","images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/71\/31\/98\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_777a0a1f-9b08-5340-92d6-8570e1f0d3b6-7713198.jpg","altText":"Vilhelm Junnila addresses media in the Finnish parliament in Helsinki, Finland on June 28, 2023","caption":"Vilhelm Junnila addresses media in the Finnish parliament in Helsinki, Finland on June 28, 2023","captionCredit":"AFP","captionUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/71\/31\/98\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_a7b5f9d5-77eb-56dc-ab0e-d688db92a409-7713198.jpg","altText":"Vilhelm Junnila (C) attends the Finnish parliament session in Helsinki, Finland on June 28, 2023.","caption":"Vilhelm Junnila (C) attends the Finnish parliament session in Helsinki, Finland on June 28, 2023.","captionCredit":"AFP","captionUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/71\/31\/98\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_57ee6f74-dc66-5058-b373-001408d3dec5-7713198.jpg","altText":"FILE: Picture of snowman as KKK member holding hanging noose","caption":"FILE: Picture of snowman as KKK member holding hanging noose","captionCredit":"Facebook","captionUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900}],"authors":{"journalists":[{"urlSafeValue":"mac-dougall","title":"David Mac Dougall","twitter":"@davidmacdougall"}],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":10529,"slug":"finland-politics","urlSafeValue":"finland-politics","title":"Finland politics","titleRaw":"Finland politics"},{"id":114,"slug":"finland","urlSafeValue":"finland","title":"Finland","titleRaw":"Finland"},{"id":11378,"slug":"far-right","urlSafeValue":"far-right","title":"Far-right","titleRaw":"Far-right"},{"id":13986,"slug":"right-wing-populism","urlSafeValue":"right-wing-populism","title":"right-wing populism","titleRaw":"right-wing populism"},{"id":5098,"slug":"neo-nazism","urlSafeValue":"neo-nazism","title":"Neo-Nazism","titleRaw":"Neo-Nazism"}],"widgets":[{"slug":"image","count":2}],"related":[{"id":2226636},{"id":2298992},{"id":2301136}],"technicalTags":[{"path":"euronews.byenglishwebteam"},{"path":"euronews"}],"video":0,"videos":[],"externalPartners":[],"liveStream":[{"startDate":0,"endDate":0}],"isLiveCoverage":0,"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"freeField2":null,"type":"","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"world 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government minister apologises for 'neo-Nazi' rally speech","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Finland government minister apologises for 'neo-Nazi' rally speech","titleListing2":"\ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddee Finland government minister apologises for 'neo-Nazi' rally speech, and says he wouldn't participate again in an event organised by the now-banned Nordic Resistance Movement militia.","leadin":"Finns Party MP Vilhelm Junnila says he wouldn't participate again in an event organised by the now-banned Nordic Resistance Movement militia. ","summary":"Finns Party MP Vilhelm Junnila says he wouldn't participate again in an event organised by the now-banned Nordic Resistance Movement militia. ","url":"finland-government-minister-apologises-for-neo-nazi-rally-speech","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Finland's Minister for Economic Affairs has apologised for appearing at a rally organised by neo-Nazi groups; apologised too for making a joke about the number '88' which can mean 'Heil Hitler' to right-wing extremists, and says that he condemns the Holocaust.\u00a0 \n\nVilhelm Junnila , from the far-right Finns Party, was only sworn-in to his new role on Tuesday.\u00a0 \n\nA Euronews story the same day highlighted that Junnila\u00a0 was the featured speaker at an event in the western city of Turku which ostensibly was supposed to commemorate a Muslim terrorist attack two years previously -- which left two people dead and eight others wounded in a stabbing rampage. \n\nHowever, the rally was arranged by an organisation called the Coalition of Nationalists, an umbrella group formed in 2017 for those on the far-right including the Finns Party, the now-banned Nordic Resistance Movement militia, and the Soldiers of Odin vigilante movement. \n\nAlready in spring that same year, the Coalition of Nationalists had hit the headlines in Finland after they were exposed for organising firearms training at a camp in the forest, where the targets were faces of Finnish government ministers. \n\nThe event where Junnila spoke was a \"who's who of neo-Nazis in Finland\", according to one researcher, and members of these various shadowy extreme right-wing organisations can be seen in photographs standing behind Junnila while he gave a short speech, albeit on the opposite riverbank.\u00a0 \n\n\" There was a crowd of people there. Delivered a speech at the event. It was an event to honor the memory of the victims of the attack, not a demonstration or political event. The video recording of the event is still available online,\" says Junnila in a Thursday Facebook post . \n\n\"I would no longer participate in such an event if it was organised,\" he said, describing the Nordic Resistance Movement as \"aggressive and deliberately seeking conflict.\"\u00a0 \n\nThe number '88' \n\nMinister Junnila also apologised for joking about the number 88, which was randomly assigned by the Finnish Election Commission as his candidate number in the 2019 parliamentary elections.\u00a0 \n\nFor neo-Nazis, 88 is coded shorthand for Heil Hitler, as H is the eighth letter of the alphabet.\u00a0 \n\nHe described his actions as \"stupid and childish\", and said \"I have done something wrong and I am sorry for my actions.\"\u00a0 \n\nThe politician posted another update to Facebook on Thursday evening saying \"I hope everyone is clear that I condemn the Holocaust, anti-Semitism and all anti-Semitic acts strongly and defiantly.\"\u00a0 \n\n","htmlText":"<p>Finland's Minister for Economic Affairs has apologised for appearing at a rally organised by neo-Nazi groups; apologised too for making a joke about the number '88' which can mean 'Heil Hitler' to right-wing extremists, and says that he condemns the Holocaust.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//vilhelmjunnila/">Vilhelm Junnila<\/strong><\/a>, from the far-right Finns Party, was only sworn-in to his new role on Tuesday.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>A <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2023//06//20//racism-and-rape-fantasies-the-pr-headache-facing-finlands-new-right-wing-government/">Euronews story<\/strong><\/a> the same day highlighted that Junnila\u00a0was the featured speaker at an event in the western city of Turku which ostensibly was supposed to commemorate a Muslim terrorist attack two years previously -- which left two people dead and eight others wounded in a stabbing rampage.<\/p>\n<p>However, the rally was arranged by an organisation called the Coalition of Nationalists, an umbrella group formed in 2017 for those on the far-right including the Finns Party, the now-banned Nordic Resistance Movement militia, and the Soldiers of Odin vigilante movement.<\/p>\n<p>Already in spring that same year, the Coalition of Nationalists had hit the headlines in Finland after they were exposed for organising firearms training at a camp in the forest, where the targets were faces of Finnish government ministers.<\/p>\n<p>The event where Junnila spoke was a \"who's who of neo-Nazis in Finland\", according to one researcher, and members of these various shadowy extreme right-wing organisations can be seen in photographs standing behind Junnila while he gave a short speech, albeit on the opposite riverbank.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"There was a crowd of people there. Delivered a speech at the event. It was an event to honor the memory of the victims of the attack, not a demonstration or political event. The video recording of the event is still available online,\" says Junnila in a <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.facebook.com//vilhelm.junnila/">Thursday Facebook post<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\"I would no longer participate in such an event if it was organised,\" he said, describing the Nordic Resistance Movement as \"aggressive and deliberately seeking conflict.\"\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-tweet widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio\u2014auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <div class=\"widget__tweet\" data-tweet-id=\"1671171047373275139\"><\/div>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2>The number '88'<\/h2><p>Minister Junnila also <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.facebook.com//vilhelm.junnila/">apologised for joking about the number 88, which was randomly assigned by the Finnish Election Commission as his candidate number in the 2019 parliamentary elections.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For neo-Nazis, 88 is coded shorthand for Heil Hitler, as H is the eighth letter of the alphabet.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>He described his actions as \"stupid and childish\", and said \"I have done something wrong and I am sorry for my actions.\"\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The politician posted another update to Facebook on Thursday evening saying \"I hope everyone is clear that I condemn the Holocaust, anti-Semitism and all anti-Semitic acts strongly and defiantly.\"<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1687459093,"publishedAt":1687461059,"updatedAt":1687461126,"expiresAt":0,"canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2023\/06\/22\/finland-government-minister-apologises-for-neo-nazi-rally-speech","images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/70\/09\/76\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_59524d0c-ad03-5adf-a332-6838697356b4-7700976.jpg","altText":"FILE: Finnish Economy Minister Vilhelm Junnila speaks at a rally organised by a far-right group in Turku, 2019","caption":"FILE: Finnish Economy Minister Vilhelm Junnila speaks at a rally organised by a far-right group in Turku, 2019","captionCredit":"Varis","captionUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900}],"authors":{"journalists":[{"urlSafeValue":"mac-dougall","title":"David Mac Dougall","twitter":"@davidmacdougall"}],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":10529,"slug":"finland-politics","urlSafeValue":"finland-politics","title":"Finland politics","titleRaw":"Finland politics"},{"id":114,"slug":"finland","urlSafeValue":"finland","title":"Finland","titleRaw":"Finland"},{"id":11378,"slug":"far-right","urlSafeValue":"far-right","title":"Far-right","titleRaw":"Far-right"},{"id":5098,"slug":"neo-nazism","urlSafeValue":"neo-nazism","title":"Neo-Nazism","titleRaw":"Neo-Nazism"}],"widgets":[{"slug":"twitter","count":1}],"related":[{"id":2252184},{"id":2298992},{"id":2304218}],"technicalTags":[{"path":"euronews.byenglishwebteam"},{"path":"euronews"}],"video":0,"videos":[],"externalPartners":[],"liveStream":[{"startDate":0,"endDate":0}],"isLiveCoverage":0,"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"freeField2":null,"type":"","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"world news","online":1,"url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/programs\/world"},"vertical":"news","verticals":[{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"themes":[{"id":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World","url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/news\/international"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":1,"urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"isDfp":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":""},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":104,"urlSafeValue":"europe","title":"Europe"},"country":{"id":114,"urlSafeValue":"finland","title":"Finland","url":"\/news\/europe\/finland"},"town":[],"grapeshot":"'neg_nespresso','neg_mobkoi_castrol','neg_facebook_2021','castrol_negative_uk','pos_equinor','pos_facebook','pos_pmi','pos_ukraine-russia','gs_politics','gs_politics_issues_policy','sm_politics','gs_politics_misc','neg_facebook_q4','gt_negative','gb_terrorism_news-ent','gv_terrorism','gv_hatespeech','gb_hatespeech_edu','gv_death_injury','gt_negative_anger','gb_hatespeech_news-ent','gt_negative_sadness','gv_crime','gs_genres','gs_shopping','gs_shopping_partysupplies','gb_crime_edu'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"path":"\/2023\/06\/22\/finland-government-minister-apologises-for-neo-nazi-rally-speech","lastModified":1687461126},{"id":2304218,"cid":7699222,"versionId":2,"archive":0,"housenumber":"230622_TNSU_52151607","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":3},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"Phone-free zone: Finland introduces world\u2019s first digital detox tourist island","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"This European island is asking tourists to switch off their phones","titleListing2":"Phone-free zone: Finland introduces world\u2019s first digital detox tourist island","leadin":"This European island is asking tourists to switch off their phones this summer.","summary":"This European island is asking tourists to switch off their phones this summer.","url":"phone-free-zone-finland-introduces-worlds-first-digital-detox-tourist-island","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Itching for a digital detox? An island in Finland wants to become the world\u2019s first phone-free tourist zone. \n\nEvery summer, millions of social media users snap and share their holidays online \n\nBut if you\u2019re tired of thinking about the perfect vacation Instagram - or want to disconnect from pesky work emails while you\u2019re out of office - then Ulko-Tammio is the destination for you. \n\nLocated in the Eastern Gulf of Finland, the tiny island has declared itself a \u2018 phone -free\u2019 zone. \n\n\u201cThe island of Ulko-Tammio, which is located off the coast of Hamina, will be a phone-free area this summer,\u201d says Mats Selin, from Visit Kotka-Hamina tourism board. \n\n\u201cWe want to urge holidaymakers to switch off their smart devices and to stop and genuinely enjoy the islands.\u201d \n\nTravellers will be asked to keep smart devices in their pockets and to disconnect from social media. The island still has a functioning mobile network. \n\nWhat is there to do on Ulko-Tammio? \n\nPart of the Eastern Gulf national park , Ulko-Tammio is uninhabited by people. Visitors can stay overnight in tents or cabins. \n\nThe new rules - which will be voluntary - will give visitors a chance to \u201cfocus on nature \u201d, says Joel Heino, from Parks and Wildlife Finland. \n\n\u201cThis is a great initiative that could be implemented in other nature and recreational destinations, too.\u201d \n\nThere\u2019s plenty to do once you put your phone away. \n\nHiking trails wind around the rocky shoreline, and visitors can climb bird-watching towers to check out the island\u2019s rare flora and fauna. \n\nUlko-Tammio can be reached by private boat, or by sea cruises organised by MeriSet. \n\nTourists can also catch a water taxi from Varissaari - a historic island fortress. You can charter the taxi from Vaakku, a local restaurant. \n\nWhat are the benefits of a digital detox? \n\nSmartphones and computers dominate our day-to-day lives. \n\nEuropean adults average around six hours per day on their screens . But ditching swiping, clicking and typing can have amazing mental health benefits. \n\nA 2022 study found that participants who took a one week break from social media reported \u2018significant improvements\u2019 in well-being and sleep quality. \n\nA digital rest can help repair your attention span, too. Constant exposure to digital stimuli impairs our ability to concentrate and think deeply. \n\nA 2019 University of East Anglia study revealed that a \u2018digital detox\u2019 holiday increases feelings of connectedness and presence. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>Itching for a digital detox? An island in Finland wants to become the world\u2019s first phone-free tourist zone.<\/p>\n<p>Every summer, millions of <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//travel//2021//02//01//instagram-vs-reality-how-social-media-and-travel-are-intrinsically-linked/">social media<\/strong><\/a> users snap and share their holidays online<\/p>\n<p>But if you\u2019re tired of thinking about the perfect vacation <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.instagram.com//p//Cn3mATaBEYT//?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading\%22>Instagram<\/strong><\/a> - or want to disconnect from pesky work emails while you\u2019re out of office - then Ulko-Tammio is the destination for you.<\/p>\n<p>Located in the Eastern Gulf of Finland, the tiny island has declared itself a \u2018<a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//travel//2022//12//05//youll-soon-be-able-to-use-your-phone-on-flights-in-the-eu-but-is-that-really-a-good-thing/">phone-free/u2019 zone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe island of Ulko-Tammio, which is located off the coast of Hamina, will be a phone-free area this summer,\u201d says Mats Selin, from Visit Kotka-Hamina tourism board.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe want to urge holidaymakers to switch off their <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//travel//2022//10//13//airtags-smart-bags-and-lithium-batteries-airlines-electronic-rules-explained/">smart devices<\/strong><\/a> and to stop and genuinely enjoy the islands.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Travellers will be asked to keep smart devices in their pockets and to disconnect from social media. The island still has a functioning mobile network.<\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"7153534,6901182\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//travel//2022//08//06//digital-detox-in-morzine-stargazing-foraging-and-wild-swimming-helped-me-to-disconnect/">Digital detox in Morzine: Stargazing, foraging and wild swimming helped me to disconnect<\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//travel//2022//10//24//digital-detox-i-went-on-an-off-grid-sailing-trip-to-fix-my-toxic-relationship-with-technol/">Digital detox: I went on an off-grid sailing trip to fix my toxic relationship with technology<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2>What is there to do on Ulko-Tammio?<\/h2><p>Part of the Eastern Gulf <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//travel//2023//01//01//these-national-parks-are-the-best-in-europe-for-kickstarting-your-mindfulness-journey/">national park<\/strong><\/a>, Ulko-Tammio is uninhabited by people. Visitors can stay overnight in tents or cabins.<\/p>\n<p>The new rules - which will be voluntary - will give visitors a chance to \u201cfocus on <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//travel//2023//04//19//from-fairytale-english-castles-to-flowering-italian-valleys-the-best-spots-to-catch-europe/">nature/u201d, says Joel Heino, from Parks and Wildlife Finland.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is a great initiative that could be implemented in other nature and recreational destinations, too.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//07//69//92//22//808x454_cmsv2_5c7e2b45-d8b7-5075-bce5-61f8f4df1af4-7699222.jpg/" alt=\"Annika Ruohonen\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/69\/92\/22\/384x216_cmsv2_5c7e2b45-d8b7-5075-bce5-61f8f4df1af4-7699222.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/69\/92\/22\/640x360_cmsv2_5c7e2b45-d8b7-5075-bce5-61f8f4df1af4-7699222.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/69\/92\/22\/750x422_cmsv2_5c7e2b45-d8b7-5075-bce5-61f8f4df1af4-7699222.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/69\/92\/22\/828x466_cmsv2_5c7e2b45-d8b7-5075-bce5-61f8f4df1af4-7699222.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/69\/92\/22\/1080x608_cmsv2_5c7e2b45-d8b7-5075-bce5-61f8f4df1af4-7699222.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/69\/92\/22\/1200x675_cmsv2_5c7e2b45-d8b7-5075-bce5-61f8f4df1af4-7699222.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/69\/92\/22\/1920x1080_cmsv2_5c7e2b45-d8b7-5075-bce5-61f8f4df1af4-7699222.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Turning off your phone can have various positive mental health benefits.<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Annika Ruohonen<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s plenty to do once you put your phone away.<\/p>\n<p>Hiking trails wind around the rocky shoreline, and visitors can climb <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//travel//2022//02//18//birdhearing-the-colombian-wildlife-tour-for-the-visually-impaired/">bird-watching towers to check out the island\u2019s rare flora and fauna.<\/p>\n<p>Ulko-Tammio can be reached by private boat, or by sea cruises organised by MeriSet.<\/p>\n<p>Tourists can also catch a water <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2019//06//20//battery-powered-sky-taxis-the-future-of-travel/">taxi from Varissaari - a historic island fortress. You can charter the taxi from Vaakku, a local restaurant.<\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"4270268,7697402\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//06//22//new-eu-law-to-force-smartphone-makers-to-build-easily-replaceable-batteries/">New EU law to force smartphone makers to build easily replaceable batteries\u00a0<\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2019//11//03//can-you-make-a-day-without-your-smartphone/">WATCH | Can you make a day without your smartphone?<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2>What are the benefits of a digital detox?<\/h2><p>Smartphones and computers dominate our day-to-day lives.<\/p>\n<p>European adults average around six hours per day on their <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//next//2022//07//07//new-delta-airport-screen-ai-shows-personalised-flight-info-to-dozens-of-travellers-at-once/">screens. But ditching swiping, clicking and typing can have amazing mental health benefits.<\/p>\n<p>A 2022 study found that participants who took a one week break from social media reported \u2018significant improvements\u2019 in well-being and sleep quality.<\/p>\n<p>A <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//travel//2021//08//31//digital-detox-these-are-the-best-places-in-the-world-to-disconnect/">digital rest<\/strong><\/a> can help repair your attention span, too. Constant exposure to digital stimuli impairs our ability to concentrate and think deeply.<\/p>\n<p>A 2019 University of East Anglia study revealed that a \u2018digital detox\u2019 holiday increases feelings of connectedness and presence.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1687429155,"publishedAt":1687432189,"updatedAt":1687859379,"expiresAt":0,"canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/travel\/2023\/06\/22\/phone-free-zone-finland-introduces-worlds-first-digital-detox-tourist-island","images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/69\/92\/22\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_56e98698-b934-5fc2-9ee3-730214dd6a65-7699222.jpg","altText":"This Finnish island wants visitors to disconnect from their phones.","caption":"This Finnish island wants visitors to disconnect from their phones.","captionCredit":"Annika Ruohonen","captionUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1920,"height":1080},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/69\/92\/22\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_5c7e2b45-d8b7-5075-bce5-61f8f4df1af4-7699222.jpg","altText":"Turning off your phone can have various positive mental health benefits.","caption":"Turning off your phone can have various positive mental health benefits.","captionCredit":"Annika Ruohonen","captionUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1920,"height":1080}],"authors":{"journalists":[{"urlSafeValue":"elton","title":"Charlotte Elton","twitter":null}],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":114,"slug":"finland","urlSafeValue":"finland","title":"Finland","titleRaw":"Finland"},{"id":11420,"slug":"smartphone","urlSafeValue":"smartphone","title":"Smartphone","titleRaw":"Smartphone"},{"id":7901,"slug":"iphone","urlSafeValue":"iphone","title":"iPhone","titleRaw":"iPhone"},{"id":4577,"slug":"computers","urlSafeValue":"computers","title":"Computers","titleRaw":"Computers"},{"id":14104,"slug":"mental-health","urlSafeValue":"mental-health","title":"Mental health","titleRaw":"Mental health"},{"id":15740,"slug":"holiday","urlSafeValue":"holiday","title":"holiday","titleRaw":"holiday"}],"widgets":[{"slug":"image","count":1},{"slug":"related","count":2}],"related":[{"id":2304668}],"technicalTags":[],"video":0,"videos":[],"externalPartners":[],"liveStream":[{"startDate":0,"endDate":0}],"isLiveCoverage":0,"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"freeField2":null,"type":"","program":{"id":"travel-news","urlSafeValue":"travel-news","title":"Travel News","online":0,"url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/travel\/travel-news\/travel-news"},"vertical":"travel","verticals":[{"id":7,"slug":"travel","urlSafeValue":"travel","title":"Travel"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":7,"slug":"travel","urlSafeValue":"travel","title":"Travel"},"themes":[{"id":"travel-news","urlSafeValue":"travel-news","title":"Travel News","url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/travel\/travel-news"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":21,"urlSafeValue":"travel-news","title":"Travel-news"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"isDfp":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":""},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":104,"urlSafeValue":"europe","title":"Europe"},"country":{"id":114,"urlSafeValue":"finland","title":"Finland","url":"\/news\/europe\/finland"},"town":[],"grapeshot":"'gv_safe','gb_safe','pos_equinor','pos_facebook','pos_pmi','pos_ukraine-russia','pos_ukrainecrisis','gs_travel','gs_travel_holidays','gs_science','gs_tech_compute_net','gt_positive','gs_tech_compute_net_social','gs_tech','gs_tech_computing','gs_travel_locations','progressivemedia','neg_bucherer','neg_audi_list2','bespoke_kaspersky','gt_positive_curiosity','mobkoi_sophie_campaign_en'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"path":"\/travel\/2023\/06\/22\/phone-free-zone-finland-introduces-worlds-first-digital-detox-tourist-island","lastModified":1687859379},{"id":2301136,"cid":7688274,"versionId":5,"archive":0,"housenumber":"230619_NWSU_52113088","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":3},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"Racism and rape fantasies: The PR headache facing Finland's new right-wing government","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Racism and rape fantasies: A PR headache for Finland's new government","titleListing2":"\ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddee Racism and rape fantasies: The PR nightmare facing Finland's new right-wing government","leadin":"The incoming economy minister has addressed a rally organised by neo-Nazis, while the Speaker of Parliament has a decades-long track record of race-related court convictions and deeply disturbing blog postings.","summary":"The incoming economy minister has addressed a rally organised by neo-Nazis, while the Speaker of Parliament has a decades-long track record of race-related court convictions and deeply disturbing blog postings.","url":"racism-and-rape-fantasies-the-pr-headache-facing-finlands-new-right-wing-government","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"As Finland's new coalition government is sworn into office on Tuesday, incoming Prime Minister Petteri Orpo is facing a public relations headache over the Speaker of Parliament and the Minister for Economic Affairs, both positions filled by the far-right Finns Party. \n\nIn Finland, it's no secret that Jussi Halla-aho, a previous leader of the Finns Party, a former MEP and now in a senior role as Speaker of the House, has a decades-long track record of racist comments, and deeply troubling writings.\u00a0 \n\nThe blog posts, written years before he was in the public eye, contain disturbing insights into the worldview which has shaped his politics, and even brought him convictions for 'disturbing religious worship' and 'ethnic agitation' for which he was fined by the Finnish Supreme Court.\u00a0 \n\nAmong hundreds of blog posts over the years, Halla-aho wrote in June 2006 that Islam is a\u00a0\"religion of pedophiles,\" and the Prophet Mohammed \"was a pedophile.\" \n\nHe said that \"robbing passers-by\" was a \"genetic trait\" of Somalis. \n\nIn 2006 he implied he would be \"exclusively happy\u00a0if a 'gang of immigrants' raped\" a Green party MP.\u00a0 \n\n\"I still and will continue to sincerely and wholeheartedly believe that if a woman who opposes the deportation of immigrant rapists is raped by an immigrant rapist, it is a happy thing,\" he later wrote. \n\nHalla-aho has also targeted Finland's LGBTQ+ community. \n\n\"Violence is an underrated problem-solving tool today,\" he wrote in November 2008,\u00a0 during a discussion on whether to shoot a gay man in a Helsinki park.\u00a0 \n\nA Finnish court ordered some of the most egregious comments to be deleted, while others were scrubbed by the author, but many more can still be found online. \n\nHalla-aho has never apologised for his earlier writing.\u00a0 \n\n\"Their whole mode of operation is always attack, never defend, never ask for forgiveness,\" Oula Silvennoinen , an Associate Professor at the University of Helsinki, tells Euronews. \n\nFor several years, Halla-aho was openly a member of a nationalist organisation called Suomen Sisu, which is opposed to immigration and multiculturalism, and takes an anti-EU stance A number of senior Finns Party politicians have also been Suomen Sisu members.\u00a0 \n\nCan someone with a conviction in Finland still run for parliament? \n\nThere's no law in Finland that says someone with convictions against them can't serve as a Member of Parliament, or indeed Speaker.\u00a0 \n\n\u00a731 of the Finnish constitution has a vague rule that reads \"a representative shall conduct himself or herself with dignity and decorum, and not behave offensively to another person,\" which applies not just to rank-and-file MPs, but to the Speaker of Parliament and government ministers too.\u00a0 \n\nHowever Finland's political system is based on the premise that an MP already received a mandate from voters, and that counts for a great deal, so no other checks or balances are on the books.\u00a0 \n\nIn response to a request for comment, the Finns Party tells Euronews Halla-aho \"is one of the most esteemed politicians in Finland.\"\u00a0 \n\nHowever, Party Secretary\u00a0 Arto Luukkanen says \"your information concerning Finnish politics is not apt and does not correspond to realities of life. To rely on biased sources is a typical 'rookies-mistake' (sic), both in journalism and in historiography (sic)\" he added.\u00a0 \n\nHalla-aho's court convictions are a matter of public record in Finland, hundreds of his old blog posts are still online and can be verified, and the issues have been thoroughly documented in Finnish media over the years.\u00a0 \n\nWhen asked by Finnish journalists about his writings, Halla-aho's usual response is to say they are old, and he doesn't bring them up, it's the media's choice to keep going back and rehashing old texts.\u00a0 \n\nMinister spoke at rally organised by neo-Nazis \n\nAnother headache facing the incoming Finnish government is Minister of Economic Affairs\u00a0 Vilhelm Junnila , who takes the position for the first two years, then swaps with another Finns Party colleague.\u00a0 \n\nIn 2019, Junnila was the featured speaker at an event in the western city of Turku which ostensibly was supposed to commemorate a terrorist attack two years previously. \n\nHowever, the rally was arranged by an organisation called the Coalition of Nationalists, an umbrella group formed in 2017 for those on the far-right including the Finns Party, the now-banned Nordic Resistance Movement, and the Soldiers of Odin vigilante movement.\u00a0 \n\nAlready in spring that same year, the Coalition of Nationalists had hit the headlines in Finland after they were exposed for organising shooting training at a camp in the forest, where the targets were faces of Finnish government ministers.\u00a0 \n\nThe event where Junnila spoke was a \"who's who of neo-Nazis in Finland\", according to one researcher, and members of these various shadowy extreme right-wing organisations can be seen in photographs standing behind Junnila while he gave a short speech, albeit on the opposite riverbank.\u00a0 \n\nJunnila was \"the official, pre-advertised speaker\" at the event, writes Panu Raatikainen , Professor of Philosophy at the University of Tampere.\u00a0 \n\nEuronews has contacted incoming Prime Minister Petteri Orpo's National Coalition Party for comment about the new government. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>As Finland's new coalition government is sworn into office on Tuesday, incoming Prime Minister <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//PetteriOrpo/">Petteri Orpo<\/strong><\/a> is facing a public relations headache over the Speaker of Parliament and the Minister for Economic Affairs, both positions filled by the far-right Finns Party.<\/p>\n<p>In Finland, it's no secret that Jussi Halla-aho, a previous leader of the Finns Party, a former MEP and now in a senior role as Speaker of the House, has a decades-long track record of racist comments, and deeply troubling writings.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The blog posts, written years before he was in the public eye, contain disturbing insights into the worldview which has shaped his politics, and even brought him convictions for 'disturbing religious worship' and 'ethnic agitation' for which he was fined by the Finnish Supreme Court.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Among hundreds of blog posts over the years, Halla-aho <a href=\"http:\/\/Tuomio%20islam-kirjoituksista%20Korkeimmassa%20oikeudessa%20Halla-aho%20tuomittiin%20kirjoituksesta,%20jossa%20h%C3%A4n%20toteaa,%20ett%C3%A4%20%E2%80%9Dprofeetta%20Muhammad%20oli%20pedofiili,%20ja%20islam%20on%20pedofilian%20pyhitt%C3%A4v%C3%A4%20uskonto,%20siis%20pedofiiliuskonto.%20Pedofilia%20on%20Allahin%20tahto%E2%80%9D.%20Samassa%20tekstiss%C3%A4%20Halla-aho%20kirjoittaa%20my%C3%B6s,%20ett%C3%A4%20%E2%80%9Dohikulkijoiden%20ry%C3%B6stely%20ja%20verovaroilla%20loisiminen%20on%20somalien%20kansallinen,%20ehk%C3%A4%20suorastaan%20geneettinen%20erityispiirre%E2%80%9D.%20Kirjoitus%20l%C3%B6ytyy%20t%C3%A4%C3%A4lt%C3%A4,%20mutta%20kyseiset%20kappaleet%20on%20poistettu%20oikeusasteiden%20p%C3%A4%C3%A4t%C3%B6ksell%C3%A4.%20Poisti%20v%C3%A4kivaltaa%20pohtineen%20kappaleen%20Halla-aho%20poisti%20blogistaan%20kappaleen,%20jossa%20h%C3%A4n%20pohtii%20homoseksuaalimiehen%20ampumista.%20%E2%80%9DV%C3%A4kivalta%20on%20nyky%C3%A4%C3%A4n%20aliarvostettu%20ongelmanratkaisukeino%E2%80%9D,%20Halla-aho%20kirjoitti.%20Poistetun%20kappaleen%20voi%20n%C3%A4hd%C3%A4%20t%C3%A4ss%C3%A4%20jutussa.%20Poisti%20raiskauskommentin\"><strong>wrote<\/strong><\/a> in June 2006 that Islam is a\u00a0\"religion of pedophiles,\" and the Prophet Mohammed \"was a pedophile.\"<\/p>\n<p>He said that \"robbing passers-by\" was a \"genetic trait\" of Somalis.<\/p>\n<p>In 2006 he implied he would be \"exclusively happy\u00a0if a 'gang of immigrants' raped\" a Green party MP.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"I still and will continue to sincerely and wholeheartedly believe that if a woman who opposes the deportation of immigrant rapists is raped by an immigrant rapist, it is a happy thing,\" he later wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Halla-aho has also targeted Finland's LGBTQ+ community.<\/p>\n<p>\"Violence is an underrated problem-solving tool today,\" he <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"http:////www.halla-aho.com//scripta//kommentti_homonampumiskohinaan.html/">wrote in November 2008,\u00a0<a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////puheenvuoro.uusisuomi.fi//mpmaenp//halla-aho-scripta-blogissaan-vakivalta-on-nykyaan-aliarvostettu-ongelmanratkaisukeino///">during a discussion<\/strong><\/a> on whether to shoot a gay man in a Helsinki park.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>A Finnish court ordered some of the most egregious comments to be deleted, while others were scrubbed by the author, but many more can still be found online.<\/p>\n<p>Halla-aho has never apologised for his earlier writing.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"Their whole mode of operation is always attack, never defend, never ask for forgiveness,\" <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//oula_silver/">Oula Silvennoinen<\/strong><\/a>, an Associate Professor at the University of Helsinki, tells Euronews.<\/p>\n<p>For several years, Halla-aho was openly a member of a nationalist organisation called Suomen Sisu, which is opposed to immigration and multiculturalism, and takes an anti-EU stance A number of senior Finns Party politicians have also been Suomen Sisu members.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//07//68//82//74//808x454_cmsv2_d92432b9-6c76-59ad-b47b-0fadd15388ea-7688274.jpg/" alt=\"David Mac Dougall\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/82\/74\/384x216_cmsv2_d92432b9-6c76-59ad-b47b-0fadd15388ea-7688274.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/82\/74\/640x360_cmsv2_d92432b9-6c76-59ad-b47b-0fadd15388ea-7688274.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/82\/74\/750x422_cmsv2_d92432b9-6c76-59ad-b47b-0fadd15388ea-7688274.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/82\/74\/828x466_cmsv2_d92432b9-6c76-59ad-b47b-0fadd15388ea-7688274.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/82\/74\/1080x608_cmsv2_d92432b9-6c76-59ad-b47b-0fadd15388ea-7688274.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/82\/74\/1200x675_cmsv2_d92432b9-6c76-59ad-b47b-0fadd15388ea-7688274.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/82\/74\/1920x1080_cmsv2_d92432b9-6c76-59ad-b47b-0fadd15388ea-7688274.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">FILE picture showing exterior of Finnish Parliament, Eduskunta<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">David Mac Dougall<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2>Can someone with a conviction in Finland still run for parliament?<\/h2><p>There's no law in Finland that says someone with convictions against them can't serve as a Member of Parliament, or indeed Speaker.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a731 of the Finnish constitution has a vague rule that reads \"a representative shall conduct himself or herself with dignity and decorum, and not behave offensively to another person,\" which applies not just to rank-and-file MPs, but to the Speaker of Parliament and government ministers too.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>However Finland's political system is based on the premise that an MP already received a mandate from voters, and that counts for a great deal, so no other checks or balances are on the books.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In response to a request for comment, the Finns Party tells Euronews Halla-aho \"is one of the most esteemed politicians in Finland.\"\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>However, Party Secretary\u00a0<a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//ArtoLuukkanen/">Arto Luukkanen<\/strong><\/a> says \"your information concerning Finnish politics is not apt and does not correspond to realities of life. To rely on biased sources is a typical 'rookies-mistake' (sic), both in journalism and in historiography (sic)\" he added.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Halla-aho's court convictions are a matter of public record in Finland, hundreds of his old blog posts are still online and can be verified, and the issues have been thoroughly documented in Finnish media over the years.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>When asked by Finnish journalists about his writings, Halla-aho's usual response is to say they are old, and he doesn't bring them up, it's the media's choice to keep going back and rehashing old texts.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//07//68//82//74//808x454_cmsv2_4a184bec-3528-5d5d-a3c4-467804a2ed72-7688274.jpg/" alt=\"Varis\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/82\/74\/384x216_cmsv2_4a184bec-3528-5d5d-a3c4-467804a2ed72-7688274.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/82\/74\/640x360_cmsv2_4a184bec-3528-5d5d-a3c4-467804a2ed72-7688274.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/82\/74\/750x422_cmsv2_4a184bec-3528-5d5d-a3c4-467804a2ed72-7688274.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/82\/74\/828x466_cmsv2_4a184bec-3528-5d5d-a3c4-467804a2ed72-7688274.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/82\/74\/1080x608_cmsv2_4a184bec-3528-5d5d-a3c4-467804a2ed72-7688274.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/82\/74\/1200x675_cmsv2_4a184bec-3528-5d5d-a3c4-467804a2ed72-7688274.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/82\/74\/1920x1080_cmsv2_4a184bec-3528-5d5d-a3c4-467804a2ed72-7688274.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">FILE: Incoming minister Vilhelm Junnila speaks at a rally organised by a far-right group in Turku, 2019<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Varis<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2>Minister spoke at rally organised by neo-Nazis<\/h2><p>Another headache facing the incoming Finnish government is Minister of Economic Affairs\u00a0<a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//vilhelmjunnila/">Vilhelm Junnila<\/strong><\/a>, who takes the position for the first two years, then swaps with another Finns Party colleague.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In 2019, Junnila was the <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.facebook.com//watch//?v=363003924367992\%22>featured speaker<\/strong><\/a> at an event in the western city of Turku which ostensibly was supposed to commemorate a terrorist attack two years previously.<\/p>\n<p>However, the rally was arranged by an organisation called the Coalition of Nationalists, an umbrella group formed in 2017 for those on the far-right including the Finns Party, the now-banned Nordic Resistance Movement, and the Soldiers of Odin vigilante movement.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Already in spring that same year, the Coalition of Nationalists had hit the headlines in Finland after they were exposed for organising shooting training at a camp in the forest, where the targets were faces of Finnish government ministers.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The event where Junnila spoke was a \"who's who of neo-Nazis in Finland\", according to one researcher, and members of these various shadowy extreme right-wing organisations can be seen in photographs standing behind Junnila while he gave a short speech, albeit on the opposite riverbank.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Junnila was \"the official, pre-advertised speaker\" at the event, writes <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//panuraatikainen/">Panu Raatikainen<\/strong><\/a>, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Tampere.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Euronews has contacted incoming Prime Minister Petteri Orpo's National Coalition Party for comment about the new government.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1687185969,"publishedAt":1687264041,"updatedAt":1687424651,"expiresAt":0,"canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2023\/06\/20\/racism-and-rape-fantasies-the-pr-headache-facing-finlands-new-right-wing-government","images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/82\/74\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_eb99a15a-9249-5106-b405-20571aa9067c-7688274.jpg","altText":"The chairman of the Finns Party and parliamentary candidate Jussi Halla-aho votes in the parliamentary elections, in Helsinki, Finland Sunday, April 14, 2019.","caption":"The chairman of the Finns Party and parliamentary candidate Jussi Halla-aho votes in the parliamentary elections, in Helsinki, Finland Sunday, April 14, 2019.","captionCredit":"AP Photo","captionUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/82\/74\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_4a184bec-3528-5d5d-a3c4-467804a2ed72-7688274.jpg","altText":"FILE: Incoming minister Vilhelm Junnila speak at rally organised by a far-right group in Turku, 2019","caption":"FILE: Incoming minister Vilhelm Junnila speak at rally organised by a far-right group in Turku, 2019","captionCredit":"Varis","captionUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/82\/74\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_d92432b9-6c76-59ad-b47b-0fadd15388ea-7688274.jpg","altText":"FILE picture showing exterior of Finnish Parliament, Eduskunta","caption":"FILE picture showing exterior of Finnish Parliament, Eduskunta","captionCredit":"David Mac Dougall","captionUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900}],"authors":{"journalists":[{"urlSafeValue":"mac-dougall","title":"David Mac Dougall","twitter":"@davidmacdougall"}],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":10529,"slug":"finland-politics","urlSafeValue":"finland-politics","title":"Finland politics","titleRaw":"Finland 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things we already know about Finland's new right-wing government","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"5 things we already know about Finland's new right-wing government","titleListing2":"\ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddee 5 things we already know about Finland's new right-wing government","leadin":"From tax cuts to climate change, increased VAT to Finland's international reputation, here's some key things you should know.","summary":"From tax cuts to climate change, increased VAT to Finland's international reputation, here's some key things you should know.","url":"5-things-we-already-know-about-finlands-new-right-wing-government","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"The setting and symbolism couldn't have been more striking, or more different.\u00a0 \n\nAfter the 2019 Finnish election, the parties of the new coalition government presented their policy programme in Helsinki's spectacular Oodi Central Library in the morning over coffee, and took questions from the public and journalists alike -- before embarking on a tour of town halls up and down the country to have conversations with voters about the future direction of Finland.\u00a0 \n\nCompare that with 2023, when the four parties which make up Finland's new coalition government summoned journalists at 6pm on a Friday evening, no members of the public allowed, to unveil their policy agenda -- which came after seven weeks of fractious negotiations . \n\nThe right-wing National Coalition Party, known locally as Kokoomus, emerged from the April general election with the most seats in parliament, and partnered with the next biggest group, the far-right Finns Party. Also on board are the Christian Democrats and the Swedish People's Party, with Kokoomus leader Petteri Orpo as Finland's next prime minister.\u00a0 \n\nSo what are some of the key things we know already about the new government programme, and how might it all unfold now:\u00a0 \n\n1. This is the most right-wing Finnish government in modern times \n\nKokoomus has a vocal EU-sceptic and immigrant-sceptic wing. The Christian Democrats' best-known MP is anti-abortion, and became something of a cause celebre among the US Christian right when she carried a bible into court to face charges of being anti-LGBT. She was later cleared .\u00a0 \n\nMeanwhile, the Finns Party's track record on immigration, the EU and fighting the climate crisis speaks for itself.\u00a0 \n\nThere are also several Finns Party MPs, including senior party members, with convictions for race-related crimes, and the younger cadre of Finns Party politicians who came to prominence during the last two election cycles have a fondness for Donald Trump's MAGA movement.\u00a0 \n\n\"Petteri Orpo's government programme is building a European, free and secure Finland that will not just sit on its hands,\" insists Kokoomus MP Elina Valtonen , who is likely to land one of the big ministerial portfolios in the new government. \n\n\"A strong and caring NATO Finland, where consumer choice increases, entrepreneurship pays, skills are valued, living standards rise and nature is cared for,\" she adds.\u00a0 \n\nBut political analyst\u00a0 Juho Rahkonen \u00a0says \"we have a more right-wing government than perhaps ever before,\" a\u00a0stark contrast to outgoing Prime Minister Sanna Marin's five-party center-left coalition. \n\nFinns Party leader Riikka Purra said the Nordic nation should opt for a tougher immigration line, and called for stricter asylum policy, time-limited protection of asylum-seekers, mandatory integration, and plans to reduce the number of quota refugees, saying those policies would amount to \"a paradigm shift.\" \n\n2. The Swedish People's Party is taking a reputational gamble \n\nNo party has more at stake in this coalition government than the Swedish People's Party SFP\/RKP.\u00a0 \n\nWith ten seats in parliament, they are the only party which was also in the previous government -- an administration which put intersectional feminism at the heart of policymaking with Sanna Marin as prime minister. \n\nOver the last four years they've moved further to the left on issues of internationality, multi-culturalism, human rights and immigration -- an anathema to the Finnish right-wing.\u00a0\u00a0 \n\nBefore negotiations, SFP\/RKP leader Anna-Maja Henriksson said she wouldn't be in the government if it was doing Finns Party politics, but she seems to have capitulated and it's difficult to see at this stage what she has actually won for her party -- except perhaps to prolong Finland's widely-criticised fur farming industry , which employs around two thousand people, many of them in her own constituency area.\u00a0 \n\nFor a party that's already divided between it's Ostrobothnia 'countryside' voters and the southern coastal 'city' voters, the Swedish People's Party might have lost the chance to appeal to other non-Swedish-speaking Finns, immigrants and young people as potential voters, by joining up with a far-right party in government -- indeed their own youth group leadership quit the government formation talks in protest at cooperation with the Finns Party, and Henriksson admitted on Friday that still not all her MPs were in favour of being in government with them.\u00a0\u00a0 \n\n3. Four billion in savings needed \n\nPetteri Orpo promised to find \u20ac4 billion in savings to reduce Finland's debt, and that means a mixture of cuts -- which are never popular with the people on the receiving end. \n\nThere's also cost savings, of course, and fundraising in the form of a VAT increase on items with a 10% rate which will go up to 15%. This makes it even more expensive to buy medicines, take part in sports, go to the cinema or cultural events, or book a hotel room.\u00a0 \n\n\"Before the elections, we promised to put the country's affairs in order. We promised an adjustment of \u20ac6 billion and 100,000 new jobs,\" says Kokoomus MP Sinuhe Wallinheimo .\u00a0 \n\nMost of the savings are coming from \u20ac1.5 billion cuts to social security, and by re-jigging how regional healthcare systems are funded from the central government to generate efficiency savings.\u00a0 \n\nThere will be freezes for the next four years on earnings-related unemployment insurance, housing allowance and some other benefits.\u00a0 \n\nThere's cuts of \u20ac125 million for education and culture grants, and an adult education subsidy will also be scrapped. Some \u20ac250 million will be cut from funding for new roads projects and another \u20ac250 million from development aid budgets.\u00a0 \n\nTax on beer will decrease, but taxes on wines, spirits and soft drinks will go up.\u00a0 \n\n\"There is enough money for investors and high earners, but poor families with children, students and the elderly are being cut,\" says\u00a0 Jussi Saramo , chair of the Left Alliance Parliamentary Group.\u00a0 \n\n\"For example, massive housing benefit cuts will hit students, single parents and those working in low-wage jobs hard,\" he says.\u00a0 \n\n4. Fighting the climate crisis \n\nThe previous Finnish government were enthusiastic about setting targets to meet and even exceed international agreements on carbon emissions - even if they were less enthusiastic about taking enough concrete steps to meet those goals fast enough.\u00a0 \n\nWithin the new government, the Finns Party has been opposed to the idea that Finns -- who they say are among the least polluting people on the planet -- should have to take radical steps to fight the climate crisis when this should be done by big polluting countries instead.\u00a0 \n\nThey've also wanted to lower the price of petrol and resisted calls to reduce the number of petrol cars on Finnish roads.\u00a0 \n\n\"The new government is very much leaning towards the conservative right and takes Finland backwards when it comes to climate action and biodiversity protection,\" says Ville Niinist\u00f6 , a Finnish Green MEP.\u00a0 \n\n\"The financing for nature protection is reduced by one-third from the previous Marin government and therefore we have no tools to protect our forests and waterways in line with global commitments to stop biodiversity loss,\" he tells Euronews.\u00a0 \n\nNiinist\u00f6 notes that while the new government doesn't formally back down on the commitment to be carbon neutral by 2035, its policies are \"leading away from that goal\".\u00a0 \n\nThe new government plans to reduce tax on petrol by \u20ac100 million, and reduce vehicle taxes by \u20ac50 million.\u00a0 \n\n5. Finland's international reputation could take a hit \n\nIn large part thanks to Sanna Marin's profile, Finland has enjoyed unprecedented good press internationally over the last four years.\u00a0 \n\nFrom being the happiest country in the world to putting extra money into development aid for women and children when the Trump administration withdrew support, Finland has shored up its credentials as a reliable partner.\u00a0 \n\nBut now there will be cuts to international aid, amounting to hundreds of millions of euros. Finland will also be less welcoming to asylum seekers and so-called 'quota migrants.'\u00a0\u00a0 \n\nAnd having a far-right party in power probably doesn't do a lot to burnish Finland's brand image as a friendly, welcoming country.\u00a0 \n\nKokoomus MP Saara-Sofia Sir\u00e9n says that in the new government programme, Finland \"promotes the rights of women and girls across its foreign policy.\"\u00a0 \n\n\"The priorities of the government's development policy are strengthening the status of women and girls, the right to self-determination, and sexual and reproductive health,\" but doesn't address whether budget cuts to international aid will impact the scope or scale of the services which Finland currently funds. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>The setting and symbolism couldn't have been more striking, or more different.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>After the 2019 Finnish election, the parties of the new coalition government presented their policy programme in Helsinki's spectacular Oodi Central Library in the morning over coffee, and took questions from the public and journalists alike -- before embarking on a tour of town halls up and down the country to have conversations with voters about the future direction of Finland.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Compare that with 2023, when the four parties which make up Finland's new coalition government summoned journalists at 6pm on a Friday evening, no members of the public allowed, to unveil their policy agenda -- which came after seven weeks of <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2023//05//26//immigration-and-environment-keep-finland-government-negotiations-balanced-on-a-knife-edge/">fractious negotiations<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The right-wing National Coalition Party, known locally as Kokoomus, emerged from the April general election with the most seats in parliament, and partnered with the next biggest group, the far-right Finns Party. Also on board are the Christian Democrats and the Swedish People's Party, with Kokoomus leader <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//PetteriOrpo/">Petteri Orpo<\/strong><\/a> as Finland's next prime minister.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>So what are some of the key things we know already about the new government programme, and how might it all unfold now:\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//07//68//22//28//808x454_cmsv2_05d7f48e-e7c9-595c-a06e-65bcd03af1b5-7682228.jpg/" alt=\"AP Photo\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/22\/28\/384x216_cmsv2_05d7f48e-e7c9-595c-a06e-65bcd03af1b5-7682228.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/22\/28\/640x360_cmsv2_05d7f48e-e7c9-595c-a06e-65bcd03af1b5-7682228.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/22\/28\/750x422_cmsv2_05d7f48e-e7c9-595c-a06e-65bcd03af1b5-7682228.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/22\/28\/828x466_cmsv2_05d7f48e-e7c9-595c-a06e-65bcd03af1b5-7682228.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/22\/28\/1080x608_cmsv2_05d7f48e-e7c9-595c-a06e-65bcd03af1b5-7682228.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/22\/28\/1200x675_cmsv2_05d7f48e-e7c9-595c-a06e-65bcd03af1b5-7682228.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/22\/28\/1920x1080_cmsv2_05d7f48e-e7c9-595c-a06e-65bcd03af1b5-7682228.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">FILE: Riikka Purra leader of the far-right populist Finns Party attends an election event in Helsinki, 2 April 2023<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">AP Photo<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2>1. This is the most right-wing Finnish government in modern times<\/h2><p>Kokoomus has a vocal EU-sceptic and immigrant-sceptic wing. The Christian Democrats' best-known MP is anti-abortion, and became something of a <em>cause celebre<\/em> among the US Christian right when she carried a bible into court to face charges of being anti-LGBT. She was <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2022//03//31//us-finland-court-lgbt/">later cleared<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the Finns Party's track record on immigration, the EU and fighting the climate crisis speaks for itself.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>There are also several Finns Party MPs, including senior party members, with convictions for race-related crimes, and the younger cadre of Finns Party politicians who came to prominence during the last two election cycles have a fondness for Donald Trump's MAGA movement.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"Petteri Orpo's government programme is building a European, free and secure Finland that will not just sit on its hands,\" insists Kokoomus MP <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//elinavaltonen/">Elina Valtonen<\/strong><\/a>, who is likely to land one of the big ministerial portfolios in the new government.<\/p>\n<p>\"A strong and caring NATO Finland, where consumer choice increases, entrepreneurship pays, skills are valued, living standards rise and nature is cared for,\" she adds.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But political analyst\u00a0<a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//RahkonenJuho/">Juho Rahkonen<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0says \"we have a more right-wing government than perhaps ever before,\" a\u00a0stark contrast to outgoing Prime Minister Sanna Marin's five-party center-left coalition.<\/p>\n<p>Finns Party leader <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//ir_rkp/">Riikka Purra<\/strong><\/a> said the Nordic nation should opt for a tougher immigration line, and called for stricter asylum policy, time-limited protection of asylum-seekers, mandatory integration, and plans to reduce the number of quota refugees, saying those policies would amount to \"a paradigm shift.\"<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//07//68//22//28//808x454_cmsv2_4f6da6c7-9fa0-5c3e-a96d-c933a50149e2-7682228.jpg/" alt=\"David Mac Dougall\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/22\/28\/384x216_cmsv2_4f6da6c7-9fa0-5c3e-a96d-c933a50149e2-7682228.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/22\/28\/640x360_cmsv2_4f6da6c7-9fa0-5c3e-a96d-c933a50149e2-7682228.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/22\/28\/750x422_cmsv2_4f6da6c7-9fa0-5c3e-a96d-c933a50149e2-7682228.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/22\/28\/828x466_cmsv2_4f6da6c7-9fa0-5c3e-a96d-c933a50149e2-7682228.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/22\/28\/1080x608_cmsv2_4f6da6c7-9fa0-5c3e-a96d-c933a50149e2-7682228.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/22\/28\/1200x675_cmsv2_4f6da6c7-9fa0-5c3e-a96d-c933a50149e2-7682228.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/22\/28\/1920x1080_cmsv2_4f6da6c7-9fa0-5c3e-a96d-c933a50149e2-7682228.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">FILE: Swedish People's Party leader Anna-Maja Henriksson attends a party on election night 2019, Helsinki<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">David Mac Dougall<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2>2. The Swedish People's Party is taking a reputational gamble<\/h2><p>No party has more at stake in this coalition government than the Swedish People's Party SFP\/RKP.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>With ten seats in parliament, they are the only party which was also in the previous government -- an administration which put intersectional feminism at the heart of policymaking with Sanna Marin as prime minister.<\/p>\n<p>Over the last four years they've moved further to the left on issues of internationality, multi-culturalism, human rights and immigration -- an anathema to the Finnish right-wing.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Before negotiations, SFP\/RKP leader <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//anna_maja/">Anna-Maja Henriksson<\/strong><\/a> said she wouldn't be in the government if it was doing Finns Party politics, but she seems to have capitulated and it's difficult to see at this stage what she has actually won for her party -- except perhaps to prolong Finland's widely-criticised <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//culture//2022//01//22//inside-finland-s-cruel-fox-fur-farms-the-shame-of-the-luxury-fashion-industry/">fur farming industry<\/strong><\/a>, which employs around two thousand people, many of them in her own constituency area.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For a party that's already divided between it's Ostrobothnia 'countryside' voters and the southern coastal 'city' voters, the Swedish People's Party might have lost the chance to appeal to other non-Swedish-speaking Finns, immigrants and young people as potential voters, by joining up with a far-right party in government -- indeed their own youth group leadership quit the government formation talks in protest at cooperation with the Finns Party, and Henriksson admitted on Friday that still not all her MPs were in favour of being in government with them.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//07//68//22//28//808x454_cmsv2_ea3b6c7b-9cdb-506b-aeea-37ae96defd25-7682228.jpg/" alt=\"AFP\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/22\/28\/384x216_cmsv2_ea3b6c7b-9cdb-506b-aeea-37ae96defd25-7682228.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/22\/28\/640x360_cmsv2_ea3b6c7b-9cdb-506b-aeea-37ae96defd25-7682228.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/22\/28\/750x422_cmsv2_ea3b6c7b-9cdb-506b-aeea-37ae96defd25-7682228.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/22\/28\/828x466_cmsv2_ea3b6c7b-9cdb-506b-aeea-37ae96defd25-7682228.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/22\/28\/1080x608_cmsv2_ea3b6c7b-9cdb-506b-aeea-37ae96defd25-7682228.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/22\/28\/1200x675_cmsv2_ea3b6c7b-9cdb-506b-aeea-37ae96defd25-7682228.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/22\/28\/1920x1080_cmsv2_ea3b6c7b-9cdb-506b-aeea-37ae96defd25-7682228.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">National Coalition Party leader, and incoming prime minister, Petteri Orpo at a press conference in Helsinki, 16 June 2023<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">AFP<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2>3. Four billion in savings needed<\/h2><p>Petteri Orpo promised to find \u20ac4 billion in savings to reduce Finland's debt, and that means a mixture of cuts -- which are never popular with the people on the receiving end.<\/p>\n<p>There's also cost savings, of course, and fundraising in the form of a VAT increase on items with a 10% rate which will go up to 15%. This makes it even more expensive to buy medicines, take part in sports, go to the cinema or cultural events, or book a hotel room.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"Before the elections, we promised to put the country's affairs in order. We promised an adjustment of \u20ac6 billion and 100,000 new jobs,\" says Kokoomus MP <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//swheimo/">Sinuhe Wallinheimo<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Most of the savings are coming from \u20ac1.5 billion cuts to social security, and by re-jigging how <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//my-europe//2022//01//11//how-voters-in-finland-are-set-to-decide-the-biggest-healthcare-reform-in-decades/">regional healthcare systems<\/strong><\/a> are funded from the central government to generate efficiency savings.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>There will be freezes for the next four years on earnings-related unemployment insurance, housing allowance and some other benefits.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>There's cuts of \u20ac125 million for education and culture grants, and an adult education subsidy will also be scrapped. Some \u20ac250 million will be cut from funding for new roads projects and another \u20ac250 million from development aid budgets.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Tax on beer will decrease, but taxes on wines, spirits and soft drinks will go up.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"There is enough money for investors and high earners, but poor families with children, students and the elderly are being cut,\" says\u00a0<a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//jussisaramo/">Jussi Saramo<\/strong><\/a>, chair of the Left Alliance Parliamentary Group.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"For example, massive housing benefit cuts will hit students, single parents and those working in low-wage jobs hard,\" he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//07//68//22//28//808x454_cmsv2_c4137af3-a7da-5226-81d7-53da778d6c3f-7682228.jpg/" alt=\"AFP\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/22\/28\/384x216_cmsv2_c4137af3-a7da-5226-81d7-53da778d6c3f-7682228.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/22\/28\/640x360_cmsv2_c4137af3-a7da-5226-81d7-53da778d6c3f-7682228.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/22\/28\/750x422_cmsv2_c4137af3-a7da-5226-81d7-53da778d6c3f-7682228.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/22\/28\/828x466_cmsv2_c4137af3-a7da-5226-81d7-53da778d6c3f-7682228.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/22\/28\/1080x608_cmsv2_c4137af3-a7da-5226-81d7-53da778d6c3f-7682228.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/22\/28\/1200x675_cmsv2_c4137af3-a7da-5226-81d7-53da778d6c3f-7682228.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/22\/28\/1920x1080_cmsv2_c4137af3-a7da-5226-81d7-53da778d6c3f-7682228.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Picture made available by "All About Lapland" on March 24, 2023 and taken on on late March 23, 2023 shows colourful northern lights (Aurora borealis)<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">AFP<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2>4. Fighting the climate crisis<\/h2><p>The previous Finnish government were enthusiastic about setting targets to meet and even exceed international agreements on carbon emissions - even if they were less enthusiastic about taking enough concrete steps to meet those goals fast enough.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Within the new government, the Finns Party has been opposed to the idea that Finns -- who they say are among the least polluting people on the planet -- should have to take radical steps to fight the climate crisis when this should be done by big polluting countries instead.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>They've also wanted to lower the price of petrol and resisted calls to reduce the number of petrol cars on Finnish roads.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"The new government is very much leaning towards the conservative right and takes Finland backwards when it comes to climate action and biodiversity protection,\" says <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//VilleNiinisto/">Ville Niinist\u00f6<\/strong><\/a>, a Finnish Green MEP.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"The financing for nature protection is reduced by one-third from the previous Marin government and therefore we have no tools to protect our forests and waterways in line with global commitments to stop biodiversity loss,\" he tells Euronews.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Niinist\u00f6 notes that while the new government doesn't formally back down on the commitment to be carbon neutral by 2035, its policies are \"leading away from that goal\".\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The new government plans to reduce tax on petrol by \u20ac100 million, and reduce vehicle taxes by \u20ac50 million.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//07//68//22//28//808x454_cmsv2_ead54e1b-c063-5962-9b70-48e6013add27-7682228.jpg/" alt=\"David Mac Dougall\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/22\/28\/384x216_cmsv2_ead54e1b-c063-5962-9b70-48e6013add27-7682228.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/22\/28\/640x360_cmsv2_ead54e1b-c063-5962-9b70-48e6013add27-7682228.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/22\/28\/750x422_cmsv2_ead54e1b-c063-5962-9b70-48e6013add27-7682228.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/22\/28\/828x466_cmsv2_ead54e1b-c063-5962-9b70-48e6013add27-7682228.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/22\/28\/1080x608_cmsv2_ead54e1b-c063-5962-9b70-48e6013add27-7682228.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/22\/28\/1200x675_cmsv2_ead54e1b-c063-5962-9b70-48e6013add27-7682228.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/22\/28\/1920x1080_cmsv2_ead54e1b-c063-5962-9b70-48e6013add27-7682228.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">FILE: International flags outside Finlandia Hall in Helsinki, May 2019<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">David Mac Dougall<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2>5. Finland's international reputation could take a hit<\/h2><p>In large part thanks to Sanna Marin's profile, Finland has enjoyed unprecedented good press internationally over the last four years.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>From being the <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//culture//2023//06//01//what-makes-a-country-happy-we-asked-a-happiness-expert#:~:text=The%20UN%2C%20for%20the%20sixth,a%20radically%20different%20top%20five.\"><strong>happiest country<\/strong><\/a> in the world to putting extra money into development aid for women and children when the Trump administration withdrew support, Finland has shored up its credentials as a reliable partner.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But now there will be cuts to international aid, amounting to hundreds of millions of euros. Finland will also be less welcoming to asylum seekers and so-called 'quota migrants.'\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>And having a far-right party in power probably doesn't do a lot to burnish Finland's brand image as a friendly, welcoming country.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Kokoomus MP <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//saarasofia/">Saara-Sofia Sir\u00e9n<\/strong><\/a> says that in the new government programme, Finland \"promotes the rights of women and girls across its foreign policy.\"\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"The priorities of the government's development policy are strengthening the status of women and girls, the right to self-determination, and sexual and reproductive health,\" but doesn't address whether budget cuts to international aid will impact the scope or scale of the services which Finland currently funds.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1686924281,"publishedAt":1686944126,"updatedAt":1686982543,"expiresAt":0,"canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2023\/06\/16\/5-things-we-already-know-about-finlands-new-right-wing-government","images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/22\/28\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_da0c7f7f-5759-546a-b82c-4731b4df3663-7682228.jpg","altText":"The leaders of the four parties which make up Finland's new coalition government, 16 June 2023","caption":"The leaders of the four parties which make up Finland's new coalition government, 16 June 2023","captionCredit":"AFP","captionUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/22\/28\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_ead54e1b-c063-5962-9b70-48e6013add27-7682228.jpg","altText":"FILE: International flags outside Finlandia Hall in Helsinki, May 2019","caption":"FILE: International flags outside Finlandia Hall in Helsinki, May 2019","captionCredit":"David Mac Dougall","captionUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/22\/28\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_c4137af3-a7da-5226-81d7-53da778d6c3f-7682228.jpg","altText":"Picture made available by \"All About Lapland\" on March 24, 2023 and taken on on late March 23, 2023 shows colourful northern lights (Aurora borealis)","caption":"Picture made available by \"All About Lapland\" on March 24, 2023 and taken on on late March 23, 2023 shows colourful northern lights (Aurora borealis)","captionCredit":"AFP","captionUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/22\/28\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_ea3b6c7b-9cdb-506b-aeea-37ae96defd25-7682228.jpg","altText":"National Coalition Party leader, and incoming prime minister, Petteri Orpo at a press conference in Helsinki, 16 June 2023","caption":"National Coalition Party leader, and incoming prime minister, Petteri Orpo at a press conference in Helsinki, 16 June 2023","captionCredit":"AFP","captionUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/22\/28\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_4f6da6c7-9fa0-5c3e-a96d-c933a50149e2-7682228.jpg","altText":"FILE: Swedish People's Party leader Anna-Maja Henriksson attends a party on election night 2019, Helsinki","caption":"FILE: Swedish People's Party leader Anna-Maja Henriksson attends a party on election night 2019, Helsinki","captionCredit":"David Mac Dougall","captionUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/22\/28\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_05d7f48e-e7c9-595c-a06e-65bcd03af1b5-7682228.jpg","altText":"FILE: Riikka Purra leader of the far-right populist Finns Party attends an election event in Helsinki, 2 April 2023","caption":"FILE: Riikka Purra leader of the far-right populist Finns Party attends an election event in Helsinki, 2 April 2023","captionCredit":"AP Photo","captionUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/68\/26\/72\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_4eeace47-84c1-5ab1-b7b8-ed6c5dc063ee-7682672.jpg","altText":null,"caption":null,"captionCredit":"Heikki Saukkomaa\/Lehtikuva","captionUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"height":683}],"authors":{"journalists":[{"urlSafeValue":"mac-dougall","title":"David Mac Dougall","twitter":"@davidmacdougall"}],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":10529,"slug":"finland-politics","urlSafeValue":"finland-politics","title":"Finland politics","titleRaw":"Finland 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and environment keep Finland government negotiations balanced on a knife edge","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Finland government talks balanced on a knife edge","titleListing2":"\ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddee Immigration and environment keep Finland government negotiations balanced on a knife-edge after four weeks of fractious discussions.","leadin":"After four weeks of fractious talks, the far-right Finns Party is insisting all other issues are off the table until progress is made - or not - on immigration and the environment. ","summary":"After four weeks of fractious talks, the far-right Finns Party is insisting all other issues are off the table until progress is made - or not - on immigration and the environment. ","url":"immigration-and-environment-keep-finland-government-negotiations-balanced-on-a-knife-edge","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"While most of Finland was swept up by the country's rumbunctious Eurovision entry during May, inside the gilded rooms of the House of the Estates in Helsinki, talks to form a new government were plodding on, going nowhere fast.\u00a0 \n\nBehind the stout wooden doors of this ornate building in the heart of the Finnish capital,\u00a0hundreds of elected politicians, party officials, civil servants and experts have been toiling thanklessly to try and build cohesion among the four parties.\u00a0These discussions have been riven by\u00a0fractious quarrelling, finger-pointing and even gaslighting in\u00a0social media spats. \n\nThe main culprits have been the far-right Finns Party, who seem to hold the upper hand at the moment. This week they demanded that discussion on all other matters except immigration and the environment be put on ice. Their rationale: if the right-wing National Coalition Party (known locally as Kokoomus) which won April's general election, and the smaller Swedish People's Party SFP\/RKP capitulate on these biggest roadblocks, then they'll have scored a huge win. Plus the rest of the programme for the next four years of government will be much easier to negotiate.\u00a0 \n\n\"I think that it was to be expected that there would be some heated discussion especially between Finns Party and RKP\/SFP representatives, since these are the two negotiating parties with probably the biggest ideological differences; especially when coupled with a populist style of politics and political communication from the Finns Party's side,\" explains Jenni K\u00e4rim\u00e4ki, a researcher in political history at the University of Helsinki .\u00a0 \n\nK\u00e4rim\u00e4ki tells Euronews that it's also no surprise the relatively inexperienced cohort of Finns Party politicians didn't change their usual style of communication, airing their dirty laundry on social media, rather than keeping the discussions private.\u00a0 \n\n\"Many of them have a sizable amount of followers online and they will continue to speak to that audience regardless of their status as MPs of a government negotiating party. Keeping in touch with one's supporters is crucial if one wishes to be re-elected by the same online audience in four years,\" she said.\u00a0 \n\nNegotiations among adversaries, not allies \n\nFinnish politics watchers say these government negotiations are some of the most perplexing they can remember in recent history. This is because the three parties which could form the crux of a new government, are simply incompatible across so many policy areas on paper. \n\nWhile Kokoomus leader Petteri Orpo has been credited for his steady stewardship of the talks, he seems to be pinning all his hopes of forming a government on getting the far-right Finns Party to soften their stance on immigration - which their leader Riikka Purra has indicated just won't fly - as well as on areas of EU policy and fighting the climate crisis. \n\nThere's also a gulf on a range of other issues including how to tackle the government's sizeable debt.\u00a0 \n\nFor now, the Swedish People's Party seem to be playing a game of political chicken to see who blinks first: either the Finns Party abandons their long-held red lines, or SFP\/RKP\u00a0would throw out their own values-based beliefs. The latter have\u00a0shifted further left in the last four years as part of Sanna Marin's government, especially on immigration, international aid, fighting climate change, and keeping Finland very much a part of the international rules-based order.\u00a0 \n\nIf either side capitulates, it would be a political earthquake in the Nordic nation. \n\nSFP\/RKP in particular seem like the odd one out in this possible coalition. It's not difficult to find Finns Party MPs who are against compulsory Swedish lessons in all Finnish schools, or who think Swedish-speaking Finns - who make up about 5% of the population - are elites who traditionally hold too much power. And it's not hard to find fringe Finns Party supporters who don't even believe Swedish-speaking Finns are \"real Finns\" at all.\u00a0 \u00a0 \n\n\"I'm not surprised at all at the clashes, but almost dumbfounded to work out why the Swedish People's Party are still in the talks, and actually want to be in government with the Finns Party,\" says an SFP\/RKP member and former ministerial adviser, who asked not to be named.\u00a0 \n\nIs there a bigger political game at play? \n\nSo could the entire negotiations be part of a bigger game for either the Finns Party or SFP\/RKP? \n\nThe Swedish People's Party, part of almost every Finnish government since 1980, were stung when they were left out of the three-party coalition government of 2015. They watched on powerlessly as institutions and programmes which underpin the status of the Swedish language in Finland were defunded or scrapped completely.\u00a0 \n\nSo they've gone into these negotiations, perhaps rather than be left out again - even as they faced a volley of nasty criticism from some Finns Party MPs gaslighting them for being a \"small\" party, one that does not deserve much say in the formation of a government in the first place.\u00a0 \n\nIf SFP\/RKP pulls out of the talks the government formation very likely collapses, so in reality they do hold a lot of power.\u00a0\u00a0 \n\n\"I think that Swedish People's Party leader Anna-Maja Henriksson \u00a0really does mean it when she says we won't go into a government that does Finns Party politics. But I don't know how far she will bend that rhetoric in order to be able to fit in,\" says the SFP\/RKP member, and former ministerial adviser.\u00a0 \n\n\"She wouldn't agree to stop taking immigrants entirely, but maybe instead lower the quota for cost reasons or something, there could be compromises she can live with ideologically,\" they add.\u00a0 \n\nThere's also an idea the Finns Party went into the negotiations with a list of cast iron demands and no real intention to soften their core positions so they can ultimately back out. \n\n\"The Finns Party can say we tried our best, we defended our values, and the others don't see it like this so we quit,\" explains Kimmo Elo , a senior researcher at Turku University's Centre for Parliamentary Studies .\u00a0 \n\n\"They can sell this to their voters as a victory. But what Petter Orpo fears a bit is that they could turn this into growing support among voters, especially if they are in opposition with the Centre Party.\"\u00a0 \n\nAnd what about Kokoomus themselves?\u00a0 \n\nThe idea has been floated that they too, went into the negotiations hopeful the Finns Party would relent on their immigration stance, but knowing they might not.\u00a0 \n\n\"I think the most probable situation is if Orpo says it's not going to work with the Finns Party, they will replace them with the Social Democrats,\" says Elo. \n\n\"They would then have a traditional coalition and send a message to voters, lessons learned, it is not going to work with the Finns Party, as they cannot cooperate with other parties to form a workable majority coalition.\u00a0 \n\n\"The message is: you can vote for them but don't expect it to work with them in government,\" Elo adds.\u00a0 \n\nWhat's the deadline for negotiations to end? \n\nThere are both internal and external pressures on the parties to get an agreement over the line sooner rather than later.\u00a0 \n\nAt this time of year, Finnish politicians want to get everything wrapped up ahead of Midsummer. It is almost inconceivable to imagine any politician sacrificing a weekend at the summer cottage, and the power of that holiday is a strong incentive to reach agreements.\u00a0\u00a0 \n\nThere's also the European Council meeting happening at the end of June. Kokoomus will want to have a government team in place, with ministers and teams of advisers appointed, as a signal to Brussels and the rest of the European Union that Finland is open for business and working smoothly.\u00a0 \n\nThere's domestic pressure too. A recent poll showed only 8% of Swedish People's Party voters want to be in government with the Finns Party, and the pressure will build from their own supporter base. There are cracks already showing within SFP\/RKP, with more than one of their MPs is taking part in the talks under duress. \n\n\"The people who are really upset are constituents. Many of the southern Finland MPs from the Swedish People's Party are going to have constituents and party members complaining if we go into government with the Finns Party. There is a lot of pressure on those MPs already,\" the SFP\/RKP insider explains.\u00a0 \n\nBut it needs at some point proper and decisive leadership from Kokoomus leader Petteri Orpo. If the sides are still so far apart on big important issues and there's no moving forward, it could be time to call the death on this round of negotiations and then reconvene with a Plan B instead. \n\nThen again, either the Finns Party or SFP\/RKP could break first and give up their policy red line positions.\u00a0 \n\nBut if they went into government together big questions would be hanging over them whether they could last the course of the next four years as cooperative, productive stablemates. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>While most of Finland was swept up by the country's <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//culture//2023//05//19//eurovision-bop-cha-cha-cha-becomes-first-finnish-song-to-top-spotify-chart/">rumbunctious Eurovision entry<\/strong><\/a> during May, inside the gilded rooms of the House of the Estates in Helsinki, talks to form a new government were plodding on, going nowhere fast.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Behind the stout wooden doors of this ornate building in the heart of the Finnish capital,\u00a0hundreds of elected politicians, party officials, civil servants and experts have been toiling thanklessly to try and build cohesion among the four parties.\u00a0These discussions have been riven by\u00a0fractious quarrelling, finger-pointing and even gaslighting in\u00a0social media spats.<\/p>\n<p>The main culprits have been the far-right Finns Party, who seem to hold the upper hand at the moment. This week they demanded that discussion on all other matters except immigration and the environment be put on ice. Their rationale: if the right-wing National Coalition Party (known locally as Kokoomus) which won April's general election, and the smaller Swedish People's Party SFP\/RKP capitulate on these biggest roadblocks, then they'll have scored a huge win. Plus the rest of the programme for the next four years of government will be much easier to negotiate.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"7564436,7518220,7512542\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2023//04//27//far-right-party-begins-formal-talks-to-form-finlands-next-government/">Far-right party joins formal talks to form Finland's next government<\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2023//04//08//finland-immigration-eu-policy-and-climate-goals-are-biggest-roadblocks-to-forming-new-gove/">Finland: Immigration, EU policy and climate goals are biggest roadblocks to forming new government<\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2023//04//05//finlands-sanna-marin-to-quit-as-party-leader-following-election-defeat/">Finland's Sanna Marin to quit as party leader following election defeat<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>\"I think that it was to be expected that there would be some heated discussion especially between Finns Party and RKP\/SFP representatives, since these are the two negotiating parties with probably the biggest ideological differences; especially when coupled with a populist style of politics and political communication from the Finns Party's side,\" explains Jenni K\u00e4rim\u00e4ki, a researcher in political history at the <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.helsinki.fi//en/">University of Helsinki<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>K\u00e4rim\u00e4ki tells Euronews that it's also no surprise the relatively inexperienced cohort of Finns Party politicians didn't change their usual style of communication, airing their dirty laundry on social media, rather than keeping the discussions private.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"Many of them have a sizable amount of followers online and they will continue to speak to that audience regardless of their status as MPs of a government negotiating party. Keeping in touch with one's supporters is crucial if one wishes to be re-elected by the same online audience in four years,\" she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//07//59//12//74//808x454_cmsv2_f303480d-459e-51b7-9df6-8355e92dd2a8-7591274.jpg/" alt=\"David Mac Dougall / Euronews\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/12\/74\/384x216_cmsv2_f303480d-459e-51b7-9df6-8355e92dd2a8-7591274.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/12\/74\/640x360_cmsv2_f303480d-459e-51b7-9df6-8355e92dd2a8-7591274.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/12\/74\/750x422_cmsv2_f303480d-459e-51b7-9df6-8355e92dd2a8-7591274.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/12\/74\/828x466_cmsv2_f303480d-459e-51b7-9df6-8355e92dd2a8-7591274.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/12\/74\/1080x608_cmsv2_f303480d-459e-51b7-9df6-8355e92dd2a8-7591274.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/12\/74\/1200x675_cmsv2_f303480d-459e-51b7-9df6-8355e92dd2a8-7591274.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/12\/74\/1920x1080_cmsv2_f303480d-459e-51b7-9df6-8355e92dd2a8-7591274.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">FILE: Exterior of House of the Estates, Helsinki, Finland<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">David Mac Dougall / Euronews<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2>Negotiations among adversaries, not allies<\/h2><p>Finnish politics watchers say these government negotiations are some of the most perplexing they can remember in recent history. This is because the three parties which could form the crux of a new government, are simply incompatible across so many policy areas on paper.<\/p>\n<p>While Kokoomus leader <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//PetteriOrpo/">Petteri Orpo<\/strong><\/a> has been credited for his steady stewardship of the talks, he seems to be pinning all his hopes of forming a government on getting the far-right Finns Party to soften their stance on immigration - which their leader <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//ir_rkp/">Riikka Purra<\/strong><\/a> has indicated just won't fly - as well as on areas of EU policy and fighting the climate crisis.<\/p>\n<p>There's also a gulf on a range of other issues including how to tackle the government's sizeable debt.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For now, the Swedish People's Party seem to be playing a game of political chicken to see who blinks first: either the Finns Party abandons their long-held red lines, or SFP\/RKP\u00a0would throw out their own values-based beliefs. The latter have\u00a0shifted further left in the last four years as part of Sanna Marin's government, especially on immigration, international aid, fighting climate change, and keeping Finland very much a part of the international rules-based order.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If either side capitulates, it would be a political earthquake in the Nordic nation.<\/p>\n<p>SFP\/RKP in particular seem like the odd one out in this possible coalition. It's not difficult to find Finns Party MPs who are against compulsory Swedish lessons in all Finnish schools, or who think Swedish-speaking Finns - who make up about 5% of the population - are elites who traditionally hold too much power. And it's not hard to find fringe Finns Party supporters who don't even believe Swedish-speaking Finns are \"real Finns\" at all.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"I'm not surprised at all at the clashes, but almost dumbfounded to work out why the Swedish People's Party are still in the talks, and actually want to be in government with the Finns Party,\" says an SFP\/RKP member and former ministerial adviser, who asked not to be named.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//07//59//12//74//808x454_cmsv2_6f9c401c-01e8-5468-9dd3-35b63af54873-7591274.jpg/" alt=\"David Mac Dougall / Euronews\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/12\/74\/384x216_cmsv2_6f9c401c-01e8-5468-9dd3-35b63af54873-7591274.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/12\/74\/640x360_cmsv2_6f9c401c-01e8-5468-9dd3-35b63af54873-7591274.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/12\/74\/750x422_cmsv2_6f9c401c-01e8-5468-9dd3-35b63af54873-7591274.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/12\/74\/828x466_cmsv2_6f9c401c-01e8-5468-9dd3-35b63af54873-7591274.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/12\/74\/1080x608_cmsv2_6f9c401c-01e8-5468-9dd3-35b63af54873-7591274.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/12\/74\/1200x675_cmsv2_6f9c401c-01e8-5468-9dd3-35b63af54873-7591274.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/12\/74\/1920x1080_cmsv2_6f9c401c-01e8-5468-9dd3-35b63af54873-7591274.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">FILE: Interior of House of the Estates, Helsinki, Finland<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">David Mac Dougall / Euronews<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2>Is there a bigger political game at play?<\/h2><p>So could the entire negotiations be part of a bigger game for either the Finns Party or SFP\/RKP?<\/p>\n<p>The Swedish People's Party, part of almost every Finnish government since 1980, were stung when they were left out of the three-party coalition government of 2015. They watched on powerlessly as institutions and programmes which underpin the status of the Swedish language in Finland were defunded or scrapped completely.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>So they've gone into these negotiations, perhaps rather than be left out again - even as they faced a volley of nasty criticism from some Finns Party MPs gaslighting them for being a \"small\" party, one that does not deserve much say in the formation of a government in the first place.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If SFP\/RKP pulls out of the talks the government formation very likely collapses, so in reality they do hold a lot of power.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"I think that Swedish People's Party leader <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//anna_maja/">Anna-Maja Henriksson<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0really does mean it when she says we won't go into a government that does Finns Party politics. But I don't know how far she will bend that rhetoric in order to be able to fit in,\" says the SFP\/RKP member, and former ministerial adviser.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"She wouldn't agree to stop taking immigrants entirely, but maybe instead lower the quota for cost reasons or something, there could be compromises she can live with ideologically,\" they add.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//07//59//12//74//808x454_cmsv2_e904c9de-cb41-5c19-9144-235eea317c38-7591274.jpg/" alt=\"AFP\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/12\/74\/384x216_cmsv2_e904c9de-cb41-5c19-9144-235eea317c38-7591274.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/12\/74\/640x360_cmsv2_e904c9de-cb41-5c19-9144-235eea317c38-7591274.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/12\/74\/750x422_cmsv2_e904c9de-cb41-5c19-9144-235eea317c38-7591274.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/12\/74\/828x466_cmsv2_e904c9de-cb41-5c19-9144-235eea317c38-7591274.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/12\/74\/1080x608_cmsv2_e904c9de-cb41-5c19-9144-235eea317c38-7591274.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/12\/74\/1200x675_cmsv2_e904c9de-cb41-5c19-9144-235eea317c38-7591274.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/12\/74\/1920x1080_cmsv2_e904c9de-cb41-5c19-9144-235eea317c38-7591274.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">The Finns Party chair Riikka Purra arrives at Pikkuparlamentti for an official election event following the Finnish parliamentary elections on April 2, 2023, in Helsinki.<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">AFP<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>There's also an idea the Finns Party went into the negotiations with a list of cast iron demands and no real intention to soften their core positions so they can ultimately back out.<\/p>\n<p>\"The Finns Party can say we tried our best, we defended our values, and the others don't see it like this so we quit,\" explains <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//KimmoElo/">Kimmo Elo<\/strong><\/a>, a senior researcher at Turku University's <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.utu.fi//en//university//faculty-of-social-sciences//centre-for-parliamentary-studies/">Centre for Parliamentary Studies<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"They can sell this to their voters as a victory. But what Petter Orpo fears a bit is that they could turn this into growing support among voters, especially if they are in opposition with the Centre Party.\"\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>And what about Kokoomus themselves?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The idea has been floated that they too, went into the negotiations hopeful the Finns Party would relent on their immigration stance, but knowing they might not.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"I think the most probable situation is if Orpo says it's not going to work with the Finns Party, they will replace them with the Social Democrats,\" says Elo.<\/p>\n<p>\"They would then have a traditional coalition and send a message to voters, lessons learned, it is not going to work with the Finns Party, as they cannot cooperate with other parties to form a workable majority coalition.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"The message is: you can vote for them but don't expect it to work with them in government,\" Elo adds.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//07//59//12//74//808x454_cmsv2_92da2ae5-e08b-5c99-a49c-626cbc8af9ec-7591274.jpg/" alt=\"AFP\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/12\/74\/384x216_cmsv2_92da2ae5-e08b-5c99-a49c-626cbc8af9ec-7591274.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/12\/74\/640x360_cmsv2_92da2ae5-e08b-5c99-a49c-626cbc8af9ec-7591274.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/12\/74\/750x422_cmsv2_92da2ae5-e08b-5c99-a49c-626cbc8af9ec-7591274.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/12\/74\/828x466_cmsv2_92da2ae5-e08b-5c99-a49c-626cbc8af9ec-7591274.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/12\/74\/1080x608_cmsv2_92da2ae5-e08b-5c99-a49c-626cbc8af9ec-7591274.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/12\/74\/1200x675_cmsv2_92da2ae5-e08b-5c99-a49c-626cbc8af9ec-7591274.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/12\/74\/1920x1080_cmsv2_92da2ae5-e08b-5c99-a49c-626cbc8af9ec-7591274.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">National Coalition Party chair Petteri Orpo looks on during his election campaign rally in Helsinki, Finland, on April 1, 2023,<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">AFP<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2>What's the deadline for negotiations to end?<\/h2><p>There are both internal and external pressures on the parties to get an agreement over the line sooner rather than later.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>At this time of year, Finnish politicians want to get everything wrapped up ahead of Midsummer. It is almost inconceivable to imagine any politician sacrificing a weekend at the summer cottage, and the power of that holiday is a strong incentive to reach agreements.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>There's also the European Council meeting happening at the end of June. Kokoomus will want to have a government team in place, with ministers and teams of advisers appointed, as a signal to Brussels and the rest of the European Union that Finland is open for business and working smoothly.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>There's domestic pressure too. A recent poll showed only 8% of Swedish People's Party voters want to be in government with the Finns Party, and the pressure will build from their own supporter base. There are cracks already showing within SFP\/RKP, with more than one of their MPs is taking part in the talks under duress.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//07//59//12//74//808x454_cmsv2_1bae4964-5ac4-5ae1-95b8-30608e47d8df-7591274.jpg/" alt=\"David Mac Dougall / Euronews\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/12\/74\/384x216_cmsv2_1bae4964-5ac4-5ae1-95b8-30608e47d8df-7591274.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/12\/74\/640x360_cmsv2_1bae4964-5ac4-5ae1-95b8-30608e47d8df-7591274.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/12\/74\/750x422_cmsv2_1bae4964-5ac4-5ae1-95b8-30608e47d8df-7591274.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/12\/74\/828x466_cmsv2_1bae4964-5ac4-5ae1-95b8-30608e47d8df-7591274.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/12\/74\/1080x608_cmsv2_1bae4964-5ac4-5ae1-95b8-30608e47d8df-7591274.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/12\/74\/1200x675_cmsv2_1bae4964-5ac4-5ae1-95b8-30608e47d8df-7591274.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/12\/74\/1920x1080_cmsv2_1bae4964-5ac4-5ae1-95b8-30608e47d8df-7591274.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">FILE: Swedish People's Party leader Anna-Maja Henriksson, on general election night 2019, Helsinki, Finland<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">David Mac Dougall / Euronews<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>\"The people who are really upset are constituents. Many of the southern Finland MPs from the Swedish People's Party are going to have constituents and party members complaining if we go into government with the Finns Party. There is a lot of pressure on those MPs already,\" the SFP\/RKP insider explains.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But it needs at some point proper and decisive leadership from Kokoomus leader Petteri Orpo. If the sides are still so far apart on big important issues and there's no moving forward, it could be time to call the death on this round of negotiations and then reconvene with a Plan B instead.<\/p>\n<p>Then again, either the Finns Party or SFP\/RKP could break first and give up their policy red line positions.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But if they went into government together big questions would be hanging over them whether they could last the course of the next four years as cooperative, productive stablemates.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1683638789,"publishedAt":1685087750,"updatedAt":1685090957,"expiresAt":0,"canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2023\/05\/26\/immigration-and-environment-keep-finland-government-negotiations-balanced-on-a-knife-edge","images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/12\/74\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_3b184009-97d4-59cd-93a3-fb95862d9c9e-7591274.jpg","altText":"National Coalition Party leader Petteri Orpo (front) and (L-R) Riikka Purra (Finns Party), Anna-Maja Henriksson (SFP\/RKP), Sari Essayah (Christian Democrats)","caption":"National Coalition Party leader Petteri Orpo (front) and (L-R) Riikka Purra (Finns Party), Anna-Maja Henriksson (SFP\/RKP), Sari Essayah (Christian Democrats)","captionCredit":"AP Photo","captionUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/12\/74\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_1bae4964-5ac4-5ae1-95b8-30608e47d8df-7591274.jpg","altText":"FILE: Swedish People's Party leader Anna-Maja Henriksson, on general election night 2019, Helsinki, Finland","caption":"FILE: Swedish People's Party leader Anna-Maja Henriksson, on general election night 2019, Helsinki, Finland","captionCredit":"David Mac Dougall \/ Euronews","captionUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/12\/74\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_92da2ae5-e08b-5c99-a49c-626cbc8af9ec-7591274.jpg","altText":"National Coalition Party chair Petteri Orpo looks on during his election campaign rally in Helsinki, Finland, on April 1, 2023,","caption":"National Coalition Party chair Petteri Orpo looks on during his election campaign rally in Helsinki, Finland, on April 1, 2023,","captionCredit":"AFP","captionUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/12\/74\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_e904c9de-cb41-5c19-9144-235eea317c38-7591274.jpg","altText":"The Finns Party chair Riikka Purra arrives at Pikkuparlamentti for an official election event following the Finnish parliamentary elections on April 2, 2023, in Helsinki. ","caption":"The Finns Party chair Riikka Purra arrives at Pikkuparlamentti for an official election event following the Finnish parliamentary elections on April 2, 2023, in Helsinki. ","captionCredit":"AFP","captionUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/12\/74\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_6f9c401c-01e8-5468-9dd3-35b63af54873-7591274.jpg","altText":"FILE: Interior of House of the Estates, Helsinki, Finland ","caption":"FILE: Interior of House of the Estates, Helsinki, Finland ","captionCredit":"David Mac Dougall \/ Euronews","captionUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/12\/74\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_f303480d-459e-51b7-9df6-8355e92dd2a8-7591274.jpg","altText":"FILE: Exterior of House of the Estates, Helsinki, Finland","caption":"FILE: Exterior of House of the Estates, Helsinki, Finland","captionCredit":"David Mac Dougall \/ Euronews","captionUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900}],"authors":{"journalists":[{"urlSafeValue":"mac-dougall","title":"David Mac Dougall","twitter":"@davidmacdougall"}],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":10529,"slug":"finland-politics","urlSafeValue":"finland-politics","title":"Finland politics","titleRaw":"Finland politics"},{"id":114,"slug":"finland","urlSafeValue":"finland","title":"Finland","titleRaw":"Finland"},{"id":12051,"slug":"government","urlSafeValue":"government","title":"Government","titleRaw":"Government"},{"id":11378,"slug":"far-right","urlSafeValue":"far-right","title":"Far-right","titleRaw":"Far-right"}],"widgets":[{"slug":"image","count":5},{"slug":"related","count":1}],"related":[{"id":2240296},{"id":2252184},{"id":2263686}],"technicalTags":[{"path":"euronews.byenglishwebteam"},{"path":"euronews"}],"video":0,"videos":[],"externalPartners":[],"liveStream":[{"startDate":0,"endDate":0}],"isLiveCoverage":0,"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"freeField2":null,"type":"","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"world news","online":1,"url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/programs\/world"},"vertical":"news","verticals":[{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"themes":[{"id":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World","url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/news\/international"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":1,"urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"isDfp":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":""},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":104,"urlSafeValue":"europe","title":"Europe"},"country":{"id":114,"urlSafeValue":"finland","title":"Finland","url":"\/news\/europe\/finland"},"town":[],"grapeshot":"'gv_safe','gb_safe','pos_equinor','pos_facebook','pos_pmi','pos_ukraine-russia','pos_ukrainecrisis','gs_politics','sm_politics','gs_politics_issues_policy','gs_politics_misc','neg_facebook_2021','custom_politics_brussels','neg_mobkoi_castrol','gt_negative','neg_nespresso','gs_politics_elections','gs_science'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"path":"\/2023\/05\/26\/immigration-and-environment-keep-finland-government-negotiations-balanced-on-a-knife-edge","lastModified":1685090957},{"id":2276768,"cid":7616144,"versionId":1,"archive":0,"housenumber":"230519_C2SU_51709000","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":3},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"Eurovision bop 'Cha Cha Cha' becomes first Finnish song to top Spotify chart","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"'Cha Cha Cha' becomes first Finnish song to top Spotify ranking list","titleListing2":"Eurovision bop 'Cha Cha Cha' becomes first Finnish song to top Spotify chart","leadin":"Spotify ranked the song in the number one spot ahead of Eurovision winner Sweden's Loreen's 'Tattoo', which took the number two spot. ","summary":"Spotify ranked the song in the number one spot ahead of Eurovision winner Sweden's Loreen's 'Tattoo', which took the number two spot. ","url":"eurovision-bop-cha-cha-cha-becomes-first-finnish-song-to-top-spotify-chart","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"For the first time in history, a song written in Finnish has topped the global ranking on Spotify. \n\n'Cha Cha Cha' by\u00a0Finnish rapper and singer K\u00e4\u00e4rij\u00e4 came second in this year's\u00a0Eurovision Song Contest. \n\nIn the final of the international competition, he received 526 votes, with TV viewers contributing 366 of those points. The song has, to date, been\u00a0 streamed over 3 million times on the music streaming platform. \n\nSpotify's\u00a0 Daily Viral Songs Global \u00a0ranked the song in the number one spot ahead of Eurovision winner Sweden's Loreen's 'Tattoo', which took the number two spot.\u00a0 \n\nAustria's\u00a0Teya & Salena's tune 'Who the Hell Is Edgar?' which came\u00a015th in the contest was ranked third on the Spotify ranking\u00a0and Belgium's\u00a0Gustaph's 'Because Of You' which placed seventh at Eurovision, came in ninth place in the streaming ranking. \n\nAccording to\u00a0casino and entertainment site Mr Gamble, Sweden's 'Tattoo\u2019 has logged 60.5 million Spotify streams, making it the\u00a0ninth-most-streamed winning Eurovision song ever. \n\nAlongside Tattoo, Italy\u2019s 'Due Vite' by Marco Mengoni, 'Queen of Kings' by Norway\u2019s Alessandra, 'Cha Cha Cha' and 'Solo' by Poland\u2019s Blanka are the most-streamed songs this year. \n\nItaly\u2019s song has been streamed 50.5 million times, followed by 47.7 million for Norway and 23.9 million for the Finnish tune. \n\nThe Eurovision Song Contest\u2019s most streamed song of all time is the 2019 Dutch winner 'Arcado' by Duncan Laurence, streamed 944 million times to date. \n\nItaly\u2019s 2021 winner, 'Zitti e buoni', by rock band M\u00e5neskin, is second on the list, boasting 389 million plays. \n\nThe Swedish greats Abba are at number 4, with 'Waterloo' logging 242 million streams.\u00a0But, of course, streaming wasn't around in the 1970s, so the band has had quite a lot of catching up to do. \n\nThe top 10 most streamed winning Eurovision songs of all time on Spotify \n\n1. The Netherlands: Arcade by Duncan Laurence (2019 winner) \u2013 944 million plays. \n\n2. Italy: Zitti E Buoni by M\u00e5neskin (2021 winner) \u2013 389 million plays. \n\n3. Norway: Fairytale by Alexander Rybak (2009 winner) \u2013 270 million plays. \n\n4. Sweden: Waterloo by ABBA \u2013 (1974 winner) 242 million plays. \n\n5. Sweden: Euphoria by Loreen (2012 winner) \u2013 148 million plays. \n\n6. Sweden: Heroes by M\u00e5ns Zelmerl\u00f6w (2015 winner) \u2013 147 million plays. \n\n7. Sweden: Toy by Netta (2018 winner) \u2013 101 million plays. \n\n8. Germany: Satellite by Lena (2010 winner) \u2013 73 million plays. \n\n9. Sweden: Tattoo by Loreen (2023 winner) \u2013 60.5 million plays. \n\n10. Finland: Hard Rock Hallelujah by Lordi (2006 winner) \u2013 51 million plays. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>For the first time in history, a song written in Finnish has topped the global ranking on Spotify.<\/p>\n<p>'Cha Cha Cha' by\u00a0Finnish rapper and singer K\u00e4\u00e4rij\u00e4 came second in this year's\u00a0Eurovision Song Contest.<\/p>\n<p>In the final of the international competition, he received 526 votes, with TV viewers contributing 366 of those points. The song has, to date, been\u00a0streamed over 3 million times on the music streaming platform.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-tweet widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio\u2014auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <div class=\"widget__tweet\" data-tweet-id=\"1657973070533914624\"><\/div>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Spotify's\u00a0<a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////charts.spotify.com//charts//view//viral-global-daily//latest/">Daily Viral Songs Global<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0ranked the song in the number one spot ahead of Eurovision winner Sweden's Loreen's 'Tattoo', which took the number two spot.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Austria's\u00a0Teya & Salena's tune 'Who the Hell Is Edgar?' which came\u00a015th in the contest was ranked third on the Spotify ranking\u00a0and Belgium's\u00a0Gustaph's 'Because Of You' which placed seventh at Eurovision, came in ninth place in the streaming ranking.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-youtube-embed\nwidget--size-fullwidth\nwidget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <div class=\"auto widget__ratio widget__ratio--16x9\">\n <iframe type=\"text\/html\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.youtube.com//embed//l6rS8Dv5g-8/" width=\"100%\" loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen seamless>\n <\/iframe>\n <\/div>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>According to\u00a0casino and entertainment site <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.marketwatch.com//story//swedens-loreen-has-earned-more-than-most-eurovision-winners-but-shes-a-long-way-from-waterloo-b5379f30/">Mr Gamble,<\/strong><\/a> Sweden's 'Tattoo\u2019 has logged 60.5 million Spotify streams, making it the\u00a0ninth-most-streamed winning Eurovision song ever.<\/p>\n<p>Alongside Tattoo, Italy\u2019s 'Due Vite' by Marco Mengoni, 'Queen of Kings' by Norway\u2019s Alessandra, 'Cha Cha Cha' and 'Solo' by Poland\u2019s Blanka are the most-streamed songs this year.<\/p>\n<p>Italy\u2019s song has been streamed 50.5 million times, followed by 47.7 million for Norway and 23.9 million for the Finnish tune.<\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"7604962,7605536,7602946\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//culture//2023//05//15//eurovision-blog-united-by-music-and-united-by-praise/">Eurovision blog: United by Music and United by Praise<\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//culture//2023//05//15//six-of-the-best-the-most-memorable-moments-from-eurovision-2023/">Six of the best: The most memorable moments from Eurovision 2023<\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//culture//2023//05//14//loreen-announces-europe-tour-after-eurovision-win/">Sweden's entry Loreen announces Europe tour after Eurovision win<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The Eurovision Song Contest\u2019s most streamed song of all time is the 2019 Dutch winner 'Arcado' by Duncan Laurence, streamed 944 million times to date.<\/p>\n<p>Italy\u2019s 2021 winner, 'Zitti e buoni', by rock band M\u00e5neskin, is second on the list, boasting 389 million plays.<\/p>\n<p>The Swedish greats Abba are at number 4, with 'Waterloo' logging 242 million streams.\u00a0But, of course, streaming wasn't around in the 1970s, so the band has had quite a lot of catching up to do.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The top 10 most streamed winning Eurovision songs of all time on Spotify<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>1. The Netherlands: Arcade by Duncan Laurence (2019 winner) \u2013 944 million plays.<\/p>\n<p>2. Italy: Zitti E Buoni by M\u00e5neskin (2021 winner) \u2013 389 million plays.<\/p>\n<p>3. Norway: Fairytale by Alexander Rybak (2009 winner) \u2013 270 million plays.<\/p>\n<p>4. Sweden: Waterloo by ABBA \u2013 (1974 winner) 242 million plays.<\/p>\n<p>5. Sweden: Euphoria by Loreen (2012 winner) \u2013 148 million plays.<\/p>\n<p>6. Sweden: Heroes by M\u00e5ns Zelmerl\u00f6w (2015 winner) \u2013 147 million plays.<\/p>\n<p>7. Sweden: Toy by Netta (2018 winner) \u2013 101 million plays.<\/p>\n<p>8. Germany: Satellite by Lena (2010 winner) \u2013 73 million plays.<\/p>\n<p>9. Sweden: Tattoo by Loreen (2023 winner) \u2013 60.5 million plays.<\/p>\n<p>10. Finland: Hard Rock Hallelujah by Lordi (2006 winner) \u2013 51 million plays.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1684491840,"publishedAt":1684498153,"updatedAt":1684498160,"expiresAt":0,"canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/culture\/2023\/05\/19\/eurovision-bop-cha-cha-cha-becomes-first-finnish-song-to-top-spotify-chart","images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/61\/61\/44\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_4aef2902-1c11-5256-bfa6-a74554464138-7616144.jpg","altText":"Rapper Kaarija of Finland (R) greets his supporters after arriving from the Eurovision Song Contest 2023","caption":"Rapper Kaarija of Finland (R) greets his supporters after arriving from the Eurovision Song Contest 2023","captionCredit":"KIMMO PENTTINEN\/Lehtikuva","captionUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"height":682}],"authors":{"journalists":[{"urlSafeValue":"dartford","title":"Katy Dartford","twitter":"@cayteye"}],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":27710,"slug":"eurovision-2023","urlSafeValue":"eurovision-2023","title":"Eurovision 2023","titleRaw":"Eurovision 2023"},{"id":13337,"slug":"spotify","urlSafeValue":"spotify","title":"Spotify","titleRaw":"Spotify"},{"id":23236,"slug":"online-free-streaming","urlSafeValue":"online-free-streaming","title":"online free streaming","titleRaw":"online free streaming"}],"widgets":[{"slug":"youtube","count":1},{"slug":"twitter","count":1},{"slug":"related","count":1}],"related":[{"id":2272202},{"id":2273136},{"id":2273312}],"technicalTags":[],"video":0,"videos":[],"externalPartners":[],"liveStream":[{"startDate":0,"endDate":0}],"isLiveCoverage":0,"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"freeField2":null,"type":"","program":{"id":"culture-news","urlSafeValue":"culture-news","title":"Culture news","online":0,"url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/culture\/culture-news\/culture-news"},"vertical":"culture","verticals":[{"id":10,"slug":"culture","urlSafeValue":"culture","title":"Culture"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":10,"slug":"culture","urlSafeValue":"culture","title":"Culture"},"themes":[{"id":"culture-news","urlSafeValue":"culture-news","title":"Culture news","url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/culture\/culture-news"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":53,"urlSafeValue":"culture-news","title":"Culture-news"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"isDfp":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":""},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":104,"urlSafeValue":"europe","title":"Europe"},"country":{"id":114,"urlSafeValue":"finland","title":"Finland","url":"\/news\/europe\/finland"},"town":[],"grapeshot":"'gv_safe','gb_safe','pos_equinor','pos_facebook','pos_pmi','pos_ukraine-russia','pos_ukrainecrisis','gs_entertain_music','gs_entertain','gs_entertain_mus','gs_attractions','gs_attractions_gambling','neg_audi_list1','gs_fineart','gt_positive','castrol_negative_uk','neg_mobkoi_castrol','neg_bucherer'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"path":"\/culture\/2023\/05\/19\/eurovision-bop-cha-cha-cha-becomes-first-finnish-song-to-top-spotify-chart","lastModified":1684498160},{"id":2270238,"cid":7596624,"versionId":7,"archive":0,"housenumber":"230511_NWSU_51593839","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":3},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"Dozens injured, including children, in Finland bridge collapse","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Dozens injured, including children, in Finnish bridge collapse","titleListing2":"\ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddee The incident happend Thursday morning when a group of school children were crossing the temporary construction bridge near a shopping centre in the southern town of Tapiola. ","leadin":"The incident happened Thursday morning when a group of school children were crossing the temporary construction bridge near a shopping centre in the southern town of Tapiola. ","summary":"The incident happened Thursday morning when a group of school children were crossing the temporary construction bridge near a shopping centre in the southern town of Tapiola. ","url":"dozens-injured-including-children-in-finland-bridge-collapse","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Accident investigators say a bridge collapse in Finland's second largest city is the first incident of its kind in the Nordic nation.\u00a0 \n\nMore than two dozen people, most of whom were 8th grade school pupils, were injured when a temporary pedestrian bridge collapsed in the southern Finnish city of Espoo.\u00a0 \n\nPolice said the bridge crossing a construction site in Espoo\u2019s Tapiola neighbourhood collapsed at 09:30 local time. No one was killed, but 27 people were injured, 10 of them seriously.\u00a0 \n\nEspoo lies a few kilometres west of the Finnish capital Helsinki.\u00a0 \n\n\"Several people fell a number of metres as the bridge collapsed,\" police said in a statement . \n\nThe students were on their way to visit a nearby modern art museum, from their school in east Helsinki.\u00a0 \n\nPolice say the \"plywood-based bridge\", which was in use as part of a years-long redevelopment of the original 1950s Tapiola town centre, gave way, and that officers were on site within 10 minutes.\u00a0 \n\nInjured pupils were triaged for about 90 minutes at the scene, with the most serious taken to several local hospitals.\u00a0\u00a0 \n\nRescue services are conducting a technical investigation in the area, where temporary bridges have been in place over the last decade during the extensive construction project. The bridges have plywood sidings, and plywood walkways covered in metal. Finnish media reports that some local residents have complained the temporary bridges felt unsafe to walk on.\u00a0 \n\nLocal authorities said on Thursday that the bridges were given regular inspections, and passed the most recent.\u00a0 \n\nMany of the injured were taken to Helsinki University Hospital, where medical director Eero Hirvensalo said there had been 45 people on the bridge when it gave way, but not everybody fell through to the ground, about five metres below.\u00a0 \n\nMost of the patients taken to hospital were school students born in 2008, although one member of the school staff was also admitted for treatment.\u00a0 \n\nDoctor Hirvensalo told reporters that most of the injuries are to wrists, ankles and thighs, and that everyone who needed surgery was operated on within three hours.\u00a0 \u00a0 \n\nFinnish President Sauli Niinist\u00f6 tweeted : \"Shocking news about an accident in Tapiola. Providing support and help now important.\" \n\n","htmlText":"<p>Accident investigators say a bridge collapse in Finland's second largest city is the first incident of its kind in the Nordic nation.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>More than two dozen people, most of whom were 8th grade school pupils, were injured when a temporary pedestrian bridge collapsed in the southern Finnish city of Espoo.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Police said the bridge crossing a construction site in Espoo\u2019s Tapiola neighbourhood collapsed at 09:30 local time. No one was killed, but 27 people were injured, 10 of them seriously.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Espoo lies a few kilometres west of the Finnish capital Helsinki.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"Several people fell a number of metres as the bridge collapsed,\" police said <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////poliisi.fi//en//-//police-investigating-the-collapse-of-a-bridge-in-espoo/">in a statement<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The students were on their way to visit a nearby modern art museum, from their school in east Helsinki.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.6650390625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//07//59//68//40//808x539_cmsv2_cb36d045-e7ee-555e-a3db-2e434aa7e3df-7596840.jpg/" alt=\"Jussi Nukari/Lehtikuva\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/68\/40\/384x255_cmsv2_cb36d045-e7ee-555e-a3db-2e434aa7e3df-7596840.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/68\/40\/640x426_cmsv2_cb36d045-e7ee-555e-a3db-2e434aa7e3df-7596840.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/68\/40\/750x499_cmsv2_cb36d045-e7ee-555e-a3db-2e434aa7e3df-7596840.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/68\/40\/828x551_cmsv2_cb36d045-e7ee-555e-a3db-2e434aa7e3df-7596840.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/68\/40\/1080x718_cmsv2_cb36d045-e7ee-555e-a3db-2e434aa7e3df-7596840.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/68\/40\/1200x798_cmsv2_cb36d045-e7ee-555e-a3db-2e434aa7e3df-7596840.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/68\/40\/1920x1277_cmsv2_cb36d045-e7ee-555e-a3db-2e434aa7e3df-7596840.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Two dozen people, many of them schoolchildren, were injured when a temporary pedestrian bridge collapsed in the southern Finnish city of Espoo on Thursday, May 11, 2023<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Jussi Nukari/Lehtikuva<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Police say the \"plywood-based bridge\", which was in use as part of a years-long redevelopment of the original 1950s Tapiola town centre, gave way, and that officers were on site within 10 minutes.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Injured pupils were triaged for about 90 minutes at the scene, with the most serious taken to several local hospitals.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Rescue services are conducting a technical investigation in the area, where temporary bridges have been in place over the last decade during the extensive construction project. The bridges have plywood sidings, and plywood walkways covered in metal. Finnish media reports that some local residents have complained the temporary bridges felt unsafe to walk on.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Local authorities said on Thursday that the bridges were given regular inspections, and passed the most recent.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Many of the injured were taken to Helsinki University Hospital, where medical director Eero Hirvensalo said there had been 45 people on the bridge when it gave way, but not everybody fell through to the ground, about five metres below.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Most of the patients taken to hospital were school students born in 2008, although one member of the school staff was also admitted for treatment.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Doctor Hirvensalo told reporters that most of the injuries are to wrists, ankles and thighs, and that everyone who needed surgery was operated on within three hours.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Finnish President <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//niinisto//status//1656576344942149632/">Sauli Niinist\u00f6 tweeted<\/strong><\/a>: \"Shocking news about an accident in Tapiola. Providing support and help now important.\"<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1683798272,"publishedAt":1683799767,"updatedAt":1684258818,"expiresAt":0,"canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2023\/05\/11\/dozens-injured-including-children-in-finland-bridge-collapse","images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/66\/24\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_8c847b37-6a73-5acf-a72b-8d18ed41dbd2-7596624.jpg","altText":"Two dozen people, many of them schoolchildren, were injured when a temporary pedestrian bridge collapsed in the southern Finnish city of Espoo on Thursday, May 11, 2023","caption":"Two dozen people, many of them schoolchildren, were injured when a temporary pedestrian bridge collapsed in the southern Finnish city of Espoo on Thursday, May 11, 2023","captionCredit":"AP Photo","captionUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900}],"authors":{"journalists":[{"urlSafeValue":"mac-dougall","title":"David Mac Dougall","twitter":"@davidmacdougall"}],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":114,"slug":"finland","urlSafeValue":"finland","title":"Finland","titleRaw":"Finland"},{"id":12073,"slug":"children","urlSafeValue":"children","title":"Children","titleRaw":"Children"},{"id":16578,"slug":"hospital","urlSafeValue":"hospital","title":"hospital","titleRaw":"hospital"}],"widgets":[{"slug":"image","count":1}],"related":[{"id":2270296},{"id":2270458}],"technicalTags":[{"path":"euronews.byenglishwebteam"},{"path":"euronews"}],"video":1,"videos":[],"externalPartners":{"youtubeId":"qyNtCwK-oj4"},"liveStream":[{"startDate":0,"endDate":0}],"isLiveCoverage":0,"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":"Associated Press","additionalSources":"","additionalReporting":"","freeField1":"","freeField2":null,"type":"","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"world news","online":1,"url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/programs\/world"},"vertical":"news","verticals":[{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"themes":[{"id":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World","url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/news\/international"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":1,"urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"isDfp":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":""},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":104,"urlSafeValue":"europe","title":"Europe"},"country":{"id":114,"urlSafeValue":"finland","title":"Finland","url":"\/news\/europe\/finland"},"town":[],"grapeshot":"'neg_mobkoi_castrol','castrol_negative_uk','gv_death_injury','neg_nespresso','neg_facebook','neg_facebook_2021','neg_umw_fs_12oct202','gb_death_injury_news-ent','neg_bucherer','pos_equinor','pos_facebook','pos_ukraine-russia','gs_health','gt_negative','gs_education','gb_death_injury_edu','gs_education_misc'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"path":"\/2023\/05\/11\/dozens-injured-including-children-in-finland-bridge-collapse","lastModified":1684258818},{"id":2269632,"cid":7594906,"versionId":5,"archive":0,"housenumber":"230510_NWSU_51584528","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":3},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin files for divorce","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin files for divorce","titleListing2":"\ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddee Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin files for divorce from teen sweetheart husband.","leadin":"Marin became prime minister at the end of 2019, and married her teenage sweetheart Markus R\u00e4ikk\u00f6nen in summer 2020. ","summary":"Marin became prime minister at the end of 2019, and married her teenage sweetheart Markus R\u00e4ikk\u00f6nen in summer 2020. ","url":"finnish-prime-minister-sanna-marin-files-for-divorce","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Finland's Prime Minister Sanna Marin has announced that she and her husband, Markus R\u00e4ikk\u00f6nen, are filing for divorce.\u00a0 \n\nThe pair posted the news, separately, on their Instagram accounts on Wednesday afternoon.\u00a0 \n\n\"We have filed for divorce together. We are grateful for 19 years together and for our beloved daughter,\" the PM wrote.\u00a0 \n\nThe couple say they remain the best of friends, and will \"continue to spend time together as a family and with each other.\"\u00a0 \n\nMarin and R\u00e4ikk\u00f6nen were married in August 2020, and have a 5-year-old daughter together. The wedding, at the PM's official residence in Helsinki, came as a surprise during a COVID-19 lockdown respite in Finland.\u00a0 \n\nHowever, her private life hit the headlines in late summer 2022 when video of Marin dancing closely with a Finnish musician went viral. At one point he appears to lean down and kiss her neck, but Marin dismissed the incident, saying that she had done nothing inappropriate.\u00a0 \n\nMarin was officially cleared of any wrongdoing \u00a0in an investigation, following a number of complaints about her behaviour, and after taking a drug test which came back negative.\u00a0 \n\nFinland's Chancellor of Justice said in November that he had \"no reason to suspect the prime minister of illegal conduct in the minister's official position or neglect of duty.\"\u00a0 \n\nMarin's political future unclear \n\nDespite gaining more votes and picking up three extra seats in April's general election, Marin's Social Democrats came third in the poll behind two right-wing parties.\u00a0 \n\nSoon after, she announced that she would no longer continue as party chairperson, and will step down from the role in September.\u00a0 \n\nMarin has indicated that, in the short term at least, she will continue as a backbench MP.\u00a0 \n\nShe currently leads a caretaker government, while negotiations to form a new administration are held between four other parties. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>Finland's Prime Minister <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"http:////www.twitter.com//marinsanna/">Sanna Marin<\/strong><\/a> has announced that she and her husband, Markus R\u00e4ikk\u00f6nen, are filing for divorce.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The pair posted the news, separately, on their Instagram accounts on Wednesday afternoon.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"We have filed for divorce together. We are grateful for 19 years together and for our beloved daughter,\" the PM wrote.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The couple say they remain the best of friends, and will \"continue to spend time together as a family and with each other.\"\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Marin and R\u00e4ikk\u00f6nen were married in August 2020, and have a 5-year-old daughter together. The wedding, at the PM's official residence in Helsinki, came as a surprise during a COVID-19 lockdown respite in Finland.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>However, her private life hit the headlines in late summer 2022 when video of Marin dancing closely with a Finnish musician went viral. At one point he appears to lean down and kiss her neck, but Marin dismissed the incident, saying that she had done nothing inappropriate.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-youtube-embed\nwidget--size-fullwidth\nwidget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <div class=\"auto widget__ratio widget__ratio--16x9\">\n <iframe type=\"text\/html\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.youtube.com//embed//T3KvlSDgHx4/" width=\"100%\" loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen seamless>\n <\/iframe>\n <\/div>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Marin was officially <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2022//11//04//finland-prime-minister-sanna-marin-cleared-of-wrongdoing-over-summer-partygate-videos/">cleared of any wrongdoing<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0in an investigation, following a number of complaints about her behaviour, and after taking a drug test which came back negative.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Finland's Chancellor of Justice said in November that he had \"no reason to suspect the prime minister of illegal conduct in the minister's official position or neglect of duty.\"\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Marin's political future unclear<\/h2><p>Despite gaining more votes and picking up three extra seats in April's general election, Marin's Social Democrats came third in the poll behind two right-wing parties.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Soon after, she announced that she would no longer continue as party chairperson, and will step down from the role in September.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Marin has indicated that, in the short term at least, she will continue as a backbench MP.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>She currently leads a caretaker government, while negotiations to form a new administration are held between four other parties.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1683731526,"publishedAt":1683737738,"updatedAt":1684334607,"expiresAt":0,"canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2023\/05\/10\/finnish-prime-minister-sanna-marin-files-for-divorce","images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/49\/06\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_62001888-e616-5c86-ae7b-09abba3e178e-7594906.jpg","altText":"FILE: Finland's Prime Minister Sanna Marin speaks with the media as she arrives for an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, March 23, 2023.","caption":"FILE: Finland's Prime Minister Sanna Marin speaks with the media as she arrives for an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, March 23, 2023.","captionCredit":"AP Photo","captionUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900}],"authors":{"journalists":[{"urlSafeValue":"mac-dougall","title":"David Mac Dougall","twitter":"@davidmacdougall"}],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":10529,"slug":"finland-politics","urlSafeValue":"finland-politics","title":"Finland politics","titleRaw":"Finland politics"},{"id":114,"slug":"finland","urlSafeValue":"finland","title":"Finland","titleRaw":"Finland"},{"id":22138,"slug":"sanna-marin","urlSafeValue":"sanna-marin","title":"Sanna Marin","titleRaw":"Sanna Marin"}],"widgets":[{"slug":"youtube","count":1}],"related":[{"id":2137500},{"id":2211664},{"id":2241648}],"technicalTags":[{"path":"euronews.byenglishwebteam"},{"path":"euronews"}],"video":0,"videos":[],"externalPartners":[],"liveStream":[{"startDate":0,"endDate":0}],"isLiveCoverage":0,"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"freeField2":null,"type":"","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"world news","online":1,"url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/programs\/world"},"vertical":"news","verticals":[{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"themes":[{"id":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World","url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/news\/international"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":1,"urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"isDfp":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":""},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":104,"urlSafeValue":"europe","title":"Europe"},"country":{"id":114,"urlSafeValue":"finland","title":"Finland","url":"\/news\/europe\/finland"},"town":[],"grapeshot":"'gv_safe','gb_safe','pos_equinor','pos_facebook','pos_pmi','pos_ukraine-russia','gs_politics','sm_politics','gs_politics_issues_policy','gs_politics_misc','gt_negative','neg_facebook','castrol_negative_uk','neg_mobkoi_castrol','gs_family','gs_society','neg_facebook_2021','neg_saudiaramco','gs_family_divorce','gs_politics_elections','gs_politics_british','gt_negative_sadness'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"path":"\/2023\/05\/10\/finnish-prime-minister-sanna-marin-files-for-divorce","lastModified":1684334607},{"id":2268518,"cid":7591234,"versionId":4,"archive":0,"housenumber":"230509_HLSU_51565897","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":3},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"Gut bacteria may hold the key to preventing Parkinson's disease, say Finnish scientists","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Gut bacteria is the probable cause of Parkinson's, Finnish study finds","titleListing2":"Gut bacteria may hold the key to preventing Parkinson's disease, say Finnish scientists","leadin":"Doctors could soon be running screenings looking for the Parkinson-associated bacteria and subsequently remove it from the gut.","summary":"Doctors could soon be running screenings looking for the Parkinson-associated bacteria and subsequently remove it from the gut.","url":"gut-bacteria-may-hold-the-key-to-preventing-parkinsons-disease-say-finnish-scientists","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Alzheimer\u2019s, depression and obesity are all diseases that could potentially be prevented, if not treated, by the right balance of bacteria, fungi and virus that live naturally in our guts \u2013 known as the \u201cgut microbiome\u201d. \n\nNow, Finnish scientists say they have found that certain strains of gut bacteria are also the probable cause of Parkinson's disease. \n\nA common age-related neurodegenerative disorder, Parkinson\u2019s causes unintended or uncontrollable movements and affects some eight million people worldwide. But despite more than 200 years of research, its underlying causes are not fully understood. \n\nThanks to microbiome research, however, the enigma has finally been enlightened. \n\n\u201cParkinson\u2019s is primarily caused by environmental factors, that is, environmental exposure to the Desulfovibrio bacterial strains, and only a small share, roughly 10 per cent, is caused by individual genes,\u201d said Professor Per Saris, lead researcher, from the University of Helsinki, in a statement. \n\nPrevious research by Saris\u2019 team had already determined that the Desulfovibrio (DSV) bacteria - a type of bacteria that absorbs toxic sulfate - was more prevalent and abundant in quantity in Parkison\u2019s disease patients, especially those experiencing more severe symptoms, when compared with healthy individuals. \n\nHowever, it had not been investigated how the bacteria played a role in the disease\u2019s development. \n\nBut the team\u2019s most recent experiments published in the scientific journal Frontier - which compared faecal samples from 10 Parkinson\u2019s patients and their healthy spouses - have confirmed the hypothesis. \n\nSaris\u2019 team found that DSV bacteria enhance the aggregation of a neuronal protein called alpha-synuclein - a protein that is found primarily in neurons in the brain - which is a hallmark of the disease. \n\nLast year, a 72-year-old Scottish woman named Joy Milne accidentally provided a significant breakthrough in the detection of Parkinson\u2019s. \n\nShe had noticed that her husband's smell changed 12 years before his diagnosis with Parkinson's, noting he had developed a musky scent, different from his usual scent. \n\nA team at the University of Manchester then harnessed her power and discovered that Parkinson\u2019s disease does indeed have a particular odour. \n\nAnd with Milne\u2019s help, they developed a test that could determine in just three minutes whether someone has the disease. \n\nSaris says Milne\u2019s discovery is aligned with his own team\u2019s discoveries. \n\n\u201cThere were a few studies about what compounds were causing the smell and I checked if the Desulfovibrio bacteria had the capacity to produce these compounds, and guess what was the result? Yes, they can, no surprise,\u201d he told Euronews Next. \n\nFor years, patients and doctors have signalled intestinal problems as a possible indicator of Parkison\u2019s disease. \n\n\u201cPeople have reported experiencing constipation months before the symptoms first come in, and for a long time, this has had people thinking there might be a toxin or bacteria that was initiating the development towards Parkinson's disease,\u201d Saris said. \n\nHis team\u2019s findings appear to confirm that theory, while also providing an opportunity \u201cto identify those with high numbers of bacteria in their intestine, and then determine who would be at risk of developing Parkison\u2019s in ten or 20 years\u201d. \n\nSaris also hopes doctors could conduct screenings to detect the Parkinson-associated bacteria - and subsequently remove it from the gut, \u201cpotentially alleviating and slowing the symptoms of patients with Parkinson\u2019s disease\u201d. \n\n\u201cWe already developed a method to kind of easily detect if you have a lot of Desulfovibrio in your faeces,\u201d he notes. \n\nWhere does the Desulfovibrio come from? \n\n\u201cMany people have this strain in their intestines,\u201d said Saris. \n\n\u201cIt is in the environment, in the soil, in the water, and also in foods. We basically eat them every day, but in a normal situation, they don't grow to very high numbers. Also, in a normal situation, you have this nitrogen sulfide detoxification enzyme that will keep you healthy\u201d. \n\nSaris says they are still running tests to determine which are the best foods to inhibit the development of the Desulfovibrio strains. However, he recommends \u201ca more vegetarian-based diet, with a good amount of fibre\u201d. \n\n\u201cIt's known that there is a correlation between meat consumption and Parkinson's disease,\u201d he noted. \n\nThe Finnish scientist also recommends avoiding any behaviour that causes a risk of inflammation in the intestines, \u201cand that means, if possible, no stress,\u201d he says. \n\n\u201cBe loved and love somebody, go into nature, be in contact with microbes in the forest and in contact with animals,\u201d he advises, assuring that in conjunction with a good diet, it \u201cwill help the intestine avoid a state of inflammation\u201d. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>Alzheimer\u2019s, depression and obesity are all diseases that could potentially be prevented, if not treated, by the right balance of bacteria, fungi and virus that live naturally in our guts \u2013 known as the \u201cgut microbiome\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Now, Finnish scientists say they have found that certain strains of gut bacteria are also the probable cause of Parkinson's disease.<\/p>\n<p>A common age-related neurodegenerative disorder, Parkinson\u2019s causes unintended or uncontrollable movements and affects some eight million people worldwide. But despite more than 200 years of research, its underlying causes are not fully understood.<\/p>\n<p>Thanks to microbiome research, however, the enigma has finally been enlightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cParkinson\u2019s is primarily caused by environmental factors, that is, environmental exposure to the Desulfovibrio bacterial strains, and only a small share, roughly 10 per cent, is caused by individual genes,\u201d said Professor Per Saris, lead researcher, from the University of Helsinki, in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>Previous research by Saris\u2019 team had already determined that the Desulfovibrio (DSV) bacteria - a type of bacteria that absorbs toxic sulfate - was more prevalent and abundant in quantity in Parkison\u2019s disease patients, especially those experiencing more severe symptoms, when compared with healthy individuals.<\/p>\n<p>However, it had not been investigated how the bacteria played a role in the disease\u2019s development.<\/p>\n<p>But the team\u2019s most recent experiments published in the scientific journal Frontier - which compared faecal samples from 10 Parkinson\u2019s patients and their healthy spouses - have confirmed the hypothesis.<\/p>\n<p>Saris\u2019 team found that DSV bacteria enhance the aggregation of a neuronal protein called alpha-synuclein - a protein that is found primarily in neurons in the brain - which is a hallmark of the disease.<\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"7578828\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//next//2023//05//04//alzheimers-hope-as-new-drug-appears-to-slow-worsening-of-the-disease/">New hope as experimental Alzheimer's drug appears to slow worsening of the disease by a third<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Last year, a 72-year-old Scottish woman named Joy Milne accidentally provided a significant breakthrough in the detection of Parkinson\u2019s.<\/p>\n<p>She had noticed that her husband's smell changed 12 years before his diagnosis with Parkinson's, noting he had developed a musky scent, different from his usual scent.<\/p>\n<p>A team at the University of Manchester then harnessed her power and discovered that Parkinson\u2019s disease does indeed have a particular odour.<\/p>\n<p>And with Milne\u2019s help, they developed a test that could determine in just three minutes whether someone has the disease.<\/p>\n<p>Saris says Milne\u2019s discovery is aligned with his own team\u2019s discoveries.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere were a few studies about what compounds were causing the smell and I checked if the Desulfovibrio bacteria had the capacity to produce these compounds, and guess what was the result? Yes, they can, no surprise,\u201d he told Euronews Next.<\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"7000562\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//next//2022//09//07//woman-who-can-smell-parkinsons-disease-helps-scientists-develop-3-minute-skin-swab-test/">Woman who can \u2018smell\u2019 Parkinson\u2019s disease helps scientists develop 3-minute skin swab test<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>For years, patients and doctors have signalled intestinal problems as a possible indicator of Parkison\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople have reported experiencing constipation months before the symptoms first come in, and for a long time, this has had people thinking there might be a toxin or bacteria that was initiating the development towards Parkinson's disease,\u201d Saris said.<\/p>\n<p>His team\u2019s findings appear to confirm that theory, while also providing an opportunity \u201cto identify those with high numbers of bacteria in their intestine, and then determine who would be at risk of developing Parkison\u2019s in ten or 20 years\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Saris also hopes doctors could conduct screenings to detect the Parkinson-associated bacteria - and subsequently remove it from the gut, \u201cpotentially alleviating and slowing the symptoms of patients with Parkinson\u2019s disease\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe already developed a method to kind of easily detect if you have a lot of Desulfovibrio in your faeces,\u201d he notes.<\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"7227890\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//next//2022//12//02//the-first-poo-transplant-treatment-has-been-approved-in-the-us-how-does-faecal-therapy-wor/">The first poo transplant treatment has been approved in the US. How does faecal therapy work?<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2>Where does the Desulfovibrio come from?<\/h2><p>\u201cMany people have this strain in their intestines,\u201d said Saris.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is in the environment, in the soil, in the water, and also in foods. We basically eat them every day, but in a normal situation, they don't grow to very high numbers. Also, in a normal situation, you have this nitrogen sulfide detoxification enzyme that will keep you healthy\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Saris says they are still running tests to determine which are the best foods to inhibit the development of the Desulfovibrio strains. However, he recommends \u201ca more vegetarian-based diet, with a good amount of fibre\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt's known that there is a correlation between meat consumption and Parkinson's disease,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n<p>The Finnish scientist also recommends avoiding any behaviour that causes a risk of inflammation in the intestines, \u201cand that means, if possible, no stress,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBe loved and love somebody, go into nature, be in contact with microbes in the forest and in contact with animals,\u201d he advises, assuring that in conjunction with a good diet, it \u201cwill help the intestine avoid a state of inflammation\u201d.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1683638380,"publishedAt":1683641752,"updatedAt":1683663368,"expiresAt":0,"canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/next\/2023\/05\/09\/gut-bacteria-may-hold-the-key-to-preventing-parkinsons-disease-say-finnish-scientists","images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/59\/12\/34\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_7d728255-b4d8-5e77-bd63-107b455741a1-7591234.jpg","altText":"Finish scientists say they have found that certain strains of gut bacteria are also the probable cause of Parkinson's disease.","caption":"Finish scientists say they have found that certain strains of gut bacteria are also the probable cause of Parkinson's disease.","captionCredit":"Euronews","captionUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900}],"authors":{"journalists":[{"urlSafeValue":"bello","title":"Camille Bello","twitter":"@CamilleBelloD"}],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":139,"slug":"health","urlSafeValue":"health","title":"Health","titleRaw":"Health"},{"id":16398,"slug":"parkinson","urlSafeValue":"parkinson","title":"Parkinson's disease","titleRaw":"Parkinson's disease"},{"id":23336,"slug":"microbiolog","urlSafeValue":"microbiolog","title":"microbiolog","titleRaw":"microbiolog"},{"id":7226,"slug":"biology","urlSafeValue":"biology","title":"Biology","titleRaw":"Biology"},{"id":17760,"slug":"bacteria","urlSafeValue":"bacteria","title":"bacteria","titleRaw":"bacteria"},{"id":14626,"slug":"medical-sciences","urlSafeValue":"medical-sciences","title":"Medical Sciences","titleRaw":"Medical Sciences"}],"widgets":[{"slug":"related","count":3}],"related":[{"id":1600810},{"id":2253898},{"id":2258138}],"technicalTags":[],"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":{"quotation":null,"description":null,"author":null},"survey":[],"tweetId":null,"tweet2NdId":null,"contentType":null,"displayOverlay":0},"displayType":"default","video":0,"videos":[],"externalPartners":[],"liveStream":[{"startDate":0,"endDate":0}],"isLiveCoverage":0,"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"freeField2":null,"type":"","program":{"id":"health","urlSafeValue":"health","title":"Health","online":0,"url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/next\/health\/health"},"vertical":"next","verticals":[{"id":9,"slug":"next","urlSafeValue":"next","title":"Next"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":9,"slug":"next","urlSafeValue":"next","title":"Next"},"themes":[{"id":"health","urlSafeValue":"health","title":"Health","url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/next\/health"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":43,"urlSafeValue":"health","title":"Health"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"isDfp":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":""},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":104,"urlSafeValue":"europe","title":"Europe"},"country":{"id":114,"urlSafeValue":"finland","title":"Finland","url":"\/news\/europe\/finland"},"town":[],"grapeshot":"'gv_safe','gb_safe','pos_equinor','pos_facebook','pos_pmi','pos_ukraine-russia','pos_ukrainecrisis','gs_health','gs_health_misc','gs_healthylvng','gs_health_specialities','gs_science','gt_positive','gs_health_digestive','castrol_negative_uk','neg_mobkoi_castrol','neg_facebook_2021','gs_healthylvng_senior','gs_health_diet','neg_intel_en','neg_mobkoi_feb2023','gt_positive_curiosity'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"path":"\/next\/2023\/05\/09\/gut-bacteria-may-hold-the-key-to-preventing-parkinsons-disease-say-finnish-scientists","lastModified":1683663368},{"id":2263686,"cid":7576980,"versionId":7,"archive":0,"housenumber":"230503_NWSU_51480793","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":3},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"Zelenskyy in Finland: 'This year will be decisive for victory\"","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Zelenskyy in Finland: 'This year will be decisive for victory\"","titleListing2":"\ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 Ukraine's President Zelenskyy makes surprise visit to Finland for Nordic summit","leadin":"After morning talks with the Finnish President, Zelenskyy will meet with other Nordic leaders during Wednesday afternoon.","summary":"After morning talks with the Finnish President, Zelenskyy will meet with other Nordic leaders during Wednesday afternoon.","url":"ukraines-president-zelenskyy-makes-surprise-visit-to-finland-for-nordic-summit","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that 2023 will be \"decisive for victory\" as his country continues to battle a full-scale Russian invasion.\u00a0 \n\nZelenskyy is making a rare foreign visit to Finland for meetings with Nordic leaders, at a summit hosted by Finnish President Sauli Niinist\u00f6.\u00a0 \n\nAt a Wednesday lunchtime press conference, Zelenskyy said he was working with Finland and other Nordic partners on more military aid packages -- which he described as \"crucial\" -- and a new round of sanctions which he said the Kremlin was \"constantly trying to evade.\"\u00a0\u00a0 \n\nBefore he left Kyiv, Zelenskyy released a video Tuesday evening where he said that Ukraine was \"closely monitoring how the\u00a0 terrorist state [Russia] is trying to circumvent sanctions, recording each such direction, and working together with our partners to block it.\"\u00a0 \n\n\"We are preparing a large sanctions package. The decision will be made soon,\" he added. He also said that he believed this year would be \"decisive for victory\" as Ukrainian forces plan for a much-anticipated counteroffensive against entrenched Russian forces.\u00a0 \n\nIn Helsinki,\u00a0 Zelenskyy referenced Finland's Winter War against Russia in 1939-1940, when it was faced with an opponent of overwhelming size, but still somehow managed to defeat the might of the Russian forces. Zelenskyy said it was an \"historic winter fight for freedom\" which he compared to \"our brave fight now\" in Ukraine.\u00a0 \n\nWhat else is happening during the visit?\u00a0 \n\nPresident Zelenskyy arrived in Helsinki on a surprise visit during Wednesday morning. \n\nDespite the short notice, there were still quite many people at the side of the road cheering as his motorcade swept through the city. On a brief walkabout outside the Presidential Palace with Niinist\u00f6, Zelenskyy gave a thumbs up to well-wishers who had gathered to show their support.\u00a0 \n\nThe visit of President Zelenskyy to Finland is being hosted by President Sauli Niinist\u00f6 , who takes the lead on foreign policy issues. The pair already hald bilateral talks late Wednesday morning, and were set to talk about \"Ukraine's defence struggle,\" as well as Finnish support for Ukraine and bilateral relations, according to a statement from the president's office.\u00a0 \n\n\nZelenskyy is then attending a working lunch with outgoing Prime Minister Sanna Marin and Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto , and he'll also meet the incoming prime minister, Petteri Orpo who is currently holding talks on forming a new government after April's election.\u00a0 \n\nDuring t he afternoon,\u00a0President Niinist\u00f6 will host a Nordic-Ukrainian Summit, which will be attended by Zelenskyy as well as Swedish PM Ulf Kristersson, Norway's PM Jonas Gahr St\u00f8re, Danish PM Mette Frederiksen, and the prime minister of Iceland Katr\u00edn Jakobsd\u00f3ttir. \n\nThe afternoon summit will discuss \"the situation of Russia\u2019s war of aggression in Ukraine, the Nordic countries\u2019 continued support for Ukraine, the developments in Ukraine\u2019s relationship with EU and NATO and Ukraine\u2019s initiative for a just peace,\" according to Niinist\u00f6's office.\u00a0 \n\nEach of the Nordic prime ministers will have the chance to have a bilateral meeting with Zelenskyy as well, and will take part in a joint press conference at the end of the day in Helsinki. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that 2023 will be \"decisive for victory\" as his country continues to battle a full-scale Russian invasion.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Zelenskyy is making a rare foreign visit to Finland for meetings with Nordic leaders, at a summit hosted by Finnish President Sauli Niinist\u00f6.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>At a Wednesday lunchtime press conference, Zelenskyy said he was working with Finland and other Nordic partners on more military aid packages -- which he described as \"crucial\" -- and a new round of sanctions which he said the Kremlin was \"constantly trying to evade.\"\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Before he left Kyiv, Zelenskyy <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//ZelenskyyUa//status//1653460654487945225/">released a video<\/strong><\/a> Tuesday evening where he said that Ukraine was \"closely monitoring how the\u00a0terrorist state [Russia] is trying to circumvent sanctions, recording each such direction, and working together with our partners to block it.\"\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"We are preparing a large sanctions package. The decision will be made soon,\" he added. He also said that he believed this year would be \"decisive for victory\" as Ukrainian forces plan for a much-anticipated counteroffensive against entrenched Russian forces.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In Helsinki,\u00a0Zelenskyy referenced Finland's Winter War against Russia in 1939-1940, when it was faced with an opponent of overwhelming size, but still somehow managed to defeat the might of the Russian forces. Zelenskyy said it was an \"historic winter fight for freedom\" which he compared to \"our brave fight now\" in Ukraine.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-tweet widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio\u2014auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <div class=\"widget__tweet\" data-tweet-id=\"1653708521815375872\"><\/div>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2>What else is happening during the visit?<\/h2><p>President Zelenskyy arrived in Helsinki on a surprise visit during Wednesday morning.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the short notice, there were still quite many people at the side of the road cheering as his motorcade swept through the city. On a brief walkabout outside the Presidential Palace with Niinist\u00f6, Zelenskyy gave a thumbs up to well-wishers who had gathered to show their support.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The visit of President Zelenskyy to Finland is being hosted by President <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//niinisto/">Sauli Niinist\u00f6<\/strong><\/a>, who takes the lead on foreign policy issues. The pair already hald bilateral talks late Wednesday morning, and were set to talk about \"Ukraine's defence struggle,\" as well as Finnish support for Ukraine and bilateral relations, according to a <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.presidentti.fi//en//press-release//president-niinisto-to-host-the-official-visit-of-the-president-of-ukraine-and-the-nordic-ukrainian-summit-in-helsinki///">statement from the president's office. <\/p>\n<p>Zelenskyy is then attending a working lunch with outgoing Prime Minister <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//MarinSanna/">Sanna Marin<\/strong><\/a> and Foreign Minister <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//Haavisto/">Pekka Haavisto<\/strong><\/a>, and he'll also meet the incoming prime minister, <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//PetteriOrpo/">Petteri Orpo<\/strong><\/a> who is currently <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2023//04//27//far-right-party-begins-formal-talks-to-form-finlands-next-government/">holding talks<\/strong><\/a> on forming a new government after April's election.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>During the afternoon,\u00a0President Niinist\u00f6 will host a Nordic-Ukrainian Summit, which will be attended by Zelenskyy as well as Swedish PM Ulf Kristersson, Norway's PM Jonas Gahr St\u00f8re, Danish PM Mette Frederiksen, and the prime minister of Iceland Katr\u00edn Jakobsd\u00f3ttir.<\/p>\n<p>The afternoon summit will discuss \"the situation of Russia\u2019s war of aggression in Ukraine, the Nordic countries\u2019 continued support for Ukraine, the developments in Ukraine\u2019s relationship with EU and NATO and Ukraine\u2019s initiative for a just peace,\" according to Niinist\u00f6's office.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Each of the Nordic prime ministers will have the chance to have a bilateral meeting with Zelenskyy as well, and will take part in a joint press conference at the end of the day in Helsinki.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1683104718,"publishedAt":1683105547,"updatedAt":1683144007,"expiresAt":0,"canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2023\/05\/03\/ukraines-president-zelenskyy-makes-surprise-visit-to-finland-for-nordic-summit","images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/57\/69\/80\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_ddb4a1d2-982e-5b64-a62c-f17b8cd1bb4f-7576980.jpg","altText":"Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (L) and Finnish President Sauli Niinist\u00f6 (R) at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland, Wednesday, May 3, 2023","caption":"Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (L) and Finnish President Sauli Niinist\u00f6 (R) at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland, Wednesday, May 3, 2023","captionCredit":"AP Photo","captionUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/57\/69\/80\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_7cf1e532-6ba5-5154-bbfb-6a143f0e8916-7576980.jpg","altText":"Finnish President Sauli Niinisto (R) meets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland, on May 3, 2023.","caption":"Finnish President Sauli Niinisto (R) meets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland, on May 3, 2023.","captionCredit":"AFP","captionUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/57\/69\/84\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_d0aebe84-89f4-57ef-b9cf-acc3e074e41c-7576984.jpg","altText":null,"caption":null,"captionCredit":"EMMI KORHONEN\/Lehtikuva","captionUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1024,"height":682}],"authors":{"journalists":[{"urlSafeValue":"mac-dougall","title":"David Mac Dougall","twitter":"@davidmacdougall"}],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":11940,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"news","titleRaw":"news"},{"id":114,"slug":"finland","urlSafeValue":"finland","title":"Finland","titleRaw":"Finland"},{"id":19400,"slug":"volodymyr-zelensky","urlSafeValue":"volodymyr-zelensky","title":"Volodymyr Zelenskyy","titleRaw":"Volodymyr Zelenskyy"},{"id":27848,"slug":"ukraine-russia-war","urlSafeValue":"ukraine-russia-war","title":"Ukraine Russia war","titleRaw":"Ukraine Russia war"},{"id":26698,"slug":"russia-ukraine-invasion","urlSafeValue":"russia-ukraine-invasion","title":"Russia-Ukraine invasion","titleRaw":"Russia-Ukraine invasion"}],"widgets":[{"slug":"twitter","count":1}],"related":[],"technicalTags":[{"path":"euronews.byenglishwebteam"},{"path":"euronews"}],"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":{"quotation":null,"description":null,"author":null},"survey":[],"tweetId":null,"tweet2NdId":null,"contentType":null,"displayOverlay":0},"displayType":"default","video":1,"videos":[{"duration":67000,"editor":null,"filesizeBytes":8882017,"format":"mp4","type":"normal","url":"https:\/\/video.euronews.com\/mp4\/med\/EN\/NW\/SU\/23\/05\/03\/en\/230503_NWSU_51480793_51492394_67000_215129_en.mp4","expiresAt":0,"quality":"md"},{"duration":67000,"editor":null,"filesizeBytes":13092193,"format":"mp4","type":"normal","url":"https:\/\/video.euronews.com\/mp4\/EN\/NW\/SU\/23\/05\/03\/en\/230503_NWSU_51480793_51492394_67000_215129_en.mp4","expiresAt":0,"quality":"hd"}],"externalPartners":{"youtubeId":"fQy1XD36mlg","dailymotionId":"x8kmz1u"},"liveStream":[{"startDate":0,"endDate":0}],"isLiveCoverage":0,"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":null,"additionalSources":null,"additionalReporting":"Euronews","freeField1":null,"freeField2":null,"type":"","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"world 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party joins formal talks to form Finland's next government","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Far-right party joins formal talks to form Finland's next government","titleListing2":"\ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddee Far-right party joins formal talks to form Finland's next government","leadin":"Petteri Orpo, the leader of the right-wing National Coalition Party, will start negotiations with the far-right Finns Party and two other next week, but big differences remain in a number of key policy areas. ","summary":"Petteri Orpo, the leader of the right-wing National Coalition Party, will start negotiations with the far-right Finns Party and two other next week, but big differences remain in a number of key policy areas. ","url":"far-right-party-begins-formal-talks-to-form-finlands-next-government","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"The far-right Finns Party has joined official talks to form the next government in Finland, in a move that would give the Nordic nation its most right-wing government in almost 100 years. \n\nPetteri Orpo , the leader of the National Coalition Party, Kokoomus, which won April's election, made the announcement on Thursday afternoon in Helsinki, saying he had invited the Finns Party plus the Christian Democrats and Swedish People's Party to the talks.\u00a0 \n\n\"I have a strong belief that with these parties we can really achieve those reforms and that even in difficult times, even in surprising situations, there is a common spirit, a common glue to solve things,\" Orpo told reporters. \n\nOrpo has to have a working majority of 100 MPs to form a government, and this combination of parties would give him a narrow majority of 109 seats in the 200-seat parliament.\u00a0 \n\nHowever, it's not going to be smooth sailing when those four parties gather around the negotiating table. There is a gulf between the Finns Party and the Swedish People's Party over EU issues in particular -- but also over international values, human rights issues, and immigration -- with Finns Party leader Riikka Purra admitting \"there are still big differences.\"\u00a0 \n\nOrpo highlighted the economy as the trickiest subject to negotiate, saying \"it would not be an easy equation\" to balance the policy needs of the four parties in discussions.\u00a0 \n\nNegotiations will start next week, with a view to wrapping up in June, certainly before Midsummer.\u00a0 \n\nHowever if the parties don't make sufficient progress towards agreeing a viable government programme -- Purra says her party has committed only to talks, nothing else -- then Orpo's National Coalition Party could shuffle the deck of cards and seek another 'anchor' party to be part of his government. \n\nAnother combination, perhaps the most likely being Kokoomus, Social Democrats, Greens and Swedish People's Party, would have its own problems to overcome in negotiations: the National Coalition Party and the Social Democrats in particular are far apart on economic policy. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>The far-right Finns Party has joined official talks to form the next government in Finland, in a move that would give the Nordic nation its most right-wing government in almost 100 years.<\/p>\n<p><a href=https://www.euronews.com/"http:////www.twitter.com//petteriorpo/">Petteri Orpo<\/strong><\/a>, the leader of the National Coalition Party, Kokoomus, which won April's election, made the announcement on Thursday afternoon in Helsinki, saying he had invited the Finns Party plus the Christian Democrats and Swedish People's Party to the talks.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"I have a strong belief that with these parties we can really achieve those reforms and that even in difficult times, even in surprising situations, there is a common spirit, a common glue to solve things,\" Orpo told reporters.<\/p>\n<p>Orpo has to have a working majority of 100 MPs to form a government, and this combination of parties would give him a narrow majority of 109 seats in the 200-seat parliament.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-flourish widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <div class=\"flourish-embed flourish-chart u-min-height-375\" data-src=\"visualisation\/13288392?92060\"><\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>However, it's not going to be smooth sailing when those four parties gather around the negotiating table. There is a gulf between the Finns Party and the Swedish People's Party over EU issues in particular -- but also over international values, human rights issues, and immigration -- with Finns Party leader <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//ir_rkp/">Riikka Purra<\/strong><\/a> admitting \"there are still big differences.\"\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Orpo highlighted the economy as the trickiest subject to negotiate, saying \"it would not be an easy equation\" to balance the policy needs of the four parties in discussions.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Negotiations will start next week, with a view to wrapping up in June, certainly before Midsummer.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"7518220,7512542,7505564\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2023//04//08//finland-immigration-eu-policy-and-climate-goals-are-biggest-roadblocks-to-forming-new-gove/">Finland: Immigration, EU policy and climate goals are biggest roadblocks to forming new government<\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2023//04//03//analysis-what-comes-next-as-finlands-right-wing-sweeps-sanna-marin-from-office/">Analysis: What comes next as Finland's right-wing sweeps Sanna Marin from office?<\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2023//04//05//finlands-sanna-marin-to-quit-as-party-leader-following-election-defeat/">Finland's Sanna Marin to quit as party leader following election defeat<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>However if the parties don't make sufficient progress towards agreeing a viable government programme -- Purra says her party has committed only to talks, nothing else -- then Orpo's National Coalition Party could shuffle the deck of cards and seek another 'anchor' party to be part of his government.<\/p>\n<p>Another combination, perhaps the most likely being Kokoomus, Social Democrats, Greens and Swedish People's Party, would have its own problems to overcome in negotiations: the National Coalition Party and the Social Democrats in particular are far apart on economic policy.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1682605023,"publishedAt":1682612635,"updatedAt":1682628363,"expiresAt":0,"canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2023\/04\/27\/far-right-party-begins-formal-talks-to-form-finlands-next-government","images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/56\/44\/36\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_2bed3af2-6da2-5848-b695-6210ed232201-7564436.jpg","altText":"National Coalition chair Petteri Orpo during his press conference at the Parliament House in Helsinki, Finland on Thursday, April 27, 2023.","caption":"National Coalition chair Petteri Orpo during his press conference at the Parliament House in Helsinki, Finland on Thursday, April 27, 2023.","captionCredit":"AP Photo","captionUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900}],"authors":{"journalists":[{"urlSafeValue":"mac-dougall","title":"David Mac Dougall","twitter":"@davidmacdougall"}],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":10529,"slug":"finland-politics","urlSafeValue":"finland-politics","title":"Finland politics","titleRaw":"Finland politics"},{"id":114,"slug":"finland","urlSafeValue":"finland","title":"Finland","titleRaw":"Finland"},{"id":11378,"slug":"far-right","urlSafeValue":"far-right","title":"Far-right","titleRaw":"Far-right"},{"id":12051,"slug":"government","urlSafeValue":"government","title":"Government","titleRaw":"Government"}],"widgets":[{"slug":"related","count":1},{"slug":"flourish","count":1}],"related":[{"id":2246180},{"id":2251196},{"id":2252184}],"technicalTags":[{"path":"euronews.byenglishwebteam"},{"path":"euronews"}],"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":{"quotation":null,"description":null,"author":null},"survey":[],"tweetId":null,"tweet2NdId":null,"contentType":null,"displayOverlay":0},"displayType":"default","video":1,"videos":[{"duration":20000,"editor":null,"filesizeBytes":0,"format":"mp4","type":"normal","url":"https:\/\/video.euronews.com\/mp4\/med\/EN\/NW\/SU\/23\/04\/27\/en\/230427_NWSU_51412954_51413041_60000_222244_en.mp4","expiresAt":0,"quality":"md"},{"duration":20000,"editor":null,"filesizeBytes":0,"format":"mp4","type":"normal","url":"https:\/\/video.euronews.com\/mp4\/EN\/NW\/SU\/23\/04\/27\/en\/230427_NWSU_51412954_51413041_60000_222244_en.mp4","expiresAt":0,"quality":"hd"}],"externalPartners":{"youtubeId":"i8e_2gbBHno"},"liveStream":[{"startDate":0,"endDate":0}],"isLiveCoverage":0,"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"freeField2":null,"type":"","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"world 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an archipelago: Is time running out for Europe's oldest DMZ?","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Arming an archipelago: Is time running out for Europe's oldest DMZ?","titleListing2":"?? Finland's incoming government faces calls from within its own ranks to remilitarise the ?? \u00c5land Islands in case of future Russian aggression.","leadin":"Finland's incoming government faces calls from within its own ranks to remilitarise the \u00c5land Islands in case of future Russian aggression.","summary":"Finland's incoming government faces calls from within its own ranks to remilitarise the \u00c5land Islands in case of future Russian aggression.","keySentence":null,"url":"arming-an-archipelago-is-time-running-out-for-europes-oldest-dmz","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"They gather every day at 5pm outside the Russian consulate in Mariehamn. \n\nA small group of protesters in the capital of the \u00c5land Islands, making their opposition to the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine known in no uncertain terms to the few diplomats inside. \n\n\"The \u00c5land community is extremely against the aggressive war in Ukraine,\" explains Mats L\u00f6fstr\u00f6m , the sole member of parliament from this semi-autonomous and monolingual Swedish province of Finland: a main island where most of the 30,000 inhabitants live, and more than 6,500 skerries strung out like a handful of scattered stones in the Gulf of Bothnia between the two Nordic neighbours.\u00a0 \n\n\"There's over 300 Ukrainian refugees in \u00c5land, people have donated two fire trucks, buses, electricity generators and all kinds of things to support Ukraine,\" he tells Euronews.\u00a0 \n\nOnce a historical pawn of the Great Powers, \u00c5land is the only part of Finland that is demilitarised, a status that's guaranteed by Finnish law, and quadruple-locked by international treaties dating back to the mid-1800s.\u00a0 \n\nNow, an incoming crop of MPs from Finland's National Coalition Party -- which won April's election and is currently leading talks to form the next government -- wants to see a change in the status of \u00c5land to allow Finnish military personnel to train there, patrol, and potentially establish a garrison.\u00a0 \n\nSuch a move would fly in the face of those four treaties , and likely give the Russians a legitimate cause to complain, since their Mariehamn consulate was established specifically to monitor compliance with one of the treaties.\u00a0 \n\nHow did the \u00c5land Islands end up as a special demilitarised zone? \n\nThe first treaty that established \u00c5land's demilitarised status dates back to 1856, and was signed when the islands were part of the Russian Empire, and Finland as an independent country didn't yet exist. After the first Crimea War, the demilitarisation of \u00c5land was a condition imposed on Russia by France and Great Britain.\u00a0 \n\nThe second treaty,\u00a0 from 1922 , is the one drawn up by the League of Nations in Geneva which established \u00c5land's autonomous place within the Finnish state: the region's demilitarised status was carefully laid out, giving precise instructions on what naval vessels could anchor in \u00c5land waters, or if military aircraft could overfly the islands. This treaty also included the provision that make \u00c5land the one part of Finland where Swedish is the only official language.\u00a0 \n\nThe third was 1940's Moscow Peace Treaty following the 105-day Winter War which saw Finland cede territory to the Soviet Union; while the fourth was the Treaty of Paris in 1947 after the end of WWII which stated \"the Aaland Islands shall remain demilitarised.\"\u00a0 \n\n\"My view is that they are basically old agreements which does not hold well. The world has changed, the security situation has changed, our neighbour has changed, and none of them has changed to a better direction,\" says Pekka Toveri , the leading National Coalition Party MP advocating a shift in military policy for \u00c5land. \u00a0 \n\nWhile most incoming freshmen MPs might not attract too much attention with their campaign trail rhetoric, Toveri's comments carry much more weight: he's a former Major General in the Finnish Defence Forces, and ex-Chief of Intelligence of the General Staff. \n\n\"Currently Russia is no threat, Russia is weak, their military is getting their ass kicked in Ukraine. The situation is good, Finland is in NATO, but I think national security is something you have to plan long term,\" he tells Euronews.\u00a0 \n\nWhile \u00c5land is a demilitarised zone, Finland is still responsible for its security, and Toveri describes the \u00c5land defence as \"a weakness.\"\u00a0 \n\n\"Those weaknesses we should handle now, and not leave it.\"\u00a0 \n\nStill, he doesn't yet advocate putting permanent bases on \u00c5land, but wants more freedom to deploy military personnel as and when needed, for training, or if the regional security situation changes. He wants the Finnish defence forces to be able to patrol freely in \u00c5land -- on land, sea, and air -- without waiting for politicians to make the call, as would happen now if there was a specific military threat from Russia. \n\nHow does this look from \u00c5land's viewpoint? \n\nLocal MP Mats L\u00f6fstr\u00f6m is aghast at the idea of remilitarisation.\u00a0 \n\n\"This discussion about a demilitarised zone gets some traction every once in a while in Finland\" - he means the mainland - \"but there is no discussion in \u00c5land about this. It's a Finnish discussion.\"\u00a0 \n\n\"In \u00c5land there is a concern if you start breaking treaties like the one from League of Nations, that will impact the very autonomy of the \u00c5land Islands,\" he tells Euronews.\u00a0 \n\nWhile \u00c5land is officially, legally, demilitarised, that's not to say it has no armed personnel. There are police, Finnish Coast Guard and the paramilitary Finnish Border Guard stationed on the islands, as well as a few thousand people with military training.\u00a0 \n\n\"There will be individuals who think you should abolish the demilitarised zone, but it's not a view, to my knowledge, that is widely shared by a majority of people in \u00c5land,\" says L\u00f6fstr\u00f6m, who suggests the Finnish military could train on any archipelago to get a feel for \u00c5land's terrain; and step up specialist training for police, or increase hybrid warfare countermeasures specifically for \u00c5land, \"and that doesn't breach any treaties,\" he adds.\u00a0 \n\nIn addition, now that Finland has become a full member of NATO, \u00c5land is covered by collective security guarantees from the other 30 members of the military alliance in case of attack. L\u00f6fstr\u00f6m notes that this strengthens \u00c5land's security more than ever.\u00a0 \n\n\"I trust our defence forces like all other \u00c5landers do, that there is capacity and plans, and they would have intelligence to make sure they would be first on \u00c5land if someone had planned to invade us.\"\u00a0 \n\nJonas Back \u00a0is an incomer to \u00c5land, from a Swedish-speaking part of mainland Finland, where he did his military conscription -- and where he met his \u00c5lander wife.\u00a0 \n\nAlong with two friends, he\u00a0recently started an association for other military reservists.\u00a0 \n\nAlthough \u00c5landers are not obliged to do military conscription like mainland Finns, it's entirely optional, there has been a new awareness around military preparedness in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.\u00a0 \n\nWhat started out for Back as an interest in combat sports shooting competitions, has now evolved into something more: his association, which is privately run and unconnected with the Finnish military, hopes to soon offer basic gun-handling courses and battlefield first aid training.\u00a0 \n\n\"The debate about demilitarisation is coming around every five or ten years, but I would say it's not discussed at all in \u00c5land, and when someone brings it up, it\u2019s usually ended with politicians saying that they are sure the Finnish Defence Forces have 'all they need to defend the islands in case of imminent threat,' which they do,\" Back tells Euronews, shortly after his association held their first weekend march.\u00a0 \n\n\"I don't think anyone is interested in putting a lot of permanent forces here but it's more of a question of letting the Finnish Defence Forces to visit the islands, do some training, and return home.\"\u00a0 \n\nBack explains that if this was to be allowed, most people on the mainland would be \"quite happy\" because one of the reasons some politicians get worried about \u00c5land defence is the lack of military training on the islands.\u00a0 \n\n\"I think most \u00c5landers would accept such a solution, and in my opinion they should, because it is morally unjust to expect protection (from the Finnish state) but not allow proper preparation,\" he states.\u00a0 \n\nDespite its demilitarised status, \u00c5landers have signed up in record numbers for a weekend-long basic military training course being held on a mainland Finnish military base at the beginning of May. That's likely down to heightened awareness of the European security situation, and wanting to be ready in case of a Russian attack, Back says. \n\nThe previous course, which he describes as \"really really basic training, soldiering 101\" attracted 95% of its participants from \u00c5land. \n\n\n\"They had to increase the number of people they will allow into the course because it is so popular.\" \n\nNew calls for consulate closure \n\nIn Mariehamn, the regular group of protesters are preparing for another week of appearances outside the Russian consulate building.\u00a0 \n\nA\u00a0 citizens initiative which launched on the mainland earlier in April has already collected more than 30,000 signatures from people calling for the consulate to be closed immediately, saying it \"restricts and endangers Finland's security\".\u00a0 \n\nIf the petition gets 50,000 signatures within six months, it will be considered by authorities in the national parliament -- but with no guarantee it will ever get before a committee, let alone a vote of all MPs. And anyway, Finnish foreign minister Pekka Haavisto has ruled out arbitrarily closing the Russian mission.\u00a0 \n\n\"If you would run an opinion poll, a majority would think it's a good idea to close it down. But this is the state's decision. It is diplomatic cooperation, and this consulate is not only safeguarded by the Geneva Convention but also by international treaties,\" explains local \u00c5land MP Mats L\u00f6fstr\u00f6m.\u00a0 \n\n\"In the Finnish press you sometimes get the feeling it's a huge operation with hundreds of people and spying activities. But to my knowledge it's only the consul and his wife,\" he tells Euronews.\u00a0 \n\n\"If there would be any activities not safeguarded by the treaty, then the Finnish state could expel them. It's a very small community here, and everybody knows everyone else's business.\"\u00a0 \n\nThe Russian Embassy in Helsinki was contacted for comments on the issue of militarisation of \u00c5land, and the citizens initiative to close the consulate in Mariehamn, but did not give a response.","htmlText":"<p>They gather every day at 5pm outside the Russian consulate in Mariehamn.<\/p>\n<p>A small group of protesters in the capital of the \u00c5land Islands, making their opposition to the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine known in no uncertain terms to the few diplomats inside.<\/p>\n<p>\"The \u00c5land community is extremely against the aggressive war in Ukraine,\" explains <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//matslofstrom/">Mats L\u00f6fstr\u00f6m<\/strong><\/a>, the sole member of parliament from this semi-autonomous and monolingual Swedish province of Finland: a main island where most of the 30,000 inhabitants live, and more than 6,500 skerries strung out like a handful of scattered stones in the Gulf of Bothnia between the two Nordic neighbours.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"There's over 300 Ukrainian refugees in \u00c5land, people have donated two fire trucks, buses, electricity generators and all kinds of things to support Ukraine,\" he tells Euronews.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Once a historical pawn of the Great Powers, \u00c5land is the only part of Finland that is demilitarised, a status that's guaranteed by Finnish law, and quadruple-locked by international treaties dating back to the mid-1800s.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Now, an incoming crop of MPs from Finland's National Coalition Party -- which <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2023//04//03//analysis-what-comes-next-as-finlands-right-wing-sweeps-sanna-marin-from-office/">won April's election<\/strong><\/a> and is currently leading talks to form the next government -- wants to see a change in the status of \u00c5land to allow Finnish military personnel to train there, patrol, and potentially establish a garrison.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Such a move would fly in the face of <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////kulturstiftelsen.ax//app//uploads//2020//07//english-3-3-1.pdf/">those four treaties<\/strong><\/a>, and likely give the Russians a legitimate cause to complain, since their Mariehamn consulate was established specifically to monitor compliance with one of the treaties.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//07//54//31//16//808x454_cmsv2_36bd2771-98b4-5138-bacd-e8fb752ebe43-7543116.jpg/" alt=\"AFP\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/31\/16\/384x216_cmsv2_36bd2771-98b4-5138-bacd-e8fb752ebe43-7543116.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/31\/16\/640x360_cmsv2_36bd2771-98b4-5138-bacd-e8fb752ebe43-7543116.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/31\/16\/750x422_cmsv2_36bd2771-98b4-5138-bacd-e8fb752ebe43-7543116.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/31\/16\/828x466_cmsv2_36bd2771-98b4-5138-bacd-e8fb752ebe43-7543116.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/31\/16\/1080x608_cmsv2_36bd2771-98b4-5138-bacd-e8fb752ebe43-7543116.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/31\/16\/1200x675_cmsv2_36bd2771-98b4-5138-bacd-e8fb752ebe43-7543116.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/31\/16\/1920x1080_cmsv2_36bd2771-98b4-5138-bacd-e8fb752ebe43-7543116.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">FILE: General view of \u00c5land Islands, Finland, in the Gulf of Bothnia, June 2023<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">AFP<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2>How did the \u00c5land Islands end up as a special demilitarised zone?<\/h2><p>The first treaty that established \u00c5land's demilitarised status dates back to 1856, and was signed when the islands were part of the Russian Empire, and Finland as an independent country didn't yet exist. After the first Crimea War, the demilitarisation of \u00c5land was a condition imposed on Russia by France and Great Britain.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The second treaty,\u00a0<a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////peacemaker.un.org//sites//peacemaker.un.org//files//FI SE_211020_Convention Relating to the Non-Fortification and Neutralisation of the Aaland Islands.pdf/">from 1922<\/strong><\/a>, is the one drawn up by the League of Nations in Geneva which established \u00c5land's autonomous place within the Finnish state: the region's demilitarised status was carefully laid out, giving precise instructions on what naval vessels could anchor in \u00c5land waters, or if military aircraft could overfly the islands. This treaty also included the provision that make \u00c5land the one part of Finland where Swedish is the only official language.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The third was 1940's Moscow Peace Treaty following the 105-day Winter War which saw Finland cede territory to the Soviet Union; while the fourth was the Treaty of Paris in 1947 after the end of WWII which stated \"the Aaland Islands shall remain demilitarised.\"\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//07//54//31//16//808x454_cmsv2_6c2beed2-48b0-5bb5-bf94-aa47ff492bfa-7543116.jpg/" alt=\"AFP\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/31\/16\/384x216_cmsv2_6c2beed2-48b0-5bb5-bf94-aa47ff492bfa-7543116.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/31\/16\/640x360_cmsv2_6c2beed2-48b0-5bb5-bf94-aa47ff492bfa-7543116.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/31\/16\/750x422_cmsv2_6c2beed2-48b0-5bb5-bf94-aa47ff492bfa-7543116.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/31\/16\/828x466_cmsv2_6c2beed2-48b0-5bb5-bf94-aa47ff492bfa-7543116.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/31\/16\/1080x608_cmsv2_6c2beed2-48b0-5bb5-bf94-aa47ff492bfa-7543116.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/31\/16\/1200x675_cmsv2_6c2beed2-48b0-5bb5-bf94-aa47ff492bfa-7543116.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/31\/16\/1920x1080_cmsv2_6c2beed2-48b0-5bb5-bf94-aa47ff492bfa-7543116.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">A plate in front to the Parliament building reminds the agreement of 1921 when \u00c5land acquired its neutral and demilitarised status in Mariehamn, \u00c5land, Finland on June 1, 2022<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">AFP<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>\"My view is that they are basically old agreements which does not hold well. The world has changed, the security situation has changed, our neighbour has changed, and none of them has changed to a better direction,\" says <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//PToveri/">Pekka Toveri<\/strong><\/a>, the leading National Coalition Party MP advocating a shift in military policy for \u00c5land. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>While most incoming freshmen MPs might not attract too much attention with their campaign trail rhetoric, Toveri's comments carry much more weight: he's a former Major General in the Finnish Defence Forces, and ex-Chief of Intelligence of the General Staff.<\/p>\n<p>\"Currently Russia is no threat, Russia is weak, their military is getting their ass kicked in Ukraine. The situation is good, Finland is in NATO, but I think national security is something you have to plan long term,\" he tells Euronews.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>While \u00c5land is a demilitarised zone, Finland is still responsible for its security, and Toveri describes the \u00c5land defence as \"a weakness.\"\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"Those weaknesses we should handle now, and not leave it.\"\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Still, he doesn't yet advocate putting permanent bases on \u00c5land, but wants more freedom to deploy military personnel as and when needed, for training, or if the regional security situation changes. He wants the Finnish defence forces to be able to patrol freely in \u00c5land -- on land, sea, and air -- without waiting for politicians to make the call, as would happen now if there was a specific military threat from Russia.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//07//54//31//16//808x454_cmsv2_337d1de7-a62c-5c37-a2e0-1f95a46de455-7543116.jpg/" alt=\"AFP\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/31\/16\/384x216_cmsv2_337d1de7-a62c-5c37-a2e0-1f95a46de455-7543116.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/31\/16\/640x360_cmsv2_337d1de7-a62c-5c37-a2e0-1f95a46de455-7543116.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/31\/16\/750x422_cmsv2_337d1de7-a62c-5c37-a2e0-1f95a46de455-7543116.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/31\/16\/828x466_cmsv2_337d1de7-a62c-5c37-a2e0-1f95a46de455-7543116.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/31\/16\/1080x608_cmsv2_337d1de7-a62c-5c37-a2e0-1f95a46de455-7543116.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/31\/16\/1200x675_cmsv2_337d1de7-a62c-5c37-a2e0-1f95a46de455-7543116.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/31\/16\/1920x1080_cmsv2_337d1de7-a62c-5c37-a2e0-1f95a46de455-7543116.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">FILE: A street in Mariehamn is pictured in Aland, Finland, on June 1, 2022<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">AFP<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2>How does this look from \u00c5land's viewpoint?<\/h2><p>Local MP Mats L\u00f6fstr\u00f6m is aghast at the idea of remilitarisation.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"This discussion about a demilitarised zone gets some traction every once in a while in Finland\" - he means the mainland - \"but there is no discussion in \u00c5land about this. It's a Finnish discussion.\"\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"In \u00c5land there is a concern if you start breaking treaties like the one from League of Nations, that will impact the very autonomy of the \u00c5land Islands,\" he tells Euronews.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>While \u00c5land is officially, legally, demilitarised, that's not to say it has no armed personnel. There are police, Finnish Coast Guard and the paramilitary Finnish Border Guard stationed on the islands, as well as a few thousand people with military training.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"There will be individuals who think you should abolish the demilitarised zone, but it's not a view, to my knowledge, that is widely shared by a majority of people in \u00c5land,\" says L\u00f6fstr\u00f6m, who suggests the Finnish military could train on any archipelago to get a feel for \u00c5land's terrain; and step up specialist training for police, or increase hybrid warfare countermeasures specifically for \u00c5land, \"and that doesn't breach any treaties,\" he adds.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In addition, now that Finland has become a full member of NATO, \u00c5land is covered by collective security guarantees from the other 30 members of the military alliance in case of attack. L\u00f6fstr\u00f6m notes that this strengthens \u00c5land's security more than ever.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"7514646,7503992,7509470\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2023//04//04//russia-warns-of-retaliatory-measures-over-finlands-nato-membership/">Russia warns of 'retaliatory measures' over Finland's NATO membership<\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2023//04//07//how-finlands-nato-membership-will-change-security-in-the-baltics/">How Finland's NATO membership will change security in the Baltics<\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2023//04//02//finnish-fence-on-russian-border-to-cost-hundreds-of-millions-of-euros/">Finnish fence on Russian border to cost hundreds of millions of euros<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>\"I trust our defence forces like all other \u00c5landers do, that there is capacity and plans, and they would have intelligence to make sure they would be first on \u00c5land if someone had planned to invade us.\"\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//jonas_back/">Jonas Back<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0is an incomer to \u00c5land, from a Swedish-speaking part of mainland Finland, where he did his military conscription -- and where he met his \u00c5lander wife.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Along with two friends, he\u00a0recently started an association for other military reservists.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Although \u00c5landers are not obliged to do military conscription like mainland Finns, it's entirely optional, there has been a new awareness around military preparedness in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>What started out for Back as an interest in combat sports shooting competitions, has now evolved into something more: his association, which is privately run and unconnected with the Finnish military, hopes to soon offer basic gun-handling courses and battlefield first aid training.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//07//54//31//16//808x454_cmsv2_8d1a2e9c-aa84-5dc0-824e-123d9a656e75-7543116.jpg/" alt=\"Jonas Back\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/31\/16\/384x216_cmsv2_8d1a2e9c-aa84-5dc0-824e-123d9a656e75-7543116.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/31\/16\/640x360_cmsv2_8d1a2e9c-aa84-5dc0-824e-123d9a656e75-7543116.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/31\/16\/750x422_cmsv2_8d1a2e9c-aa84-5dc0-824e-123d9a656e75-7543116.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/31\/16\/828x466_cmsv2_8d1a2e9c-aa84-5dc0-824e-123d9a656e75-7543116.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/31\/16\/1080x608_cmsv2_8d1a2e9c-aa84-5dc0-824e-123d9a656e75-7543116.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/31\/16\/1200x675_cmsv2_8d1a2e9c-aa84-5dc0-824e-123d9a656e75-7543116.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/31\/16\/1920x1080_cmsv2_8d1a2e9c-aa84-5dc0-824e-123d9a656e75-7543116.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Profile picture of Jonas Back wearing military uniform<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Jonas Back<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>\"The debate about demilitarisation is coming around every five or ten years, but I would say it's not discussed at all in \u00c5land, and when someone brings it up, it\u2019s usually ended with politicians saying that they are sure the Finnish Defence Forces have 'all they need to defend the islands in case of imminent threat,' which they do,\" Back tells Euronews, shortly after his association held their first weekend march.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"I don't think anyone is interested in putting a lot of permanent forces here but it's more of a question of letting the Finnish Defence Forces to visit the islands, do some training, and return home.\"\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Back explains that if this was to be allowed, most people on the mainland would be \"quite happy\" because one of the reasons some politicians get worried about \u00c5land defence is the lack of military training on the islands.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"I think most \u00c5landers would accept such a solution, and in my opinion they should, because it is morally unjust to expect protection (from the Finnish state) but not allow proper preparation,\" he states.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Despite its demilitarised status, \u00c5landers have signed up in record numbers for a weekend-long basic military training course being held on a mainland Finnish military base at the beginning of May. That's likely down to heightened awareness of the European security situation, and wanting to be ready in case of a Russian attack, Back says.<\/p>\n<p>The previous course, which he describes as \"really really basic training, soldiering 101\" attracted 95% of its participants from \u00c5land. <\/p>\n<p>\"They had to increase the number of people they will allow into the course because it is so popular.\"<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//07//54//31//16//808x454_cmsv2_bd579bf6-39c6-5339-9224-4bfeef37ed1b-7543116.jpg/" alt=\"AFP\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/31\/16\/384x216_cmsv2_bd579bf6-39c6-5339-9224-4bfeef37ed1b-7543116.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/31\/16\/640x360_cmsv2_bd579bf6-39c6-5339-9224-4bfeef37ed1b-7543116.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/31\/16\/750x422_cmsv2_bd579bf6-39c6-5339-9224-4bfeef37ed1b-7543116.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/31\/16\/828x466_cmsv2_bd579bf6-39c6-5339-9224-4bfeef37ed1b-7543116.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/31\/16\/1080x608_cmsv2_bd579bf6-39c6-5339-9224-4bfeef37ed1b-7543116.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/31\/16\/1200x675_cmsv2_bd579bf6-39c6-5339-9224-4bfeef37ed1b-7543116.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/31\/16\/1920x1080_cmsv2_bd579bf6-39c6-5339-9224-4bfeef37ed1b-7543116.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">FILE: The Russian Consulate is pictured in Mariehamn, Aland, Finland on June 1, 2022.<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">AFP<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2>New calls for consulate closure<\/h2><p>In Mariehamn, the regular group of protesters are preparing for another week of appearances outside the Russian consulate building.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>A\u00a0<a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.kansalaisaloite.fi//fi//aloite//12007/">citizens initiative<\/strong><\/a> which launched on the mainland earlier in April has already collected more than 30,000 signatures from people calling for the consulate to be closed immediately, saying it \"restricts and endangers Finland's security\".\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If the petition gets 50,000 signatures within six months, it will be considered by authorities in the national parliament -- but with no guarantee it will ever get before a committee, let alone a vote of all MPs. And anyway, Finnish foreign minister Pekka Haavisto has ruled out arbitrarily closing the Russian mission.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"If you would run an opinion poll, a majority would think it's a good idea to close it down. But this is the state's decision. It is diplomatic cooperation, and this consulate is not only safeguarded by the Geneva Convention but also by international treaties,\" explains local \u00c5land MP Mats L\u00f6fstr\u00f6m.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"In the Finnish press you sometimes get the feeling it's a huge operation with hundreds of people and spying activities. But to my knowledge it's only the consul and his wife,\" he tells Euronews.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"If there would be any activities not safeguarded by the treaty, then the Finnish state could expel them. It's a very small community here, and everybody knows everyone else's business.\"\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><em>The Russian Embassy in Helsinki was contacted for comments on the issue of militarisation of \u00c5land, and the citizens initiative to close the consulate in Mariehamn, but did not give a response.<\/em><\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1681820004,"publishedAt":1682308835,"updatedAt":1682318469,"expiresAt":0,"canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2023\/04\/24\/arming-an-archipelago-is-time-running-out-for-europes-oldest-dmz","programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/31\/16\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_c4fe31d2-d3f5-573a-a4bf-2e2ec771fa0f-7543116.jpg","altText":"FILE: A man holds a sign reading \"Putin Go Home\" during a protest in front of the Russian Consulate in Mariehamn, Aland, Finland on June 1, 2022.","caption":"FILE: A man holds a sign reading \"Putin Go Home\" during a protest in front of the Russian Consulate in Mariehamn, Aland, Finland on June 1, 2022.","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AFP","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/31\/16\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_36bd2771-98b4-5138-bacd-e8fb752ebe43-7543116.jpg","altText":"FILE: General view of \u00c5land Islands, Finland, in the Gulf of Bothnia, June 2023","caption":"FILE: General view of \u00c5land Islands, Finland, in the Gulf of Bothnia, June 2023","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AFP","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/31\/16\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_bd579bf6-39c6-5339-9224-4bfeef37ed1b-7543116.jpg","altText":"FILE: The Russian Consulate is pictured in Mariehamn, Aland, Finland on June 1, 2022.","caption":"FILE: The Russian Consulate is pictured in Mariehamn, Aland, Finland on June 1, 2022.","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AFP","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/31\/16\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_337d1de7-a62c-5c37-a2e0-1f95a46de455-7543116.jpg","altText":"FILE: A street in Mariehamn is pictured in Aland, Finland, on June 1, 2022","caption":"FILE: A street in Mariehamn is pictured in Aland, Finland, on June 1, 2022","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AFP","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/31\/16\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_6c2beed2-48b0-5bb5-bf94-aa47ff492bfa-7543116.jpg","altText":"A plate in front to the Parliament building reminds the agreement of 1921 when \u00c5land acquired its neutral and demilitarised status in Mariehamn, \u00c5land, Finland on June 1, 2022","caption":"A plate in front to the Parliament building reminds the agreement of 1921 when \u00c5land acquired its neutral and demilitarised status in Mariehamn, \u00c5land, Finland on June 1, 2022","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AFP","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/31\/16\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_8a38ac74-8f3a-553d-a55c-b18ce0e11e01-7543116.jpg","altText":"FILE: \u00c5land MP Mats L\u00f6fstr\u00f6m sitting in parliament in Helsinki, February 2023","caption":"FILE: \u00c5land MP Mats L\u00f6fstr\u00f6m sitting in parliament in Helsinki, February 2023","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Mats L\u00f6fstrom","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/31\/16\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_8d1a2e9c-aa84-5dc0-824e-123d9a656e75-7543116.jpg","altText":"Profile picture of Jonas Back wearing Finnish military uniform","caption":"Profile picture of Jonas Back wearing Finnish military uniform","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Jonas Back","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900}],"authors":{"journalists":[{"urlSafeValue":"mac-dougall","title":"David Mac Dougall","twitter":"@davidmacdougall"}],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":114,"slug":"finland","urlSafeValue":"finland","title":"Finland","titleRaw":"Finland"},{"id":10529,"slug":"finland-politics","urlSafeValue":"finland-politics","title":"Finland politics","titleRaw":"Finland 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indigenous S\u00e1mi people take fight for rights to United Nations","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Europe's indigenous S\u00e1mi take fight for rights to United Nations","titleListing2":"?? Europe's indigenous S\u00e1mi people take their fight for improved human rights to the United Nations.","leadin":"In Finland the S\u00e1mi Parliament Act is stalled in parliament, while in Norway the community faces challenges from wind farms on traditionak land.","summary":"In Finland the S\u00e1mi Parliament Act is stalled in parliament, while in Norway the community faces challenges from wind farms on traditionak land.","keySentence":null,"url":"europes-indigenous-sami-people-take-fight-for-rights-to-united-nations","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Europe's indigenous S\u00e1mi people have taken their fight for improved rights to the United Nations. \n\nA delegation from Finland, home to the EU's only recognised indigenous population, appealed for help to keep the incoming government on-track with legislative reforms.\u00a0\u00a0 \n\nEarlier this year, politicians in Helsinki failed to get the long-awaited S\u00e1mi Parliament Act out of committee stage in time for a vote before the end of the parliamentary year.\u00a0 \n\nSanna Marin has previously apologised after a Euronews investigation revealed how little progress had been made on the Act during her time in office -- an important document which is supposed to redefine the relationship between the Finnish State and the S\u00e1mi people.\u00a0 \n\nThis week the President of the S\u00e1mi Parliament in Inari, Tuomas Aslak Juuso , gave an impassioned address to the United Nations Permanent Forum of Indigenous Issues about the human rights challenges facing Finland's\u00a0S\u00e1mi community. \n\nHe described the existing legislation as \"outdated\" and told the UN Forum that much of the impetus for consulting and drafting new statutes, which had been years in the making, were because of rulings made by the UN -- which said the current\u00a0S\u00e1mi Parliament Act violates human rights conventions.\u00a0 \n\n\"We are deeply disappointed that the long-delayed reform did not move ahead also during this Government\u2019s term. The S\u00e1mi people must again wait longer for their human rights to be,\" said Juuso.\u00a0 \n\n\"We urge Finland to immediately revise the Act on the S\u00e1mi Parliament based on the bill negotiated\u00a0during Prime Minister Sanna Marin\u2019s term and in a manner that respects the right of the S\u00e1mi people to exercise their self-determination,\" he told Forum members, asking them to monitor any progress the Finnish government makes, going forward.\u00a0 \n\nIt is not yet clear whether Finland's new government -- which is still being negotiated -- will even make the Act a priority. In general, parties on the right of the Finnish political spectrum have been more resistant to change the status quo for S\u00e1mi people.\u00a0\u00a0 \n\nClimate changed flagged up as mental heatlh problem \n\nThere were, however, some positive developments to report to the UN, with the launch of mental health initiatives in traditional S\u00e1mi homelands, where people can make an oppointment or just drop in for advice and help in their own language.\u00a0 \n\nThe support unit was established in June 2022, a s part of Finland's ongoing\u00a0 S\u00e1mi\u00a0 Truth and Reconciliation Commission process. \n\n\"It offers mental health services in accordance with S\u00e1mi culture and in S\u00e1mi languages at a low threshold \u2013 advice, support and crisis work in their own mother tongue -- Northern S\u00e1mi, Inari S\u00e1mi, Skolt S\u00e1mi, and Finnish,\" explained Pirita N\u00e4kk\u00e4l\u00e4j\u00e4rvi , from the S\u00e1mi\u00a0Parliament in Inari, who also spoke at the United Nations.\u00a0 \n\nAlthough the unit was first established to support the work of the Commission, it can also be contacted also for other purposes such as psychological distress caused by climate change. \n\n\"Climate change is affecting mental health of the S\u00e1mi in significant ways,\" explaind N\u00e4kk\u00e4l\u00e4j\u00e4rvi.\u00a0 \n\n\"Rising temperatures, and the unpredictability of natural conditions and weather affect the traditional livelihoods and utilisation of the Arctic nature resulting in wide-spread social, environmental, and economic impacts in the Arctic,\" she said.\u00a0 \n\n\"There is general anxiety about the future with an alarming climate crisis.\" \n\nMore issues for S\u00e1mi across the High North \n\nPresident of the Saami Council,\u00a0 \u00c1slak Holmberg , highlighted problems for\u00a0S\u00e1mi people in Russia where they were not able to hold free elections to choose local representatives around Murmansk.\u00a0 \n\nHe also noted that Norway continues to \"ignore the ruling\" of its own Supreme court, which ruled that Europe's largest on-land wind power plant was illegalt, and violates\u00a0S\u00e1mi rights.\u00a0 \n\n\"This is a major land-grab done in the name of the green shift [transition],\" Holmberg said. \n\n\"Where are we to turn to, when even when we win in court, we still lose? The state of Norway must be reminded to act immediately on this ruling, and stop overlooking its own judiciary and the S\u00e1mi people\u2019s rights.\" \n\nHolmberg highlighted too, concerns for the environment around traditional\u00a0S\u00e1mi grounds near Kiruna, in northern Sweden, where the government recently approved an iron ore mining concession \"without consent from the\u00a0S\u00e1mi communities.\"\u00a0 \n\n\u00a0\"The states need to respect the international human rights law and national laws, they themselves have signed. The need for strong, independent S\u00e1mi representative bodies and respect to our territorial rights are now needed as much as ever.\"","htmlText":"<p>Europe's indigenous S\u00e1mi people have taken their fight for improved rights to the United Nations.<\/p>\n<p>A delegation from Finland, home to the EU's only recognised indigenous population, appealed for help to keep the incoming government on-track with legislative reforms.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Earlier this year, politicians in Helsinki failed to get the long-awaited S\u00e1mi Parliament Act out of committee stage in time for a vote before the end of the parliamentary year.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Sanna Marin has previously <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2022//10//29//finlands-sanna-marin-apologises-for-lack-of-action-on-rights-of-indigenous-sami-people/">apologised after a Euronews investigation revealed <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//my-europe//2022//10//27//finland-pm-sanna-marin-doesnt-care-about-human-rights-for-sami-people-as-reforms-likely-to/">how little progress<\/strong><\/a> had been made on the Act during her time in office -- an important document which is supposed to redefine the relationship between the Finnish State and the S\u00e1mi people.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This week the President of the S\u00e1mi Parliament in Inari, <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//TAJuuso/">Tuomas Aslak Juuso<\/strong><\/a>, gave an impassioned address to the United Nations Permanent Forum of Indigenous Issues about the human rights challenges facing Finland's\u00a0S\u00e1mi community.<\/p>\n<p>He described the existing legislation as \"outdated\" and told the UN Forum that much of the impetus for consulting and drafting new statutes, which had been years in the making, were because of <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2022//06//15//un-finds-finland-violated-political-rights-of-indigenous-sami-people/">rulings made by the UN<\/strong><\/a> -- which said the current\u00a0S\u00e1mi Parliament Act violates human rights conventions.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"We are deeply disappointed that the long-delayed reform <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2023//02//24//sad-angry-betrayed-and-empty-sanna-marins-human-rights-legislation-for-indigenous-sami-fai/">did not move ahead<\/strong><\/a> also during this Government\u2019s term. The S\u00e1mi people must again wait longer for their human rights to be,\" said Juuso.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"We urge Finland to immediately revise the Act on the S\u00e1mi Parliament based on the bill negotiated\u00a0during Prime Minister Sanna Marin\u2019s term and in a manner that respects the right of the S\u00e1mi people to exercise their self-determination,\" he told Forum members, asking them to monitor any progress the Finnish government makes, going forward.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It is not yet clear whether Finland's new government -- which is still being negotiated -- will even make the Act a priority. In general, parties on the right of the Finnish political spectrum have been more resistant to change the status quo for S\u00e1mi people.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"7153002,7424856\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//my-europe//2022//10//27//finland-pm-sanna-marin-doesnt-care-about-human-rights-for-sami-people-as-reforms-likely-to/">Finland PM Sanna Marin 'doesn't care about human rights for S\u00e1mi people' as reforms likely to fail<\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2023//02//24//sad-angry-betrayed-and-empty-sanna-marins-human-rights-legislation-for-indigenous-sami-fai/">'Sad, angry, betrayed and empty': Sanna Marin's human rights reforms for indigenous S\u00e1mi fails<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2>Climate changed flagged up as mental heatlh problem<\/h2><p>There were, however, some positive developments to report to the UN, with the launch of mental health initiatives in traditional S\u00e1mi homelands, where people can make an oppointment or just drop in for advice and help in their own language.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The support unit was established in June 2022, as part of Finland's ongoing\u00a0S\u00e1mi\u00a0Truth and Reconciliation Commission process.<\/p>\n<p>\"It offers mental health services in accordance with S\u00e1mi culture and in S\u00e1mi languages at a low threshold \u2013 advice, support and crisis work in their own mother tongue -- Northern S\u00e1mi, Inari S\u00e1mi, Skolt S\u00e1mi, and Finnish,\" explained <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"http:////www.twitter.com//biret/">Pirita N\u00e4kk\u00e4l\u00e4j\u00e4rvi<\/strong><\/a>, from the S\u00e1mi\u00a0Parliament in Inari, who also spoke at the United Nations.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Although the unit was first established to support the work of the Commission, it can also be contacted also for other purposes such as psychological distress caused by climate change.<\/p>\n<p>\"Climate change is affecting mental health of the S\u00e1mi in significant ways,\" explaind N\u00e4kk\u00e4l\u00e4j\u00e4rvi.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"Rising temperatures, and the unpredictability of natural conditions and weather affect the traditional livelihoods and utilisation of the Arctic nature resulting in wide-spread social, environmental, and economic impacts in the Arctic,\" she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"There is general anxiety about the future with an alarming climate crisis.\"<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//07//55//04//70//808x454_cmsv2_8fcb8fd9-d7a4-5c8a-a697-5df48929cf0c-7550470.jpg/" alt=\"AP Photo\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/55\/04\/70\/384x216_cmsv2_8fcb8fd9-d7a4-5c8a-a697-5df48929cf0c-7550470.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/55\/04\/70\/640x360_cmsv2_8fcb8fd9-d7a4-5c8a-a697-5df48929cf0c-7550470.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/55\/04\/70\/750x422_cmsv2_8fcb8fd9-d7a4-5c8a-a697-5df48929cf0c-7550470.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/55\/04\/70\/828x466_cmsv2_8fcb8fd9-d7a4-5c8a-a697-5df48929cf0c-7550470.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/55\/04\/70\/1080x608_cmsv2_8fcb8fd9-d7a4-5c8a-a697-5df48929cf0c-7550470.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/55\/04\/70\/1200x675_cmsv2_8fcb8fd9-d7a4-5c8a-a697-5df48929cf0c-7550470.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/55\/04\/70\/1920x1080_cmsv2_8fcb8fd9-d7a4-5c8a-a697-5df48929cf0c-7550470.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Activists are carried away by the police during a protest against a wind farm, in Oslo, Thursday, March 2, 2023.<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">AP Photo<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2>More issues for S\u00e1mi across the High North<\/h2><p>President of the Saami Council,\u00a0<a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//AslakHolmberg/">/u00c1slak Holmberg<\/strong><\/a>, highlighted problems for\u00a0S\u00e1mi people in Russia where they were not able to hold free elections to choose local representatives around Murmansk.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>He also noted that Norway continues to \"ignore the ruling\" of its own Supreme court, which ruled that Europe's largest on-land wind power plant was illegalt, and violates\u00a0S\u00e1mi rights.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"This is a major land-grab done in the name of the green shift [transition],\" Holmberg said.<\/p>\n<p>\"Where are we to turn to, when even when we win in court, we still lose? The state of Norway must be reminded to act immediately on this ruling, and stop overlooking its own judiciary and the S\u00e1mi people\u2019s rights.\"<\/p>\n<p>Holmberg highlighted too, concerns for the environment around traditional\u00a0S\u00e1mi grounds near Kiruna, in northern Sweden, where the government recently approved an iron ore mining concession \"without consent from the\u00a0S\u00e1mi communities.\"\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0\"The states need to respect the international human rights law and national laws, they themselves have signed. The need for strong, independent S\u00e1mi representative bodies and respect to our territorial rights are now needed as much as ever.\"<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1682069835,"publishedAt":1682088984,"updatedAt":1682243346,"expiresAt":0,"canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2023\/04\/21\/europes-indigenous-sami-people-take-fight-for-rights-to-united-nations","programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/55\/04\/70\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_b0c8380b-1390-5edc-bb15-dca8cf9b3d65-7550470.jpg","altText":"Indigenous S\u00e1mi delegates at UN Forum with Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples, 19 April 2023","caption":"Indigenous S\u00e1mi delegates at UN Forum with Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples, 19 April 2023","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"United Nations","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/55\/04\/70\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_8fcb8fd9-d7a4-5c8a-a697-5df48929cf0c-7550470.jpg","altText":"Activists are carried away by the police during a protest against a wind farm, in Oslo, Thursday, March 2, 2023.","caption":"Activists are carried away by the police during a protest against a wind farm, in Oslo, Thursday, March 2, 2023.","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP Photo","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/55\/04\/70\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_72cfc36c-0216-5e33-88af-402d86ebec36-7550470.jpg","altText":"Indigenous S\u00e1mi delegates at UN Forum with Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples, 19 April 2023","caption":"Indigenous S\u00e1mi delegates at UN Forum with Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples, 19 April 2023","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"United Nations","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900}],"authors":{"journalists":[{"urlSafeValue":"mac-dougall","title":"David Mac Dougall","twitter":"@davidmacdougall"}],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":10529,"slug":"finland-politics","urlSafeValue":"finland-politics","title":"Finland politics","titleRaw":"Finland politics"},{"id":114,"slug":"finland","urlSafeValue":"finland","title":"Finland","titleRaw":"Finland"},{"id":18046,"slug":"indigenous-people","urlSafeValue":"indigenous-people","title":"Indigenous peoples","titleRaw":"Indigenous peoples"},{"id":292,"slug":"united-nations","urlSafeValue":"united-nations","title":"United Nations","titleRaw":"United Nations"}],"related":[{"id":2211664},{"id":2122296},{"id":2106156}],"technicalTags":[{"path":"euronews.byenglishwebteam"},{"path":"euronews"}],"widgets":[{"slug":"image","count":1},{"slug":"related","count":1}],"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":{"quotation":null,"description":null,"author":null},"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":null,"contentType":null,"displayOverlay":0},"displayType":"default","video":0,"videos":[],"externalPartners":[],"liveStream":[],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":null,"additionalSources":null,"additionalReporting":null,"freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"world news","online":1,"url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/programs\/world"},"vertical":"news","verticals":[{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"themes":[{"id":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World","url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/news\/international"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":1,"urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"isDfp":0,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":""},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":104,"urlSafeValue":"europe","title":"Europe"},"country":{"id":114,"urlSafeValue":"finland","title":"Finland","url":"\/news\/europe\/finland"},"town":[],"versions":[],"path":"\/2023\/04\/21\/europes-indigenous-sami-people-take-fight-for-rights-to-united-nations","lastModified":1682243346},{"id":2251196,"cid":7540174,"versionId":1,"archive":0,"housenumber":"230417_GNSU_51268489","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"grapeshot":"'gv_safe','gb_safe','pos_equinor','pos_facebook','pos_pmi','gs_politics','gs_business','gs_busfin','gs_busfin_indus','gs_busfin_indus_energy','gs_business_energy','neg_facebook_2021','sm_politics','gs_politics_issues_policy','gs_politics_misc','shadow9hu7_pos_ukrainecrisis','neg_facebook_q4','neg_audi_list2','gt_negative','neg_zegna_eng','neg_ukraine_russia_war'","channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":3},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"Finland\u2019s new nuclear reactor: What does it mean for climate goals and energy security?","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Why Finland\u2019s new nuclear reactor is good news for electricity bills","titleListing2":"Finland\u2019s new nuclear reactor: What does it mean for climate goals and energy security?","leadin":"Olkiluoto 3 is Western Europe\u2019s first new reactor in over 15 years, launching hours after Germany shut down its last three plants.","summary":"Olkiluoto 3 is Western Europe\u2019s first new reactor in over 15 years, launching hours after Germany shut down its last three plants.","keySentence":null,"url":"finlands-new-nuclear-reactor-what-does-it-mean-for-climate-goals-and-energy-security","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Europe\u2019s most powerful nuclear reactor has just started producing regular energy in Finland. \n\nIt\u2019s taken 14 years longer than planned, but the Olkiluoto 3 reactor is providing a serious boost to the Nordic country\u2019s electricity self-sufficiency. \n\nThe costly reactor, which has 1,600 megawatt capacity, was connected to the Finnish national power grid in March 2022. After a test phase lasting more than a year, it kicked off regular production on Sunday (16 April). \n\nProponents say the new reactor will help Finland to achieve its carbon neutrality targets. As well as increasing energy security at a time when European countries have cut oil and gas from Russia , Finland\u2019s neighbour. \n\n\n\u201cThe production of Olkiluoto 3 stabilizes the price of electricity and plays an important role in the Finnish green transition ,\u201d operator Teollisuuden Voima (TVO) president and CEO Jarmo Tanhua said in a statement. \n\nThe company added that \u201cthe electricity production volume of Europe\u2019s largest nuclear power plant unit is a significant addition to clean, domestic production.\u201d \n\nOlkiluoto 3 is now producing around 14 per cent of the country\u2019s electricity , and is expected to remain operational for \u201cat least the next 60 years\u201d according to TVO. \n\nWhy was Finland\u2019s new nuclear reactor so delayed? \n\nConstruction of Olkiluoto 3 began in 2005 and was due to be completed four years later. \n\nHowever, the project was plagued by several technological problems that led to lawsuits. \n\nThe last time a new nuclear reactor was commissioned in Finland was more than four decades ago. The Olkiluoto 3 is Western Europe\u2019s first new reactor in more than 15 years. \n\nIt is the first new-generation EPR, or European Pressurized Reactor, plant to have gone online in Europe. The huge reactor was developed in a joint venture between France\u2019s Areva and Germany\u2019s Siemens. \n\nPrimarily because of safety concerns, nuclear power remains a controversial issue in Europe. \n\nThe launch of the Finnish reactor coincides with Germany \u2019s move to shut down its last remaining three nuclear plants on Saturday. \n\nHow much did Olkiluoto 3 cost? \n\nExperts have put Olkiluoto 3\u2019s final price tag at around 11 billion euros ($12 billion) - almost three times what was initially estimated. \n\nFinland now has five nuclear reactors in two power plants located on the shores of the Baltic Sea . Combined, they cover more than 40 per cent of the nation's electricity demand. \n\nThe conservative National Coalition Party, or NCP, which won Finland\u2019s 2 April general election, wants to increase the share of energy that the country of 5.5 million gets from nuclear power even further. \n\nNCP leader Petteri Orpo, Finland\u2019s likely new prime minister, said during the election campaign that the new Cabinet should make nuclear power \u201cthe cornerstone of the government\u2019s energy policy.\u201d","htmlText":"<p>Europe\u2019s most powerful nuclear reactor has just started producing regular energy in Finland.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s taken 14 years longer than planned, but the Olkiluoto 3 reactor is providing a serious boost to the Nordic country\u2019s electricity self-sufficiency.<\/p>\n<p>The costly reactor, which has 1,600 megawatt capacity, was connected to the Finnish national power grid in March 2022. After a test phase lasting more than a year, it kicked off regular production on Sunday (16 April).<\/p>\n<p>Proponents say the new reactor will help Finland to achieve its carbon neutrality targets. As well as increasing energy security at a time when European countries have cut oil and gas from <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//02//24//europes-energy-war-in-data-how-have-eu-imports-changed-since-russias-invasion-of-ukraine/">Russia, Finland\u2019s neighbour. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe production of Olkiluoto 3 stabilizes the price of electricity and plays an important role in the <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//01//12//finland-wind-power-increased-by-75-last-year-boosting-energy-security-and-climate-goals/">Finnish green transition<\/strong><\/a>,\u201d operator Teollisuuden Voima (TVO) president and CEO Jarmo Tanhua said in a statement.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-tweet widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio\u2014auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <div class=\"widget__tweet\" data-tweet-id=\"1647374942009282562\"><\/div>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The company added that \u201cthe electricity production volume of Europe\u2019s largest nuclear power plant unit is a significant addition to clean, domestic production.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Olkiluoto 3 is now producing around 14 per cent of the country\u2019s <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//03//25//one-meter-for-your-home-another-for-your-ev-how-the-eus-new-energy-system-could-save-you-m/">electricity, and is expected to remain operational for \u201cat least the next 60 years\u201d according to TVO.<\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"7534656,7525104\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//04//11//germany-turns-its-back-on-nuclear-for-good-despite-europes-energy-crisis/">'Done deal': German government rejects calls to delay shutdown of final three nuclear reactors<\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//04//14//sunshine-vs-the-grid-why-the-czech-republic-had-to-shutdown-their-solar-plants-over-easter/">Sunshine vs. the grid: Why the Czech Republic had to shutdown their solar plants over Easter<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2>Why was Finland\u2019s new nuclear reactor so delayed?<\/h2><p>Construction of Olkiluoto 3 began in 2005 and was due to be completed four years later.<\/p>\n<p>However, the project was plagued by several technological problems that led to lawsuits.<\/p>\n<p>The last time a new nuclear reactor was commissioned in Finland was more than four decades ago. The Olkiluoto 3 is Western Europe\u2019s first new <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2022//10//04//world-first-nuclear-fusion-plant-could-generate-carbon-free-energy-by-2040-uk-government-c/">reactor in more than 15 years.<\/p>\n<p>It is the first new-generation EPR, or European Pressurized Reactor, plant to have gone online in Europe. The huge reactor was developed in a joint venture between France\u2019s Areva and Germany\u2019s Siemens.<\/p>\n<p>Primarily because of safety concerns, nuclear power remains a controversial issue in Europe.<\/p>\n<p>The launch of the Finnish reactor coincides with <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//04//11//germany-turns-its-back-on-nuclear-for-good-despite-europes-energy-crisis/">Germany/u2019s move to shut down its last remaining three nuclear plants on Saturday.<\/p>\n<div\n data-stories-id=\"7526336,7461874\"\n data-event=\"widget_related\"\n class=\"widget widget--type-related widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <ul class=\"widget__related_list\"><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//03//13//europe-is-divided-on-nuclear-power-which-countries-are-for-and-against-it/">Europe is divided on nuclear power: Which countries are for and against it?<\/a> <\/li><li class=\"widget__related_listItem\"> <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//04//12//end-of-the-fossil-age-wind-and-solar-broke-energy-records-last-year-report-reveals/">/u2018End of the fossil age\u2019: Wind and solar broke energy records last year, report reveals<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2>How much did Olkiluoto 3 cost?<\/h2><div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-ease-in-up widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.6666666666666666\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//07//54//01//74//808x539_cmsv2_f8b1cfdd-c5e8-5c5e-b6a8-0d642103175d-7540174.jpg/" alt=\"Heikki Saukkomaa/Lehtikuva/AP\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/01\/74\/384x256_cmsv2_f8b1cfdd-c5e8-5c5e-b6a8-0d642103175d-7540174.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/01\/74\/640x427_cmsv2_f8b1cfdd-c5e8-5c5e-b6a8-0d642103175d-7540174.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/01\/74\/750x500_cmsv2_f8b1cfdd-c5e8-5c5e-b6a8-0d642103175d-7540174.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/01\/74\/828x552_cmsv2_f8b1cfdd-c5e8-5c5e-b6a8-0d642103175d-7540174.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/01\/74\/1080x720_cmsv2_f8b1cfdd-c5e8-5c5e-b6a8-0d642103175d-7540174.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/01\/74\/1200x800_cmsv2_f8b1cfdd-c5e8-5c5e-b6a8-0d642103175d-7540174.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/01\/74\/1920x1280_cmsv2_f8b1cfdd-c5e8-5c5e-b6a8-0d642103175d-7540174.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">NCP chair Petteri Orpo and NCP parliamentary group leader Kai Mykkanen.<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Heikki Saukkomaa/Lehtikuva/AP<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Experts have put Olkiluoto 3\u2019s final price tag at around 11 billion euros ($12 billion) - almost three times what was initially estimated.<\/p>\n<p>Finland now has five nuclear reactors in two power plants located on the shores of the <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2021//10//11//ai-will-finally-remove-toxic-weapons-from-the-bottom-of-the-sea/">Baltic Sea<\/strong><\/a>. Combined, they cover more than 40 per cent of the nation's electricity demand.<\/p>\n<p>The conservative National Coalition Party, or NCP, which won Finland\u2019s 2 April general election, wants to increase the share of energy that the country of 5.5 million gets from <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//green//2023//03//05//us-got-a-record-breaking-40-of-its-energy-from-carbon-free-sources-in-2022-report-reveals/">nuclear power<\/strong><\/a> even further.<\/p>\n<p>NCP leader Petteri Orpo, Finland\u2019s likely new prime minister, said during the election campaign that the new Cabinet should make nuclear power \u201cthe cornerstone of the government\u2019s energy policy.\u201d<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1681727784,"publishedAt":1681730241,"updatedAt":1681730244,"expiresAt":0,"canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/green\/2023\/04\/17\/finlands-new-nuclear-reactor-what-does-it-mean-for-climate-goals-and-energy-security","programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/01\/74\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_3664bb0a-c21f-5aa1-b7af-1131a8924bc5-7540174.jpg","altText":"The turbine hall of the nuclear power plant Olkiluoto 3 pictured under construction in Eurajoki, south-western Finland, 2011.","caption":"The turbine hall of the nuclear power plant Olkiluoto 3 pictured under construction in Eurajoki, south-western Finland, 2011.","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP Photo\/Lehtikuva, Antti Aimo-Koivisto","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/54\/01\/74\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_f8b1cfdd-c5e8-5c5e-b6a8-0d642103175d-7540174.jpg","altText":"NCP chair Petteri Orpo and NCP parliamentary group leader Kai Mykkanen. The government wants to make nuclear \"the cornerstone\" of its energy policy.","caption":"NCP chair Petteri Orpo and NCP parliamentary group leader Kai Mykkanen. The government wants to make nuclear \"the cornerstone\" of its energy policy.","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Heikki Saukkomaa\/Lehtikuva\/AP","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":5109,"height":3406}],"authors":{"journalists":[],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":24556,"slug":"nuclear","urlSafeValue":"nuclear","title":"nuclear","titleRaw":"nuclear"},{"id":26290,"slug":"epr-nuclear-reactor","urlSafeValue":"epr-nuclear-reactor","title":"EPR nuclear reactor","titleRaw":"EPR nuclear reactor"},{"id":25762,"slug":"europe-s-eneregy-crisis","urlSafeValue":"europe-s-eneregy-crisis","title":"Europe's energy crisis","titleRaw":"Europe's energy crisis"},{"id":25990,"slug":"energy-transition","urlSafeValue":"energy-transition","title":"energy transition","titleRaw":"energy transition"},{"id":25986,"slug":"clean-energy","urlSafeValue":"clean-energy","title":"clean energy","titleRaw":"clean energy"}],"related":[],"technicalTags":[],"widgets":[{"slug":"image","count":1},{"slug":"twitter","count":1},{"slug":"related","count":2}],"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":{"quotation":null,"description":null,"author":null},"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":null,"contentType":null,"displayOverlay":0},"displayType":"default","video":0,"videos":[],"externalPartners":[],"liveStream":[],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":"AP","additionalSources":null,"additionalReporting":"Euronews Green","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"","program":{"id":"green-news","urlSafeValue":"green-news","title":"Green News","online":0,"url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/green\/green-news\/green-news"},"vertical":"green","verticals":[{"id":8,"slug":"green","urlSafeValue":"green","title":"Green"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":8,"slug":"green","urlSafeValue":"green","title":"Green"},"themes":[{"id":"green-news","urlSafeValue":"green-news","title":"Green News","url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/green\/green-news"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":35,"urlSafeValue":"green-news","title":"Green-news"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"isDfp":0,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":""},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":104,"urlSafeValue":"europe","title":"Europe"},"country":{"id":114,"urlSafeValue":"finland","title":"Finland","url":"\/news\/europe\/finland"},"town":[],"versions":[],"path":"\/green\/2023\/04\/17\/finlands-new-nuclear-reactor-what-does-it-mean-for-climate-goals-and-energy-security","lastModified":1681730244},{"id":2246180,"cid":7526152,"versionId":2,"archive":0,"housenumber":"230413_NWSU_51192524","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"grapeshot":"'gt_negative','gt_negative_mistrust','gv_arms','gt_negative_fear','gv_military','gb_death_injury_edu','gs_science'","channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":3},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":10},{"id":12},{"id":14}],"status":2,"title":"Fact-check: Is Russia moving nuclear equipment near Finland's border?","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Is Russia moving nuclear equipment near Finland's border?","titleListing2":"#TheCube: Shared thousands of times, a Twitter user says nuclear equipment was spotted in a Russian town near Finland after Helsinki joined NATO. Click to find out if this is true.","leadin":"Social media users claim Russia sent nuclear weapons to the Finnish border in retaliation after it joined the NATO military alliance.","summary":"Social media users claim Russia sent nuclear weapons to the Finnish border in retaliation after it joined the NATO military alliance.","keySentence":null,"url":"fact-check-is-russia-moving-nuclear-equipment-near-finlands-border","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine triggered a historic shift in Finland. \n\nThough closely aligned with NATO, it was never formally a member.\u00a0\u00a0 \n\nThat changed last week when Finland became the 31st country to join the Western military alliance.\u00a0 \n\nIn retaliation, the Kremlin threatened to take \u201ccountermeasures\u201d and ramp up its defence on the 1,300 kilometre it shares with Finland. \n\nThis has led to misinformation spreading on social media, with the latest viral video claiming to show nuclear equipment arriving in the Russian city of Vyborg, near the Finnish border.\u00a0\u00a0 \n\nBut internet sleuths were quick to find the location of the clip. They geolocated it to a town northeast of the capital of Moscow, called Kolchugino.\u00a0 \n\nGoogle Street View shows the exact same buildings and intersection which match the video on Twitter.\u00a0 \n\nWhen it comes to the missile systems in the clip, they have been identified as RS-24 Yars rocket systems handled by Russia\u2019s Strategic Rocket Forces, which are capable of launching nuclear warheads, according to Snopes. \n\nBut their passage in the city centre is also typical of parades. Every 9 May, Russian authorities host the Victory Day Parade to commemorate its victory at end of World War II.\u00a0 \n\nThese sorts of missiles and other impressive equipment are showcased every year, like\u00a0 in this video \u00a0from last year's Victory Day parade.\u00a0 \n\nKolchugino happens to be a city through which these missile launching systems transit to and from the parade in Moscow.\u00a0 \n\nFor example, Snopes found this video from May 13th 2015 titled the \"Return of equipment from the Victory parade to Moscow through Kolchugino\".\u00a0 \n\nThe same intersection and missile launch system can be seen in the Youtube video above as in the viral Twitter post.\u00a0 \n\nAccording to the Russian forces\u2019 website , there\u2019s a base about 2 hours away from Kolchugino which carries the Yars missile system.\u00a0 \n\nAlthough Euronews couldn\u2019t verify the exact date the Twitter video was filmed, its location as well as the overall context, Russia is not sending nuclear weapons to its border with Finland.","htmlText":"<p>Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine triggered a historic shift in Finland.<\/p>\n<p>Though closely aligned with NATO, it was never formally a member.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>That changed last week when Finland became the 31st country to join the Western military alliance.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In retaliation, the Kremlin threatened to take \u201ccountermeasures\u201d and ramp up its defence on the 1,300 kilometre it shares with Finland.<\/p>\n<p>This has led to misinformation spreading on social media, with the <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////mobile.twitter.com//Spriter99880//status//1644087093730193409/">latest viral video<\/strong><\/a> claiming to show nuclear equipment arriving in the Russian city of Vyborg, near the Finnish border.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But internet sleuths were quick <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//RshThunder//status//1644083565120962569/">to find the location<\/strong><\/a> of the clip. They geolocated it to a town northeast of the capital of Moscow, called Kolchugino.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.google.com//maps//@56.3096262,39.378764,3a,75y,33.36h,88.04t//data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1ssl3SaQ092M3am8jnGjLsiw!2e0!6shttps:%252F%252Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%252Fv1%252Fthumbnail%253Fpanoid%253Dsl3SaQ092M3am8jnGjLsiw%2526cb_client%253Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%2526w%253D203%2526h%253D100%2526yaw%253D294.5167%2526pitch%253D0%2526thumbfov%253D100!7i13312!8i6656/">Google Street View<\/strong><\/a> shows the exact same buildings and intersection which match the video on Twitter.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>When it comes to the missile systems in the clip, they have been identified as RS-24 Yars rocket systems handled by Russia\u2019s Strategic Rocket Forces, which are capable of launching nuclear warheads, <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.snopes.com//fact-check//russian-nukes-near-finland///">according to Snopes.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>But their passage in the city centre is also typical of parades. Every 9 May, Russian authorities host the Victory Day Parade to commemorate its victory at end of World War II.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>These sorts of missiles and other impressive equipment are showcased every year, like\u00a0<a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.youtube.com//watch?v=wSxdfu3WPSc&t=3876s\%22>in this video<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0from last year's Victory Day parade.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Kolchugino happens to be a city through which these missile launching systems transit to and from the parade in Moscow.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-youtube-embed\nwidget--size-fullwidth\nwidget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <div class=\"auto widget__ratio widget__ratio--16x9\">\n <iframe type=\"text\/html\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.youtube.com//embed//E1EOAa0Se00/" width=\"100%\" loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen seamless>\n <\/iframe>\n <\/div>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>For example, <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.youtube.com//watch?v=E1EOAa0Se00&t=1s\%22>Snopes found this video<\/strong><\/a> from May 13th 2015 titled the \"Return of equipment from the Victory parade to Moscow through Kolchugino\".\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The same intersection and missile launch system can be seen in the Youtube video above as in the viral Twitter post.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>According to the <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////russianforces.org//missiles///">Russian forces\u2019 website<\/strong><\/a>, there\u2019s a base about 2 hours away from Kolchugino which carries the Yars missile system.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Although Euronews couldn\u2019t verify the exact date the Twitter video was filmed, its location as well as the overall context, Russia is not sending nuclear weapons to its border with Finland.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1681224816,"publishedAt":1681358450,"updatedAt":1681358454,"expiresAt":0,"canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2023\/04\/13\/fact-check-is-russia-moving-nuclear-equipment-near-finlands-border","programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/52\/61\/52\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_242bbcf4-2901-504a-9c53-3e4162618caf-7526152.jpg","altText":"Users falsely claim this video shows Russian nuclear weapons arriving to Finnish border","caption":"Users falsely claim this video shows Russian nuclear weapons arriving to Finnish border","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Twitter \/ Euronews","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":960,"height":540}],"authors":{"journalists":[{"urlSafeValue":"khatsenkova","title":"Sophia Khatsenkova","twitter":""}],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":27848,"slug":"ukraine-russia-war","urlSafeValue":"ukraine-russia-war","title":"Ukraine Russia war","titleRaw":"Ukraine Russia war"},{"id":26928,"slug":"russia-victory-day","urlSafeValue":"russia-victory-day","title":"Russia Victory Day","titleRaw":"Russia Victory Day"},{"id":7895,"slug":"nuclear-weapons","urlSafeValue":"nuclear-weapons","title":"Nuclear weapons","titleRaw":"Nuclear 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Finns race on reindeer while in Guyana they celebrate rodeo skills","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Watch: Finns race on reindeer while in Guyana they celebrate rodeo ski","titleListing2":"Finns race on reindeer while in Guyana they celebrate rodeo skills","leadin":"Finland crowns its reindeer king as 14 reindeer and jockeys compete for the title in the season's final race in the Arctic, with reindeer racing a growing sport.","summary":"Finland crowns its reindeer king as 14 reindeer and jockeys compete for the title in the season's final race in the Arctic, with reindeer racing a growing sport.","keySentence":null,"url":"finns-race-on-reindeer-while-in-guyana-they-celebrate-rodeo-skills","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Finland crowned its reindeer king after 14 reindeer and jockeys competed for the title in the season's final race in the Arctic.\u00a0 \n\nDressed in skis, helmets and ski goggles and pulled by harnesses attached to the reindeer, Finland's top 14 competitors raced one kilometre around an oval against the clock in the far northern town of Inari. \n\nMeanwhile, deafeningly loud country music came through the speakers as cowboys entered the arena to kickstart this year\u2019s Rupununi Ranchers Rodeo in Lethem, southwest Guyana.\u00a0 \n\nThousands of visitors travelled from the capital and abroad to attend the two-day annual event that celebrates the cowboy lifestyle of the Rupununi ranchers.\u00a0 \n\nRodeo participants are mainly local cowboys and cowgirls, with very few professional rodeo riders. \n\nPopular events include bareback bronco, saddle bronco, steer roping, ribbon roping and wild cow milking, and cowboys and cowgirls pit their skills against one another in a friendly competition.","htmlText":"<p>Finland crowned its reindeer king after 14 reindeer and jockeys competed for the title in the season's final race in the Arctic.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Dressed in skis, helmets and ski goggles and pulled by harnesses attached to the reindeer, Finland's top 14 competitors raced one kilometre around an oval against the clock in the far northern town of Inari.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, deafeningly loud country music came through the speakers as cowboys entered the arena to kickstart this year\u2019s Rupununi Ranchers Rodeo in Lethem, southwest Guyana.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Thousands of visitors travelled from the capital and abroad to attend the two-day annual event that celebrates the cowboy lifestyle of the Rupununi ranchers.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Rodeo participants are mainly local cowboys and cowgirls, with very few professional rodeo riders.<\/p>\n<p>Popular events include bareback bronco, saddle bronco, steer roping, ribbon roping and wild cow milking, and cowboys and cowgirls pit their skills against one another in a friendly competition.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1681130359,"publishedAt":1681148708,"updatedAt":1681151580,"expiresAt":0,"canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2023\/04\/10\/finns-race-on-reindeer-while-in-guyana-they-celebrate-rodeo-skills","programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/52\/31\/08\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_928788eb-fc8b-5db2-99b4-903ba9de2d8a-7523108.jpg","altText":"Guyana rodeo","caption":"Guyana rodeo","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"Matias Delacroix\/ 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Finland crowns its reindeer racing champion","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"WATCH: Finland crowns its reindeer racing champion","titleListing2":"Dressed in skis, helmets and ski goggles and pulled by harnesses attached to the reindeer, Finland's top 14 competitors raced one kilometre around an oval track in the far northern town of Inari.","leadin":"Dressed in skis, helmets and ski goggles and pulled by harnesses attached to the reindeer, Finland's top 14 competitors raced one kilometre around an oval track in the far northern town of Inari.","summary":"Dressed in skis, helmets and ski goggles and pulled by harnesses attached to the reindeer, Finland's top 14 competitors raced one kilometre around an oval track in the far northern town of Inari.","keySentence":null,"url":"watch-finland-crowns-its-reindeer-racing-champion","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Finland has crowned its champion reindeer after the season's reindeer racing season drew to a close on Sunday. \n\nReindeer Verneri and jockey Janne Alatalo came out on top, completing the track in one minute and 35.26 seconds, in a mild six-degree Celsius weather that made for slushy snow conditions.\u00a0 \n\nDressed in skis, helmets, and ski goggles and pulled by harnesses attached to the reindeer, Finland's top 14 competitors raced one kilometre around an oval track against the clock in the far northern town of Inari.\u00a0 \n\nReindeer races have been organised in Finland since the 1950s, according to Seppo Koivisto, president of the country's reindeer racers' association Suomen Porokilpailijat. \n\nWatch the video above.","htmlText":"<p>Finland has crowned its champion reindeer after the season's reindeer racing season drew to a close on Sunday.<\/p>\n<p>Reindeer Verneri and jockey Janne Alatalo came out on top, completing the track in one minute and 35.26 seconds, in a mild six-degree Celsius weather that made for slushy snow conditions.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Dressed in skis, helmets, and ski goggles and pulled by harnesses attached to the reindeer, Finland's top 14 competitors raced one kilometre around an oval track against the clock in the far northern town of Inari.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Reindeer races have been organised in Finland since the 1950s, according to Seppo Koivisto, president of the country's reindeer racers' association Suomen Porokilpailijat.<\/p>\n<p><em>Watch the video above.<\/em><\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1681111799,"publishedAt":1681121563,"updatedAt":1681123978,"expiresAt":0,"canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2023\/04\/10\/watch-finland-crowns-its-reindeer-racing-champion","programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/52\/22\/02\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_d039fefe-2ce2-582e-95ac-03158c610e8d-7522202.jpg","altText":"Reindeer racing, Finland","caption":"Reindeer racing, Finland","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"ALESSANDRO 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Immigration, EU policy and climate goals are biggest roadblocks to forming new government","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Finland: Immigration, EU, and climate are roadblocks to new government","titleListing2":"?? Finland: Immigration, EU policy and climate goals are the biggest roadblocks to forming a new government #vaalit2023 ?","leadin":"Politicians from Social Democrats, Greens and Swedish People's Party tell Euronews about the process to negotiate a new, stable, government coalition for Finland.","summary":"Politicians from Social Democrats, Greens and Swedish People's Party tell Euronews about the process to negotiate a new, stable, government coalition for Finland.","keySentence":null,"url":"finland-immigration-eu-policy-and-climate-goals-are-biggest-roadblocks-to-forming-new-gove","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"The dust is settling this weekend on the Finnish election result, which saw Sanna Marin's left-wing Social Democrats pipped at the post by less than one percentage point by the right-wing National Coalition Party and the far-right populist Finns Party.\u00a0 \n\nBut while some Finnish politicians might be taking time over the Easter weekend for holidays, others are working on the next steps to form a new coalition government.\u00a0 \n\nThe party which won the elections, the National Coalition Party (or Kokoomus as it's known locally) sends out questionnaires to the other parties asking for their positions on a range of key issues.\u00a0 \n\nIt's a bit like political speed dating.\u00a0 \n\n\"The largest party, the Coalition Party, with its leader Petter Opro composes the key written questions, which are answered by each and every party,\" explained\u00a0 Ville Skinnari , the Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade in Sanna Marin's government.\u00a0 \n\n\"The ball is now there with the Coalition Party. They emphasise things that they see as important, which we all pretty much know what they are going to ask. And then we, the Social Democrats, we write our reply, it's as simple as that,\" he told Euronews on a Twitter Spaces discussion.\u00a0 \n\nKokoomus then evaluates the answers on various policy questions from all the responses and figures out which other parties could be most compatible, sharing a similar policy outlook, and where they might have the most common ground.\"\u00a0 \n\nEuronews asked the National Coalition Party to participate in our discussion, but they were not able to find a representative to join the event.\u00a0\u00a0 \n\nAfter last week's election, the 'elephant in the room' for forming a new government is the role of the populist Finns Party, and whether they are the most likely coalition partners for Kokoomus, or if they might indeed prefer to stay in opposition despite their best-ever election result.\u00a0 \n\nFinns Party leader Riikka Purra said after the first meeting of her new parliamentary group this week that she\u00a0 wants to go into government -- but with reservations.\u00a0 \n\n\"We strive for a place in the government with all our heart and energy, but not at any cost,\" she told reporters.\u00a0\u00a0 \n\n\"The threshold is that harmful immigration to Finland must be significantly tightened,\" she said.\u00a0 \n\nIt's this particular issue that other politicians say is particularly problematic for the National Coalition Party if they want to take the Finns Party -- but not the only stumbling block.\u00a0\u00a0 \n\n\"It is quite evident to anyone who has followed Finnish politics, that in many fields, we are on the opposite side to the Finns Party. Finland is a natural member of the EU, and the EU is our most important international framework, and the Finns Party strives to get Finland out of the EU\" explains Anders Adlercreutz , the parliamentary group leader of the Swedish People's Party.\u00a0 \n\nHe tells Euronews that sticking to Finland's climate goals, and the need for more immigration, are both roadblocks to constructive cooperation with the Finns Party.\u00a0 \n\nMeanwhile Fatim Diarra , a newly elected Green League MP says her party and the Finns Party have \"such a different way of looking at humanity, looking at values, and even our attitude towards the European Union\" that it would be difficult to imagine working together in government.\u00a0 \n\nBut she says that a lot of Finnish voters gave their trust to the Finns Party, and those people want to see their policies in action.\u00a0 \n\nListen to the full Twitter Spaces conversation by clicking on the player above.\u00a0","htmlText":"<p>The dust is settling this weekend on the Finnish election result, which saw Sanna Marin's left-wing Social Democrats pipped at the post by less than one percentage point by the right-wing National Coalition Party and the far-right populist Finns Party.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But while some Finnish politicians might be taking time over the Easter weekend for holidays, others are working on the next steps to form a new coalition government.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The party which won the elections, the National Coalition Party (or Kokoomus as it's known locally) sends out questionnaires to the other parties asking for their positions on a range of key issues.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It's a bit like political speed dating.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"The largest party, the Coalition Party, with its leader Petter Opro composes the key written questions, which are answered by each and every party,\" explained\u00a0<a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//VilleSkinnari/">Ville Skinnari<\/strong><\/a>, the Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade in Sanna Marin's government.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"The ball is now there with the Coalition Party. They emphasise things that they see as important, which we all pretty much know what they are going to ask. And then we, the Social Democrats, we write our reply, it's as simple as that,\" he told Euronews on a Twitter Spaces discussion.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Kokoomus then evaluates the answers on various policy questions from all the responses and figures out which other parties could be most compatible, sharing a similar policy outlook, and where they might have the most common ground.\"\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Euronews asked the National Coalition Party to participate in our discussion, but they were not able to find a representative to join the event.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-youtube-embed\nwidget--size-fullwidth\nwidget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <div class=\"auto widget__ratio widget__ratio--16x9\">\n <iframe type=\"text\/html\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.youtube.com//embed//xh0YdLUnVF8/" width=\"100%\" loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen seamless>\n <\/iframe>\n <\/div>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>After last week's election, the 'elephant in the room' for forming a new government is the role of the populist Finns Party, and whether they are the most likely coalition partners for Kokoomus, or if they might indeed prefer to stay in opposition despite their best-ever election result.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Finns Party leader <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//ir_rkp/">Riikka Purra<\/strong><\/a> said after the first meeting of her new parliamentary group this week that she\u00a0 wants to go into government -- but with reservations.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"We strive for a place in the government with all our heart and energy, but not at any cost,\" she told reporters.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"The threshold is that harmful immigration to Finland must be significantly tightened,\" she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It's this particular issue that other politicians say is particularly problematic for the National Coalition Party if they want to take the Finns Party -- but not the only stumbling block.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"It is quite evident to anyone who has followed Finnish politics, that in many fields, we are on the opposite side to the Finns Party. Finland is a natural member of the EU, and the EU is our most important international framework, and the Finns Party strives to get Finland out of the EU\" explains <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//adleande/">Anders Adlercreutz<\/strong><\/a>, the parliamentary group leader of the Swedish People's Party.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>He tells Euronews that sticking to Finland's climate goals, and the need for more immigration, are both roadblocks to constructive cooperation with the Finns Party.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//fatimdiarra/">Fatim Diarra<\/strong><\/a>, a newly elected Green League MP says her party and the Finns Party have \"such a different way of looking at humanity, looking at values, and even our attitude towards the European Union\" that it would be difficult to imagine working together in government.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But she says that a lot of Finnish voters gave their trust to the Finns Party, and those people want to see their policies in action.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Listen to the full Twitter Spaces conversation by clicking on the player above.<\/strong><\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1680877311,"publishedAt":1680951655,"updatedAt":1680951659,"expiresAt":0,"canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2023\/04\/08\/finland-immigration-eu-policy-and-climate-goals-are-biggest-roadblocks-to-forming-new-gove","programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/07\/51\/82\/20\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_bc491eff-f7cc-5c33-aa42-4596b0aa7e42-7518220.jpg","altText":"National Coalition Chairman Petteri Orpo celebrates at the party's parliament election wake after seeing the results of the advance votes in Helsinki, Finland, Sunday, April 2","caption":"National Coalition Chairman Petteri Orpo celebrates at the party's parliament election wake after seeing the results of the advance votes in Helsinki, Finland, Sunday, April 2","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"AP Photo","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900}],"authors":{"journalists":[{"urlSafeValue":"mac-dougall","title":"David Mac Dougall","twitter":"@davidmacdougall"}],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":10529,"slug":"finland-politics","urlSafeValue":"finland-politics","title":"Finland politics","titleRaw":"Finland politics"},{"id":114,"slug":"finland","urlSafeValue":"finland","title":"Finland","titleRaw":"Finland"},{"id":22138,"slug":"sanna-marin","urlSafeValue":"sanna-marin","title":"Sanna Marin","titleRaw":"Sanna Marin"}],"related":[{"id":2241648},{"id":2240456},{"id":2249494}],"technicalTags":[],"widgets":[{"slug":"youtube","count":1}],"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":{"quotation":null,"description":null,"author":null},"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":null,"contentType":null,"displayOverlay":0},"displayType":"default","video":0,"videos":[],"externalPartners":[],"liveStream":[],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":null,"additionalSources":null,"additionalReporting":null,"freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"world news","online":1,"url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/programs\/world"},"vertical":"news","verticals":[{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"themes":[{"id":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World","url":"\/\/www.euronews.com\/news\/international"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":1,"urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"isDfp":0,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":""},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":104,"urlSafeValue":"europe","title":"Europe"},"country":{"id":114,"urlSafeValue":"finland","title":"Finland","url":"\/news\/europe\/finland"},"town":[],"versions":[],"path":"\/2023\/04\/08\/finland-immigration-eu-policy-and-climate-goals-are-biggest-roadblocks-to-forming-new-gove","lastModified":1680951659}]"
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