The shadow budgets unveiled over the past couple of weeks by opposition parties fail to acceptably answer the most pressing question in Finland: how to sustain the current economic and employment growth, views Petteri Orpo (NCP), the Minister of Finance.

“The biggest mistake would be to put an end to the economic and employment growth by making notable tax cuts,” he stated in the Finnish Parliament on Wednesday.

Timo Heinonen (NCP), a third-term Member of Parliament from Häme, told Uusi Suomi on Tuesday that he is supportive of the idea of abolishing the diesel tax.

Heinonen commented on the issue in the wake of overwhelming public support for a citizens’ initiative calling for the abolition of the tax, which received over 50,000 statements of support in no more than roughly 12 hours on Monday.

THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE (IPCC) stated in their press release on 8 October this year that rapid and far-reaching changes in all aspects of society are needed if we want to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius to ensure a more sustainable and equitable society compared to a 2-degree Celsius rise. I’m sure most people can agree with this as the vast majority of respectable climate and other scientists confirm that the climate is getting warmer.

If humans cause this warming, we can also do something to fix the problem, step by step. One step could be an introduction of what I call a “climate customs payment”. Each country would be evaluated on how well they are protecting the climate. According to a country’s performance a special climate customs tax would be added to its products. 

The total fertility rate is set to continue its decline in Finland.

Statistics Finland has reported that the fertility rate fell to an all-time low of 1.49 children per woman last year as the number of births dropped to 50,321, its lowest level since the third and last year of the famine of 1866–1868, when the country had a population of no more than 1.75 million. 

Helsinki’s casino and gambling scene has always been fairly limited compared to many other major European cities such as London, where casinos are an established part of the party scene. The first independent establishment, Casino Helsinki, did not appear until 1991. It is run under Veikkaus, a non-profit organisation with all the proceeds going to charity and social projects through RAY. Veikkaus also runs the national lottery and arranges a football league.

The Finnish government is on the verge of reaching its once-ambitious employment rate target of 72 per cent, with the latest employment statistics showing that the trend of the employment rate stood at 71.7 per cent in September.

Etla, the Research Institute of the Finnish Economy, believes the increases in employment and productivity are a consequence of several simultaneous developments.

Jussi Halla-aho, the chairperson of the Finns Party and Member of the European Parliament, has expressed his strong reservations about the so-called global compact for migration (GCM), an exhaustive agreement on global migration prepared under the auspices of the United Nations.

Halla-Aho said in the European Parliament on Tuesday the GCM is “a misguided and dangerous” document that offers no solutions to tackling immigration and urged all member states not to join the declaration.

Kyösti Suokas, the chairperson of the Finnish Construction Trade Union, has shot down a proposal to oblige employers to make lay-offs in an order partly based on seniority.

The Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK) last week floated the idea of prescribing in law that employers make redundancies in an order determined based on factors such as the professional skills, length of employment and number of dependants of employees.

Differences between the school performance of boys and girls have existed for at least a decade in Finland, according to a study that followed people born in 1997 for 12 years.

The National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) on Monday published the results of the massive cohort study, highlighting that over a half of girls but only a third of boys had a grade average grade of eight or higher at the end of basic education.

“Finland is a more ordinary member state than it is perhaps willing to concede,” concludes a report on the country’s reputation in the European Union by the European Policy Centre (EPC), an independent not-for-profit think tank based in Brussels.

EPC on Tuesday pointed out that although the country has for years encouraged a narrative of itself as a constructive, unconditionally pro-integration member of the 28-country bloc, the narrative is not necessarily reflective of its domestic efforts to, for example, contribute to and benefit from the single market.

THE DOORS of Helsinki’s very own sex doll brothel are due to open this week, the first of any such establishment to open in Finland. 

The “Unique Dolls” brothel will open in a basement behind the Kannelmäki Shopping Centre on 15 November, amid a global surge in the popularity of synthetic sexual companions. The news has already made headlines internationally, with the establishment being one of very few in Europe to currently operate publicly. 

Those looking for a silicone-based sex session to get them through the long winter nights will have to fork out €100 an hour for the pleasure, but should be comforted to know that they won’t be alone, with Iltalehti reporting that there have already been a number of advance bookings. 

The Finnish Confederation of Salaried Employees (STTK) on Monday announced it continues to oppose any unfavourable revisions to employee protection against unilateral termination but will forgo any further action against a government proposal to ease laying off for small businesses.

Its board explained yesterday that the much-discussed proposal is not expected to have a major impact on judicial and termination practices in Finland.