Finland

30 April 2020; MEMO: Finnish customs officers have rejected 104,000 kilogrammes of oranges from Israel after discovering traces of Bromopropylate, a pesticide banned in the EU, on the produce.

Authorities say they rejected eight of 16 consignments of oranges received from Israel between February and mid-April because of the presence of the banned pesticide.

HELSINKI (Reuters) - European Central Bank policymaker Olli Rehn called on Wednesday for member states to enhance pan-European cooperation and for governments to take measures to support the economy amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“The difficulties caused by (the virus) are not due to any single country’s reckless management of finances. It is therefore necessary to support the most severely hit countries,” Rehn, who is Finland’s central bank chief, told a news conference.

HELSINKI, April 15 (Xinhua) -- Large quantities of anti-epidemic supplies have arrived in Finland from China on Wednesday, announced Finnish National Emergency Supply Agency (NESA).

The consignment, landing at Helsinki airport, included 5 million pieces of protective gloves and 170,000 pieces of respirators ordered from China.

It came a day after a total of 2.4 million pieces of surgical masks, jointly ordered from China by Uusimaa Hospital District (HUS) Logistics and NESA, arrived in the Nordic country.

HELSINKI, April 10 (Xinhua) -- Tomi Lounema, CEO of the Finnish National Emergency Supply Agency (NESA), resigned on Friday after talks with Finnish Minister of Employment Tuula Haatainen who told a press conference that the credibility of the agency had been inadmissibly undermined.

The agency had not checked the backgrounds of two Finnish entrepreneurs it had accepted as intermediaries for purchase of protective gear from China.

HELSINKI (Reuters) - Finland’s government on Tuesday extended and tightened border controls restricting travel to and from the country until May 13 in order to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Finland has followed with mounting concern neighbouring Sweden’s liberal pandemic strategy, fearing cross-border commuters could speed up the spread of the virus in northern parts of Finland with an ageing population and limited intensive care resources.

HELSINKI, March 3. /TASS/: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will hold a series of meetings on Tuesday in the capital of Finland, where he arrived on a working visit.

Despite the short duration of the trip, his schedule will be quite tight. Lavrov will hold detailed talks with his Finnish counterpart, Pekka Haavisto, who retained his post in the new government of Finland. In addition, Lavrov will hold a separate meeting with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto.

HELSINKI, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- Finnish Minister for Employment Tuula Haatainen said on Wednesday that employers are suffering from lack of personnel and foreign labour is required to realize the existing growth potential.

There are people interested in coming to Finland for work, "but the process is terribly slow", the minister said at a press conference after a cabinet seminar.

At the seminar, the Finnish government rolled out emphasis on work-based immigration following the change of ministry duty.

HELSINKI (Reuters) - Finland’s Centre Party, part of the five-party coalition government, said on Tuesday it had lost confidence in Social Democrat Prime Minister Antti Rinne, a move that looks likely to force him to resign.

Finnish broadcaster YLE, citing unnamed sources, said Rinne would resign later in the day. The tabloid Iltalehti, also citing unnamed sources, said Rinne would hand in his resignation before a debate in parliament due to begin at 1200 GMT.

HELSINKI, November 17. /TASS/: Norwegian national Frude Berg, convicted of espionage in Russia and released as a result of a prisoner swap between Lithuania and Russia, has arrived in Norway on Saturday night, the Norwegian Telegraph Bureau informed, citing Berg’s lawyer Brynjulf Risnes.

"Berg was transported from Lithuania on a private plane, which landed on Saturday evening at Gardermoen Airport [in Oslo]," the attorney said.

HELSINKI (Reuters) - Britain will have to propose a candidate for a commissioner in the next European Commission if it still is a member of the European Union after October 31, incoming Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday.

The outgoing EU executive of Jean-Claude Juncker is supposed to end its five-year term on Oct 31, although a delay of one month is almost certain because the new Commission is still missing commissioners from France, Hungary and Romania.

Under EU law, each of the EU’s 28 countries, including Britain, has to propose one commissioner.