News

The EU environment ministers will meet in Brussels on Thursday 27 March, with the discussion focusing on the Commission’s Clean Industrial Deal Communication. The ministers will also discuss the state of global environmental policies. Finland will be represented by Minister of Climate and the Environment Sari Multala. 

Built heritage is often considered to refer only to old and monumental buildings. However, new built heritage is being created all the time. In Finland, the European Heritage Days collect information on the kind of built environment that is relevant at the moment and showcase unique sites across Finland.

The impacts of both climate change and biodiversity loss can be seen in the daily lives of most Finns. This is the conclusion to be made from the answers to the 2025 Climate and Nature Barometers. In municipal policy green investments are identified as sources of vitality, but opinions diverge with respect to their environmental impacts. Climate solutions are considered to boost Finland’s competitiveness.

The EU’s Social Climate Fund was created to address the social and financial challenges caused by the expansion of emissions trading. Opinions on the proposal for measures to use the Fund in Finland are now requested at the Ota kantaa online service. The deadline for submitting opinions is 26 March.

In 2024, about 3,200 hectares of forest habitats were protected under the Forest Biodiversity Programme for Southern Finland METSO. Last year Finnish forest owners protected about 2,900 hectares of forest on a permanent basis and concluded ten-year environmental aid contracts that covered about 260 hectares. About 20 hectares of forest was protected for 20 years and nature managements works were carried out on about 200 hectares. The process is under way to prepare the next period of the METSO Programme and new targets for it.

The operations of the Housing Finance and Development Centre of Finland Ara as an independent agency will end. Its tasks will be transferred to the Centre for State-Subsidised Housing Construction established in connection with the Ministry of the Environment, which starts operating on 1 March.

The resumed session of the UN Biodiversity Conference in Rome reached an understanding on developing the financial architecture for biodiversity and on the monitoring and common review of biodiversity work.

The parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity will convene in Rome, Italy on 25–27 February 2025. The COP16.2 session will continue the negotiations on items that remained open in Cali, Colombia in November. The aim is to reach an agreement on the monitoring, evaluation and financing of the global biodiversity targets. Finland’s delegation will be led by Minister of Climate and the Environment Sari Multala.

The Forest Biodiversity Programme for Southern Finland METSO (2008–2025) has had a positive impact on forest biodiversity. This is the conclusion of the independent final evaluation of the programme. A working group of the Ministry of the Environment and Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is preparing the next period of the programme that will start in 2026.

The Ministry of the Environment requests comments on the draft decree of the Ministry of the Environment that would lay down provision on the monetary values of animals and plants protected under the Nature Conservation Act. The updates would lead to significant changes in the value of certain animal species. The value of freshwater pearl mussel, for example, would increase 2.5-fold. This would be the first time that values would be set for plant species as well. The deadline for comments is 28 February 2025.