Finland holds the Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2021. In connection with the Presidency, Finland launched a project at the start of the year entitled ‘World’s smoothest cross-border mobility and daily life through digitalisation'. Its aim is to improve the cross-border mobility and cross-border daily activities of people and businesses by promoting information exchange between public authorities in the Nordic countries. The project will create an operational framework and good practices for stronger and more effective cross-border exchange of information. The project will run for three years, from 2021 to 2023. 

Economic growth will accelerate to 2.5% in 2021 as the coronavirus epidemic recedes, is the forecast of the Ministry of Finance in its latest Economic Survey, published on 17 December.

In its latest Economic Survey of Finland, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) assesses the impact of the coronavirus crisis on the Finnish economy, among other things. A special theme of the report is the Government’s employment target.

According to Minister of Finance Matti Vanhanen, the recommendations set out in the OECD’s Economic Survey of Finland, published on 10 December, should be closely studied.

The Government’s proposed seventh supplementary budget for 2020 includes financial support totalling EUR 750 million for the municipalities and EUR 200 million for the country’s hospital districts, to cover costs arising from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The aims of this are to safeguard the municipalities’ basic public services, help expand services essential for tackling the pandemic, and ensure the success of the Government's hybrid strategy.