Suomi Ranskan linjalla EU:n puolustuksessa/ Vanhanen in Paris: Finland and France largely agree on EU defence 24, January 2008

 

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Suomella ja Ranskalla on “samansuuntainen tahtotila” EU:n puolustuksen kehittämisessä, pääministeri Matti Vanhanen sanoi keskiviikkona tavattuaan Ranskan presidentin Nicolas Sarkozyn.

“Mutta Ranskalla on pidemmälle meneviä visioita.”

 

Heinäkuussa EU:n puheenjohtajana aloittava Ranska on jo ilmoittanut, että se haluaa panostaa kaudellaan Euroopan unionin itsenäisen puolustuksen kehittämiseen.

Ranska on perinteisestikin ollut EU:n oman puolustuksen kehittämisen kannalla, kun taas esimerkiksi Britannia on pitänyt tärkeimpänä Nato-yhteistyötä ja Yhdysvaltain ja EU:n yhteistyötä. Ranska kuuluu Natoon, mutta tyytymättömyys Yhdysvaltain suureen valtaan puolustusliitossa on hiertänyt Nato-suhdetta.

Vanhasen mukaan Suomea kiinnostaa EU:n kriisinhallintatoiminnan kehittäminen ja siihen osallistuminen.

Pääministeri sanoi kannustaneensa Ranskaa työskentelemään puheenjohtajuuskaudella myös sen eteen, että EU pääsisi aloittamaan neuvottelut uudesta yhteistyösopimuksesta Venäjän kanssa tänä vuonna. Neuvottelut ovat siirtyneet muun muassa Venäjän ja Puolan kiistojen vuoksi.

 

Vanhanen kommentoi myös keskiviikkona julkaistua EU-komission ehdotusta kansallisista ilmastotavoitteista. Niiden mukaan Suomen pitää nostaa uusiutuvien energiamuotojen osuutta 38 prosenttiin vuoteen 2020 mennessä. Osuus on nyt 28,5 prosenttia.

“Tavoite on haastava, mutta ei kohtuuton tai poikkeava muiden maiden tavoitteisiin verrattuna”, Vanhanen sanoi.

Hän kiitteli lisäksi sitä, että energiaintensiivinen teollisuus kuten paperiteollisuus oli jätetty kiintiöiden ulkopuolelle.

(HS:stä)

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Finland and France have a “state of will going in the same direction” on the development of European Union defence, said Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen (Centre) on Wednesday after meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris. “But France has further-reaching visions”, he added.

France, which takes over the rotating EU Presidency in July this year, has said that during the six-month term at the helm, it wants to focus on the development of an independent defence capability for the EU.
France has traditionally been in favour of an independent EU defence, whereas Britain, for instance, has favoured cooperation between the EU and NATO, and close defence ties with the United States.
While France is a member of NATO, is also outspoken in its dissatisfaction with the far-reaching influence that the USA holds in the Western alliance.
Vanhanen said that Finland is interested in developing and participating in EU crisis management activities.
The Finnish Prime Minister also said that he had urged France to promote the launch of negotiations for a cooperation treaty with Russia during the French EU Presidency.

Commenting on the proposal of the European Commission for national targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions, Vanhanen said the goals were challenging, but not unreasonable from Finland’s point of view.

He was also pleased that energy-intensive industries, such as the paper industry, had been left outside the quota.

During his visit, Prime Minister Vanhanen also met with French Prime Minister François Fillon, as well as Christophe de Marger, director-general of the energy company Total, and Christian Noyer, governor of the Bank of France.

Total is a partner in a natural gas project in the Barents Sea, and Vanhanen expressed the hope that Finland might be able to share in the massive investment.

(HS:stä)

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Uusnatsikonsertit peruttiin Porissa ja Tampereella /Neo-Nazi Organisation Plans Concerts in Finland 4, January 2008

 

Porissa ja Tampereella on peruttu helmikuuksi suunnitellut uusnatsihenkiset konsertit. Kansainväliset fasismin vastaiset verkostot ovat varoittaneet konserteista ja niiden järjestäjistä suomalaisia internetsivuillaan.

Kansainvälinen uusnatsien verkosto ja suomalaiset uusnatsit aikoivat järjestää kolmen konsertin kiertueen Suomessa. Kolmas konserttipaikka on Helsinki.
Porilaiseen Kulttuuritalo Annankatu 6:een sovittu uusnatsihenkisten bändien konsertti peruttiin konserttitilan vetäjän ja poliisin käymien keskustelujen jälkeen. Konsertti oli tarkoitus järjestää helmikuun alussa.
Tampereen konsertti peruttiin konserttitilan edustajan toimesta.
Järjestäjät kutsuvat itseään musiikin kanssa tekemisissä olevien arjalaiseksi veljeskunnaksi, joka haluaa luoda kansallisten arjalaisten valtioiden liiton.

(Ylestä)

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A Neo-Nazi network called the Pagan Front has organized a concert tour in Finland, reports the newspaper Aamulehti on its website.

The three-band tour made up of German and Finnish groups will perform in February in Tampere and Pori.
International anti-fascism groups have warned about the tour on their websites. The Pagan Front calls itself a pro-Aryan organisation that opposes Judeo-Christian and satanic influences.
In Finland, any music that idealizes the German Nazi Party, incites people to murder or violence against a specific ethnic group is banned.

(Source: Yle)

 PS: It has been cancelled of course.

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Nurses Stage Walkout; Union Pledges Financial Support 14, November 2007

Nurses walked off the job in Helsinki and Tammisaari Wednesday afternoon to pressure employers in ongoing contract negotiations. Their union has announced that it is ready to pay hefty benefits to nurses who resign if contract demands are not met.

Members of the Tehy union in non-critical positions at the main hospitals in Helsinki and in Tammisaari walked out before the end of morning shifts for a march to local union headquarters.

Tehy chair Jaana Laitinen-Pesola confirmed to YLE Wednesday that if the mass resignations planned for the 19th of this month go ahead, the union will provide those who resign with 60 euros a day in benefits. Laitinen-Pesola said that the union has a strike fund that can support the action.

“The duration of this labour action will not be determined by money running out. The aim is to settle the dispute before it even starts, or as soon as possible after it does start,” said Laitinen-Pesola.

The union’s district head for Helsinki and Uusimaa, Helena Leppänen described Wednesday’s walkout as being intended to pressure municipal employers to engage in genuine and responsible contract negotiations. The marches were also aimed at presenting the question to the government and Parliament of whether a patient safety bill that could force nurses to work is the only form of responsibility they will take.

Students oppose patient safety bill

Students in the field of social affairs and health are voicing opposition to the patient safety bill under review in Parliament by gathering names with an online petition.

Involved students say that while the idea of ensuring patient safety is right, the means being considered are wrong. The petition states that those signing do not want to study for careers in a field where the law can be used to violate basic human rights, nor is it unthinkable to switch fields of study. The petition also points out that future prospects in the social and healthcare field are poor because of low salaries.

( Source: YLE)

PM: Metal Detectors Won’t Solve School Problems 14, November 2007

Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen says that metal detectors or placing guards in schools will not solve the issues raised by the Jokela school massacre.

Inaugurating a new school in Kokkola on Wednesday, Prime Minister Vanhanen said that rules governing computer use should be discussed in schools and in the home. He stressed that if threatening materials are posted on the Internet, they should be reported to the police.

According to Vanhanen, basic childrearing is the job of parents, but broad cooperation is needed to identify children who are alienated or have behavioural problems.

Millions for shooting aftermath

Health and Social Affairs Minister Liisa Hyssälä Wednesday visited Jokela, the community where last week’s school shootings took place. Hyssälä said that she wanted to hear what resources the municipality needs to deal with the aftermath of the tragedy, so that the message can be passed on to the government.

She added that the cabinet on Tuesday decided to provide aid to the municipality and cooperate to meet immediate needs as fully as possible.

The municipality of Tuusula, where Jokela is located, Wednesday presented the Minister of Basic Services Paula Risikko with an action plan and a cost projection of measures aimed at help in dealing with the aftermath of the school massacre.

Tuusula is asking for 5 million euros to pay for a four-year plan of crisis measures. Half of the sum will be used to provide therapy and occupational guidance for residents affected by the tragedy. The other half is earmarked for hiring experts including school guidance counsellors, psychologists and school healthcare personnel.

The goal is to help with the recovery of students, school staff, parents and guardians who were traumatized by last week’s shootings. Emergency personnel who were called in to deal with the event will also be included.

( Source: YLE)

Finland sees a baby boom 12, November 2007

Last year, over a thousand more babies were born in Finland than during the previous year. However, the average age for first-time mothers is on the rise.During the mid-1990s, the number of births in Finland began to fall as the economy picked up after the recession. Usually, fewer children are born when the economic situation is goof. Recently, however, the trend has turned around. Last year, over 59000 babies were born in Finland, a figure that is over 1000 more than 2005.

The average age for a woman giving birth is 30. First-time mothers, however, are older than before. In recent years, the average age of first-time mothers has risen to 28.

Some commend Finnish day-care as well as parental allowances and leave, and believe the system encourages people to raise families.

Too little, too late

Northern and central Ostrobothnia had the highest birth rates, whereas East Savo, Kymenlaakso and Lapland had the lowest.

Mika Gissler, a researcher at the National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health, said that a lack of educational opportunities and jobs affect the birth rate in sparsely populated areas. According to Gissler, educated women from rural areas often move to larger cities to find work, and do not return to their hometowns. Meanwhile, Helsinki poses its own set of challenges for young families. In the capital city region a first child is born, however siblings do not follow.

In order for the population to not shrink in the future, each woman needs to, on average, have more than two children, researchers say. In spite of the increased number of births last year, women are still, on average, giving birth to fewer than two.

(Source : Yle)

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