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20.7.2026 | An informal meeting of the EU competitiveness ministers responsible for research and innovation takes place In Dublin on 20–21 July 2026. Minister of Economic Affairs Sakari Puisto represents Finland at the meeting.

14.7.2026 | EU ministers for sports have asked the European Commission to consider whether EU funding should be restricted for international sports organisations that have allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in international competitions during Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.

29.5.2026 | Minister of Science and Culture Mari-Leena Talvitie will attend an informal meeting of EU ministers of culture in Lefkosia on 1–2 June. At the meeting, the EU ministers of culture will discuss safeguarding cultural rights in the digital era and preventing the illicit export of cultural goods. The themes have links to both the rapid development of artificial intelligence and the increasingly tense security situation.

28.5.2026 | The EU ministers responsible for competitiveness meet in Brussels on 28–29 May 2026. Minister of Economic Affairs Sakari Puisto (internal market and industrial policy) and State Secretary Kristiina Kokko (research and space) represent Finland at the meeting.

8.5.2026 | The EU ministers responsible for education, youth, culture and sport will meet in Brussels on 11–12 May. Education ministers are expected to adopt a general approach on the next Erasmus+ programme and outline the role of artificial intelligence in education. Other items on the agenda include the EU Youth Dialogue, the new AgoraEU programme, and mental health in sport.

25.2.2026 | Varkaus – a living industrial cultural heritage – was awarded the Cultural Heritage Label by the European Commission. The label is designated to sites located in the European Union that strongly embody the history, culture and integration of Europe.

15.1.2026 | The European Capital of Culture year in Oulu begins with a three-day Opening Festival starting on Friday, 16 January. The programme features nearly 200 events, offering a diverse range of experiences – most of them free of charge and open to people of all ages. Throughout the year, Oulu will be alive with cultural events, performances and exhibitions.

2.6.2026 | The National Working Life Development Strategy to 2035 has been completed. The strategy aims to accelerate Finland’s economic growth by modernising the world of work so that Finnish workplaces become more innovative, more productive and better places to work. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, and the Ministry of Education and Culture published the strategy and an accompanying implementation roadmap on 2 June 2026.

25.11.2025 | The EU ministers responsible for education, youth, culture and sport will meet in Brussels on 27–28 November. The Council’s agenda includes vocational education and training, the European Education Area, the Erasmus+ programme, the importance of culture for democratic resilience, the AgoraEU programme, and democracy and transparency in sport. The Oulu European Capital of Culture 2026 project will also be presented at the meeting.

9.5.2025 | The topics on the agenda include the joint European degree label and the role of education in preventing inequality. The Council will also discuss the impact of disinformation, manipulation and cyber threats on young people and delve into the future strategic priorities for the cultural sector in the EU. Council conclusions are expected on the promotion of sport and physical activity in the educational context.

22.11.2024 | The EU ministers responsible for education, youth, culture and sport will meet in Brussels on 25–26 November. Topics on their agenda include boosting Europe's skills and competitiveness through higher education, opportunities for young people in rural and remote areas, role of libraries in media literacy development, and key features of the European Sport Model, which are based on the values of free...

4.4.2025 | Minister of Science and Culture Mari-Leena Talvitie will attend an informal meeting of EU ministers of culture in Warsaw on 7 and 8 April. The meeting will continue the discussion on the protection of cultural heritage, especially from the perspective of the situation in Ukraine.

9.5.2023 | This year (9 May 2023–8 May 2024) has been designated as the European Year of Skills. The aim is to encourage working-age people to identify and develop their skills and to help companies find solutions for recruiting skilled labour.

9.4.2025 | Minister of Youth, Sport and Physical Activity Sandra Bergqvist will travel to Kraków and attend the EU Sport Forum on 10 and 11 April. The Minister will take part in the Forum’s panel discussion, together with Ukraine’s Minister for Youth and Sports Matviy Bidny. During her visit, Bergqvist will also meet Kersti Kaljulaid, Chair of the Estonian Olympic Committee, and Glenn Micallef, European Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport.

21.2.2023 | In their statement published on 20 February, the ministers of sport from 34 countries state that the International Olympic Committee should not change its decision of 28 February 2022 concerning the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in international sports. According to the ministers, the situation in Ukraine has deteriorated over the past year.

21.12.2021 | The Sustainable Growth Programme for Finland is investing in revitalising culture and the creative industries and in reshaping them in a sustainable way. The Ministry of Education and Culture has granted EUR 4 million in discretionary government grants to those operating in the cultural and creative sectors to create innovative services and to devise novel production and operating procedures. The gr...

2.6.2021 | Oulu has been selected as European Capital of Culture for 2026. The selection is recommended by a European expert panel composed of nine independent experts in the field of arts and culture. The panel, having visited the candidate cities, announced its recommendation at the end of its two-day meeting in Helsinki on Wednesday 2 June.

16.6.2020 | Tampere, Oulu and Savonlinna are bidding to be nominated as Finland’s candidate for the European Capital of Culture for 2026. The independent panel will convene on 23 and 24 June in Helsinki. At their meeting, the panel will hear the plans of the applicant cities and decide which cities will continue in the race for the next decisive round.

20.5.2021 | The European Capital of Culture for 2026 will be selected in Helsinki at the beginning of June. The cities of Tampere, Oulu, and Savonlinna all qualified in the first round of the competition last summer and are now shortlisted for the final selection. The selection will be made by a nine-member European panel of experts, with five panel members visiting the applicant cities next week.

10.8.2020 | The European expert panel has published its pre-selection report on the applications of the three candidate cities Oulu, Savonlinna and Tampere and suggestions for the second and decisive phase. According to the letter sent by Minister of Science and Culture Annika Saarikko, the cities should revise and complete their applications by 23 April 2021. The expert panel will visit the cities in May 2021.