Fin­nish Cent­re for Pen­sions (06.04.2020) Emplo­yers’ ear­nings-re­la­ted pen­sion cont­ri­bu­tions have been tem­po­ra­ri­ly lowe­red by around 2% (until the end of the year). This mea­su­re is fi­nanced by cut­ting into the EMU buf­fer (to a value of €900 mil­lion). Busi­nes­ses whose ope­ra­tions have stop­ped comple­te­ly due to the epi­de­mic can post­po­ne the pay­ment of their ear­nings-re­la­ted pen­sion cont­ri­bu­tions by three months at the most. The above mea­su­res will re­duce the cont­ri­bu­tion inco­me of pen­sion pro­vi­ders in 2020 by an es­ti­ma­ted one bil­lion euros.

Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (08.05.2020) Based on a temporary amendment, unemployment benefit can be paid without a decision, as an advance payment, for a period of six months instead of the current period of two months. The President of the Republic approved the act on temporary derogations from the Unemployment Security Act due to the coronavirus epidemic. The act will enter into force on 11 May 2020 and it will remain in force until 31 October 2020.

kela.fi (02.03.2020) Kela can pay a sickness allowance on account of an infectious diseases to employees who have been ordered to stay away from work in order to prevent the spread of a communicable disease such as the novel coronavirus. The sickness allowance is also available to the provider of a child under the age of 16 who is placed in quarantine, making it impossible for the provider to continue working while the quarantine is in effect.

bloomberg.com (04.04.2019) Unemployed people derive significant psychological benefits from receiving a fixed amount of financial support from the state, according to a landmark experiment into basic income in Finland that highlights the disadvantages of the country’s existing means-tested system.

World Economic Forum t15.03.2019) Other nations often look to Scandinavia for inspiration on family policies. The region’s childcare arrangements are among the most generous in the world, supporting parents from the early days of pregnancy to school and beyond.

Alternatives Economiques (01.03.2019) Les premiers résultats d’une expérimentation montre que le revenu de base accroît le bien-être des allocataires, même s’ils ne retrouvent pas plus souvent un travail

EurActiv (12.02.2019) Finland is the first country to complete a nation-wide experiment on universal basic income. With the first results in, Finnish finance minister Petteri Orpo told EURACTIV.com that the largest parties in his country don’t support the idea anymore

EurActiv (05.10.2018) Estonia and Finland will start exchanging digital prescriptions at the end of the year, in a groundbreaking move that Estonian Health Minister Riina Sikkut said she hoped other EU countries will follow. Speaking to EURACTIV.com on the sidelines of the ongoing European Health Forum in Gastein, Austria, Sikkut said that in Estonia, it is common practice for healthcare professionals to use the e-health system to exchange patient medical records.

Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (13.03.2018) The Action Plan will implement the UN Convention that entered into force in summer 2016. The aim is to strengthen the rights of persons with disabilities and to improve their opportunities for participation.