Ministry for Foreign Affairs (Finland)
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs (MFA) is a ministry in the Finnish Government and is responsible for preparing and implementing the government's foreign policy.
| Ulkoministeriö (in Finnish) Utrikesministeriet (in Swedish) | |
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| Ministry overview | |
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| Formed | 28 June 1918 |
| Headquarters | Merikasarmi, Laivastokatu 22, Katajanokka, 00160 Helsinki |
| Employees | 1,420 permanent employees 980 local employees |
| Annual budget | €1.079 billion (2017) |
| Ministers responsible |
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| Website | www |
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| This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Finland |
Organisation
The ministry in 2017 has a total budget of 1.079 billion euros, of which 675 million will be spent on development cooperation and 248 million euros on the ministry's operating expenses. Upkeep of crisis management troops will cost 50 million euros and civilian personnel 15 million.[1]
It employs 1,420 people (of whom approximately 74% are women) as well as 980 locally hired personnel and maintains 89 overseas offices housing foreign missions.[2] Since 1987 the ministry has been concentrated in the Katajanokka district of Helsinki.
Two ministers in the current Antti Rinne's government have portfolios relating to the ministry:
- Minister for Foreign Affairs, who is in overall political control of the ministry
- Minister for Foreign Trade and Development
The most senior civil servant is the Secretary of State, and is assisted by four Under-Secretaries of State with responsibilities allocated as follows:
- Administrative, Legal and Protocol Affairs
- Foreign and Security Policy, Communications and Culture
- External Economic Affairs
- International Development Cooperation and Development Policy
Below these, the ministry is divided into twelve departments:
- Political Department
- Department for External Economic Relations
- Department for Development Policy
- Department for Europe
- Department for Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia;
- Department for the Americas and Asia;
- Department for Africa and the Middle East.
- Department for Global Affairs
- Legal Department
- Department for Administrative Affairs
- Department for Communication and Culture
- Protocol Department
Outside of these departments there are two specialised units:
- Unit for Internal Auditing
- Unit for Policy Planning and Research
Current Ministers
The ministers, as of 6 June 2019, are:
- Minister for Foreign and European Affairs - Pekka Haavisto
- Minister for Foreign Trade and Development - Ville Skinnari
The current Secretary of State at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs is Matti Anttonen.
References
- "Talousarvioesitys 2017" (in Finnish). Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. September 15, 2016. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
- "Ulkoasiainhallinnon henkilöstötilinpäätös 2015" (in Finnish). Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. June 14, 2016. Archived from the original on April 25, 2018. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
