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Govt moves to raise reservist age limit to 65

Govt moves to raise reservist age limit to 65

The government on Thursday submitted a proposal to Parliament to raise the maximum age of reservists to 65 years from the existing 60 years, said the Ministry of Defence in a press release. Reservists would remain liable for military service until the end of the year they turn 65 instead of the 60. The new upper age limit would apply to all persons liable for military service born in 1966 or later. Persons liable for military service would remain in the reserve until the end of the year they turn 65 irrespective of their military rank. There would be no upper age limit for officers with the rank of colonel or captain or higher, and they would remain in the reserve as long as they are fit for military service, just as they do now. The proposal would extend the liability for military service by 15 years for the rank and file and by 5 years for officers and non-commissioned officers. This would give the Finnish Defence Forces and the Finnish Border Guard a wider range of options for assigning persons to key positions during emergencies regardless of their military rank. In practice, the amendment would affect a relatively limited group of persons liable for military service. For example, only reservists who have been assigned wartime tasks could be ordered to attend refresher training. No upper age limit would be prescribed for participating in voluntary national defence. There is a five-year transition period during which the number of reservists would grow by 125,000. The number of reservists is expected to reach one million in 2031. The Non-Military Service Act would be amended in the same way as the Conscription Act. The amendments are intended to enter into force on 1 January 2026, and the 65-year age limit would only apply to those who are liable for military service upon the entry into force of the amendments.

Finland sees €496m trade surplus in June

Finland sees €496m trade surplus in June

The trade balance showed a surplus of EUR 496 million in June 2025, according to the international trade in goods statistics released by Finnish Customs on Thursday. In January-June 2025, the trade balance had accumulated a deficit of EUR 39 million. The aggregate trade surplus by commodity group increased for industrial machinery and equipment, metals and forest industry products. The deficit increased for ores and metal scrap, chemicals and related products, foods and beverages and transport equipment, but decreased for crude oil and refined petroleum products and electrical machinery and equipment. The value of Finnish exports of goods decreased by 3.7 per cent year-on-year in June. The value of Finnish exports was EUR 6.5 billion. Export volume decreased by 0.3 per cent and export prices declined by 2.7 per cent year-on-year. The value of imports increased by 3.1 per cent in June to EUR 6.0 billion. Import prices declined by 0.6 per cent and import volume increased by 5.6 per cent compared to June 2024. In January-June, the total value of exports increased by 3.5 per cent and the value of imports decreased by 0.9 per cent compared to the corresponding period of the previous year. Change of export volume during the latest 12 months was minus 0.1 per cent (12-month moving average July 2024 – June 2025). The corresponding figure for import volume was +0.9 per cent. The terms of trade deteriorated in June compared to the corresponding month of 2024 as export prices declined more than import prices. The point figure in June was 98.0, while it was 100.2 in June 2024. The terms of trade also deteriorated from May 2025. The value of exports of industrial supplies decreased by 0.6 per cent in June, and the value of exports of capital goods increased by 11.5 per cent year-on-year. The value of exports of fuels and lubricants increased by 19.3 per cent. The value of exports of consumer goods declined by 8.2 per cent, and the value of exports of food and beverages increased by 5.9 per cent. The value of exports of transport equipment and parts decreased by 40.9 per cent. The value of imports of industrial supplies increased by 2.3 per cent in June, and the value of imports of capital goods by 9.5 per cent year-on-year. The value of imports of transportation equipment and their parts declined by 1.2 per cent. The value of imports of fuels and lubricants decreased by 9.5 per cent. The value of imports of food and beverages increased by 9.1 per cent, and the value of imports of consumer goods by 8.7 per cent. The value of exports to EU member states decreased by 14.1 per cent, but the exports to other countries increased by 12.1 per cent in June. Imports from EU countries increased by 3.9 per cent, and imports from non-EU countries by 2.0 per cent in June. In January-June, total value of exports to EU countries increased by 1.9 per cent and exports to countries outside the EU by 5.7 per cent. In the same period, import value from EU countries decreased by 0.1 per cent and from countries outside the EU by 2.2 per cent. Earlier this month, the preliminary statistics of Finnish Customs showed that he trade balance was in surplus of EUR 525 million in June.

5% of Helsinki residents feel unsafe in weekend evenings: survey

5% of Helsinki residents feel unsafe in weekend evenings: survey

As many as 5 percent of Helsinki residents feel unsafe or fairly unsafe when walking alone outside in their residential area in weekend evenings, according to a survey carried out by the City of Helsinki. The safety survey, however, said that 77 percent of residents feel at least fairly safe while 8 percent cannot say how they feel, said the City of Helsinki in a press release on Thursday. Helsinki residents generally feel safe in their own residential areas in all city districts, but some areas are commonly perceived as unsafe in weekend evenings. The prevalence of perceived unsafety has remained largely unchanged since the previous safety surveys carried out three and six years ago. There are clear differences in the perceived safety of weekend evenings between the different residential areas of Helsinki. In a few districts, the proportion of people who feel unsafe exceeds a quarter, while in some areas it is closer to 5 percent. Differences between areas regarding perceived unsafety have remained unchanged in recent years. The proportions of Helsinki residents who feel unsafe are higher in certain eastern and north-eastern districts of the city, for example. Socio-economically disadvantaged areas are more commonly perceived as unsafe. People in Helsinki feel unsafe most often on weekends in the northeastern and eastern districts of the city, stretching from Vuosaari to Malmi and Puistola. In addition, people said they felt less safe in Helsinkis districts of Alppiharju, Kallio, and Vallila. Feelings of being unsafe are also common in downtown Helsinki on the weekends. Women and the youngest respondents, aged 15–29, are most likely to feel unsafe in the city centre. In the evenings, people felt significantly less safe on the metro and local trains than on trams or buses. Witnessing violence and drug use in one's own neighbourhood is strongly associated with perceived unsafety in weekend evenings. In addition to these, factors associated with perceived unsafety include prior experiences of being a victim, poor health and low trust that other residents would provide help. Women are significantly more likely than men to feel unsafe in urban spaces. “One of the key elements in making urban areas safer is crime prevention. A sense of safety can also be supported by strengthening trust in other people in the neighbourhood and by taking care of the health of all city residents,” said Researcher Jenni Erjansola of the City of Helsinki. Helsinki surveys city residents perceptions of safety in an extensive safety survey every three years. The data for the latest Helsinki safety survey was collected in autumn 2024. The survey was sent to approximately 12,000 Helsinki residents between the ages of 15 and 79 who were picked by random sampling. Of these residents, 52% (6,205 residents) responded to the survey, as a result of which the survey sample is considered to be highly representative of the views of Helsinkis adult population.