Society

Lahti is the first Finnish city to be appointed as the European Green Capital at the awards ceremony in Oslo June 20 2019.

The title of European Green Capital is the European Commission’s recognition of a city that is a pioneer in environmental activities, serves as an example to other cities and develops innovative solutions to environmental challenges. Winning the title means that in 2021, a number of international and local environmental events will take place in Lahti.

The Finnish Government has announced the construction of a 103-kilometre tunnel that will connect Finland to Estonia, which will allow people to travel from Helsinki to Tallinn in only 20 minutes. Currently, it takes two hours to travel between the two capital cities. At the moment, the journey can only be done via ferries across the Gulf of Finland. On some days, however, the ferries do not operate due to adverse weather conditions.

The new Finnish government has pledged to make the country carbon neutral by 2035, one of the fastest targets set around the world. In a coalition deal published on Monday that also includes increased welfare spending, the new government said it was committed to reform both Finland and the European Union’s climate policy to limit global average temperature increases to 1.5C.

Europe’s first national government-backed experiment in giving citizens free cash failed to encourage its participants to work more as organisers had hoped – but it did improve their wellbeing. Under Finland’s two-year basic income trial, which ended a month ago, a random sample of 2,000 unemployed people aged 25 to 58 were paid a monthly €560 (£475), with no requirement to seek or accept employment.

We  call call for all talented professionals interested in pursuing their careers in the happiest country in the world!

From paid paternity leave to universal daycare, Finland is closing the gender gap. What can it teach the rest of the world? To Americans and Britons, the Nordic countries have come to represent a near-mythical paradise of gender equality and family harmony, where legions of happy fathers push prams through the streets, relaxed mothers enjoy lengthy paid maternity leaves, and well-nourished children in chunky sweaters glow from their free healthcare.