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Finland’s government consists of a parliamentary democracy and a multi-party political system. The country possesses a dual executive in which the President is head of state and the Prime Minister is head of government. There are three branches: The Executive, the Legislative, and the Judicial Branches.
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The Executive Branch: Power is shared between the President and the Prime Minister. The President is responsible for the direction of foreign policy as the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces and nominates government officials and judges. The Prime Minister is elected by Parliament, appointed by the President, and is responsible for all other government affairs not assigned to the President.
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The Legislative Branch: This branch is unicameral, consisting of The Parliament (Eduskunta). This body is responsible for enacting legislation, approving the budget, ratifying treaties, and supervising the government. The Parliament must also approve government proposals.
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The Judicial Branch: This branch consists of three tiers: First, the civil and criminal jurisdiction, which is comprised of the Supreme Court, six Courts of Appeal, and twenty-seven District Courts. Second, the administrative courts which handle litigation between individuals and the public administration. Finally, specialized courts aimed at specific realms (i.e. the Labour Court which handles cases between employers and their employees).
[1] "Political System of Finland." Legislative Council Secretariat (2013): 1-5. Web. 25 Feb. 2017.
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President: Sauli Niinisto, Conservative Party
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Prime Minister: Juha Sipilä, Centre Party
[1] "Finland Profile - Leaders." BBC News. BBC, 23 Apr. 2015. Web. 26 Feb. 2017.
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Population: 5,498,211
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Population Density: 18.04 persons per sq. km [2]
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Land Area: 303,815 sq. km
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Estimated per capita income: $41,800
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Racial Breakdown: Finn 93.4%; Swede 5.6%; Russian 0.5%; Estonian 0.3%; Roma 0.1%; Sami 0.1%
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Unemployment Rate: 1%[2]
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[1] "The World Factbook: FINLAND." Central Intelligence Agency. Central Intelligence Agency, 12 Jan. 2017. Web. 25 Feb. 2017.
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[2] “Population Density: Finland.” Trading Economics. IEconomics, 2015. Web. 26 Feb. 2017.
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2003-2005: The Ministry of Labour worked with Ireland on the MORE (Modeling of National Resettlement Process and Implementation of Emergency Measures) project to produce models for resettlement for EU member countries.
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2004: Finnish Aliens Act establishes the quota for and procedures of resettlement.
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2006-2008: The Ministry of Labour partnered with Spain, Ireland, and Sweden to direct the MOST (Modeling of Orientation, Services, and Training Related to the Resettlement and Reception of Refugees) project. This was funded by the ERF and implemented with the UNHCR, ECRE, and the IOM in order to improve the integration process for refugees.
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2011: The Act on Integration outlines procedures for integration support for refugees arriving in the country.
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2012: The European Refugee Fund financed the VIPRO Project with the Ministry of Employment and the Economy in order to respond to declining spaces for refugees in the municipalities.
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2013-2014: Finland initiates the second phase of this project.
[1] “Finland.” European Resettlement Network. ICMC Europe, 2013. Web. 26 Feb. 2017.
The Finnish Integration Service (MIGRI) pays participating municipalities a sum of 6,845 euros for those under seven years of age and 2,300 euros for those older than seven years of age in order to cover accommodation costs. Refugees receive a monthly stipend of 674 euros, those families with children receive additional monetary support. However, these subsidies only occur for three years. Finland utilizes the European Refugee Fund in order to finance the costs of resettlement. This fund is split between all EU member states, with the exception of Denmark.[1]
[1] “Finland.” European Resettlement Network. ICMC Europe, 2013. Web. 26 Feb. 2017.
Country of Origin |
# Settled (2002-2014) |
Afghanistan |
1604 |
Armenia |
4 |
Burundi |
23 |
Cambodia |
44 |
China |
31 |
Chad |
|
Côte d’Ivoire |
13 |
Congo |
34 |
Cuba |
4 |
Democratic Republic of Congo |
1064 |
Eritrea |
124 |
Ethiopia |
54 |
Georgia |
3 |
Iran |
1059 |
Iraq |
1092 |
Jordan |
1 |
Kyrgyzstan |
5 |
Mauritania |
8 |
Liberia |
44 |
Myanmar |
1565 |
Nepal |
12 |
Palestine |
13 |
Pakistan |
39 |
Russian Federation |
33 |
Rwanda |
17 |
Sierra Leone |
3 |
Sri Lanka |
96 |
Somalia |
150 |
Serbia and Kosovo |
4 |
Sudan |
769 |
Syria |
432 |
Turkey |
3 |
Unknown/Stateless |
227 |
Uzbekistan |
4 |
Vietnam |
71 |
Yemen |
3 |
[1] “Resettlement Statistics- Finland.” UNHCR Population Statistics. UNHCR, n.d. Wed. Feb. 2017.
Country of Origin |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
Afghanistan |
74 |
53 |
24 |
44 |
Angola |
13 |
2 |
9 |
0 |
Azerbaijan |
3 |
3 |
0 |
8 |
Bangladesh |
3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
Belarus |
0 |
0 |
5 |
0 |
China |
17 |
13 |
9 |
8 |
Cameroon |
1 |
0 |
13 |
11 |
Côte d’Ivoire |
0 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
DRC |
12 |
3 |
5 |
7 |
Egypt |
0 |
0 |
5 |
0 |
Eritrea |
4 |
4 |
13 |
5 |
Ethiopia |
6 |
14 |
0 |
6 |
Gambia |
0 |
0 |
5 |
0 |
Ghana |
4 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
Guinea |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
Honduras |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Iran |
84 |
71 |
77 |
41 |
Iraq |
103 |
200 |
123 |
426 |
Kazakhstan |
0 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
Lebanon |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Libya |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
Morocco |
0 |
2 |
5 |
0 |
Myanmar |
3 |
0 |
0 |
14 |
Nigeria |
5 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
Pakistan |
1 |
8 |
0 |
7 |
Russian Federation |
83 |
50 |
75 |
62 |
Rwanda |
6 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
Sierra Leone |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
Sudan |
1 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
Somalia |
16 |
10 |
33 |
231 |
Sri Lanka |
0 |
1 |
6 |
0 |
Syria |
71 |
67 |
35 |
106 |
Tajikistan |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
Tanzania |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
Togo |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Turkey |
2 |
4 |
5 |
0 |
Uganda |
3 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
Uzbekistan |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
Venezuela |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Stateless |
21 |
15 |
28 |
41 |
Unknown |
7 |
5 |
9 |
0 |
Yemen |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
[1] “Asylum Seeker Statistics"- Finland.” UNHCR Population Statistics. UNHCR, n.d. Wed. Feb. 2017.
Refugees are resettled by Finland’s municipalities, each of which may voluntarily agree to a particular amount of refugees per year, as approved by local councils. 140 Finnish municipalities participate in this process. However, there are insufficient resettlement places due to high costs of accommodation, thereby leaving the annual quota of 750 refugees unfilled. As a result, many refugees plan to make their own accommodations rather than waiting in the reception center. However, this process has contributed to housing scarcity in the region. [1]
[1] “Finland.” European Resettlement Network. ICMC Europe, 2013. Web. 26 Feb. 2017.