In the August edition of the Finland Monthly Brief, we analysed the Rinne Government’s first foreign policy speeches and how President Niinistö articulates Finland’s current position in the world. While the main features of the Finnish foreign and security policyremain the same, interesting new emphases have been brought in, among them, climate change and Africa. 

Mundus also took a dive into Finland’s new labour legislation and discovered that the country has the most flexible working schedules in the world. Long traditions in work-life balance and a deep-rooted culture of trust have led legislators to draft an ambitious act, where employees have a freedom to decide when and where they work for a half of their working hours. Meanwhile, a political debate is heating up around a vision on whether the 40-hour-working-week should be cut shorter, or Finns should actually work much more to maintain competitiveness.