Finnish Institute of International Affairs


The Finnish Institute of International Affairs is an independent research institute located in Töölö, Helsinki, that produces topical information on international relations and the European Union. It also publishes the journal Ulkopolitiikka.

Organisation

The Institute has three research programmes: The European Union; The EU's Eastern Neighbourhood and Russia; and Global Security. The FIIA organises conferences, seminars, and round-table meetings on topical subjects related to research programs. These seminars provide a forum for high level discussions between academics and decision-makers. The research findings and current analyses on international topics are published in the FIIA-Report and Briefing Paper. In addition, the Institute publishes Ulkopolitiikka, a quarterly journal on international relations. The Institute also maintains the Archive and Chronology of Finnish Foreign Policy.
The staff of the new FIIA consists of around 50 members. The Director of the Institute is Mika Aaltola. The work of the FIIA is directed by a nine-member board, appointed by the Parliament and chaired by Minister Antti Tanskanen. The Institute also has an advisory council. The Institute was set up at the centennial session of the Finnish Parliament in June 2006 and started to function 1 January 2007 under the auspices of the Parliament of Finland. Previously, the Finnish Institute of International Affairs functioned as a private research organization that was founded by the Paasikivi Society in 1961 and maintained by the Foundation for Foreign Policy Research. The core of the Institute's funding comes from the Parliament of Finland.