Finland is preparing to nominate two elements for inscription on UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. One element can be nominated per year. Preparations for the nomination of the Finnish tradition of sauna bathing will begin first. The nomination will be submitted to UNESCO in March 2019. The next element to be nominated is the Kaustinen folk fiddling tradition. The Finnish Heritage Agency, mandated by the Ministry of Education and Culture, is responsible for the preparation of the nominations in cooperation with background communities.

The partner countries of the Northern Dimension Partnership on Culture (NDPC) have agreed to establish a common secretariat in Riga. The secretariat, established by an agreement signed on 28 May, will act as administrative and technical support in the implementation of the Partnership on Culture. The contracting parties are Finland, Latvia, Norway, Poland, Sweden and Russia.

The Ministry of Education and Culture has launched a project where a new, nationwide Activity ePass intended for all young people in grades 7–9 will be designed. The objective is that young people could already next year download the new mobile application and start using the ePass with their own smartphones.