What has Finland Insider been up to in May?

May was a busy month for Finland Insider with the official launch, reaching the first subscription milestones and starting some interesting conversations with readers.

Thank you for being part of the journey so far - but if you’re just catching up here’s a look at some of the original journalism from May you might have missed:

The European Parliament election is upon us next Sunday, and advance voting has already come and gone. Candidates this year include seasoned political heavyweights, elite sports stars, minor celebrities, and even some politicians with more than a few criminal convictions among them. Here’s the Finland Insider guide to everything you need to know about the election in Finland.

She’s been the leader of the Finnish Green League and held two ministerial roles in government. Now Maria Ohisalo wants to go to Brussels, and in May she talked to me about the challenges of keeping the green agenda at the top of the public’s collective consciousness, where she hopes to make a difference at an EU-wide level, and what she thinks of the current government’s handling of the environment.

Students at universities across Finland are demanding that university authorities take tougher action against Israeli institutions, which they say are complicit in the war in Gaza. This month I talked with student activists to find out if they think their protests have been effective.

The Finnish Defence Forces are “falling behind” their Nordic NATO neighbours when it comes to conscription. That’s the warning from the Finnish Conscripts Union Varusmiesliitto a year after the country joined NATO, and with an eye to a future where demographic shifts mean there are dwindling numbers of young men available and willing to undertake military service.

The President of the Sámi Parliament in Inari says that Petteri Orpo’s government has been easier to work with than Sanna Marin’s government on indigenous issues. Speaking in an exclusive interview, Pirita Näkkäläjärvi says that progress of the delayed Sámi Parliament Act has been made easier without the presence of the Centre Party.

There's a familiar thwack of bat against ball, there are pitchers and catchers, cheers from spectators and a mad sprint around the bases: but this is not baseball or softball, it's their unique Finnish cousin pesäpallo and American audiences are absolutely loving it this year in record numbers!

Next update: We’ll publish another round-up at the end of June with more of the original journalism you won’t find anywhere else, and in the meantime the next edition of the newsletter will drop into your email inbox on Friday afternoon.

Coming up. We’ve got some behind-the-scenes technical changes coming up in June which will make for a smoother Finland Insider reading and navigating experience, and we’re looking ahead to summer stories as well so if you have some tips or suggestions please get in touch directly.

Monday. Watch out on Monday morning for a round-up and analysis of the European Parliament results in Finland - what it means for our political landscape, the winners and losers and a look at any big changes.