jakseppala at yahoo.com informs us that Finnder, the Finnish Carbon Procurement Programme, was launched in May 2006 at the Carbon Expo in Cologne, Germany. The Finnder programme, implemented under the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), will purchase carbon credits on behalf of Finland from projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions abroad. The Finnder programme acquires carbon credits through the Kyoto Protocol’s project-based mechanisms, that is, Joint Implementation (JI) and the Clean Devel-opment Mechanism (CDM), enabling Finland to meet part of its Kyoto target with these credits.

Currently, the Finnish Carbon Procurement Programme is actively searching for suitable projects in eligible host countries and for partnerships with interested parties. The Finnder programme manages the identification, development, contract negotiations and supervision of projects on behalf of Finland. The Finnder programme also oversees the eight on-going projects that are presently producing emission reductions for Finland. The projects were developed under Finnder’s predecessor, the Finnish CDM/JI Pilot Programme (1999-2006), and makes use of the extensive experience accumulated by the Pilot Programme. Finland has already signed contracts for the purchase of approximately 2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent under the Pilot Programme.

The Finnder programme is part of the national programme on the Kyoto Mechanisms, under which Finland aims to acquire approximately 10 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent via the Kyoto mechanisms during the Kyoto Protocol’s first commitment period (2008-2012). This target is included in the Finnish government’s “Outline of the Energy and Climate Policy for the Near Future - National Strategy to Implement the Kyoto Protocol”. Besides bilateral projects, greenhouse gas units may be purchased via carbon funds and through international emissions trading under the Kyoto Protocol. In Finland, the use of the Kyoto mechanisms is co-ordinated by the Ministry of Trade and Industry. The Ministry of the Environment is in charge of JI and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs is responsible for CDM. The Finnish Environment Institute, through its Finnder programme, provides support services to the national programme on the Kyoto Mechanisms.

Finnder website (in English): www.environment.fi/finnder

The e-mail we received was in order to inform us that Finnder will be (Finnder) will be present in Moscow at the Russia and the Carbon Market conference on 28th-29th June. They will be there at stand 16.

Mr Juha Seppälä, Project Manager, Finnish Environment Institute, tel. +358 400 284 254, email: finnder[at]ymparisto.fi