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OSCEs Parlamentariske Forsamling 2014-15 (1. samling)
OSCE Alm.del Bilag 14
Offentligt

GENERAL INFORMATION

Annual Session

of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly

Helsinki, 5 July - 9 July 2015

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INFORMATION CONCERNING THE 24

ANNUAL SESSION

OF THE OSCE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY

VENUE OF THE SESSION

Finlandia Hall

Mannerheimintie 13 e

FI-00100 Helsinki, Finland

Tel. +358 9 40241

Fax. +358 9 446 259

All meetings will be held at the premises of

Finlandia Hall.

For information regarding

arrangements please contact the staff listed below.

Parliament of Finland:

Ms. Gunilla Carlander, Counsellor for International Relations

Tel.:+358 50 324 3019

[email protected]

Ms. Tanja Timonen, Assistant for International Relations

Tel.:+358 9 432 3553

[email protected]

International Secretariat of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly:

Ms. Odile Lelarge, Conference Co-ordinator

Tordenskjoldsgade 1, 1055 Copenhagen K, Denmark

Tel.: +45 33 37 80 34

Fax: +45 33 37 80 30

[email protected]

REGISTRATION

The registration form (Annex

must be sent to

Ms. Odile Lelarge

at the International

Secretariat of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (fax: +45 33 37 80 30; e-mail: [email protected])

by 31

May 2015.

We kindly ask you to also send a copy of the registration form to the

International Department of the Parliament of Finland

(fax: +358 9 432 3529; e-mail:

[email protected])

The registration desk in the lobby of Finlandia Hall will be open

from 10:00 to 19:00 on 5 July.

For the remainder of the Annual Session, registration will be open every day from 8.00 until the

end of the official meetings. Please register as soon as possible after your arrival in Helsinki.

Participants and accompanying persons will be able to collect their identity badges and further

conference information upon registration at Finlandia Hall only.

HOTELS AND ACCOMMODATION

Hotel reservation forms for the Annual Session are available in

Annex A 1 to 8.

All reservations

must be made by sending the hotel reservation form directly to the relevant hotel.

A copy must also be sent to:

Ms. Odile Lelarge at the International Secretariat of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly

by e-mail: [email protected] or by fax: +45 33 37 80 30.

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and to :

International Department of the Parliament of Finland

by e-mail:

[email protected]

or by fax: +358 9 432 3529

We recommend that you send credit card information by fax and to the hotel only, to limit the risk

of credit card details being intercepted over email.

The International Secretariat and the Parliament of Finland do not need your credit card

information. We therefore kindly ask you to send a copy of the first page of the booking form only

or to hide/black out the credit card information when sending a copy of the registration to the

International Secretariat and the International Department of the Parliament of Finland.

Secretaries of Delegation who wish to make group reservations must fill in a separate form for

each participant.

Reservations must be completed by 20 May 2015 at the latest.

Please check the reservation forms for cut-off dates specific to each hotel. Reservation requests

submitted later than cut-off dates will be subject to availability at the requested hotel.

Reservations will be treated on a first-come-first-serve basis. We strongly recommend that

delegations make their reservations without delay and before the mentioned cut-off date. After

this date, hotel room availability cannot be guaranteed.

Please make sure to read the cancellation policies of the hotels.

For further information on

the services offered by each hotel, we recommend that you consult the following websites:

Scandic Park

Crowne Plaza

Sokos Hotel Vaakuna

Scandic Simonkenttä

Hotel Kämp

Scandic Grand Marina

www.scandichotels.com/Hotels/Finland/Helsinki/Scandic-

Continental-Helsinki/

www.crowneplaza-helsinki.fi/hotelli/en_GB/hotel-eng/

www.sokoshotels.fi/en/helsinki/sokos-hotel-vaakuna

www.scandichotels.com/Hotels/Finland/Helsinki/Scandic-

Simonkentta/

http://www.hotelkamp.fi/

www.scandichotels.com/Hotels/Finland/Helsinki/Scandic-Grand-

Marina/

Holiday Inn Helsinki

www.finland.holidayinn.com/hotellit/helsinki-city-

City Centre

centre/en_GB/helsinki-city-centre/

Hilton Helsinki

Kalastajatorppa

www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/finland/hilton-helsinki-

kalastajatorppaHELKJHI/index.html

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE

Participants are kindly requested to indicate their flight references as well as their dates

of arrival and departure in the registration form.

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Helsinki Airport (HEL) is the primary airport serving Helsinki. It is located approximately 20

kilometres from the city centre. There is a regular bus service to the city center. The journey by

taxi to the hotels should cost no more than 50 Euros and takes some 30 minutes. Tipping the

driver is optional.

VISAS

When arriving in Finland, non-Finnish citizens must carry a passport, which will remain valid for

at least three months after the intended date of departure.

They will also need a visa unless they are exempt from the visa obligation under EU regulations.

Citizens of most European Union member states may also use an ID card as their travel

document.

Information on visa requirements by country can be found on the website of the Finnish

Ministry for Foreign Affairs:

http://formin.finland.fi/public/default.aspx?nodeid=15720&contentlan=2&culture=en-US.

Delegates who require an entry visa should contact the Embassy or Consulate that represents

Finland in their country of residence to check all the formalities necessary for obtaining a visa

for the Annual Session.

Contact information on Finnish missions abroad can also be found on the website of the Finnish

Ministry for Foreign Affairs:

http://formin.finland.fi/public/default.aspx?nodeid=17195&contentlan=2&culture=en-US .

CUSTOMS

For customs regulations on items imported into Finland, see the website of Finnish Customs

www.tulli.fi/en/contact_us/Questions.jsp.

INSURANCE

Personal and medical insurance are the responsibility of the individual participant. The

Parliament of Finland will not be held responsible for any loss of luggage, currency or personal

effects, or any medical costs.

TRANSPORTATION DURING THE ANNUAL SESSION

Coach transport will be provided between the selected hotels and Finlandia Hall for each session

as well as for all social functions and for the accompanying persons’ programme. Transportation

schedules will be available at the information desks at the hotels and at Finlandia Hall.

INFORMATION AND HOSPITALITY DESK AT FINLANDIA HALL

The information and hospitality desk in the lobby of Finlandia Hall will be open from 10:00 on

Sunday 5 July 2015 until 14:00 on Thursday 9 July 2015. All information regarding transport

schedules and the programme for accompanying persons will be provided at the information

and hospitality desk. There will also be information desks at the hotels.

INTERPRETATION

During the session, simultaneous interpretation will be available in the six official OSCE

languages (English, French, German, Italian, Russian and Spanish).

SECURITY

All participants, including accompanying persons, observers, delegation staff and members of

the press, will be required to wear identity badges at all meetings and social functions as well as

when using coach transportation organised for this session.

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There will be no admittance to any programme functions without an appropriate identity badge.

In case of loss of your personal badge, please report to the registration desk immediately.

For security reasons, participants should also be in possession of some other means of official

identification document and be prepared for identity checks.

MEDICAL FACILITIES

A first aid facility will be available for participants at Finlandia Hall throughout the session.

However, illness requiring medical treatment or hospitalisation is the responsibility of the

individual. Delegates taking medicine should take enough to cover their needs and ensure that

they have adequate health insurance. Please do not forget to bring your health insurance card or

documents. If you were to face medical expenses, these documents would allow reimbursement

upon return home.

CATERING IN FINLANDIA HALL

Café Veranda, located on the ground floor of Finlandia Hall offers light snacks, salads,

sandwiches, etc. and refreshments. There is also a catering service for delegations wishing to

organise luncheons or order snacks at the premises of Finlandia Hall. There are several

restaurants in close vicinity of Finlandia Hall and in the hotels. Tipping in Finland is completely

optional.

ACCOMPANYING PERSONS

A programme for accompanying persons will be arranged while delegates are engaged in

conference sessions.

The accompanying persons’ programme will be available to orange badge holders and they are

asked to wear their badges during every part of the programme. Accompanying persons are

requested to sign up for excursions. Additional information will be distributed later on.

ADDITIONAL CONFERENCE INFORMATION

The website for the Annual Session, www.oscepa2015helsinki.org/ will be updated with

conference-related information in English.

EMBASSIES AND CONSULATES

A list of foreign embassies and consulates in Helsinki, including contact information, is available

in the Helsinki Diplomatic List on the website of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs:

http://formin.finland.fi/public/default.aspx?nodeid=44886&contentlan=2&culture=en-US.

Foreign embassies and consulates in Helsinki will be informed of the Session. The evening of

9 July 2015 has been reserved for hospitality by the diplomatic missions.

DRESS CODE

Formal attire is required for official occasions. Casual wear is suitable for any excursions and the

accompanying persons’ programme.

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CLIMATE

July is the warmest month in Helsinki with an average temperature of 17°C (62°F).

Temperatures may vary, however, from about 15 °C to 30 °C during summertime in Finland.

During the conference period the sun rises at about 4:15 and sets at about 23:00.

TIME

Helsinki standard time zone is GMT + 2 hours.

CURRENCY

The currency used in Finland is the Euro (€), which is the only currency acceptable for payment.

All major credit cards are accepted in hotels, restaurants, cafes, supermarkets and taxis. Cash

can be obtained from ATMs or at the nearest bank.

BANKING SERVICES

Working hours of banks in Helsinki in July are from 10:00 to 16:00. Please note that banking

services are not available at hotels and banks are closed on weekends. Money can also be

exchanged at the airport and at the FOREX Bank at the Central Railway Station.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

The international code of Finland is +358. There will be internet and fax available at Finlandia

Hall. Wireless Internet is available in all of the hotels.

ELECTRICITY

The voltage in Finland is 220V and European style two-pin sockets are used.

SMOKING

Smoking is prohibited inside all public buildings, restaurants, bars and on public transportation.

TOURIST INFORMATION

The multilingual website www.visithelsinki.fi/en contains tourist and practical information

about Helsinki. Additional information is also available at : www.helsinkicity.fi,

http://focus.finland.fi/

http://www.visitfinland.com/.