Finland has submitted proposed amendments to the draft Council Conclusions on a Globally Connected Europe, aiming to reinforce the strategic rationale, sectoral scope, financing instruments, and partnership dimensions of the EU's connectivity policy. The contribution, dated 10 July 2026, was submitted for consideration by the Council ahead of its meeting on 3 June 2021.
Finland proposes adding a new paragraph (1a) that stresses the foreign, security, development, climate, and geo-economic dimensions of connectivity, emphasising the need for investment in developing and emerging markets, and highlighting the role of the European Financial Architecture for Development (EFAD) as an enabler. The country also suggests amending paragraph 1 to explicitly list transport, energy, digital, and human dimensions of connectivity, and to reaffirm the principles of the 2018 Joint Communication on Connecting Europe and Asia.
In terms of financing, Finland recommends amending paragraph 2 to mention the Global Europe instrument and the European Sustainable Development Fund+ (EFSD+) as essential tools for sustainable connectivity. On partnerships, Finland proposes amending paragraph 6 to include trans-Atlantic cooperation and cooperation within the G7 and G20 on connectivity. Finland also supports paragraph 11, which invites the Commission and High Representative to prepare a Joint Communication on an EU Strategy on a Globally Connected Europe by the end of the first quarter of 2022.
The amendments reflect Finland's push for a more comprehensive and strategically grounded EU approach to global connectivity, integrating security, development, and climate objectives with concrete financing and partnership frameworks. The draft conclusions, once adopted, will guide the EU's external connectivity policy and its engagement with partner regions.