Government of Finland

Policy topics Government of Finland is active on

What Government of Finland has said (80)

• 2026-06-16 “Thank you Marilena. Long negotiations have taken place in the last months and days. This has demanded a lot of work from all of us to achieve the compromise that we have on the table today in NRP. We would have liked to see stronger safeguards and conditionalities on the rule of law and in competitiveness. We emphasise high quality, open competition and global competitiveness. As a compromise, we can support the adoption of the partial general approaches on NP European Competitiveness Fund and Global Europe as proposed by the presidency. Although the Pgas are not perfect, it is important to agree on them today as we need a more stable basis to hit the ground running with implementation. Thank you.”
  EU Supervision of the Rule of Law
• 2026-06-16 “Thank you, Marilena and the whole Cypriot team on your efforts to proceed with MFF and its sectoral files in these months. Your megabox is an important step towards the next phase in the negotiations. We need a timely agreement and a modern and futureproof MFF that matches with the EU's key priorities such as competitiveness and defence. However, I must say that the overall volume of the presidency is still too high. Fiscal space is limited in all member states. Therefore, adjustments are necessary and we must prioritise. We support the modernisation and balance in the Commission's proposal, but this undermines this. We have serious concerns about the presidency's targeting of the cuts. Mainly cutting headings two and three undermines the modernisation as proposed by the Commission. So let me summarize the key elements for Finland that must be addressed. Strong safeguards and conditionalities on the rule of law. The special situation at our Russian border needs to be taken into account. Northern sparsely populated areas. Sufficient cap and home funding. Horizon Europe and Competitiveness fund based on open competition and excellence. Leveraging more private funding. Strong support for Ukraine. Emphasis on defence funding, military mobility and dual use, and no new debt based investment instruments. In addition to the expenditure side, we must also address the revenue side. I emphasize again that the proposed new own resources will not change the fact that the proposed overall level of the MFF is too high. Finland emphasises the national competence of the Member states in taxation, but we are open to further examine some of the Commission's proposals. So a lot of work still needs to be done in the upcoming months. We stand ready to work constructively on an MFF that meets our challenges in a fiscally responsible manner. Thank you.”
  Size of EU budget
• “Thank you very much, president. Thank you for raising this important issue. It is crucial for the sustainability, profitability and competitiveness of EU agriculture that the AgriFood sector finds new solutions. Biotechnology solutions such as new plant breeding methods can support European AgriFood production and its competitiveness. At the same time, we can reduce the climate and environmental impact of the AgriFood sector without endangering food or environmental safety. To ensure these benefits, we need a regulatory framework which can make it possible to use these new solutions. For example, by reducing restrictions on market access and making the EU more attractive for research and development like Denmark, Finland also strongly supports the commission's study on how legislation can be further improved. Thank you. Thank you, David.”
  New Genomic Techniques
• “(17:35:59 – 17:36:43): Yes. The reason why we prepared our tech sovereignty package, it was about and it is about really boosting European competitiveness in technologies and secure our security and resilience in these critical sectors. And our international partners, they were aware that we are preparing that kind of package. So we have had discussions on that already many months because we have been preparing this package. And so, they were aware, all our partners that we are preparing the package. And, also, generally, it was known what it includes. So I don't think that it was a big surprise for anyone. Anna, you go back. Thank you very much for”
  EU digital & tech sovereignty
• “(17:37:07 – 17:38:30): I'm very much, and we are very much encouraging all the entities who are doing public procurement really to look very carefully the criteria what they're setting. Because if we are just looking to lowest prices, of course, we are not getting always the best services. So that's why we are also proposing that we can also use the criteria where we are using looking also tech sovereignty parts. And, commission has been already using that kind of public procurement that we have been setting also criteria based to tech sovereignty, and we have received also very, very good proposals for services. So I think that it's important to encourage all the member states and governments to use much more actively public procurement. And we see that we have set that kind of criteria which really allows also our governments to use this tool more actively because it's very strong tool because public administration is big customer for ICT services, and it really matters that what kind of criteria we are setting and what kind of services we are buying. And we can really boost also our homegrown technologies via public procurement. So we are encouraging everybody to look with tools what we have already now on the table, but, of course, we have also additions now in our tech sovereignty package to that. Minister, you would like to add something?”
  EU digital & tech sovereignty
• “Tereza Kadri and colleagues, let me first express my condolences to the Swedish neighbors and Belgium as well, due to the terror attacks yesterday in Brussels. I want to also to start by thanking Theresa for your already quite long standing work on this dossier [00:28:00] and your team. I think it's very important that we would be able to reach an agreement today. I think all aspects have been put in table already several times. Our message basically is in three points. First, we can support the presidency's idea of limiting the use of the CFDs to new investments only. Second, we like that [00:28:30] the scheme to be technology neutral both directly and indirectly. The question is that do we see 100% renewable energy system in Europe? No. To achieve the aggressive electrification of the economy, to phase out fossils, which is necessary to phase out fossils, we necessarily need a balance of both weather dependent wind, solar renewables [00:29:00] and clean baseload, namely nuclear. So we need really a technology neutral effect from this scheme. Third point is that we prefer sticking as far as possible to competitive mechanisms when it comes to bidding structures and how to how to organise this CFD mechanism. In that sense, even if sometimes it seems lucrative to choose the winner [00:29:30] in in advance and make it in a different form. [00:29:34] We would like to have quite strict rules obeying our normal state aid procedures, and to prefer competitive mechanisms. When it comes to logic of this, these CFD procedures. In the end, I think that we none of us can actually clearly see how this CFD mechanism and all the market will be developing within the next [00:30:00] 5 to 10 years. And at the same time, we are actually talking about investments, which will be mainly realised in 2030, not 2000 and 20s. Even if we are talking about new large scale investments, was it offshore or nuclear? And that is why we are quite close. In the end, we all want to accelerate the speed of investment. We all want CO2 free electricity system and we all hopefully prefer competition and market economy and would like to avoid distortions. [00:30:30] So I think that hopefully we can find a compromise. We would also be ready to have certain additions to the text that are proposed by some parties. But we would like to obey the rule that the this is about new investments and not about supporting current ones. Thank you.”
  Energy transition (state support)
• “Dear chair, dear ministers, dear Commissioner. The cornerstone of the European Union's success and its future growth are based on the work of skilled and innovative workforce, the quality of our scientific research and the impact of commercial [00:10:00] innovations. Research, development and innovation activities are pivotal in generating new knowledge and competence, boosting productivity, renewing business sector and enhancing societal well-being. This ambition requires substantial investments in research and innovation from both the public and the private sectors. Finland emphasises the importance of considering the use and [00:10:30] the utilisation of intellectual property originating from the state funded research, and the need for innovation activities are taken into account already from the idea phase preceding actual research. Finland supports the development of a widely motivating, equitable and well balanced incentive system accessible to all stakeholders in the research and the innovation ecosystem based [00:11:00] on the principle of excellence. Finland believes that the EU level recommendations on guiding principles of knowledge and valorisation should be regularly revised to keep pace with the dynamic landscape of the EU. Knowledge Valorisation environments. Rapid development of actors, methods and operating knowledge valorisation environments necessitates and an adaptable [00:11:30] and efficient approach. A robust knowledge Valorisation environment is instrumental for sustaining the EU's long terme competitiveness and ensuring its security of supply at the European level. Thank you.”
  Intellectual property rights (IPR)
• “Thank you Christopher. And streamline and simplify. The legislation is an important goal for the administration. From the point of view, I consider that it's very important that the Common Agricultural Policy Omnibus package shall be approved as soon as possible, so that the farmers can benefit from the changes as soon as possible as well. It is important in the upcoming environmental package includes proposals that will help to reduce. For instance, the restoration regulation caused administrative burden for farmers. I also considered updating the UTB directive as soon as possible. Next year is extremely necessary. I am very pleased that the objective of the Commission is to make targeted changes to the directive, in order to strengthen the farmers position in the chain. Thank you.”
  EU policy on farmer–buyer relations in the agri-food supply chain
• “(17:36:43 – 17:37:04): this press conference and for taking my question. And happy to send over from Jean Sarop. France has clearly said that what's on the table in terms of incentives for public procurement is not enough. So what else can you give given that this is voluntary and that, you know, the main criteria when it comes to technicality and the economic and price criteria are still predominant? Thank you.”
  "Buy European" provisions
• “Yeah. Thank you. Just very, very quickly. Much like Denmark earlier, we are concerned about the competitiveness of industries that have already invested in cleaner production, that they will be safeguarded in the event of a revision of the ETS, and that the industry is planning investment in cleaner production. Retain the confidence to to proceed. So predictability and fairness and long term perspective. Thank you.”
  Extension of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme
• “Thanks very much indeed. Chair, I wanted to congratulate Sweden on eradicating A.s.f. That's an excellent thing. Very pleased that Sweden was so open in declaring the status of the epidemic, and also allowing us to keep tabs on how it's developing. And we can raise awareness amongst other member states too. Thanks.”
  Animal diseases prevention and management in the EU
• “Chair, for organizing organizing this this debate. Finland's view on the 2040 target is already known. We support the 90% net emission reduction target, and I'm very happy to see that the support is for this target is growing. It's also crucial important to have fit for purpose post 2030 legislation. So I will start with your second question on the needed post 2030 regulation, regulatory and investment framework. The main emphasis of the upcoming framework needs to be on cost efficient, effective emission reduction. Thus, certainly ETS will keep on having a key role also in the future. Equally important is to have a technological neutrality at the heart of our policies. I cannot stress this enough. Another topic I want to highlight are removals on the. On the one hand, the need to get the incentives right for the uptake of technological carbon removal solutions, especially beccs. On the other hand, there is also a need to take account of uncertainties related to removals of the land use sector. Generally. Clean transition that also promotes the competitiveness of European industries.”
  Energy (green transition)
• “Thanks for the commission for the update. Finland supports the Commission's goals of simplifying regulation and reducing the administrative burden. Simplification plays an important role in strengthening the EU's competitiveness at the national level. Finland is taking several steps in the same direction. For example regulating related to permitting. We are introducing a one stop service for environmental matters that will begin operations at the beginning of next year. This means that a single state environmental authority with nationwide competence will be responsible for the progress, progress and coordination of environmental permit and other procedures in the future work of simplification and better regulation. Finland emphasizes consistency and a long term perspective. We must ensure that EU policies coherently support the green transition and incentivise private sector investments. Predictability and consistency of the regulatory framework are key for the companies when it comes to new investments and innovation, and also further EU regulations should better be reflected by the principle of technological neutrality. Finally, Epbd is a good example of legislation where technological development has already bypassed the two specific requirements of the directive. This is apparent, for example, in the charging infrastructure of E-vehicles, where the directive is already outdated. Thank you.”
  Energy (green transition)
• “Thank you. Istvan. It is cheaper to prevent than cure. If you look at the destruction caused by the disease, biosecurity is essential. And this can be supported by Vaccines. Bluetongue disease is an example of a disease that spreads in vectors, and it is essential that in the European Union we have quick, safe responses to these diseases, i.e. vaccines. And with regards to African swine flu, we are sorry for the situation in many countries where this disease has spread. It is essential that we act swiftly. It is essential that different actors, hunters and other actors are also involved in eradicating this disease. Changes to animal disease legislation must be done after careful consideration and after Efsa has also given its view on this matter. Thank you.”
  Animal diseases prevention and management in the EU
• “Thank you, chair, commissioner, dear colleagues. The timing of this discussion on the new work plan could not be better as it follows directly after the ambitious culture compass communication. We fully support the directions outlined in the compass and the principles set out in the draft joint declaration. The EU must reinforce European values and cultural rights, give stronger support to artists and cultural professionals and at the same time, become more competitive, resilient and cohesive. We must also play a stronger role internationally by promoting cultural relations. The world around us has changed significantly, and Europe must respond to these changes. The priorities of the Culture Compass are designed precisely to respond to today's challenges. When we consider what needs to be done, culture and cultural heritage stand out as clear opportunities for the EU, opportunities that are ready to be acted upon. This applies across all the directions of the cultural compass. For us, strengthening the EU's competitiveness, resilience and cohesion as well as promoting the union's values beyond our borders are key priorities. Both areas require serious attention to digital technologies and artificial intelligence. From an institutional point of view, we also need flexibility. We must reflect on how we work and adjust our methods if we want this process to succeed and deliver a truly strategic framework based on agreed priorities. This is the first time that the commission, the parliament and the council have come together around a common approach to culture. Making the most of this political momentum is just as important as any individual action we may take. Let us seize this opportunity and make it a success. Thank you.”
  EU and national cultural identities
• “Thank you. And, uh, wish you a happy birthday, Rob. Uh, and also, thanks for good, [00:08:00] uh, intervention here. So first, I want to thank the commission for preparing both communications published in February, both the 2040 climate target and also communication on industrial carbon management, published simultaneously. And we find it very important that also when we are discussing about legislative architecture, these two elements should go hand in hand. Uh, I think that our [00:08:30] all first priority should be to ensure continuity and consistency of the key policy targets and tools which are decisive for major investments. To clean industrial solutions. We must avoid a trap where we have five year period without clarity. How EU will go forward with key policy elements Finland supports the Commission's proposal for a 90% net emission [00:09:00] reduction target for 2040, assuming that certain enabling conditions for the Europe's climate, architecture and legislation will be met. Uh, some key elements. First, the main emphasis must be on emission reductions and on cost efficiency. I think that emission trading system is by far the main success story in our policy instruments so far during last 25 years, [00:09:30] and further strengthening of EU's emission trading scheme is the main key. Second, uh, the effort sharing regulation in its current form is not cost efficient in order to fit 2040 or 2050 targets, which will go much more ambitious than we have been so far, thus needs to be reassessed the structure of the effort sharing sectors. Third, [00:10:00] achieving the target will require carbon removals, but we need to recognize the uncertainties of the land use sector especially and be realistic here. Also, challenges of the agricultural sector and its main task in food production needs to be taken into account. Fourth, achieving the 2040 target will also require deployment, deployment of carbon capture and storage technologies, as well as the use of captured carbon as a resource in industrial sectors to replace fossils. Technological sinks [00:10:30] will be needed to compensate remaining emissions in hard to abate sectors and very importantly, in designing incentives for industrial carbon removals. The difference between biogenic and fossil Co two should be clear fossil CCS cannot lead to negative emissions, while biogenic CCS and ducks do. Transition to climate neutrality needs to be done in the right way in a technological. Technological neutrality needs to be at the core [00:11:00] of all policies, including how we treat nuclear as a source for green hydrogen. Finally, the EU has been leading the way on international climate action. We need to stay in this course, take decisive targets, but also have realistic, technology neutral, cost efficient tools. Thank you.”
  Climate efforts
• “Thank you. Chair. Let me start by saying that we genuinely [00:13:00] support the environmental action programs. They have delivered important results during the past decades. The eighth Environment Action Programme and its indicator set have been excellent tools to continue the work towards our common environmental goals. At the same time, we should also focus on the implementation of the legislation, in particular on those sectors where we have produced extensive legislation during the past years. Some legislations are still coming to be implemented [00:13:30] after they are finalized. Looking ahead, there are several points we would like to see happen during the next commission's terms. The focus should be in promoting a clean transition and on opportunities for a sustainable bioeconomy and circular economy. It is clear that the measures to mitigate climate change and biodiversity loss must be continued. For us, it is crucial that the clean transition will be implemented cost effectively. Sustainable bioeconomy and renewable [00:14:00] natural resources offer sustainable solutions for reducing emissions and breaking away from harmful dependencies. And finally, we want to stress that digital solutions and their early adoption play a key role in promoting a clean transition. Thank you.”
  Energy (green transition)
• “Thank you, chair. And happy birthday, dear colleagues. Commissioner, Finland is ready to approve the general approach. And and we see that it's crucial to improve the European Union's capabilities on artificial intelligence. We see that AI gigafactories can contribute to increasing Europe's competitiveness. And during the negotiation process, we have emphasised that the governance and funding model of the AI gigafactories must be as simple as possible and therefore attractive to companies. Our objective is to succeed in having one Gigafactory to be located in Finland, provided that the implementation of the HPC regulation, business interest and financing as well as other conditions are favourable. Thank you very much.”
  Artificial Intelligence
• “Dear presidency, dear Commissioner, dear colleagues. Prevention of non-communicable diseases is essential for the health and well-being of our citizens. The resilience of our societies as well as our economies. We know that chronic diseases can be significantly reduced by influencing the risk factors such as smoking, alcohol use, diet, immobility, as well as loneliness. The rapid increase of overweight and obesity have far reaching consequences. Various measures at population level have shown to be effective and efficient, we need to actively implement policies to tackle this growing public health problem. At the same time, it's important to pay attention to reducing health inequalities between population groups. Therefore, we must assess the impacts of different policy measures on health and wellbeing. We support the implementation of the European Cancer Plan for Finland as a matter of urgency. It's important to review and update the EU tobacco legislation. There is an alarming increase in the use of new and emerging tobacco and nicotine products, such as disposable e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches, particularly among the youth. We must strengthen our efforts to address cross-border advertising. It often targets young people with content that can be harmful. Finland strongly supports an ambitious topical legislation. The council recommendations on smoke and aerosol free environments is a good start. Thank you.”
  EU measures on lifestyle-related behaviours (smoking, drinking, eating, etc.)
• “Thank you to the commission as well. And I think we need to move quickly on this matter To so that we can apply the proposals as quickly as possible. This is why I believe that we should only make limited and well targeted amendments to the proposal. It is important that we agricultural ministers are very much part of the process. And the Commission's proposal about the new data management authority. This does not simplify legislation and it does not reduce the administrative burden. It would create new obligations. So I have reservations regarding this proposal, and this matter should be discussed in detail as part of the reform of the Cap. I support the objective of reducing the administrative burden on organic farms. Um, exemption from certain standards. They should also apply to situations where only part of the farm is used for organic production. This part of the production should be exempted from these requirements. In general, I support the objective of simplifying a cap and to reduce administrative burden. I hope that this will be a key consideration in future Cap proposals. We also expect that the Commission simplifies other legislation that has an effect on agricultural production. For instance, the deforestation regulation as part of future omnibus packages. Thank you.”
  Agriculture (green)
• “Thank you chair. I would like to thank the Commission for the timely package and the presidency for commitment in advancing the negotiations. There is an urgent need to deepen European capital markets and to reduce existing barriers, and this package is an important step. To this end. All member states have their national specific issues, but we cannot afford to get stuck on this. Centralised supervision should enhance trust in European financial markets and take into account what is best for a wide variety of service providers and investors, both large and small. As regards the suggested governance for asthma, this is a delicate balancing act. Asthma has to be efficient and be able to take decisions fast, while at the same time taking into account, for example, the security related needs of different member states on the scope, we see benefits in centralized supervision of the largest European players. For smaller entities, the positives have to be carefully assessed against the costs. Market share or turnover at entity entity level would be easy criteria, but we are open to other meaningful criteria as well. The Executive Board and the Board of Supervisors supervisors both need to have their respective roles to ensure the flow of information. Ib members could be present at Board of Supervisors meetings, but not be part of it. The Board of Supervisors should decide on cooperation agreements and use of convergence tools such as peer reviews. The Executive Board would be involved in drafting, so it would also have a meaningful role. We are open to any way ensuring the flow of information and the best possible use of European supervisory knowledge, including joint supervisory teams, colleges and other potential structures. Finally, I would like to emphasize that we should not forget the importance of resilience and preparedness aspects in Misp. In particular, ensuring the resilience of Csds in all circumstances should be a high priority. Thank you.”
  Financial regulation
• “Dear chairman. Uh, it's important that companies acting in the single market contribute to sustainable development. In our view, common rules at the European level are needed. We have been critical about the new rules on civil procedure, which were introduced in the provisional agreement in last December. Especially the provision on legal standing has been difficult for us. Having said this, we thank you for listening to our concerns. The changes you have introduced solve our concerns. What it comes to other changes. We think it's that the changes to the scope of the directive are significant. However, we understand that these are needed in order to have possibility to take this file forward. Forward. But I remind that it's important that we are careful in the administrative burden introduced to the SMEs and carefully look after this chair issue. Chair I'm happy to say that Finland can now support the file and as the and the text as it stands now. Thank you very much.”
  Due diligence in supply chains (environmental and human rights)
• “Thank you. Maria. It is important that there is challenges regarding liberation of trade. But the agricultural sector also benefits from new markets and stronger economy. It's important that we have different safety clauses so that exports imports do not put danger our production. So we need to also evaluate safeguards according to the each plan. I welcome plans put forward by the Commission Division for Agriculture and Food to harmonise the application of production standards, particularly regarding animal welfare and plant protection products. At the same time, I would like to emphasize science and risk based approaches, compliance with rules, international standards, and maintaining dialogue and regulatory cooperation with our trading partners. It's also important to maintain an overview of the cumulative effects of trade agreements in the agricultural sector. The study, prepared by the Commission Research Centre, needs to be updated on a regular basis. Thank you.”
  Import of agri-food products in the EU
• “Thank you. Magnus, thank you for bringing this topic into this discussion. Today. Finland supports the EU Ocean Pact and its holistic and integrative approach and strong environmental perspective. We also welcome the intention to propose an Ocean Act based on the review of the Maritime Spatial Planning Directive, the Baltic Sea. Like other sea areas in Europe, face problems stemming from land based pollution. This is why we strongly support the Source to sea approach included in the EU Ocean Pact and the EU Water Resilience Strategy. We need to be better aligned with the EU Common Agricultural Policy, with the objective of the good environmental status, and should make them coherent with the aims of reducing land based pollution. We need to ensure that also other policies impacting the sea, especially the Common Fisheries Policy and the Maritime Spatial Planning Directive, will be aligned to support achieving and maintaining good environmental status. We also need to keep in mind that while targeting the good environmental status, we also need to advance the EU's competitiveness and green transition in view of the net zero economy. Finland welcomes the entry into force of the agreement as a necessary tool to achieve the global biodiversity targets. The Marine Strategy Framework Directive has introduced a good environmental status of the marine environment as our main goal, but the directive does not deliver well enough and this should be changed. In Finland, the implementation of the directive is carried out together with the Water Framework Directive and in good coordination with the implementation of the Nature Restoration Regulation. We think that the Marine Strategy Framework Directive would benefit from some targeted adjustments to help delivering good environmental status directives. Timelines need to be updated and the directive should be made as efficient as possible. The Commission should also carefully consider possibilities to reduce reporting requirements of the Member States when revising the directive, without weakening the directive's capacity to deliver its goals and objectives. We are happy to continue discussion on this important topic. Thank you.”
  Water pollution
• “Also here, the Member states should have a strategic steering role. European companies need stable and long term investment vision and European Competitiveness Fund should contribute to this with a clear strategic focus. The European Competitiveness Fund should also avoid duplications and reduce the administrative burden for our companies. And when it comes to competitiveness actions, projects should be selected through open and competitive procedures, and they should be awarded based on criteria that ensure that only the best projects are funded in terms of their quality and impact. This is the only way we can choose the most competitive actions. We need to make the best use of the EU budget by increasing the leverage and securing sufficient private investments. We cannot solve this only by public funding and therefore the leverage is crucial. And before I conclude, I want to emphasize that the overall level of the MFF as proposed by the Commission is clearly too high. Also, we are opposed to any new debt based investment instruments. On a final note, as I already mentioned earlier today, we must keep up the momentum of the MFF negotiations. Thank you.”
  Size of EU budget
• “Thank you. Chair. Dear colleagues executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera. Today we have presented you a non-paper which has been prepared in cooperation between Finland, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Ireland, Latvia, Romania and Slovenia. The Non-paper highlights our views on a number of topical themes, such as the independence of competition policy. The discussion on European champions, merger control and competition's significance for resilience sustaining Europe's competitiveness is more important than ever. We recognise the need to continue the discussions further. In our view, the European economy needs policies that boost growth, productivity and strengthen the European Union's competitiveness while pursuing these objectives. It's essential to ensure that the EU's competition policy safeguards effective competition in the internal market. Effective competition is important for many reasons. It results in lower prices, higher quality goods, more innovation and better choice. It boosts growth, productivity and competitiveness, and it also helps to maintain diversity in the supply chains, which is crucial for tackling dependencies to protect competition and the proper functioning of the single market. We need to have robust and effective competition policy, as well as effective and fact based enforcement of the related rules. Thank you very much.”
  EU Competition policy
• “26:58 – 12:28:13): Yeah. Thank you. Thank to thank the commissioner for this action plan plan. I think that in well, young people's everyday lives, interaction and participation in society are increasingly taking place in the digital digital environment. So that's why it's not a secondary place for us to think about, but really primary in many ways. And that's why we need to emphasize the safety of online environments as a key objective of youth policy and foster the effectiveness and consistent implementation of EU level regulations for large online platforms to ensure the protection of the rights of young people across all member states. And I think it's a question of resilience. I mean, I know how we know how Europe is being influenced by foreign actors in this field. That's why media literacy, AI literacy, digital literacy are really core civic abilities, civic competencies that need to be also taught in our schools in order for us to maintain being functioning rules based democracies. So it's not just a small issue. It's a very big issue that's defining for the future of our democracies. Thank you. And now, Barbara, Poland.”
  Focus of EU policy on education (shaping workers vs citizens)
• “06:43 – 17:07:30): Dear chair, colleagues, dear commissioner, I would like to say a few words about military mobility. 1st, we thank the commission for its proposal on military mobility and the presidency for the progress in the council. Their regulation is essential for enabling, the movement of personnel as well as military hardware and material across the union, including by simplifying permit procedures and preventing bottlenecks. Military mobility is a key enable of European defense readiness and NATO's deterrence and defense. Implementation should remain coordinated with NATO and key partners. In particular, Norway should be closely involved.”
  Relations with NATO
• “Thank you. Thank you so much, honorable president, Calimera, dear ministers. I would like to start by thanking and congratulating the Cyprus presidency for your determination to come to a draft partial general approach today. I wanna also thank the Danish presidency for laying out the groundwork and all member states for your very constructive approach. The future Agora EU program cuts at the core of what Europe stands for, cultural and linguistic diversity, heritage, our cultural and creative sectors, including audio, visual, and news media, with their cultural, democratic, and economic significance, and the protection and promotion of our shared rights and values. These are very key components of our democratic participation and social resilience of our union. Agora EU program covers 3 main areas. First, culture, then media, and third, fundamental rights, equality, and civic participation. These 3 separate strands in the program reflect the needs of each of these areas and address their most pressing challenges through a distinct focus. Yes. Agora EU is more than the sum of its parts because these 3 areas experience interconnected social, economic, and also technological challenges. And this is why Agora EU brings them together, now creating synergies when needed and that can strengthen our collective response in areas such as societal resilience or the rise of AI, for example. And in this regard, I'm very happy to see that the partial general approach maintains the core objectives, architecture, and also key provisions of the commission's proposal. Agora EU is there to deliver on various fronts now, in particular, to Creative Europe. Culture strand of Agora EU will continue promoting the cross border creation and circulation of cultural and artistic content and the mobility of our creators as well. It will also reinforce our citizens' awareness and appreciation of cultural diversity while also strengthening the competitiveness of our cultural and creative sectors. And through its media plus strand, Agora EU will also continue bringing the best European films to their audiences, building on the many achievements of the media program over 35 years of its existence. Importantly, with media plus EU program, we'll, for the first time, address also the challenges affecting information and public discourse. We will promote a free, viable, and independent information ecosystem, notably by supporting the news media sector in Europe, but also by tackling disinformation and fostering media literacy. Also, the Agora EU proposal shows the very importance we attach to protecting and promoting our rights and values. It shows the key role that EU funding can play in supporting a vibrant civic space in Europe and the need to step up to new challenges, including to our democracies. To do this, we will continue and build on the results achieved by the current Citizens Equality Rights and Values program. I want to acknowledge your constructive engagement throughout this negotiation. I understand that the key point for you is the balance between flexibility and predictability and also governance. We share your commitment to providing stakeholders with the right level of predictability they need. At the same time, a degree of flexibility allows us to respond to emerging challenges without constant program revision, and this is also valid for governance. What the commission proposed is in line with the treaties and with the overall framework as put forward for the next MFF proposal, where the commission has repeatedly emphasized the importance of simplifying our funding mechanisms and to maintain a consistent gross program approach. So thank you again for your very constructive engagement with this proposal here, and you can rest assured of the commission's support and openness as we go along once the European Parliament also adopts its position.”
  EU and national cultural identities
• “Thanks. We think that the most I was outstanding and important. Part of the chemicals legislation that we are still missing is the revision of of the reach regulation. And we we would like to have that as a core of the chemicals strategy. Implementation, especially improving authorisation and restriction processes is crucial for authorities, civil society and industry in the end. Second, we see crucial to have a revision of the ICA basic regulation. So the European chemical agencies basic regulation as soon as as possible to ensure expertise, funding and also clarification of the tasks in light of the most current situation. Overall, we see it's important to implement the chemical strategy for sustainability to protect human health and and the environment. So we welcome very much this issue to be on the table and hope that the Commission will be able to push forward, especially revision of of the reach regulation and also tackling PFAS and other chemicals, which we have been thinking for many years, but not being able to do actually significant reforms there. Thank you.”
  Chemicals regulation
• “Thank [00:09:30] you. President. Dear ministers, biosecurity is the cornerstone of all disease control and its best practices need to be further strengthened in Member States by systematically assessing the biosecurity of farms, measures and resources can be properly targeted. Avian influenza poses a serious threat to the poultry industry, wild birds and human health worldwide. Even with improved biosecurity, it is [00:10:00] not possible to fully control the disease in all circumstances. New tools are needed. I welcome the fact that several member States have begun to investigate the use of avian influenza vaccines on the basis of research, and that information on these studies is being shared openly. Vaccines appear to have the potential to reduce the incidence of diseases, economic losses, and the risk to human health and the environment. However, the introduction of vaccines requires careful monitoring [00:10:30] to detect possible silent infections. Member states need to cooperate closely with each other and with trading partners. It must be ensured that member states are not subject to restrictions contrary to international standards when using vaccines. Thank you.”
  Animal diseases prevention and management in the EU
• “Thank you. Jacob. Finland has a positive stance on the on the agreement principle with Ukraine on revision of the Dcfta. The trade agreement between EU and Ukraine strengthens the stability of operating environment for the actors from the EU and the Ukraine, both which is important in the current geopolitical situation. Ukraine is moving towards EU membership, and I consider that it would be a good thing that we could encourage Ukraine to adopt the EU production standards by allowing them to enter to the EU market. Thank you Jacob.”
  Agricultural trade: Ukraine imports
• “And dear colleagues,I'd like to emphasize the importance of the work currently done in the Ecofin Council. We, of course need to respect the integrity of the ongoing legislative process. We should focus on the substance in Epsco Council and leave the reform of the economic governance process to [00:52:00] the Ecofin and to the national coordination. Every member state must continue to be responsible for its own public finances. The balance between economic growth and social progress is fundamental. People's well-being is a principal aim of the European Union and an integral value by itself. Investing in wellbeing is beneficial for people's well-being, but also for economic growth, [00:52:30] productivity, long term fiscal sustainability and societal stability. For this, the economy of wellbeing is an excellent approach in which social investments play a key role. Social investment is an ambitious concept. We do not yet have a common understanding of its content. According to the economy of Well-Being approach, [00:53:00] social investments are effective and efficient measures that improve people's wellbeing and yield quantifiable economic returns enhance productivity, and support economic growth. Social investments can support achieving sustainable public finances in the long run. They have an important role, for example, in preventing the future social and health related public costs [00:53:30] and strengthening the employment rate in general, and especially by improving the employment status of women. One of the key messages of the economy of well-being approach is the need to develop further how we measure the interconnection between wellbeing and economy. This applies to social investments also. We would like to thank the Spanish presidency for putting [00:54:00] the methodological, methodological and data issues high on the agenda. Improving the data availability and quality, as well as making methodological improvements is of paramount importance. Exchange of best practices and learning from each contributes significantly for achieving this goal. Thank you very much.”
  European Semester (social dimension)
• “Thank you. Dear colleagues negotiation process has taken the text of the regulation to the right direction and many of also our concerns have been addressed. However, Finland still has serious concerns with the disproportionate costs. The costs according to both commissions and national estimations would be especially high for Finland because of having particularly large areas of those biotypes which are objects for ambitious obligations. In the articles of the regulations throughout the process, Finland's main priority has been to bring significant moderation in the costs of implementation and if we could choose, we'd like to continue negotiation to find an effective but balanced regulation as Finland has been consistent on our position with this file already for more than a year, we vote against the law in this current form. However, if it is to be passed today in this current format, I stress that then we need to all work heavily to enable cost-effective and fair implementation. I also welcome similar demands from very many colleagues, include leonor also for balanced implementation and really hope that the commission also will work accordingly and we all together. Thank you.”
  Nature protection and restoration in the EU
• “Thank you very much, chairman. First of all, I would like to thank the presidency for the excellent job of work. It's done on this general approach. Effective and efficient insolvency proceedings strengthen the free movement of capital and cross-border investment, strengthening European competitiveness and deepening the capital markets. Union is very important. We will contribute to finding common European solutions for the development of capital markets as part of strengthening strategic competitiveness. Finland can agree to the council's general approach. We feel that the presidency's compromise is good and well balanced. The proposal has focused on those titles that can genuinely contribute to the Capital Markets Union. This is a successful solution, and this will allow the next stage in the preparation of this important directive to be taken in Finland's view. We feel that it's important that all EU legislation is also looked at through the lens of contingencies. And so we're very pleased that the directive has brought on board the provision on emergencies. Uh, so we would like to wish the presidency every success in the trialogue with the European Parliament. It's important that there is a room for manoeuvre and that that is, uh, reached and maintained in the trilogue negotiations. We have to work together to make sure that insolvency procedures in the EU are effective and efficient. And so for this reason, we continue to be of the opinion that the procedure for micro-enterprises, which now has been abolished, should not be included in the final directive either. In Finland, the introduction of procedure for micro-enterprises would mean a more costly and less efficient system, and it would increase court functions and open up new possibilities for abuse, for debtors. And so for Finland. It's essential that EU regulations do not undermine the efficient and effective national procedures that are also already in place. Harmonisation should target truly cross-border situations and we feel that micro-enterprises do not fall under that category. Thank you.”
  EU Single Market harmonisation
• “Madam chair, I would also like to thank the Commission for the targeted proposal and the presidency for securing a quick procedure. We are pleased that all the institutions were able to work so swiftly to avoid the threatening shortage of medical devices. However, we will still need EU wide measures, especially to tackle the bottleneck problem of notified bodies as outlined by the Commission. Finland is committed to working with the Commission and other member States to find sustainable solutions in the longer term. Thank you.”
  Medical devices
• “Thank you. And I also want [00:29:00] to congratulate Belgium for for the presidency and wish you wish you the best of, of luck and success. The program is an is a good response to the challenges at hand. I think it describes the main issues we are facing, and I think it's only a it's a good statement that the rule of law is is first on the list. When you look at the challenges we are facing and, and, uh, whether it's our internal processes or enlargement, uh, you [00:29:30] can't really put enough emphasis on the rule of law as a foundation for the EU and also for a foundation of, of, uh, strengthening the credibility and the and the and the possibility to function as a, as an effective union. So, so it's good that that is a high, high priority, uh, competitiveness, uh, is another issue. Michel Barnier said in an interview a few months ago in Financial Times [00:30:00] that the only reason XI Jinping and Biden respect the EU is a single market, and that is why we really should focus on that. Xavier mentioned in Coletta's report. Mario Draghi also has a report coming up, and I really hope that we can learn from those and realize, uh, what really makes us competitive, uh, what we need to, to work on. We are living in a post-Covid, post-Covid times. Uh, we have a war going up in Europe [00:30:30] that has caused some disturbances in the single market that we need to be aware of. Uh, in the race, in the competition, in the global competition, the EU will not do well unless we we constantly try to improve the single market and its effectiveness. Uh, so both the rule of law and the single market, general competitiveness is prerequisites for us to be to be a global power [00:31:00] as well as having, having a successful enlargement process. So I really look forward to to working with these issues.”
  EU Supervision of the Rule of Law
• “Thank you. President. I would like to thank the the Commissioner for this report. I would like to say that I appreciate the work that the Commission is doing to promote animal welfare. It is also this is also important at the farm level. It's important that we have a level playing field in the whole of the European Union. It's very important that we can also ensure that we have equal production conditions for the EU and for the imported products from third countries. The work that we or you do for harmonious implementation of legislation is very important. And also for Finland, the tail docking of pigs is an important issue. We thank you for what you have done in order to promote controls and implementation of the legislation. It is important that we develop the legislation concerning the whole food chain without compromising compromising animal welfare and food safety. And We think that also important thing pertaining to this legislation is the mechanically separated meat. Thank you.”
  EU requirements on animal welfare for farmers
• “Consumers are very interested in the origin of food and how it is produced and what what kind of route the food has taken to the consumer's plate. Finland supports the clarification and development of origin labelling requirements for food products. I consider it very important that rules on origin labelling are specifically developed in EU legislation. Finland has repeatedly stressed that origin labelling requirements must be such as to ensure that consumers are adequately informed. At the same time, the requirements must be feasible for operators, in particular SMEs without disproportionate administrative burden requirements must also be subject to control by authorities. The consumers must be able to trust that the information provided is truthful. Thank you.”
  Food labelling harmonisation at EU level
• “17:47 – 10:21:06): Thank you very much. Next, we have Finland. Thank you very much. Chair, commissioner, Finland is in favor of children's rights. This is a priority for us, of course, and we'd like to thank the presidency for putting this matter on the agenda. To answer first question, the compromise text can only be assessed against the backdrop of all the available documents, which makes it very difficult to answer this question at this point. Finland believes that it's very important for the regulation to not modify applicable national law in the member states such as Finland, where surrogacy is not legal. The proposed regulation should also make allowances for derogations when it comes to surrogacy in favor of applicable law or recognition of parenthood in situations where parenthood is established in another member state or if there is a suspicion of child trafficking or duress. Mutual recognition should not be an obstacle to the protection of the parties concerned in situations where there are good reasons to derogate from the rules. Another very sensitive matter for Finland is the fact that children to be born fall within the scope of the regulation. In our legal system, a child that is not born yet is not a legal person, has no legal standing, and no legal procedures can be initiated on their behalf. We believe that the definition of tribunal or court should be very broad and should also cover decisions that are of an administrative nature because that is 90% of the decisions in this matter made in Finland. We need to look at the various aims of the regulation and the working method applied. We think that there is no reason to rush in, but we must make steady progress. The proposed regulation does raise a number of complex and sensitive matters for member states, and it is therefore important, as we've just heard, to take the right time to deal with the various issues. If we do want to move more swiftly, we need to concentrate on the less complex matters. For example, the regulation is not applicable before the child's birth or if there is any surrogacy in play. Thank you. Thank”
  Regulation of surrogate pregnancy
• “(17:32:50 – 17:34:18): Thank you very much. And this is clearly something that we have seen during the last year that more and more governments and also industries, they have been focusing more to take sovereignty really, and they have been also assessing what kind of risks and dependencies they are having. And I very much, of course, welcome all the work what different governments are doing in this area because we see that it's real risk that we have that kind of risky dependencies, and it's important really to look to critical sectors of our economies and security where it's very important that we are using only European companies, for example, and we are always sure that we have access to our technologies and data in all circumstances. So I don't think that this is something overlapping. And, of course, we just published now our package last week, and there we were defining what we, how we see tech sovereignty, what does it mean, and also we were setting up the criteria, for example, to sovereign cloud services there. And I'm sure that all the member states now they are very, of course, carefully also assessing our proposal, but I think it's positive that member states are also working towards the same direction, really to look how we can boost our own European homegrown technologies and how we can also mitigate risky dependencies we might have. Thank you. We'll have a question from Matthew and then from Anna.”
  EU digital & tech sovereignty
• “Thank you very much, chairman. First of all, I'd like to thank the commission for the initiative. The aging population is a European wide phenomenon, and Finland's population is aging fastest in the EU. And people's mobility is increasing as well. So this EU regulation is timely and necessary. We're also updating our legislation in this area at national level. I would also like to thank the presidency for taking forward the negotiations effectively, and we hope that we'll be able to move further in the negotiations quickly. We, uh, we are very keen on the introduction of the European Certificate of Representation. We feel that it will bring relief in cross-border situations. Now, there are some issues that are not covered by the partial general approach. And I would like to note that Finland has reservations about the obligation to set up protection registers and the regulation of interconnection. It's a very complex issue. And so in future negotiations, we need to have a cost risk analysis of this regulation and weigh it up against the benefits. I'm sure that we'll be able to work to achieve the right outcome in future. Thank you.”
  Jurisdiction conflicts between EU and national courts
• “20:43 – 11:22:59): Thank you very much. We just want to say we can, accept this general approach. Thank you, presidency and other presidencies as well for all the progress you've made in bringing us to this place where we are in making progress. Funding justice is essential for proper functioning of the system and for legal corporation and the whole justice program for our citizens, for our businesses. It's essentially properly funded and judicial corporation has to be, therefore, properly resourced as well. And that other instruments for funding be available during the next financial framework, and it's very important the right arrangements are made for the next framework. We also think that it should be possible to use other instruments and other funds in the next framework period and that this be possible for the judiciary to draw on. Because internal security, the justice system, and everything are 2 sides of the same coin. Access to proper funding from different sources is essential to deal equipped efficiently with the threats and challenges of at internal level. And the court, the police, the judiciary, the law enforcement have to work properly together and under we need a proper understanding of the challenges of internal security. Also, in the context of what we're talking about today, we've put our thoughts on paper, and we've sent this to our colleagues, and the home ministers are talking about this and in their work and ours. I hope we don't forget that we have to be on the same page. We have to avoid not working together across these different areas. We have to make sure that the funds are being used properly, efficiently in the interest of justice and our citizens. Thank you. Thank you very much. Latvia now, Ed Barts. Yeah. I got that as president.”
  EU law enforcement cooperation in criminal matters
• “Thanks. Uh, colleagues, Europe steel, automotive and chemical industry is facing the same structural headwinds unfair global competition, subsidized overcapacity and under-priced imports, which are eroding competitiveness and displacing European production. To remain competitive and strategically autonomous. Europe must improve market conditions, stimulate demand for clean products and ensure a predictable, innovation friendly regulatory environment. A proportionate, stable and technology neutral framework combined with a genuinely well-functioning single market remains essential to maintain industrial competitiveness and scale the sustainability transition to safeguard strategic value chains. Initiatives such as the Critical Chemicals Alliance can play an important role. Their impact, however, depends on high quality, transparent impact assessments. Measures such as fleet greening and battery booster can accelerate market formation provided that they remain proportionate, cost effective and administratively light, and do not penalise companies that have already invested substantially. Europe should accelerate first of a kind industrial deployments and pilot infrastructures to speed up technology uptake and secure leadership in clean industrial solutions. Targeted EU funding for start ups and SMEs can strengthen innovation ecosystems and support commercialization. Public funding alone, however, is not sufficient. Public private partnerships combined with powerful enablers such as AI, high performance computing and robust data ecosystems can significantly shorten development cycles across materials, chemicals, biotech and mobility. Regarding ETS, Finland stresses the importance of maintaining the integrity of the ETS in providing incentives, certainty, and predictability for Investments. Finally, we highlight that the possible use of European preference should be carefully selected and targeted so that the definitions should be sufficiently clear and precise. Thank you.”
  Energy (green transition)
• “(17:40:02 – 17:41:11): Currently, European companies, they have about 15% market share of our cloud services, and we have been losing the markets during the last year. So earlier, it was bigger. It was around the present earlier. So, it's clear that we have also capacity there, and we have a lot of potential in our companies. And with our cloud and AI development act, we are now also creating more demand for those services, especially because we see that it's important when it comes to very critical fields of our society and economy. It's important that we are only using European service providers there. And that is, of course, now creating also more demand for the European services. But this is very much, of course, up now to risk assessment and what kind of conclusions member states are doing after that. But we see that clearly with our proposal, we are creating more demand for European cloud services. And this is, of course, also creating now demand for European data centers, and this is creating more demand also for the European chips. So this everything is very much integrated also this package.”
  EU digital & tech sovereignty
• “Dear colleagues. Finland considers the European Semester a key instrument in the coordination of member states. Economic, employment and and social policies. The semester must be developed in a balanced manner, with focus on economic policy coordination while taking into account social and employment policies. Housing policies and challenges vary between the Member states, and the solutions are in the national domain. The competency of the Member States needs to be fully respected in the upcoming European Affordable Housing Plan. Housing should be evaluated comprehensively, including investments in private housing and free market rental housing. Production practices of treating social housing loans as public debt vary between member states. The inconsistent treatment of social housing loans in statistics across member states is distorting public debt comparisons and limiting its investment capacity in countries like Finland compared to other member states. One of the biggest problem lies with the debt rules of the current excessive deficit procedure, so-called EDP, as state guarantees for housing construction increase general government liabilities and EDP debt. This is why Finland cannot finance social and affordable housing in the same way as many other member states can. Finland's state supported housing finance is already shrinking interest. Subsidized housing loans are expected to fall from about 2.25 billion in 20 24 to 0.5 billion by 2027. This is why it is important to have an equal statistical treatment for all member States. We trust the Commission to provide a constructive solution. Dear colleagues, Finland pursues Housing First based homelessness programs. It considers housing as a basic right which is not dependent on participation in other services. This approach is underpinned by state subsidized housing and social security provisions that cover rent. We aim to eradicate long term homelessness by 2027. The Finnish housing market differs currently from many other European countries. This year, rents for Non-subsidized dwellings have unusually fallen in the capital area, while elsewhere they have increased by about 1%. However, population growth and migration are expected to increase demand in growth centers in the coming years. Thank you.”
  European Semester (social dimension)
• “Thank [00:05:30] you for the topic, chair. I will definitely affect basically all cultural creation, production, distribution and consumption. I will argue that while being also critical, we should seek constructive, fair and safe use of AI. Yes, there are well known challenges to mention a few. The use of AI push even more emotional and polarized polarizing content [00:06:00] in social media, with increase in deep fakes and misinformation problems and challenges for culture and creative sectors, are right now more tangible than benefits. Furthermore, AI applications the more advanced apps in particular have clearly been trained with copyright protected works, but without the rights holders permission and remuneration we need to ensure the respect for copyrights. Having [00:06:30] said that, none of AI's problems is an excuse not to try and find ways for cultural and creative sectors to use the best possible manner and also help develop better AI enhanced cross-sector collaboration, in particular between the CS and AI developers and researchers, plays a key role. It is also crucial that AI that is educated with culturally diverse [00:07:00] materials actually reflecting the real world, can avoid the current biases and be much more inclusive. I see the European CS are well placed to provide such diverse material. Strong cross-sector collaboration resulting in more representative AI could even form a competitive advantage and a distinguishing factor for European AI. At the same time, we must [00:07:30] be ready for threat of massive flood, flood of AI generated content and cultural and creative sectors. We cannot even anticipate what the emerge of AI content market will mean for existing content markets. Therefore, we need to follow carefully this development because it's up to us, our governments and the EU to ensure that AI content market will not destroy the market for human created content. [00:08:00] To conclude, I see promising developments also in Finland where CS actors are using AI tools. Increasingly, cross-sector collaboration should be promoted, as I said, for the mutual benefit of European AI and CS. As a government, we want to make full use of the opportunities provided by the digitalization and artificial intelligence, while making sure people can keep pace with the technological [00:08:30] challenge. Thank you.”
  Artificial Intelligence
• “Yeah. Thank you. Chair. Commissioner Finland welcomes the new EU bioeconomy strategy as a strong framework for for a competitive, sustainable and innovation driven EU bioeconomy. Competitiveness, value creation, innovation must remain central with a focus on scaling higher value bio based products and commercialization of innovations. The implementation of the bioeconomy strategy should build on the EU's existing sustainability framework for biomass, which already provides a solid basis for ensuring sustainable production across sectors. Further work should rely on these existing criteria and methodologies rather than to create parallel approaches. In addition, we support an on paper on the Second Biotech Act for Competitive Europe, which will be presented by Denmark later this afternoon. Thank you very much for.”
  EU support for bioeconomic applications
• “Thank you. Istvan. It is very important for EU agriculture that plant breeding legislation is up to date and based on the latest scientific knowledge. From the outset, Finland has strongly supported the draft regulation and sees it as very important to ensure a sustainable and competitive EU agriculture and food production, and we have worked constructively to reach a council general approach. While the draft regulation did not progress under the Hungarian presidency, we strongly support the resumption of negotiations under the incoming presidency on the basis of the balanced compromise text presented by the Belgian presidency in February. Thank you.”
  New Genomic Techniques
• “Thank [00:14:00] you, President. Thank you to Portugal as well Finland fully understands the challenges that have been described. Water resilience, also taking into account the climate change and extreme hydrological events is a common concern. However, the water situation changes from one member state to another, and the main responsibility for taking any mitigating uh measures lies with the member [00:14:30] states, and this goes for funding as well. In our view. Discussions should be continued when the Commission gives its proposal, uh, on the Water Resilience Initiative. As Portugal says, awareness of on saving water should be increased. This is how we can improve the, uh, effective use of water. Thank you.”
  Water pollution
• “Thank you. I would like to thank the Commission for this timely reform package. And we see this as an important part of the well-functioning capital markets. We are still studying the various parts of the package, but can already say that our first take is cautiously positive. The key objective for this review should be to ensure that securitised risks leave the banking sector, and we will be assessing this package against this overall objective, and we look forward to working constructively with the Danish presidency on this.”
  Financial regulation
• “37:39 – 17:39:11): Dear chair colleagues, Finland supports the objectives presented by Lithuania and the other sponsoring member states. We share the concern that drone incursion, GNSS interference, and other airborne hybrid threats endanger transport infrastructure and essential services. We are undergoing this 24 7. We welcome the EU work already underway. Finland has strengthened surveillance and situational awareness at its eastern border and in the Gulf Of Finland and is developing drone detection, counter drone capabilities, and arrangement for public warnings and communication. Finland supports swift coordinated EU action to strengthen drone detect detection counter drone capabilities and the resilience of critical transport infrastructure. That requires, this requires close civil military cooperation, real time situational awareness, and effective informational exchange among member states. Finland has EU's and NATO's longest external border with Russia, and it's closed. Finland stresses that the long term threats from Russia and the specific needs of EU's Eastern regions must be reflected in EU priorities. Thank you.”
  Cybersecurity investments for critical infrastructure
• “Thank you, chair. Strengthening the strategic competitiveness of the union is a key objective for Finland. We support concrete measures to strengthen the single market and place great importance on fostering an innovation friendly and business oriented regulatory framework that supports startups and scale ups. We welcome the Commission's proposals on the new EU Inc. The new EU wide company form may strengthen the operating conditions of European companies if the registration, management, and financing of the companies can be organized efficiently. We welcome company form that is optional, of general scope and includes light and digital procedures. We see room for improvements as regards digital procedures with the authorities and safeguards of the minority shareholders and creditors. Most importantly, we still see huge potential challenges in linking the new company form to other fields of legislations, in particular insolvency and tax law. We have specific concerns over the proposed provision of Chapter 10 on insolvency. Moreover, sound legal basis of the EU treaties are of the essence for the proposal. Thank you.”
  EU Single Market harmonisation
• “Thank you, Chair, Commissioner and colleagues. I thank the Swedish presidency also for for this work regarding this recommendation on social dialogue. Finland can accept the draft recommendation. We support for efforts to promote social dialogue at all levels global European [00:10:30] Union and the national level. Tripartite social dialogue can help governments to take better into account the realities and needs of the labour markets. It is also important to create fair circumstances where employers, unions or employers and trade unions can bargain collectively. These circumstances include prohibition, prohibition against anti-union activities, also [00:11:00] proper enforcement. Enforcement of collective agreements is a key. Thank you, Chair.”
  EU competences on social policies
• “23:34 – 11:24:49): Dear executive vice president and ministers. Finland supports the objective to strengthen the governance of cybersecurity and to find more binding solutions on the European Union level to promote ICT supply chain security. We also welcome the review of ENISA's mandate and the cybersecurity certification framework. However, we stress that ENISA's activity should primarily complement and support national cybersecurity capabilities. Finland is also committed to the security of ICT supply chains and communications networks through joint measures to promote the EU's technological sovereignty. It is important to make sure that the competencies and responsibilities between the EU and the member states will be clear. We welcome that the member states would retain the possibility to introduce measures exceeding the measures of the proposal, especially to safeguard the security of communications networks. Thank you.”
  Scope of EU cybersecurity obligations
• “Yeah. Thank you. Chair. Commissioner Finland welcomes the new EU bioeconomy strategy as a strong framework for for a competitive, sustainable and innovation driven EU bioeconomy. Competitiveness, value creation, innovation must remain central with a focus on scaling higher value bio based products and commercialization of innovations. The implementation of the bioeconomy strategy should build on the EU's existing sustainability framework for biomass, which already provides a solid basis for ensuring sustainable production across sectors. Further work should rely on these existing criteria and methodologies rather than to create parallel approaches. In addition, we support an on paper on the Second Biotech Act for Competitive Europe, which will be presented by Denmark later this afternoon. Thank you very much for.”
  EU support for bioeconomic applications
• “Thank you. The commission is reforming the bioeconomy strategy for the EU and the objective should be improving the bioeconomy competitiveness in Europe. And we get to this if we create value for bio based products and services. We should emphasize horizontal integration between instruments, and we should aim that policy measures support sustainable development and investment. Effectively developing bio economy products with high added value means that we need to boost research and innovation. For Finland, it is important that the selection of projects to be funded through the EU Research and Innovation Programme is based on high quality science. Basic and applied research are a bridge towards innovation and better competitiveness for Europe. Thank you. Thank you.”
  EU support for bioeconomic applications
• “Thank you very much, Maria. And thank you to Poland and Estonia. We strongly support the objective of simply simplifying regulation and reducing administrative burdens while maintaining a high level of health and environmental protection. I support Poland that the proposed broader definition of the use of plant protection products would mean that anyone who sows covered seeds or plants treated seedlings should be individually certified as a professional user of plant protection products. The proposed amendment would create an unnecessary administrative burden, and is therefore not in line with the objectives of the omnibus proposal. The current situation is sufficient to ensure the safe and sustainable use of plant protection products, and the proposed change in this respect is not is also not justified. As an example, around 160 million forest tree seedlings are planted annually in Finland, most of which have been treated with plant protection products. Planters are mainly temporary seasonal workers who receive the necessary guidance for this work. The Estonian proposal to take account of the vitality of agriculture in the context of the authorization of Pgps, is also a very topical and important subject. Removals of active substances have been very clearly visible in our small product markets. Without corrective action, we will soon lack effective tools against pests. Thank you.”
  EU policy on pesticides
• “Thank you. Chair. Dear commissioners, dear colleagues, ever increasing regulation in Europe has curbed productivity growth in the European Union. Firms have spent a bigger and bigger share of their resources into compliance with the EU rules. We welcome the current efforts of the Commission for overturning this development. We are convinced this can contribute to restoring growth to the economy. Finland supports the simplification work of the Commission to eliminate overlaps in rules and reduce regulatory burden. We support the 25% reduction target. It is important that simplification is a continuous process and the work leads to concrete results, especially concerning SMEs. Therefore, we need to chop down the regulatory jungle of sustainability reporting. This work is is utmost important for us. We thank the Commission for recent omnibus proposals. The burden caused by the heaviest EU legislative initiatives, such as the mentioned Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, CSR is massive. In the recent years, the mass of EU regulation has been overwhelming, overwhelming for companies and for small national administrations that function on limited resources. Finland stands ready to provide views on which other areas in the EU are aqui require urgent simplification measures. Changes to rules should be carefully prepared in consultation with the Member States and other stakeholders. Impacts on existing rules should be carefully assessed. Thank you very much.”
  Energy (green transition)
• “Thank you. Romina. Finland very much welcomes the commission proposal. It is an important initiative. Initiative contributing to the achievement of national and EU level emission reduction targets. The CO2 emission standards must be in line with the EU's climate targets and provide a pathway to achieving them. The CO2 emission standard should aim at reducing the energy consumption and fossil fuel consumption for transport, and accelerate the market entrance of zero emission vehicles at a reasonable overall cost. We therefore look positively to the proposed CO2 standards. The CO2 standards should also leave room for different alternative fuels that are needed in decarbonising the sector. In Finland, we have estimated that we have some challenging, heavy long haul transport activities where alongside electricity and hydrogen, biomethane and other renewable fuels need to be utilised also in the future. Thank you.”
  Road transport environmental policy
• “04:01 – 11:06:11): Thank you. We continue with Finland, Anders, and then followed by Portugal and Croatia. Anders, the floor is yours. Thank you, chair, commissioner, dear colleagues. I would like to thank the presidency for this important topic. We must strengthen meaningful participation of young people both at the EU and national levels. Young people are not just the future, as we often say, but they are very much here and now. In Finland, we will publish the results of an inclusion pilot in a few weeks. Children and young people have, for the first time, been involved in the preparation process of the upcoming government program. The pilot was carried out as a nationwide survey and dialogues. Approximately 17,000 children and young people from across Finland took part in it. They share their views about the future of Finland and the themes that are important to them for the next government term. At the EU level, I'm happy that young people are involved in the preparation process of the upcoming EU Youth Strategy. Meaningful youth participation must be a cross cutting theme in the strategy. The EU Youth Strategy must strengthen young people's well-being, resilience and confidence in their future. This can be achieved when we support the foundations of a meaningful everyday life, including education, work and belonging to society. The strategy is effective and credible only if young people are active actors in it, not only targets of policy measures, as Karen also pointed out. Therefore, the strategy should recognize the role of young people as builders of peace, security, social resilience and climate issues. In addition, we should take into account the views and interests of young people in all policy areas. 1 way of doing this is strengthening the use of youth impact assessments both at EU and national levels. Every young person should have the opportunity to get involved and be a part of the surrounding community and more widely a part of the EU. Fair decision making strengthens young people's trust in society and democracy. Thank you.”
  EU volunteering programs
• “Thank you colleagues. Horizon Europe remains one of the European Union's most powerful instruments for advancing scientific excellence, competitiveness and long term prosperity. We agree with the presidency that many sections of the draft are now in a mature state. In particular, pillar. One provides a strong foundation for promoting scientific excellence and attractive research careers. On pillar four, we particularly welcome the substantial progress in defining new support measures for research and tech infrastructures. Europe must be able to create world class facilities while also upgrading and modernising existing ones, to maximise the impact of these investments. The selection processes must be open, competitive and transparent. Looking ahead, Finland sees a couple of key areas which merit deeper discussion. First, we must guarantee enhancing cooperation and collaboration remain at the core of European R&D. Also in the future, and that the European Union funding stimulates public and private R&D investment. This is critical for reaching the EU 3% targets and closing Europe's innovation gap with the global competitors. Finland emphasises the importance of collaborative R&D projects and public private partnerships, funded from the pillar two to better transform research results into solutions for the market and society. We should seize the potential of joint programming and instruments within the European Competitiveness Fund, while ensuring adequate member state influence in the preparation and implementation of the programmes. We should not make it too burdensome. As for pillar three, funding instruments and venture capital for SMEs and especially start ups are vital for Europe's growth in deep tech and critical technologies. We should continue building on the strong performance of existing instruments, especially the EIC Accelerator. Regarding widening, we see the Commission proposal positively widening. Measures in the framework programme should be limited in both scope and funding. Simplification must continue. Researchers, companies and particularly SMEs should find. The programme easier to access and navigate. We appreciate the improvements already made in response to feedback from the field. To conclude, Finland believes that we are on a solid path towards a partial general approach by May. We remain committed to working constructively with all Member States to shape ten into a coherent, impactful and future oriented programme. Thank you.”
  EU research funding
• “Thank you and thank you Jakob and Luis for bringing this subject to Council. Biotechnology has great potential in the agrifood sector and it can address many of the challenges the sector is facing. I warmly support the commissioning of a study on how to further streamline relevant EU legislation. The Commission should also take into account the agri food sector in future biotechnology legislation. It is important that EU legislation promotes innovation and investment in biotechnology. Otherwise, the EU will stay behind its competitors and lose its competitiveness. Furthermore, as I stated in the previous discussion, Finland strongly supports the continuation of negotiations with the regulation. Thank you.”
  New Genomic Techniques
• “Amongst others, the new sources of income must be feasible and economically beneficial for farmers. The bioeconomy and the circular economy have significant potential for the economy. In rural areas, the potential of biogas production at farm level needs to be better exploited, and nutrient recycling bottlenecks need to be further dismantled. It is good for the Commission to identify the potential of farms to sell off farm energy. This must be done as energy sales can be an additional source of income for farmers. Thank you to the Commissioner for mentioning this. I see it as important that the EU legislative framework allows for the creation of new innovations in the food sector and faster market uptake. New production will add value to the food sector and will also help strengthen self-sufficiency and security of supply. I do not see this as a threat to traditional production in Europe or European culinary culture. The future by biotechnology regulation should also cover food issues. We need to invest in research, technology and the transfer of state of the art knowledge. This will improve competitiveness and improve EU self-sufficiency in areas such as protein production and fertilizers. I support the introduction of new technologies that are beneficial for agriculture, and I hope that we advance quickly with the negotiations with regards to NTS. Thank you.”
  New Genomic Techniques
• “Thank you chair. Dear colleagues, Finland fully supports the modernised and simplified MFF structure. In a changing operating environment, we must be able to respond to crisis and unforeseen needs in a timely and efficient manner. A new modernised MFF structure with flexibilities gives us tools for this. The new national and regional partnership plans are a key part of this structure. We believe that they will bring synergy benefits. However, sufficient flexibility must be ensured in drawing up the partnership plan and in implementing the funding. Strong safeguards are needed to ensure full respect of the rule of law and fundamental rights. We also support the performance based approach. Preconditions for payments should be seen as a tool to ensure sound and efficient use of EU funds in all member states. In our view, a modernised, future oriented MFF and a strong Common Agricultural Policy are not contradictory, are not contradictory aims. Through simplification and synergies, we can ensure more efficient support where it is most needed, while accommodating key priorities such as defence and competitiveness. The future Cap should ensure profitable and sustainable agricultural production in all member states. Also in less favoured areas. This is very critical from the perspective of security, of supply. Securing funding that directly affects farmers income is key. For us, it's very important that the commission is focusing on active farmers. It's positive that a wide range of measures are foreseen to support agriculture and rural development. In our view on rural development measures, synergies should also be sought with the Competitiveness Fund and Horizon Europe.”
  Agricultural funding
• “Dear Chair, dear Ministers, we would like to thank all the presidencies of Czech Republic, Sweden and Spain for their hard work related to Euro seven proposal. The Finnish government supports the objective to reduce the pollutant emissions of all new vehicles. We see that the text has developed in a way that there are the changes and clarifications needed to reach a compromise. We support [00:01:00] the proposal regulations for battery durability and for tire and brake emissions, as well as the idea of using vehicle sensors to streamline emissions monitoring as states in general approach. The Finnish government promotes the development, production and legislation of low emission fuels, which will increase the use in passenger cars and heavy vehicles. We see that the investment environment for advanced, renewable [00:01:30] and synthetic fuels and biogas must be ensured in general. Finland supports a technologically neutral approach in order to promote innovations. We support the proposed general approach for Euro seven regulations. It addressed the overall impacts of the proposed Euro seven regulation from an emission reduction point of view and from a competitiveness point of view. [00:02:00] Thank you.”
  Road transport environmental policy
• “So instruments like AI is importantly contributing so that European defense startups do not fall into the ownership of third countries. However, research, development and innovation funding should continue to be allocated on the basis of open competition and excellence. This is essential to ensuring Europe's capabilities to develop cutting edge science technologies and applications. When funding projects with a focus on defense application, stringent processes and systems are needed, for example, for handling sensitive information. It is important, however, to ensure that the administrative burden is in proportion to the risk and that implementation can be as simple and safe as possible so that we are able to respond to security challenges already in the next few years in the implementation, we should ensure that funding and effectiveness reach a wide range of actors. Furthermore, comprehensive security and resilience of society and infrastructure should be emphasized in the future as a cross-cutting element in the next programming period. It will be more important than ever to ensure that different EU programmes with R&D and innovation components complement each other and seamlessly work together in order to boost competitiveness and reach the European Union's other strategic goals. Thank you very much.”
  Artificial Intelligence for military purposes
• “Active food production is best promoted through strong coupled support, investment aid, animal welfare support, and effective advisory services. All of these are targeted towards active farmers. I support the idea of a work programme for animal husbandry. For example, extensive grassland animal production is necessary and I attach great importance to promoting animal welfare and strengthening the enforcement of existing rules. The Commission has identified the difficulties faced by farms and rural businesses in accessing private financing. This has been done very well by the Commission. All sources of funding must therefore be used for Finnish banks. Eib instruments in the form of guarantees would be very interesting forms of having access to finance. Further development of sustainable finance legislation needs to take into account the specificities of agriculture of the agricultural sector. I welcome the Commission's efforts to harmonise production standards between EU production standards, between EU production and imported products, in particular with regard to plant protection products and animal welfare. At the same time, a case by case assessment, science based and risk based approach and compliance with WTO rules must be borne in mind. I support the idea of creating new sources of income for the sector, for example carbon farming.”
  Agricultural funding
• “Special focus must be put on the EU's eastern flank. Ensuring robust, long term support for Ukraine and its defence industry is crucial. The MFF should also take into account the special situation of the EU's eastern external border regions with Russia. Fourth, we support the proposal to significantly increase competitiveness, funding and to combine relevant programmes into a single entity. The next MFF must be able to provide diverse support at different stages of projects, and be better in leveraging private funding, research, development and innovation. Funding must continue to be based on open competition and the principle of excellence. This is what makes us an interesting and influential partner globally. Defence and dual use purposes should be emphasised extensively in competitiveness funding. Further, we support the proposed increase of four military mobility funding. Our focus must stay on clean transition and emerging technologies such as AI, quantum computing and technology. Eu funding should also be used to strengthen the EU's global leadership in circular economy, bioeconomy and bio based solutions. Finally, while we support the overall priorities of the proposal, the proposed overall level of the MFF is clearly too high. Finland is also opposed to new debt based investment instruments. Thank you.”
  Defence spending
• “Thank you, Latvia, for bringing this important issue on the agenda. I want to also thank the Commission for their work to simplify the regulation so that it will not cause undue or unreasonable administrative burden, especially to actors and to primary producers. And for countries who have forests where deforestation risk is low. This proposal is not sufficient. And the timetable proposed right now is very tight for many medium and large companies, especially for those who had expected a clear postponement based on what the commission had announced earlier. The proposals by the commission and the timetable proposed to bring challenges to national implementation since the needed national legislative changes by the end of the year is very demanding. Finally, we want to thank the presidency for prompt preparations to progress this matter. It is very important that we get clarity to this situation as soon as possible.”
  Management of EU forests
• “(17:07:31 – 17:08:17): Strong strong Nordic cooperation on transport preparedness is indispensable. This spring, Finland and its Nordic partners published a joint transport preparedness strategy to strengthen cross border connections in practice, including corridors, infrastructure, services, equipment, and legislation. A concrete example, Israel Nordica, which would extend the European standard gauge railway network from Sweden to Finland. This project would remove 1 of the biggest, worst military mobility bottlenecks in the EU. Finally, sufficient funding is essential for all of us. Thank you.”
  EU transport infrastructure integration
• “Thank you Alan, and definitely thank you. Thank you Vka commissioner for good work during your time in this post already now, and hopefully we'll achieve further results also with this file during this year. And Alan, as you've had a result oriented approach today already in the morning. So honestly saying I would actually prefer us to already complete this file today because we would really need clearance of 2040 targets for the industry to be able to invest in Europe to clean transition. And this is my first message that maybe not this afternoon, but we really need to step up and find the compromise and make the decision about 2040 targets within let's say 12 to 18 months because that is the risk scenario that we lose two to three years without having clearance of how carbon trading system will evolve further and so forth. Finland sees that the best stepping stone to 2050 is to agree on a 90% net emission reduction target for 2040 with certain enabling guidelines on the needed framework of policy tools as well. The main emphasis of the legislative framework must be on most cost effective emission reductions to achieve the 2040 target. We will also need deployment of captured carbon. It's actually notable in the communications of the commission from February that they are relying on the fact that it'll be scaling up of capture carbon already during 2030s and industrial carbon removals and circular economy of biogenic CO2, which is also defined in the communications. It's very important to get the incentives right in the post 2030 architecture for the uprising of these technologies as well. In addition, we need technological neutrality including all carbon free energy sources. We really need all carbon free energy sources. If we are serious about 90% reduction, we need merit further development and strengthening of EU ETS, both the first ETS, but second, maybe third, while effort sharing regulation needs to be seriously revisited. It's not cost efficient now. And when we are going to those amounts that we are talking about 20, 40, 20 50, the current structure won't be able to deliver. Uncertainties of the land use sector need to be taken seriously into account. We must not end up into situation where we are having impossible challenges to meet what we agree. And in the end, long-term, EU climate policy lays the ground for necessary investments and technological development. That's the key driver for green transition. Also, permitting is very much of issue as is stated in this communication that is on our table today. And finally, for EU to continue to lead international climate action. But VCA also very well stressed here that we are also friends of climate and carbon diplomacy to enable global carbon trading systems. It's important that we do our homework and agree on 2040 target that is in line with the Paris agreement and takes into account scientific advice. Thank you.”
  Climate efforts · Extension of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme · Carbon capture storage and utilisation
• “DHEA, executed by president and ministers. Finland is committed to advance a single market for electronic communications. We thank the presidency for its work. We also support efforts to simplify telecom regulation to leave space for innovation. We see scope to further simplify the proposals regarding, for example, numbering and a single passport mechanism, and in general, to strive for the avoidance of data collection and reporting requirements. Lastly, spectrum and licensing policy are critical for Europe's competitiveness. There needs to be enough national discretion to support innovation and early adoption. In Finland, this approach has helped us to become a leader in mobile communications, and we are already planning ahead for 6 g deployment. Thank you.”
  5G
• “Thank you very much, Peter. Commissioner, thank you for your warm words of welcome. It is a pleasure for me to attend my first meeting of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council. Congratulations also to my new colleague from Bulgaria. As regards the Commission communication, I can say that Finland supports the Commission basing its proposal for [00:40:30] fishing opportunities for 2024 on the MSY objective multiannual plans for fish stocks and scientific advice from the new ICES scientific advice. We have found that the scientific advice on salmon in the main basin of the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia is unnecessarily strict. In [00:41:00] my view, it is possible on the basis of scientific information to find a solution that can effectively support the recovery of weak salmon stocks through targeted, targeted conservation measures. By doing so, we could avoid unnecessary restrictions on fisheries exploiting strong salmon stocks for Baltic herring stocks. Scientific advice indicates the need to reduce fishing quotas. We have launched [00:41:30] a study on the food web of the herring stock in the Gulf of Bothnia to improve scientific knowledge. The state of the stock does not look as worrying as last year as a significant improvement in the condition of herring individuals has been observed during the first part of the year. Finland is ready to take decisions at the October Council that will ensure the good situation of of the herring stocks in the [00:42:00] future. Thank you, President.”
  Environmental regulation of fisheries
• “Dear chair colleagues, it is important to underline that social security and welfare services fall within the competence of the Member States. However, it may be useful to learn from each other's good practices and discuss how to build a socially and economically sustainable Europe together. Preventing social exclusion and poverty requires strengthening people's social inclusion and ability to work. Reducing unemployment and non-participation. It is in the interests of both the individual and society that social exclusion is prevented as early as possible. The earlier the risks of social exclusion are identified, the more effectively they can be addressed. Many of the social challenges Europe is now facing derives from the irregular migration, which also underlines the importance of border security and control. The Finnish government is currently reforming health and social services. We aim to strengthen prevention, digitalisation and coordination of services. This will improve the functionality of the service system and curb expenditure growth while ensuring quality. We are also reforming employment services by improving their availability, as well as regional and local cooperation in this area. At the same time, the ongoing reforms to streamline basic Social Security intend to simplify the system and to increase financial incentives to take on work. Our national parliamentary Social Security Committee assesses how the current benefits and the related services correspond to people's real life needs in different situations of unemployment, illness and disability. As for Finland, we are determined to take concrete measures to safeguard people's work ability and functional capacity in an economically sustainable manner. Work is a powerful mechanism for social integration and inclusion. Thank you for your attention.”
  EU competences on social policies
• “Thank you chair colleagues. Firstly, we need to make sure that the overall level of the EU budget remains reasonable. Finland emphasises key political priorities such as strengthening defence and competitiveness. Eu needs to provide a strong response to global competition and technological race. Finland considers the Commission's proposal for Competitiveness Fund to be a promising starting point to help companies to find the right support, from grants to equity along the investment journey, as well as from research to market entry and scaling up when appropriate. Open competition and excellence should form the basis for funding. Finland emphasizes the importance of EU instruments to achieve sufficient leverage in private funding. The Competition Fund should strengthen, not distort, the single market when combining different funding sources. Respecting the state aid rules is important. Finland draws attention on the role of Member States both in design and governance. Governance of the program. From the content perspective, Finland considers that the importance of funding allocated for defence and dual use purposes should be emphasized. Artificial intelligence solutions. High performance and quantum computing chips and CSG are examples of key technologies to be supported in future funding. Finland can also support the commission's proposal to bring space and defence matters together, while more detailed examination and evaluation of the mutual allocation of funding is still necessary. We support the importance of the EU's global leadership in circular economy, bioeconomy and bio based solutions. Furthermore, it is important that the approach for financing clean transition is technology neutral, market driven and aiming for cost efficiency. Smes, including startups, deserve particular attention throughout the Competitiveness Fund. Thank you very much.”
  Energy (green transition)
• “Thank you Maria, and I wish you an excellent presidency. Thank you for including the preparation of the Council conclusions on the EU bioeconomy strategy in your work programme. The strategy is horizontal and very comprehensive, and it's important that it is discussed in different council formations and that conclusions strike a balance between different perspectives. It is important to focus on improving competitiveness, attracting investment, minimising administrative burden and simplifying legislation. First question I note that there is a need in Europe to facilitate investment in the bioeconomy. Legislation is one of the factors that influence investment decisions. Also, availability, availability of funding and streamlining permit granting procedures are important to grant. How do important thing is to consider how we guarantee future financial period? We have to make sure that bioeconomy and other rural companies get enough funding, it's important to understand the importance of different materials in the whole entire value chain. We should emphasize more critical materials for food like, um, uh, packaging material, not only bio plastics. And we have to give a predictability, predictability to producers and innovators. Instead of creating more legislation, we on biomass, we have to concentrate on, uh, implementation. It is very good that we do not propose new criteria for sustainability of biomass, and it's important that this will not be the case in the future either. We have a very strong regulatory framework and the focus should be on its implementation. We should not add costs for operators. Biotechnology applications could should help to strengthen food security and health in future. Improve sustainability of forestry and contribute to water planning. We have to make it possible to scale innovations in EU and prevent innovations from going outside of the European Union area. To to finish with, I would like to remind you of the fact that bioeconomy is the backbone of Europe's strategic autonomy. It's important to see to it that we also create a new possibilities in the eastern parts of the European Union. Also, um. Vitality of rural areas and critical infrastructure are important. Thank you.”
  Agricultural funding
• “Thank you, Chair. Following the excellent introduction presented by Netherlands and France, I would like to underline Finland's commitment to the approach set out in the non paper and highlight a few priorities for us. The regulatory framework of the European product legislation is key to the functioning of the internal market, securing competitiveness and ensuring the level playing field for European enterprises. It ensures the free movement of goods as well as robust consumer protection. The regulation must be up to date and future proof. This requires consistency and alignment between different instruments of product legislation. Digitalization is central to the functioning and further development of the internal market. This is especially so considering product information and standardization. Finally, we find it is utterly important for the functioning of the internal market to ensure a level playing field among different actors. Thank you.”
  EU Single Market harmonisation
• “Thank you very much, Daniel. Finland is committed to the Forest Europe process and its work on criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management. Nature conditions, forest use history and ownership structures vary considerably among EU member states, setting additional EU level indicators, thresholds or ranges for sustainable forest management is not appropriate. In addition, the European Commission should also take Member States feedback into account in the mid-term review of the EU Forest Strategy 2030 and in the implementation of the strategy. The EU Forest Strategy 2030 did not give sufficient attention to the economic use of forests at present. We should better support, for example, the objectives of the EU bioeconomy strategy. Thank you.”
  Management of EU forests
• “Yeah. Thank you. Chair. Commissioner Finland welcomes the new EU bioeconomy strategy as a strong framework for for a competitive, sustainable and innovation driven EU bioeconomy. Competitiveness, value creation, innovation must remain central with a focus on scaling higher value bio based products and commercialization of innovations. The implementation of the bioeconomy strategy should build on the EU's existing sustainability framework for biomass, which already provides a solid basis for ensuring sustainable production across sectors. Further work should rely on these existing criteria and methodologies rather than to create parallel approaches. In addition, we support an on paper on the Second Biotech Act for Competitive Europe, which will be presented by Denmark later this afternoon. Thank you very much for.”
  EU support for bioeconomic applications