Your Royal Highnesses,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Chers amis,
Liebe Freunde,
Coming here feels like coming home.
Let me begin with a simple observation: Finland and Luxembourg may be small countries, but we have never thought small. Our histories, our economies, and our place in Europe all demonstrate one thing: when the world changes, we are quick to adapt and seize opportunities.
Tonight, I would like to reflect on three things we share. First, our ability to transform. Second, our commitment to Europe and multilateral cooperation. And third, the human connections that bind our countries together.
First, ability to transform.
Finland and Luxembourg share an unusual piece of history: both were Grand Duchies. Luxembourg, of course, stayed the course and remains a Grand Duchy to this day. Finland took a different path and became a republic.
There are, I should say, many advantages to being a republic. We are very happy with our constitutional arrangements. Still, from time to time, one cannot help but wonder whether life might be slightly easier if people addressed you as “Your Royal Highness”.
Luxembourg seized the opportunities created by nineteenth-century Europe’s transformation and forged a successful independent state. Finland did the same in the twentieth century. Different paths, but the same capacity to turn historical change into national success.
Luxembourg’s national motto is “Mir wëlle bleiwe wat mir sinn” – “We want to remain what we are.” Finns understand that sentiment deeply. In the late 19th century, Finland’s national identity was well captured by the phrase: “We are not Swedes, we do not want to become Russians, let us be Finns”.
Our economies and societies also share a remarkable capacity for renewal. Luxembourg first prospered through steel, then through banking, and today increasingly through the digital economy. Finland has followed its own path of transformation, from forests and paper to high technology and innovation.
In satellites, both Finland and Luxembourg punch well above their weight. It is striking that two countries of our size have become significant players in areas that shape the future of the global economy. A clear sign, that in the 21st century, size matters less than ideas. If we don’t achieve world domination together, at least we can achieve space domination.
Second, our commitment to Europe and multilateral cooperation.
Sometimes people look at Finland and Luxembourg and see two small countries bordering larger powers. I see something different. I see two countries that understood early on that in an interconnected world, influence comes from engagement.
Luxembourg was there building the European Union from the very beginning. Finland joined later, in 1995, but with the same conviction: that our prosperity, security and influence are strengthened when we work together with our European partners.
As a founding member of the European Union and one of its principal host cities, Luxembourg has shown that leadership is not a question of geography or population. It is a question of vision. Even one of the EU’s greatest achievements bears the name of a small Luxembourg village. The Schengen Agreement reminds us every day what the European integration is about: freedom.
Perhaps that is one reason why I have always felt at home in Luxembourg. My own European journey brought me here, to the European Investment Bank. Living and working in Luxembourg gave me a front-row seat to European cooperation in practice. It reinforced a conviction I have held throughout my life and career: Europe is not perfect, but it works. It is not something external to us. It is us, and what we collectively make of it.
The same spirit guides our security cooperation. Luxembourg is a founding member to NATO and was among the earliest countries to ratify Finland’s accession treaty. For that, Finland remains deeply grateful.
Today, both our countries stand firmly behind Ukraine. We understand that Ukraine’s security and Europe’s security are inseparable.
We are also both staunch supporters of multilateralism. Last week, the Grand Duke and I attended UNGA, the UN High-level Week. We spoke back-to-back at the General Debate but the UN didn’t seem to observe protocol, because they let me speak before his Royal Highness.
We both spoke about the importance of defending international law and the rules-based order. This is at the very core of what we are as nations. I was delighted to visit the Court of Justice of the European Union earlier today.
Third, and perhaps most importantly, our relationship is about people.
I have a deeply personal connection to Luxembourg. The years I spent living here and working at the European Investment Bank have created lasting memories. Those years gave me an appreciation not only of Luxembourg’s role in Europe but also of everyday life in this remarkable country.
I remember discovering the country not through conference rooms or official meetings, but often by bicycle.
On bicycle, getting to know the country and its people, you quickly learn that distances here are short, but horizons are broad. Luxembourg embodies the fundamental European idea: open, multilingual, international, and comfortable with diversity.
That same spirit attracts people from across Europe, including many Finns. Today, around 1,500 Finns live in Luxembourg. I used to be one of them. It is a pleasure to see many familiar Finnish-Luxembourgian faces here this evening.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The history of our relations includes memorable moments. Some Finns still remember that Luxembourg defeated Finland 3–0 in football in 1951 here, before a home audience. Luxembourgers, meanwhile, rightly remember the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, where Josy Barthel won gold in the 1,500 metres and wrote one of the greatest chapters in Luxembourg’s sporting history.
Mit Blick auf die Zukunft hoffe ich, dass wir unsere Zusammenarbeit sowohl im politischen als auch im wirtschaftlichen Bereich weiter vertiefen werden. Ebenso begrüße ich eine noch engere Zusammenarbeit zwischen den nordischen Ländern und den Benelux-Ländern.
Les défis auxquels l’Europe est confrontée sont bien réels. Mais si l’histoire de nos deux pays nous a appris une chose, c’est bien celle-ci : l’avenir n’appartient pas à ceux qui résistent au changement, mais à ceux qui le façonnent.
I would now like to raise a toast to Their Royal Highnesses, the Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess, and to congratulate them as this week marks their first year as the Grand Ducal couple.
At the same time, I propose a toast to the friendship between Finland and Luxembourg.
