Speech of the President of the Republic of Finland at the dinner in honour of the President of Portugal 9.10.2002

It is my very special pleasure and honour to welcome you, Mr. President and Madam Sampaio, to Finland. I greatly appreciate you as an experienced statesman, and this is also the first State visit to Finland made by the President of Portugal. We remember well that twelve years ago Mauno Koivisto was the first President of Finland to make a State visit to Portugal.

The pace of State visits does not give a complete picture of the cooperation between our countries. This cooperation at different levels is very lively. Both Portugal and Finland are dynamic actors in all sectors of the European Union. For myself, I have very pleasant memories as Foreign Minister, when at the turn of the millennium our countries held the presidency of the European Union for consecutive terms.

Our countries located far from each other. However, we have similar views on many issues. For both of us it is crucial that all the member countries of the Union are equal now and in the future. Portugal and Finland are located on the external borders of the Union. We know how important it is to look after the security of the borders and at the same time also ensure the fast and flexible movement of people and goods.

The legitimacy the Union is based on its ability to make a positive contribution to the lives of its citizens. The Union and the common decision-making are the means and not the end itself. It is essential that the respective powers of the Union and its member countries are well defined. We should recourse to decision-making at Union level when it will bring clear value-added in comparison to national decision-making. The guiding principle should be: national decision-making when possible, Union decision-making when necessary.

The significance of the Union to ordinary citizens should have a central role in the work of the European Union's convention and in the following Inter-governmental conference. The decision-making mechanisms, relations between institutions and the rotating presidency are all important matters, but they do not have a great deal of relevance unless the citizens feel that the actions of the Union make a difference.

Portugal and Finland are participants in one of the Union's most important projects, the use of a common money. The euro has already proved a success, even though only nine months have elapsed since being taken into use. It has increased stability within the euro-zone even at a time of slow growth of the international economy. This is of great value, especially to the smaller countries.

The Europe of today, and of the future, needs different cultures as well as greater familiarity with those in other countries. Multiculturalism is a central component of the European essence. In a European Union that is enlarging and becoming closer it is important that there is room for different national cultures as well as for minority cultures.

For Portugal and for the people living there the meeting of different cultures is a familiar matter. Your country's illustrious history is well-known in Finland. Henry the Navigator, Vasco da Gama and Magellan, and their voyages, also belong to the history lessons for schoolboys and girls here. But, on the other hand, one might sometimes overlook the fact that the Portuguese language is a truly global language, one that is spoken on four continents.

The collectors of the traditional poems of Finland and Portugal have an interesting point of contact. In the 1800s the Portuguese Almeida Garrett defended himself against accusations that he had revised poems, by citing the Finn Elias Lönnrot and the methods he used. Lönnrot had also revised poems that he had collected, and these were not published in the originally collected form either.

I am delighted that the work on translating the Finnish and Portuguese national epics into each other's language has finally begun. The translations of our national epic, Kalevala, and the national poet Luis de Camoes' work, Os Lusiadas, should be completed as soon as possible. This is the cultural work that is needed for building a united Europe.

Among the modern Portuguese writers the best-known in Finland is the Nobel Prize winner José Saramago, several of whose works have been translated into the Finnish language. Also Saramago's splendid literature has had in Finland a translator worthy of the name. Last year, the translation of Saramago's novel "All the names" ("Todos os nomes") was awarded the prize for the best translation into Finnish.

Apart from literature, points of contact between Finnish and Portuguese culture can also be found in music. The plaintive and melancholy nature of the Portuguese folk music, Fado, appeals to many Finns, and the songs of the late singer, Amália Rodrigues, are loved in Finland, too.

The commercial ties are vital elements in the relations between our countries. The growth of Finland's exports in recent years has been very positive and the structure of our exports has become more wide-ranging.

Finnish companies have invested in production facilities in Portugal since the times of the EFTA cooperation. I hope that the structural changes, which are underway in Portugal's economy, business life and industry will make it possible to increase the amount of economic cooperation.

Tourism has also had an effect on the growth in awareness about Portugal. There is a constant growth in the number of Finnish travellers every year both to Madeira and the Algarve as well as to Lisbon. The current level is 60 - 70,000 travellers per year. Information regarding the trends for the coming tourist season shows that amongst Finns the popularity of Madeira, for example, is growing strongly.

During recent years the number of Finns in Portugal has increased greatly. The number of retired people - the so-called birds of passage - in the Algarve is now several thousand. These people spend their winters in the south and move back to Finland for the summer. I hope that you Portuguese too will find your way here, to the north.

Direct flights between the capital cities of our countries would certainly boost both tourism and business cooperation.

Both my husband and I hope from the bottom of our hearts that your visit to Finland will be successful. The Finland that you see during your visit is not just a leading country in terms of efficient industrial development, but I hope that you will also come into contact with our history and our culture.

I believe that Portugal and Finland have a lot to contribute as we build not just a united Europe, but a world based on human rights and democracy.