Speech by President of the Republic of Finland Tarja Halonen at the American-Scandinavian Foundation in New York on 18 May 2007

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It is a great pleasure for me to be again at the American Scandinavian Foundation. It is wonderful to meet old and new friends. Tonight I would like to share with you some of my thoughts on the present and future of European-American relations in general as well as Nordic-American and Finnish-American relations in particular.

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Let me start by sharing with you some thoughts about the relationship between the European Union and the United States. This is indeed an important partnership, and it has significance not only to the Europeans and Americans but also to the rest of the world. Last year Finland worked actively to enhance this relationship as we held the rotating European Union Presidency for six months.

Democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of law are our common foundation and these are the values we wish to promote worldwide. Good American-European cooperation is essential in order to help resolve international problems. But we should not limit ourselves to be the fire brigade of the world. I think that European – American cooperation is needed especially in order to build a better, a more prosperous and a more just world.

Economy is an essential part of the transatlantic relationship. The United States is the largest trade and investment partner for the EU and vice versa. Our mutual trade accounts for about 40 percent of all world trade. Some 14 million people are estimated to earn their living as a result of transatlantic investments and trade. The degree of mutual dependency in trade and investment relationship has increased in recent years, interestingly enough, despite the rise of Asia as the recipient of American and European investments.

Washington hosted a successful United States – European Union Summit some two weeks ago. The most important result of the Summit certainly is the framework agreement on economic cooperation. The new framework will lower regulatory barriers and seek rapid results in a number of areas including intellectual property rights, trade security, financial markets, investment and innovation and technology.

The new framework is a welcome signal to the business community, which for a long time has found the different standards and regulations to be one of the major obstacles to the further development of transatlantic trade.

At the Washington Summit, there was a common understanding about the need for swift global policy to combat climate change. Last autumn Finland had the honour to chair a high-level meeting where the EU and the United States sat down to talk about issues related to climate change, clean energy and sustainable development. We hope that the work then commenced will continue between the EU and the US later this year. In this respect I welcome the visit of Swedish Prime Fredrik Reinfeldt to United States and his discussions with American authorities on climate change.

Combating climate change is truly a global challenge and it will eventually take more than the EU and the US to make a difference. I would like to repeat my whole-hearted support to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change meeting in Indonesia in December. I hope that the Governments worldwide will take seriously the recommendations of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change published just recently. Boosting renewable energy, reducing deforestation and improving energy efficiency are among the measures the Panel pointed out.

In the margins of the Washington Summit an EU-US “Open Sky”-agreement was signed. This is good news to transatlantic consumers as connections between the two continents are likely to improve. This can be beneficial in increasing people-to-people contacts and cheaper tickets may for instance enable more American students to visit Europe and vice versa.

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It is good to remember that the European Union is not the whole of Europe. Even not all the Nordic Countries are members of the EU. We the “Five Nordic Sisters” look quite similar from outside, but they all have their own characteristics nationally and also in their relations with the United States.

Common for all the “Nordic Sisters” is the Nordic welfare model and that all the Sisters fare well in globalisation. All Nordic countries rank high in international comparisons, whether they concern competitiveness, sustainable development, standard of living or almost any other issue. We are proud that the only international comparison where the Nordic Sisters are not among the first ones - is corruption! Transparency International ranks the Nordics amongst the least corrupt countries year after year.

Strong and vital civil society unites the Nordic Countries and the United States. Citizens and their organisations are the main actors in our democracies and they are essential in shaping our relations, especially in the fields of culture and education.

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As far as my own country, Finland is concerned it is always a pleasure to note the longstanding, wide and excellent relations with the United States. The United States is Finland’s most important trade and investment partner outside Europe. We share a keen interest in new technology and innovations. Recently, the United States and Finland have also engaged in closer cooperation on energy issues. Our American friends have been very interested in Finland’s experience on renewable energy resources, and in particular the second-generation bio fuel technology projects running in Finland, as well as our experience of nuclear power.

There is lots of interesting potential in other areas for bilateral cooperation, such as health care, education, and the issues involving northern and Arctic areas. Environmental expertise is a strong new area in Finland, and I look forward to our increased co-operation to help one another find solutions to the environmental challenges we all face.

Closer bilateral relations mean close contacts in all areas of society. While there is a lot we can learn from the strong tradition of science and research in the United States, it is a pleasure for me to note how much interest there is in America towards the Finnish system of basic education. At the same time, cooperation in education and student exchange programmes enhances mutual understanding and awareness of each others cultures and institutions. It is young people that will shape the future of our countries. The more they know about each other and the more they will be able to address our future challenges together, the better the outcome will be for all of us.

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This brings me to the purpose of the American-Scandinavian Foundation: to promote understanding between the Nordic Countries and the United States through educational and cultural exchange.

I want to and I love to praise the work of the American-Scandinavian Foundation in presenting and promoting our cultures in the USA and especially here in New York. Our joint venture, Scandinavia House, has become what we wanted and expected - an active meeting point offering very rich and varied programme. It is clear to me that the ASF has also influential and positive profile in the social relations between our countries.

New York is a natural location for the American-Scandinavian Foundation. The city has preserved its creativity, cultural leadership and its economy, and the media carries forward the best American liberal and entrepreneurial traditions.

For us Nordics New York remains the main contact point to the USA. Many of our numerous immigrants here today are highly educated people who travel back and forth bringing the best with them both ways. Scientific research, arts, financial and legal world is tempting more and more young Nordics today to New York.

Let me conclude by thanking the American-Scandinavian Foundation for honouring Finland tonight. I also want to congratulate the award recipients. It has been a delight to be here, I have enjoyed your company and this marvellous evening.