3.5.2000

(Check against delivery)

I greet you and extend my felicitations on the legislation that entered into force here in Sweden a month ago, making Finnish one of Sweden’s minority languages. Thanks to this, expatriate Finns here have received official confirmation of their historical minority status.

The legislation is a result of Sweden’s having acceded to the Council of Europe’s conventions on minorities, but it also reflects the perception within the European Union that the Union should be as transparent as possible and allow room for the rich variety of peoples and languages that our continent possesses.

We have just heard Mr. Paavo Vallius of the Association of Expatriate Finns in Sweden outline the measures by means of which all organisations representing Finns in this country could pool their strength to form a council to champion their shared tangible interests. On behalf of myself and Finland, I wish you success in this endeavour.

Expatriate Finns here are part of Swedish society and it is only you who can pursue your own interests in this country. Naturally, the Finnish authorities are interested in the status of Finnish minorities everywhere. We also want to show in practice that we support the position of these minorities through a variety of measures.

I believe that Finland and Sweden share a great wealth in the form of expatriate Finns here and the Finland-Swedish minority in Finland, in the Finnish language here and the Swedish language in Finland.

I wish you every success in building your social status and bilingual identity.