New Year Speech of the President of the Republic of Finland Tarja Halonen, 1 January 2008

Citizens,

The year that has just drawn to a conclusion, celebrating the 90th anniversary of our independence, was another in a long chain of peaceful years. For more than six decades now, we have been able to build our country and welfare in conditions of peace. I would like to extend my thanks to the war veterans, the post-war generation of builders and also the everyday heroes of our own time for the legacy which has been handed down to us. Shared responsibility — looking after one another — remains an absolute necessity, helping to smooth the path for the individual and to build a future for our nation.

Nevertheless, the past year did not pass without human loss and sorrow. The tragedy of the school shooting at Jokela touched all of us. Those who lost their nearest and dearest experienced profound grief, which casts a long shadow. They will continue to need our sympathy and support long after the publicity surrounding the event has died down.

Experiences such as this force us to acknowledge that anything that can happen elsewhere can also happen here. We must draw lessons from what happened.

We have become accustomed to taking the smooth running of our society for granted, and it is good that we can still feel safe in our everyday lives. However, this must not translate into indifference, nor must it be allowed to lull us into a false sense of security.

Any crisis or accident situation is a severe test of people’s basic security. It is at such moments that we really need public services, a functioning civil society and, quite simply, caring about one another. The strength of such safety nets is crucial at moments of crisis, yet they need to be built and maintained constantly. There is a role for all of us to play here. We must take care of our basic services.

We Finns are not just any group of people. Our sense of community makes us a nation. As a member of a community, every one of us has a better potential to fulfil his or her individual aspirations, through their own work and their own efforts.

Fairness is a fundamental Finnish value. We have built a cohesive society; it is not at all exaggerated to talk of a success story.

However, there are cracks in the structure of our welfare. Although the national income has increased, the welfare gaps between population groups have not disappeared; on the contrary, in particular the gaps between those at either end of the scale have continued to widen. It will be especially worrying if we allow our children to suffer from this.

Social cohesion and economic strength go hand in hand. If one breaks down, the other becomes uncertain too. As long as we ensure that the standard of living improves for all population groups and can work to narrow the gaps, we are on a solid footing.

Broad-based cooperation on the labour market is also one of Finland’s strengths. In the last round of negotiations, the collective agreements were split up and concluded on a union-specific basis. Events in the autumn demonstrated some of the problems that exist in working life, such as equality and the appreciation of work. These issues cannot be solved with a single blow; we will need to return to them in the future. I hope that the increasing importance of services to society will be acknowledged and that lasting solutions to the present challenges can be found.

The difficult negotiations prompted discussion about the ground rules and agreement models of working life. This debate too will continue. It will thus no doubt be possible to view the issues without prejudice and constructively between the actual rounds of talks, with an understanding of both the changed, globalized world and the benefits of a robust negotiating system.

In today’s world, learning to cooperate is the most important thing of all. Last year, controlling climate change finally became the number one worldwide aim. I am hopeful about the growth in global responsibility. The UN Climate Change Conference in Bali in December was a step forward and can be the beginning of a new path. We can succeed in this process if we can manage to reconcile the ecological capacity of our world with the social need for justice.

Finland must be involved in this work both for its own sake and for that of our shared world. We need a more environmentally friendly way of life, guiding norms and the development of cleaner technology. We can influence the finding of international consensus in controlling climate change in the European Union and, through the Union, in the entire world.

The biggest environmental problem in our own neighbourhood is the Baltic Sea. We in the countries bordering the Baltic have a lot to gain by addressing it, but also share a lot of responsibility. We have already cooperated in cleaning up the sea and reducing the nutrient load, but these efforts must continue. In November, the countries of the Baltic committed themselves by common agreement to reducing their discharges.

For my own part, I have wanted to invite and encourage the nations of the Baltic to join in this cooperation. Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen and I have sent a letter concerning this matter to the heads of state of the countries bordering the Baltic Sea. I hope that visible political commitment will be made to support the practical action required. The Baltic does not separate us — it joins us together.

I will be returning to the challenges of the Baltic and other environmental matters at the next presidential forum in the spring.

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Last year, we honoured the Finnish language to commemorate the 450th anniversary of the death of Mikael Agricola. This links nicely with the year 2008 being designated the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue. We need to participate in this debate with an open mind, remembering our own linguistic minorities.

Globalization has brought the various religions and cultures of the world into our everyday lives. After the shocking events of 9/11 in 2001, I initiated dialogue between Christian, Jewish and Islamic communities in Finland. Over these past years, I have seen and felt how these people, belonging to different religions and cultures, have through their mutual respect acted as a unifying factor and resource in our society. I am grateful to them for this. I hope that a similar constructive phenomenon could be experienced at the European level too.

Recently, a young Afghan girl took part in a photography and writing workshop for immigrants. She came to Finland from a country which had been at war for 28 years. She wrote: “Earlier in my life there was only one colour, and that was black. Now everything has changed: now I see wonderful colours.”

When war ends, the black disperses. We Finns have experienced this. Now we can help other nations to build peace. This year, as before, Finns will be involved in demanding international military and civilian crisis management duties all around the world. We are contributing to helping the people of the world see the richness of colours in life.

In addition, Finland will be holding the presidency of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) this year. This organization was founded at the initiative of Finland, particularly President Urho Kekkonen, to increase security in Europe and for Europeans. As the holder of the OSCE presidency, Finland will focus on a broad and comprehensive view of the safety of both people and states. We will also be keeping in mind the basic principle of the OSCE: safety will not be increased at the expense of others; increasing the safety of others will also increase one’s own safety.

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It is less than a year from the Parliamentary election after which a new Government took office. In the autumn, municipal elections will be held. Our local government is undergoing a major structural change. The municipalities are of primary importance when decisions are taken on health care, children’s daycare, education, old people’s services and other matters affecting people’s everyday lives. There is every reason to vote in the municipal elections.

Elections are an important part of democracy. Putting democracy into practice also requires a robust civil society, which means being active even between elections, and I wish these efforts well.

The new year will be a busy one in many ways. On behalf of my husband and myself, I would like to thank all of you for your cooperation and numerous messages. Your support and interest in managing matters common to us all is very important.

I would like to wish you all a very happy 2008.