Honourable Ministers, Ladies and Gentlemen

Good evening – Hyvää iltaa

What a day we have had, and tomorrow’s program will no doubt be just as eventful. 

Firstly, from my husband I bring you his warmest regards and regrets that ‘he had to send me in his place’ – (no, he didn’t really say that).  Unfortunately, he isn’t able to be here but, fortunately he is doing well. I know he had been looking very much forward to this important visit.

So, here I am. Strangely enough, it’s my first visit to Finland. And I can say, it is a real pleasure to be here and to experience the incredible Finnish hospitality and the strong Nordic friendship.

Last year, Finland celebrated 100 years of independence with many events marking this auspicious occasion. My family was delighted to take part in the celebrations which also included a visit of Her Majesty, the Queen to Helsinki on 1 June 2017.

The theme of the ‘Finland 100’ celebrations was ‘Together’. A theme that clearly reflects the Finnish history. From the very start of the independence, Finland has sought and valued the equal participation of all citizens in developing the society we see today. The years of war brought the young nation together in a unique way and over the following decades, the world watched as Finland become a success story.

‘Together’ could also be the theme for this year, where we are celebrating 100 years of diplomatic relations between Finland and Denmark. From the very beginning, our two countries have been collaborating closely.

Based on strong Nordic ties and joint values, Finland and Denmark have a lot in common. We have built societal models and share a vision to continuously improve the model to ensure people a dignified and meaningful life with equal opportunities, trust and openness. We share a deep concern for our environment, and have a strong focus on the development of sustainable solutions and smarter innovative ways of using and re-using our natural resources.

These are important elements when the world is looking to the Nordic model as inspiration for combating global challenges. In a changing world where urbanization and rapid technological development will have a radical impact on societies, both regional and global cooperation will become increasingly important.

In response to the enormous challenges the world is facing, the need for broad global cooperation has been galvanised by the 17 Sustainable Development Goals or the Global Goals.  And here the private sector has a significant role to play in achieving those Goals. The Global Goals are a driving force for opening new markets and creating a better enabling environment for business. Private businesses can provide innovation, know-how, technology and expertise in a number of areas that are critical to ensuring sustainable development and finding new solutions. However, the key to success is collaboration; collaboration as we have never seen before.

And here Finland and Denmark can be among the pioneers to set an example by advancing collaboration, innovation and synergy in the Nordic region.

According to The Economist, the Nordic countries have unleashed a huge amount of creativity and are in a leading position in developing reforms. It emphasized that the Nordic countries are way ahead and are already dealing with problems that other countries will be forced to deal with in the not too distant future.

After 100 years, the Danish-Finnish relationship is indeed a strong one. Just like the Global Goals highlight the importance of coming together for a common purpose; to achieve common goals and transformative change, we already have excellent cooperation in many fields and at many levels. However, we should not rest here.

Being together here tonight - outstanding companies from 2 countries - reflects that common belief that doing business together is better than doing it alone. Finnish and Danish businesses share an ambition to continuously seek innovative and new-thinking solutions to create healthier, more efficient and sustainable societies. This common ambition provides a solid platform for our businesses to share knowledge, experience and know-how and to increase bilateral trade and collaboration to the mutual benefit of both countries.

With this visit, three tracks have been identified as having significant potential: Urban Solutions, New Nordic Food and the Maritime Industry. Also in these sectors, we see a strong match between Denmark and Finland.

Denmark is a world leader within sustainability and the companies here tonight reflect cutting edge technologies and state-of-the art solutions and services.

We are ranked within the top countries in the latest annual edition of Forbes’ “Best Countries for Business”.

We have one of the most liveable capitals.

And – on top of all that – we are incredibly happy people!

The Danes have long been referred to as the happiest nation in the world and that title has generated a lot of interest.

We no longer hold that first place, it has been overtaken by, you guys, the Finns. And as such, we don’t tend to talk about it so much anymore. However, we cannot deny that the Nordic model and the Nordic way of life is linked to happiness; as all the Nordic countries are in the top 10 of the happiest countries in the world index.

We have had a fantastic start in Helsinki today and I look forward to continuing in Turku tomorrow. I would like to thank the organizers, the companies and everyone involved in this trade mission.

Thank you for your warm hospitality and the ambition that such a gathering represents. May these days lead to even greater Nordic collaboration and happiness.

Please join me in a toast to the Finnish/Danish relations.

Kippis