Minister Toivakka to Brussels with labour market organisation leaders

Minister for European Affairs and Foreign Trade Lenita Toivakka will visit Brussels on Tuesday 24 February to meet with Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström and to participate in a panel discussion on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between the EU and the USA, to be held at Finland's Permanent Representation to the EU. Minister Toivakka will be accompanied by a delegation of leaders representing the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions - SAK, the Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK), and the Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners (MTK). The objective of the visit is to present Finland's views of the TTIP.

"There is a rather exceptional consensus on an EU scale in Finland on that trade liberalisation will strengthen our economic growth and the financial basis of our welfare society. I think that it is important that we convey this message to Brussels together with the labour market and producer organisations. It is natural that the organisations have special objectives of their own but our joint vision is a balanced free trade agreement between the EU and the USA", says Toivakka.

The members of the delegation are Matti Tukiainen, Director of employment and sustainable growth at SAK, Kari Hietanen, Chairman of the Trade Policy Committee at the Confederation of Finnish Industries EK, and Juha Marttila, President of MTK. The trip is a follow-up mission to former Minister for European Affairs and Foreign Trade Alexander Stubb's visit to the USA in the spring 2014.

The Minister and the organisation leaders will take part in a panel discussion together with Commissioner Malmström and Bernd Lange, Chairman of the Committee on International Trade (INTA) of the European Parliament.

Additional information: Pasi Rajala, Special Adviser to Minister for European Affairs and Foreign Trade, tel. +358 400 464393.