Pääministeri Sipilä EU-CELAC huippukokouksessa

Pääministeri Juha Sipilä osallistuu 10. ja 11. kesäkuuta Brysselissä järjestettävään EU-maiden sekä Latinalaisen Amerikan ja Karibian valtioiden päämiesten huippukokoukseen. Paikalla on noin 60 maan päämiehet.

Ensimmäisenä kokouspäivänä 10. kesäkuuta pääministeri Sipilä käsitteli puheenvuorossaan keinoja, joilla globaalit haasteet voidaan kääntää mahdollisuuksiksi. Sipilä esitteli suomalaisia ratkaisumalleja digitalisaation, vapaakaupan hyödyntämisen ja puhtaan teknologian kautta.

Lisätietoja: erityisavustaja (kansainväliset asiat) Anna-Kaisa Heikkinen, p. 040 748 3867; EU-asioiden valtiosihteeri Kare Halonen, p. 0295 160319; EU-asioiden viestintäpäällikkö Anne Sjöholm, p. 040 537 0733, valtioneuvoston kanslia.

Pääministeri Sipilän puheenvuoro kokonaisuudessaan:

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Colleagues,

As leaders of our nations, we bear responsibility for – and have the privilege of – solving problems. Listening to you, I can hear that we are all dealing with the same questions. We all want to turn our biggest challenges into our biggest opportunities.

As an engineer, I like thinking out of the box. My country, Finland, is in a situation in which its traditional sources of growth and competitiveness are dwindling. My government is therefore seeking new drivers for growth.

Globally, I think that we need to give a further boost to three things: digitalisation, free trade and clean technologies. 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Digitalisation is reshaping our world. It will bring fundamental changes to both the business and administrative environments. It is also a key element when we seek a productivity leap in public services and the private sector. But we need to do more to unlock the full potential of the digital economy.

Our education and research systems need to address digitalisation and we need to invest more in e-education. Today, digital skills are required from everyone. They are one of the foundations of equal opportunities for our children and youngsters. 

Indeed, digitalisation can open up new avenues for cooperation between the EU and the Latin American and Caribbean countries. 

Dear Colleagues,

Free trade is another major driving force behind growth. There is a clear need for a renewed trade narrative. We need to tell our story differently and more understandably. Free trade is also responsible, sustainable trade.

Latin America and the Caribbean are among the EU’s main strategic partner regions. We have included sustainable development chapters in our trade agreements with our Latin American partners.

Most of our enterprises – in both Europe and Latin America – are small and medium size. SMEs also generate the vast majority of jobs in our countries. Despite this, they still lack a strong enough foothold in the export markets. We, as decision-makers, must create opportunities for their increasing involvement in exports.

We need trade and we need investments. We must remain open to the world.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Climate change underlines the interdependence of our economies. Solving our global environmental challenges and responding to the scarcity of resources do not necessarily represent a cost on industry. Instead, they should be considered drivers of innovation and industrial renewal.

Early movers will profit the most. We need to rethink energy technology and energy efficiency, for example in terms of how we can advance biofuels or smart transportation. In Finland, we have given much thought to this issue. We are pioneers in bioeconomy and clean solutions.

As world leaders, our task is to enable such development. This will pay itself back by providing new growth, creating new jobs and presenting us with a profitable means of meeting the challenge of climate change. 

This is a clear win-win situation for all of us.

Dear Colleagues,

Together, we should give a further boost to three things: digitalisation, free trade and clean technologies.

Thank you.