Finland, Sweden and Austria celebrate 30 years of EU membership in Brussels

Finland, Sweden and Austria joined the European Union on 1 January 1995. In honour of their 30th anniversary as EU Member States, a discussion event on the history, current state and future of EU membership was held in Brussels on 17 November. Participants in the ‘30 years in the EU: Looking back into the future’ event included Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering Joakim Strand, Swedish Minister for EU Affairs Jessica Rosencrantz, Austrian Federal Minister for Europe, Integration and Family Claudia Plakolm and European Council President António Costa.

In his speech at the event, Minister Strand pointed out that Finland’s decision to join the EU was motivated by more than just economic and trade considerations. It was a major strategic choice. It was a decision to anchor Finland firmly in the community of Western values: democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights.

Minister Strand described how EU membership opened up the single market to our businesses, enabling Finnish companies to grow, invest and innovate in a market many times greater than our population. EU membership has fostered economic prosperity and created opportunities for thousands of Finnish students, researchers and workers to study, travel and work in different parts of Europe.

“EU membership not only strengthened our identity as a liberal democracy – it gave us a voice and a seat at the tables where Europe’s future is shaped. Over the past three decades, the European Union has become Finland’s most important political and economic frame of reference,” said Minister Strand.

Discussions at the event also addressed current geopolitical instabilities and Russia’s brutal war of aggression in Ukraine, which poses long-term security challenges for all of Europe.
“Security is about more than just military capabilities. It also requires economic strength: a dynamic single market, strong capital markets and a regulatory environment that encourages innovation. We have to make sure that our budget reflects our real priorities: defence, competitiveness and innovation,” Minister Strand said.

Discussions on the future of the EU highlighted the need for internal reforms to respond to future challenges. This includes strengthening the Union’s decision-making capacity, investing in innovations and advancing the green and digital transition in a way that is fair and sustainable.

“Looking to the future, I see a European Union that has both expanded and deepened. Enlargement must be based on the merits of applicant countries, but it must not stop. The future of Ukraine, Moldova and the Western Balkans is European. Their success is our success; their stability is the stability of Europe,” Minister Strand said.

The speakers at the event noted that in the unstable, unpredictable situation facing the world, the EU is more important now than perhaps ever before. It is a community whose members are strengthened by solidarity, unity and a common goal.

“We must not forget why the European Union exists. Democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights are not up for negotiation – not ever. They are not relative concepts, nor are they matters of opinion. They are the basis for our societies, the foundation on which Europe’s security, prosperity and credibility are built,” Minister Strand said.

The event was organised by the Permanent Representations of Finland, Sweden and Austria to the EU, the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) and the Swedish Institute for European Policy Studies (SIEPS).

Inquiries: Alexander Lång, Special Adviser, tel. +358 295 160 866, Prime Minister’s Office