Speech by Minister for European Affairs Joakim Strand at the EU Arctic Forum 26 June 2025

Minister for European affairs and ownership steering Joakim Strand spoke at the EU Arctic Forum 26 June 2025, Kittilä, Finland. Check against delivery.

Mr Commissioner, President Halonen, Excellencies, dear Arctic friends,

It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all to Kittilä on the occasion of the EU Arctic Forum. This Forum will provide an excellent opportunity to address the many intertwined challenges and opportunities that the region is confronted with. Global attention and interest on the whole circumpolar Arctic has never been higher than it is today. There are many motivations for this interest, including the changing geopolitical and security landscape. As a Minister of an Arctic State, I would underline the need to keep in mind the comprehensive picture and at all times bear in mind that for us, the Arctic residents, this region is our home.

I would wish to thank Commissioner Kadis, and in particular the team of Raphael Goulet, for the excellent preparations for this Forum and for the excellent cooperation that my colleagues in the Foreign Ministry have enjoyed throughout the preparatory phase. Let me also point a special thank you to everyone here in Kittilä for all your hard work.

The European Union has come a long way from the first time that ‘the Arctic’ was referred to in the European Council Conclusions in Dublin in December 1996 and from the first Joint Communication in 2008 which stated that “The European Union is inextricably linked to the Arctic region by a unique combination of history, geography, economy and scientific achievements”. 

The EU has evolved into an important Arctic actor and Finland has been a steadfast supporter of this evolution. The first Arctic Stakeholder Conference was convened in Oulu in 2017 and when addressing the Reykjavik Arctic Circle Assembly in 2019, Prime Minister Rinne noted our aspiration that: “We want more EU in the Arctic and more Arctic in the EU”. Since then, this has become a much-repeated phrase which remains as true today as it was then.

Science, scientific cooperation and science diplomacy are crucial elements in our efforts to learn more about the Arctic realities and the EU has been a major contributor to Arctic science and research cooperation.  We must ensure that also the next Multiannual Financial Framework contributes to Arctic research and in particular research on the multifaced impact of climate change.

Colleagues,

It is an important innovation from the Commission to convene the Arctic Forum back-to-back with a Youth Dialogue and Indigenous Peoples Dialogue. 

Future is for the youth, and we must give the youth a voice and ourselves be prepared to listen to the hopes and concerns of tomorrow’s leaders, many of whom are also leaders today. But mere listening is not enough, we must also be prepared to act and make decisions that will ensure that the region remains an attractive place for the young people to reside, study, work and build their lives. Most of all, we must ensure that the existential threat posed by rapidly accelerating climate change is taken seriously. As parents, that is our solemn duty for our children and generations to come.

I would wish to congratulate Norway for having facilitated the first ever Arctic Youth Conference in Tromso in January. This was a unique event organized by the Youth for the Youth. I would strongly wish to recommend that the Kingdom of Denmark, during their Chairship of the Arctic Council, convenes a Second Arctic Youth Conference.

I am also very pleased that the Indigenous People’s Dialogue is held tomorrow and that our former President Tarja Halonen has agreed to provide a keynote address in that Dialogue. President Halonen has had a long and distinguished career in addressing Indigenous issues and she remains very active to this date.

I am very pleased to note that the Finnish Parliament has finally adopted the much needed and much waited amendments to the Law on the Sami Parliament in Finland. It is my hope that this major break-through will finally bring to conclusion to the difficult and sensitive issues and will further enhance dialogue and cooperation between the State and the Sami People, who are the only Indigenous People in the whole of the European Union. 

Seeking their free, prior and informed consent on the decisions that have a direct impact on them will remain essential. 

Equally important will be the forthcoming final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Concerning the Sámi People. This is important in order to come to terms with the past injustices that the Indigenous People have met over the decades. It is crucially important that we try and come to terms with the past and correct what can be corrected retroactively. At the same time, we need to brace ourselves for the challenges we face today and tomorrow.  We States, we need to listen, learn, respect and act.  

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Allow me in conclusion to highlight the importance we attach to the Arctic Council. It remains a pre-eminent format for circumpolar Arctic cooperation and is internationally unique because the Indigenous Peoples sit at all levels at the same tables with the State representatives. 

The reasons that led to the creation of the Council are even more pronounced today as we are facing the multifaceted impact of climate change accelerating at an unprecedented speed. What happens in the Arctic directly effects the rest of the world and what is happening elsewhere in turn effects our region. It is no wonder that the Arctic Council has twice been considered for the Nobel Peace Prize. 

Times are not easy for the Arctic Council but it is noteworthy that it has been able to operate and produce groundbreaking reports for the global audiences. Challenges still lie ahead but it is our duty to keep the work going, together, and with the leadership of the current Chairship of the Kindgom of Denmark.  Finland will do our utmost to support you in this challenging task, in challenging times. I would encourage the Chairship to also address the role of the Council’s observers, including the role of the EU as a de facto observer, and seek innovative new ways for our constructive interaction with the Council’s observers. Doing so would be beneficial both for the observers and to the Council itself.

I wish you all a successful forum and fruitful exchanges and encounters, and I also hope that you will have opportunities to witness the beauty of the Finnish Arctic outside.

Thank you for your attention.