After 25 years of Common EU Membership - Working Together for a Greener European Future - Hanaholmen
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After 25 years of Common EU Membership - Working Together for a Greener European Future
OPENING WORDS
Gunvor Kronman, CEO, Hanaholmen – Swedish-Finnish Cultural Centre
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
It’s my great pleasure to wish you all warmly
welcome to this seminar celebrating the
25th anniversary of Austrian, Finnish and
Swedish EU-membership.
Hanaholmen is an institution where
normally two countries, Sweden and
Finland, are brought together to create
added value from co-operation in the fields
of culture, society and business. Today, we In the early membership phase, the Lisbon
are honoured and delighted to include Strategy set as aim to make the EU the
Austria as partner in our programme. most competitive and dynamic knowl-
edge-based economy in the world by 2010.
We had a genuine challenge, when deter- It was succeeded by the Europe 2020 strat-
mining the topic of the seminar, which egy, an agenda for growth and jobs for the
included a multitude of candidates, among next decade, emphasizing smart, sustain-
others: able and inclusive growth. In December
• the future of multilateral 2019, the European Commission presented
co-operation the European Green Deal for making the
• reflections on EU negoti- EU’s economy sustainable by turning
ations and membership climate and environmental challenges into
from key EU-profiles opportunities.
• the successes and chal-
lenges of free mobility The programme is the result of fruitful co-op-
• effects on border-regions eration between the Austrian Embassy,
from EU-membership the Swedish Embassy, the Finnish Ministry
for Foreign Affairs, the Finnish Institute for
It was clear that we wanted to have a strong International Affairs and Hanaholmen – the
focus on the future of the EU, so in the end, Swedish-Finnish Cultural Centre.
it was easy to finally agree to focus on the
European Green Deal. Warm thanks to our partners and speakers.
I also want to express my appreciation to
It is often said that EU-integration moves Marika Krook and Maija Weitz for adding a
forward through the management of acute cultural dimension by performing songs by
crises. That may be the case, but one cannot Jean Sibelius, Ralf Gothoni, Ture Rangström
neglect the importance of comprehensive and Robert Stolz.
strategic visions defined at the EU level.
2
PROGRAMME
Marika Krook, well-known classical singer and musical star, and Maija Weitz, pianist with
an international concert activity in the field of chamber music and lied accompaniment,
performed songs by Jean Sibelius, Ralf Gothoni, Ture Rangström and Robert Stolz.
Moderator: Juha Jokela, Programme Director, Finnish Institute of International Affairs
10.00 Opening Words
• Gunvor Kronman, CEO, Hanaholmen - Swedish-Finnish Cultural
Centre
10.03 High-level Introductory session with Video Messages from:
• Karoline Edtstadler, Federal Minister for the EU and Constitution,
Austria
• Tytti Tuppurainen, Minister for European Affairs and Ownership
Steering, Finland
• Hans Dahlgren, Minister for EU Affairs, Sweden
Jean Sibelius: Demanten på marssnön
Ralf Gothoni, arr.: Finnish folk song “Minun kultani kaunis on”
10.20 Keynote Session: Perspectives on the Green Deal from Austria, Finland and Sweden
• Georg Rebernig, Managing Director, Austrian Umweltbundesamt
• Mari Pantsar, Director, Carbon Neutral Circular Economy,
The Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra
• Nina Ekelund, Executive Director, Haga Initiative
Wrap-up of the keynote presentations
• Marco Siddi, Senior Fellow, Finnish Institute of International Affairs
Robert Stolz: Jadja´s song “Fern im schönen Polenland”
11.10 Concluding Conversation on the Future of the EU and the Green Deal
• H.E. Maximilian Hennig, Ambassador to Finland, Austria
• H.E. Nicola Clase, Ambassador to Finland, Sweden
• Jan Wahlberg, Ambassador for Climate Change, Ministry for
Foreign Affairs, Finland
Ture Rangström: Den enda stunden
See the recording of the event:
https://www.hanaholmen.fi/sv/hanasaari-tv/25-years-of-common-eu-membership/
3
HIGH-LEVEL INTRODUCTORY SESSION
Karoline Edtstadler, Federal Minister for the EU and Constitution, Austria
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen!
I am more than happy to participate in this
event to the common EU Membership of
Finland and Austria today. Even if only virtu-
ally in these difficult times of crises, I think it
is very important to highlight our common
25th anniversary in the European Union.
Looking back 25 years, not only Austria
changed but also the European Union
and the whole world. Within EU, we are need to be discussed within the EU to
now more politically and economically develop it further. One example are the
intertwined. Western Balkans. The EU is not complete
until the Western Balkans joined the EU
In 1989 the Austrian Government applied
with the so-called „Letter to Brussels“ for the This year which marks our 25th anniver-
membership in the European Economic sary has also been overlaid by the COVID
Community at that time. 19 crisis. This pandemic has shown the
strength and weaknesses and the need for
It was a historical moment, when on June more resilience within the European Union.
12th 1994 66.6 percent of Austrian citizens
voted in favour of the EU membership. I We need to draw lessons from this crisis to
remember the time when Austria joined look forward and to overcome future crises.
the European Union. Back then I lived in my It is crucial to respond in time to new devel-
hometown in Salzburg in the border region opments in an ever more complex world.
to Germany. This is why I actively advocate for the start
of the Conference on the Future of Europe.
Austria held the EU Council Presidency 3 The crisis has also shown us that people
times, most recently from July to December expect more from the European Union. I
2018 with the motto „A Europe, that am convinced we can draw lessons from
protects“. The main focus laid on secu- this crisis and make use of them for the
rity and the fight against illegal migration, better for the future of the European Union.
securing prosperity and competitiveness
through digitalisation and stability in the Thank you!
European neighbourhood.
It is not only our anniversary that links
Austria and Finland. At EU level we share
common positions and common issues
in many fields such as rule of law, and EU
budget. There are still many topics that
4
Tytti Tuppurainen, Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering, Finland
Greetings to you all,
It is an honour to greet you via this video
message. For a quarter of a century, EU
membership has brought Finland, Sweden
and Austria wellbeing, peace and stability.
The world looked very different in 1995
when we joined the EU. So did the European
Union. The world around us has become
increasingly complex and unpredictable.
At the same time, the EU has grown larger
and more ambitious. However, the leitmo-
tiv of the EU remains the same: Together the devastating effects of the pandemic.
we are stronger. Together we can make a On the contrary, we have come together
difference. to agree a historic, exceptional Recovery
Package that will help us to enhance our
For small, export driven countries, going competitiveness and move towards more
alone is not an option. At the same time, the sustainable economies.
EU is much more than a common market.
It is a community of values and, especially Building a stronger, deeper and fairer Single
for Finland EU is a security community. Market is close to the Finnish, Swedish and
Austrian hearts. For us, ensuring an open
This year has been exceptional. It has been economy and promoting a level play-
the year of the pandemic. While our focus ing field – both internally and globally – is
is still on crisis response and recovery, we key. At a time when protectionism is rais-
also need to look ahead and work towards ing its head, the EU’s role as a defender of
a more resilient and competitive EU. Here, free trade is ever more important. Strategic
Finland, Sweden and Austria have much in autonomy should not be about building
common. walls and barriers. Instead, it should be
about improving our competitiveness and
EU’s common values are the bedrock of investing in innovation, to ensure that the
resilience. I am delighted on our close coop- EU remains an attractive trading partner
eration with Sweden and Austria in making that cannot be ignored.
sure that rule of law and other key values
are respected, even in times of turbulence. In an increasingly volatile world, the EU
must continue to show leadership in build-
We also share high ambitions in the field ing coalitions and partnerships in support
of climate policy. Green and digital tran- of effective multilateralism. Here, we should
sition is needed, not only to mitigate act strongly according to our values.
climate change, but also to boost the EU’s
competitiveness. The Green Deal is key to We all are shocked and saddened by the
European resilience, growth and prosper- recent terrorist attack in Vienna. Such acts
ity. The EU has not become paralysed by are totally unacceptable and also constitute
5
attacks on our common values. It is evident
that we need to continue our work on
counter-terrorism with even greater deter-
mination to protect our citizens. As part of
a comprehensive approach to security, I
would also like to highlight the importance
of combatting hybrid threats.
Finland, Sweden and Austria share the
objective of a strong, united and well-func-
tioning EU, with a capacity to respond to
European and global challenges. In the past
25 years, EU membership has become an
everyday reality, sometimes even some-
thing to take for granted, for our citizens.
Still, the work is not over, I look forward to
continuing our cooperation towards deci-
sions and actions that benefit our citizens
and the EU as a whole.
The EU exists for its citizens, and efficient
EU action is the best way to increase trust
in the EU.
We also need more transparency and open
and active communication to make the
meaning and role of the EU more visible
to citizens.
I am convinced that together we can meet
citizens’ expectations and make the EU the
most competitive and socially inclusive,
climate-neutral economy.
I wish you all a successful seminar. Thank
you.
6
Hans Dahlgren, Minister for EU Affairs, Sweden
Thank you for this opportunity to participate
in this interesting seminar and discussion!
Although I must admit that I would have
preferred to come again to Hanaholmen,
in person, but we have to accept the way
things are now.
2020 marks the 25th anniversary for the
Austrian, Finnish and the Swedish member-
ship in the European Union. And even if
the past year’s work within our union has
focused on combating the coronavirus,
the other 24 years have been much more
than emergency preparedness and recov- And with more members, there is an even
ery plans. greater need to form alliances and to work
with likeminded nations. This is crucial,
I believe that it is important to recall that in order to form the kind of compromises
public opinion in Sweden was initially not that will bring European cooperation even
very positive towards a Swedish member- further.
ship, when we joined back in 1995. Our
referendum on the matter was won with This was clearly on display during the
just a slim majority. MFF-negotiations. A small group of member
states, the frugal four, supported by Finland,
But last year, we witnessed the high- were able to have a substantial influence on
est approval opinion ever recorded – 62 the budget framework. Not only on expen-
per cent. I am glad that more and more diture levels, not onlyon the content of the
Swedes are experiencing and acknowledg- budget and the recovery fund and their
ing the important work carried out within clear focus on savuing the climate, but also
the EU. We need some positive hope for the on an important mechanism for rule of law
future, in these difficult times. conditionality.
The fundamental idea behind the EU was It was really historic that the European
and always will be this: to keep the peace Council in July committed to the introduc-
in Europe. And to succeed there, we have tion of a regime of conditionality. And we
worked at binding so many links between hope that the final steps can soon be taken
our nations that it is today unconceivable to make sure that this political commit-
that anyone would start a war against ment is also transformed into a legal
another member state. committment.
Since then, during these 25 years, European Maintaining the respect for the rule of law
integration and cooperation has evolved. throughout our union is not an acute aspect
Then, we went from 12 to 15 members. that we only need to deal with today, but
Then we expanded to 25, 27, even 28. And rather a process that we need to uphold for
now, after brexit, we are back at 27. a credible and fair future EU.
7
We will continue to work very closely
with Austria, Finland, Denmark and the
Netherlands to ensure this. We are also see
how we can broaden our cooperation to
other areas of common concern.
One such area, where I hope we can work
closer together, is the climate and the
implementation of the Green Deal.
If we are to realise our long-term objec-
tive of a climate-neutral EU by 2050, we
must increase our reduction target also in
the shorter term. The EU needs to adopt a
binding EU climate target, with a reduction
of greenhouse gas emissions of at least 55%
or more by 2030, and even more if we can.
Our two countries are leading the way in
championing an increased climate target
for 2030. We must continue to side with
progressive forces, such as the Commission
and the European Parliament, to reshape
our societies for transition to a climate
neutral economy by 2050.
Let us continue to work close together so
that we can come out of this ongoing crisis
stronger, greener and more digital than
before.
Thank you!
8
SPEAKERS
Karoline Edtstadler was sworn in as Federal Minister for the EU
and Constitution at the Federal Chancellery in January 2020.
Previously she was posted to the European Court of Human
Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg as a legal expert (2016 to 2017),
Secretary of State at the Federal Ministry of the Interior (2017
to 2019) and Member of the European Parliament and Head of
Delegation of the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP/EPP) from July
2019 to January 2020.
Tytti Tuppurainen (M.A., Oulu, Finland) is Minister for European
Affairs and Ownership Steering. She is Member of Parliament
since 2011. She is also Leader of Social Democratic Women
in Finland and Member of Party of European Socialists (PES),
Presidency. She is a fierce advocate for multilateral global coop-
eration and the Rule of Law and Human Rights.
Foto: Laura Kotila, Prime Minister’s office
Hans Dahlgren was born in 1948 and has a degree in Business
Administration and Economics from the Stockholm School of
Economics. He is a Social Democrat and has previously been
State Secretary for Prime Ministers Ingvar Carlsson, Göran
Persson and Stefan Löfven. He has also been foreign policy
adviser to Prime Minister Olof Palme, Ambassador to the United
Nations and State Secretary for Foreign Affairs. Since 2019 he is
the Minister for EU Affairs.
Foto: Kristian Pohl, Government Offices of Sweden
9
SPEAKERS
Georg Rebernig has been working at the Austrian Environment
Agency (Umweltbundesamt GmbH) since 1999, serving as
Managing Director since 2002. Previously Mr. Rebernig worked
as Environment Attaché at the Permanent Representation
of Austria to the European Union in Brussel at the time of
Austria’s accession the EU (1994-1999). In addition he acts as
Deputy of the Austrian Management Board Member of the
European Environment Agency in Kopenhagen, amongst
others. Mr. Rebernig holds a Master degree in International
Business Administration from the University of Economics and
Business Administration in Vienna.
Mari Pantsar leads the Carbon-neutral circular economy theme
at Finnish Innovation fund Sitra. She steers the strategy of the
theme and ensures that all activities related to it direct Finland
towards a more ecologically sustainable and competitive society.
Mari has about 20 years’ experience of managerial tasks in
the development of cleantech and circular economy busi-
ness in the private and public sector and on several compa-
nies’ boards. She has a doctorate in philosophy and holds the
title of docent at the University of Helsinki and at Lappeenranta
University of Technology. Among others, she is a board member
of International Institute for sustainable Development.
Mari believes that ecological sustainability is not an alternative,
but a starting point – and a vital part of competitiveness.
Nina Ekelund is the founder of the consulting company 2050
and general secretary of the corporate network Hagainitiativet.
She has over 25 years of experience in pursuing environ-
mental and climate issues at, among others, the Swedish
Environmental Protection Agency, the Prime Minister’s Office,
the Environmental Administration in the City of Stockholm and
the Stockholm Resilience Center, Stockholm University. Nina’s
great-grandfather was a member of the Finnish parliament and
Nina has previously been a politician in Sweden.
10SPEAKERS
Marco Siddi is Senior Research Fellow in the EU programme at
the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, where he focuses
primarily on EU-Russia relations. Prior to joining FIIA, Marco was
a Marie Curie and DAAD fellow at the Institute of European
Politics in Berlin, the Institute of World Economics in Budapest
and the Trans European Policy Studies Association in Brussels.
He has a PhD in Politics from the University of Edinburgh, an MA
in International Studies from the Vienna School of International
Studies and a BA in History and German from Oxford University.
Maximilian Hennig has been Austria’s Ambassador to Finland
since 2018. Ambassador Hennig joined the Austrian Diplomatic
Service in 1999 and has since served on diplomatic postings in
Stockholm and Brussels and worked for the OSCE’s Office for
Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. Most recently he
held the position of Director General in the Austrian Ministry of
Agriculture and Environment.
Ambassador Nicola Clase currently serves as Swedish Ambassador
to Finland. Prior to that she served as Coordinator for Migration
and Refugee Issues at the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs
and as the Swedish Ambassador to the UK. Nicola Clase held
the position as State Secretary for foreign and EU affairs in the
Prime Minister’s Office from 2006-2008. As State Secretary for
Foreign and EU affairs she served as the Prime Minister’s Sherpa
on EU affairs and was appointed the Swedish Government’s
chief negotiator on the EU Lisbon Treaty.
Born June 8, 1965 in Gothenburg, Sweden she earned her
Master’s Degree in East Asian Studies from the University of
Stockholm. She has also studied at Beijing Teacher’s College
(Beijing Shifan Daxue) in China. She served as a fellow at the
Weatherhead Center for International Affairs (WCFIA) at Harvard
University 1999-2000 and as an associate at Harvard University
2008 - 2009.
11SPEAKERS
Jan Wahlberg is Ambassador for Climate Change for Finland.
Jan is a career diplomat. His professional path has focused on
European Union and Asian affairs. He has worked at Finnish
missions in Shanghai, Tokyo, Bruxelles, Sofia and Madrid. Jan
holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from the
Catholic University of Chile, and a Bachelor’s degree in Political
Science and International Studies from University of Oregon
(USA).
Dr. Juha Jokela is the Director of the European Union research
programme at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs. His
recent projects have focused on the political dynamics in the
EU’s, and its reform agenda at the wake of the Brexit as well
as EU’s foreign and security policy. He has worked in the EU
Institute for Security Studies as a Senior Associated Analyst
and Senior Visiting Research Fellow, Advisor in the Ministry for
Foreign Affairs of Finland, and Research Fellow and Director of
the Network for European Studies in the University of Helsinki.
He is a member of the board of Trans-European Policy Studies
Association (TEPSA).
Gunvor Kronman has extensive experience of leadership and inter-
national assignments. She is currently the CEO of Hanaholmen
–Swedish-Finnish Cultural Centre, and during the past 25 years
has held central positions nationally and internationally across
all sectors; private, public and third sector alike.
Gunvor is also Chair of the Board of Plan International Globally,
Konstsamfundet, Amos Rex Contemporary Art Museum and
Kalevala Jewellery Company. Vice-Chair of Crisis Management
Initiative (CMI) and Augusta Victoria Hospital in Jerusalem. Also
serving as member of the Board of Rand Europe, UN Live and
Mälardalen University in Sweden, just to mention a few.
Received several honorary medals for promoting the relations
between Nordic countries and carrying out humanitarian work.
12PERFORMERS
Maija Weitz has an international concert activity in the field of
chamber music and lied accompaniment. She graduated from
the University of Music in Vienna and taught piano for a long
period of time at the Sibelius Academy. Her cooperation with
Viennese music world is an important feature of her interna-
tional activities.
2016 Gold Medal of Honour by the President of Austria, and also
2016 the award of the Order of the White Rose of Finland by the
Finnish president.
Marika Krook, the well known classical singer and musical star
graduated 2005 from the Sibelius Academy. International perfor-
mances as opera and concert singer, as soloist with Finnish
symphony orchestras, leading operetta roles at the Swedish
Theatre in Helsinki and the Helsinki City Theater. She also repre-
sented Finland in the Eurovision song contest.
13CONCLUSIONS FOR THE EVENT:
AFTER 25 YEARS OF COMMON EU MEMBERSHIP - WORKING TOGETHER
FOR A GREENER EUROPEAN FUTURE
By Juha Jokela and Marco Siddi
Austria, Finland and Sweden joined the EU in 1995 in the environment of large scale polit-
ical, economic and societal transition in Europe and beyond. The end of the Cold War
led to a new sense of political unity in Europe. At the same time, globalization intensi-
fied and started to ever more deeply shape the relations between states, businesses and
citizens. In this context and at the eve of the fourth enlargement round, European inte-
gration had taken decisive steps towards an ever closer union in the city of Maastricht in
1992, and the three new members states fully embraced the opportunities brought by
the European Union.
Austria, Finland and Sweden have all taken a pro-active and pragmatic approach to EU
policy-making and reforms. They have understood that the influence of relatively small
members results from an active engagement and future oriented proposals. While in 1995
the EU grew to 15 Member States, three subsequent rounds of enlargement brought the
number of Member States to 28 (now 27). Conscious of the importance of uniting the
European continent, Austria Finland and Sweden have actively been promoting further EU
enlargement to include the countries of the Western Balkans. They also worked towards
a single market based on competitiveness, innovation and digitalization.
The twenty-fifth anniversary of the accession of Austria, Finland and Sweden to the
European Union occurs at a very eventful moment of European and global politics. The
EU has spent recent years navigating internal and external challenges, from eurocrisis to
migration pressure, and from Brexit to the rise of illiberal leaders in Western countries and
elsewhere. In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic compounded this difficult scenario. Despite
being confronted with numerous short-term crises, the EU has also focused on what is
perhaps the most severe long-term emergency for both Europe and the planet: climate
change.
In recent years, the climate crisis has become increasingly evident, as highlighted by the
melting of polar ice and glaciers, record high temperatures and a succession of cata-
strophic forest fires in Sweden, Siberia, Australia and the US in 2018-20. While global
climate diplomacy achieved an important success with the signature of the Paris climate
agreement in 2015, subsequent climate action was less dynamic. In this context, the EU
faced the challenging task of taking center stage and ‘leading by example’ in climate
policy.
In December 2019, the European Commission launched the European Green Deal, a road-
map of upcoming policies and strategies to promote the energy transition and achieve
climate neutrality by 2050. The European Green Deal includes, most notably, a climate
law, a new industrial strategy, a ‘farm-to-fork strategy’ concerning the sustainability of the
food chain, a new circular economy action plan, the expansion of the EU Emission Trading
System and the introduction of a border carbon adjustment mechanism. EU institutions
are debating a climate law that will codify the climate neutrality target by 2050.
14Nordic EU members and Austria have been particularly ambitious concerning the green
agenda and emission reduction targets. In EU negotiations, they argued that the climate
neutrality target by 2050 should be binding on individual member states (rather than just
at the EU level) and that the EU should strive for negative emissions after 2050. While not
all member states agreed on these ambitious proposals, Austria, Finland and Sweden
clearly positioned themselves as leaders in climate action in the EU and played a highly
constructive role in the recent upward revision of EU greenhouse gas emission reduction
target for 2030. The new target, agreed upon at the European Council in December 2020,
foresees a 55 per cent reduction until 2030.
Most significantly, this commitment – as well as the climate neutrality commitment by
2050 – was made while a global pandemic and the ensuing economic crisis were in full
swing. Indeed, in March 2020, the abrupt realization that the pandemic had reached
Europe and the ensuing lockdowns in most of the continent risked shifting the atten-
tion and priority away from the Green Deal. However, in late May, in its Communication
‘Europe’s Moment’, the Commission made clear that its agenda, including the planned
recovery instruments, would continue to focus on the green and digital transitions.
EU climate diplomacy continued to work largely as planned and scored important
successes in the second half of 2020. The commitments of South Korea and Japan to
achieve climate neutrality by 2050, as well as the announcement of China’s zero net emis-
sion target by 2060, were particularly important steps in this regard. Multilateral coopera-
tion remains an essential component of the EU’s and global climate agenda.
The EU also plans to announce a carbon border adjustment mechanism in 2021 to ensure
that its ambitious agenda does not lead to carbon leakage, namely the transfer of more
polluting industrial production outside the Union. While the risk exists that other coun-
tries see the mechanism as ‘green protectionism’, the EU hopes that it will work as a stim-
ulus for other countries to focus on the energy transition. With regard to the Global South,
this can happen if the EU increases relevant technology cooperation and transfers for the
purpose of climate mitigation and adaptation. It is essential that, both within the EU and
worldwide, the transition to a more sustainable economy and society is just and does not
leave poorer countries behind.
In conclusion, the EU has managed to drive forward its green agenda despite multi-
ple challenges. Austria, Finland and Sweden were at the forefront of EU climate action.
Considering the urgency of the climate crisis, their efforts were arguably an excellent way
of marking their twenty-fifth year of EU membership through active commitment to the
EU and to an essential European and global cause.
15ORGANIZERS
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