Finland

Political relations

France was the first country in Europe to recognize Finland’s independence, and political contacts between France and Finland have intensified following Finland’s accession to the European Union. The two countries enjoy especially close cooperation in the fields of security and defence, the fight against global warming, the defence of human rights and the challenge of artificial intelligence. A French Finnish joint declaration on the subject was published in 2018, and in 2020, an agreement on strategic cooperation was signed between the French AI convergence institute (the DATAIA Institute) and the Finnish Center for Artificial Intelligence (FCAI).

Following the French President’s visit to Finland in August 2018, the two countries signed a framework document on defence cooperation. France and Finland converge strongly on many European subjects, such as Defence Europe, climate change, the rule of law and the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Finland sees the EU more as a community of values than as an economic union and single market.

Economic relations

In 2022, France was Finland’s twelfth-largest supplier and ninth-largest customer (source: Directorate General of the Treasury). That same year, French exports reached €1.8 billion (up 3%), versus imports of €3.1 billion (up 12%). France’s trade deficit with Finland worsened in 2022, rising to €1.3 billion from €1 billion in 2021, notably due to the increased cost of commodities. The deficit can also be explained by our imports in three sectors: wood, paper and cardboard; mechanical, electronic, electric and computer equipment; and metallurgical and metallic products. Conversely, France has a considerable bilateral trade surplus when it comes to agrifood products, transport equipment and services, with €1.0 billion of services exported in 2022 (up 13%) and €574 million imported (down 7%).

French presence in Finland:
There are around a hundred French subsidiaries in Finland, employing more than 10,000 people. These companies are attached either to major groups such as Saint-Gobain, Sonepar, Schneider Electric, Sodexo and Airbus, or to SMEs like Smoove, which is specialized in bicycle-sharing systems and in recent years has won contracts in Helsinki and Espoo, the country’s second city. During the annual SLUSH event in 2019, which brings together start-ups, investors and major companies in Helsinki, 16 young businesses were represented on the French stand.

Finnish presence in France:
As regards the biggest paper manufacturers, Stora Enso has withdrawn from France and UPM has reduced its presence; but France remains a major market for Kone (lifts and escalators), Konecranes (cranes), and Wärtsila (electric generators).
The acquisition of Alcatel-Lucent by Nokia was finalized in November 2016. The company’s activities are carried out at Paris-Saclay, Nozay/Villarceaux (Essonne) and Lannion (Côtes-d’Armor).