Prime Minister Petteri Orpo will visit Paris today and meet President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne.
Prime minister Petteri Orpo according to France’s political and economic importance in Europe has grown.
– It is extremely important for Europe that the French economy pulls – especially now, when Germany is not performing very well, Orpo told in Paris.
According to Orpo, the French president Emmanuel Macron has taken on the role of European leader in recent years.
– The importance of France has actually grown since Brexit. Britain, which was an important and like-minded country for Finland, has been left out – and at the same time, Macron’s personal grip and vision has been strong. The visit and the opportunity for a long discussion today is therefore very important, Orpo said.
Nuclear power connects Finland and France
Orpo met representatives of French companies on Wednesday morning. According to him, Finland could learn from, for example, France’s energy policy.
– In France, the economy has been boldly reformed towards carbon neutrality. Here, we believe in new technology and make investments, which we could take as a model in Finland, Orpo said.
According to the Prime Minister, one thing that strongly unites Finland and France is nuclear power. France is the largest producer of nuclear energy in Europe and a new power plant of the French company Areva has just opened in Finland.
– It is important to ensure that nuclear power is also part of the energy production approved in Europe and as a form of energy in the future commission’s program. We need it so that we can attract investments to Finland that operate on clean energy, Orpo stated.
He reminded that the French have also invested billions in Finnish wind power.
France and Finland are pushing for united support for Ukraine
Finland and France are also united by the desire to invest in Europe’s defense industry and to close Europe’s ranks to support Ukraine militarily.
– I expect Macron to confirm France’s strong support for Ukraine. It will then be promoted at the weekend’s summit in Granada, Orpo said.