Minister Tuppurainen and “We are Europe” tour to visit Utsjoki

Residents of the northernmost parts of Finland will have an opportunity to discuss EU issues with Minister for European Affairs Tytti Tuppurainen in Utsjoki on 2 November. The open discussion forum will focus mainly on cross-border cooperation and the impacts of climate change on the Sámi culture and local livelihoods.

The forum is part of the Government’s “We are Europe” series of events. This autumn and winter, several ministers will travel around the country to hear Finns’ thoughts and hopes about the development of the EU.

The series of events is part of the Conference on the Future of Europe, which aims to collect a wide variety of views from EU citizens on the future of Europe. The event in Utsjoki will be both the northernmost stop on the We are Europe tour and the northernmost event in the Conference on the Future of Europe.

“It is important for us to listen to people’s ideas as comprehensively as possible throughout Finland. This northernmost conference event is an excellent opportunity to highlight the Northern Dimension of the EU. Our geographical location gives us Finns an exceptional viewpoint that should be heard at the conference. I hope as many people as possible will seize this opportunity to share their thoughts in a way that comes naturally to them,” Tuppurainen says.

The discussion will focus mainly on two themes: how climate change is affecting the livelihoods and culture of Arctic inhabitants and how the EU’s external border and cross-border cooperation can be seen in the everyday lives of people in the region.

These themes will be discussed by a panel of residents from the Arctic region and northern Lapland. The goal is for audience members to also take part in the discussion, and they will be encouraged to ask questions and share their views on the topics being discussed.
The issues raised in the discussions will be recorded in the conference’s multilingual digital platform, and the Finnish ministers will pass the messages on at the conference’s EU-level Plenaries.

You can also share your thoughts and ideas in the digital platform. The online forum seeks citizens’ views on values, climate change, the economy, health and education, and a variety of other themes. The common EU-level hashtag #TheFutureIsYours can be used on social media.

The event in Utsjoki will take place on Tuesday 2 November at Utsjokisuu School. It will also be streamed online. You can watch the livestream and a recording of the event on the website of the Lapin Kansa newspaper and at eurooppaolemmeme.fi. The event is jointly organised by the Prime Minister’s Office and the Municipality of Utsjoki.

Inquiries: Topi Juga, Specialist, EU Affairs, tel. +358 295 160 459, and Anne Sjöholm, Head of Communications for EU Affairs, tel. +358 40 537 07 33, Prime Minister’s Office

Programme

Utsjokisuu School | Event hosted by Anne Kirste Aikio

17.45 Opening of the event

Greetings, Vuokko Tieva-Niittyvuopio, Chief Executive of Utsjoki
Welcoming address & Conference on the Future of Europe, Tytti Tuppurainen, Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering

18.00 First discussion: How is climate change affecting the livelihoods and culture of Arctic inhabitants?

The discussion on the topic will be led by the host (Anne Kirste Aikio) and the panellists. Members of the audience are encouraged to take part in the discussion and to ask questions and share their views on the topics being discussed. There are no prerequisites for participating in the discussion.

Panellists:

• Tytti Tuppurainen, Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering
• Aslak Holmberg (tbc, possible remote participation from Glasgow), Vice President of the Sámi Council and Member of the Utsjoki Municipal Board, Ellos Deatnu activist
• Anni Koivisto, Vice Chair of the Sámi Parliament and reindeer herder
• Asko Länsman, Member of the Sámi Parliament and reindeer herder
• Jouko Kumpula, Senior Scientist, Natural Resources Institute Finland

19.00 Musical performance

Anna Näkkäläjärvi-Länsman, musician

19.15 Second discussion: How are the EU’s external border and cross-border cooperation visible in the everyday lives of people in the region?

The discussion on the topic will be led by the host (Anne Kirste Aikio) and the panellists. Members of the audience are encouraged to take part in the discussion and to ask questions and share their views on the topics being discussed. There are no prerequisites for participating in the discussion  

Panellists: 

• Tytti Tuppurainen, Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering
• Heidi Eriksen, Chief Medical Officer, Utsjoki
• Ismo Manninen, Entrepreneur and Member of the Utsjoki Municipal Council (Finns Party)
• Mika Aikio, Second Vice Chair of the Utsjoki Municipal Council (Social Democratic Party)
• Elle Aikio, Public Health Nurse, Municipality of Utsjoki

20.10 Closing of the event, coffee