1. Finnish-Czech Relations
Helena Tuuri, Ambassador of Finland to the Czech Republic

2. Finnish-Czech relations: overview
Political relations between our countries are good and we have many shared interests. But, there is also room to further deepen our relations
We have common views on the EU and the importance of its unity
Both countries are friends of free trade and support the development of the internal market
Both countries are very much export oriented – the Czech Republic even more than Finland
Historical unity: the next two years mark the centenaries of both independent Finland and Czechoslovakia
Cultural unity: strong ice hockey nations!

3. Trade relations: overview
The volume of trade between our countries is on the rise (2014: 963 MEUR, 2015: 1 035,7 MEUR)
Since the financial crisis the trade has strongly favoured Czech exports
Over 100 Finnish companies operate in the Czech Republic. Some dozen of them also have production in the Czech Republic
The biggest players operate in the industries of IT services, engineering, construction, manufacturing, chemicals, industrial machinery and consumer products

4. Trade relations: overview
Finnish exports to the Czech Republic are dominated by the products of paper, steel and chemical industries
Important Czech exports to Finland include cars, television and radio equipment, industrial machinery and iron and steel

5. Trade between Finland and the Czech Republic
FI-CZ trade
2014 (million €)
2015 (million €)
Change (million €)
Change %
FI export
266
281 15
5,6
FI import
697
755 58
8,3
FI trade balance
-431
-474 43
9,9

6. Recent examples of co-operation
The Czech construction company Metrostav is one of the contractors of the Western expansion of the Helsinki metro
Škoda Transportation purchased the majority of shares of a Finnish railway manufacturer in 2015

7. Potential sectors for future co-operation
The most promising sectors include education, energy and the environment (cleantech) and ICT
Finnish consumer goods and design products have concrete opportunities in the Czech Republic
Our countries’ further investments in nuclear power could create new business opportunities for both in this field

8. Why Finland and the Czech Republic are natural trading partners
Common market
Only one hour time difference
Relatively short distance between the countries
Same kind of perception of quality

9. Thank you for your attention!