The Kings will make a State Trip to Finland framed by geopolitical tension and European security

King Felipe and Queen Letizia will make a key State Trip to Finland from October 5 to 7, a trip marked by the maximum geopolitical tension on the European continent. The announcement of the highest-level trip comes a day after this newspaper revealed that the CIA has warned about the imminent risk of a Russian campaign of drone attacks and sabotage operations directed against critical infrastructure in southern and western European countries, including Spain, Italy and France.

Added to this external threat is the diplomatic brush at the end of July with the sovereignty crisis in Ceuta, in which the Minister of the Interior of Finland, Mari Rantanen, publicly supported the possibility of studying the temporary exclusion of Spain from the Schengen area, arguing a "failure to protect the external border of the European Union." Later, the Finnish Prime Minister, Petteri Orpo, clarified that "Spain is not alone in the EU" advocating to address the situation quickly and orderly.

In this scenario, of two countries with border tensions, the central core of the Kings' trip is to convey Spain's firm commitment to the security of Europe and the Arctic, taking into account that Finland shares 1,340 kilometers of border with Russia and is the Member State most exposed to its pressure.

Within their institutional agenda, Don Felipe and Doña Letizia will visit, in the city of Rovaniemi, the Lapland Air Wing of the Finnish Air Force and the Jaeger Brigade Ground Forces Base, a key center of the Advanced Land Forces of Finland, with which Spain reaffirms its military contribution to the northern flank of the Atlantic Alliance and its deterrence logistics centers.

Likewise, the delegation will pay special attention to the fight against cyberattacks and disinformation since Finland has the European Center of Excellence for the Fight against Hybrid Threats in Helsinki, a context that directly dialogues with the publication of Spain's new Polar Strategy and its status as an observer in the Arctic Council since 2006. Within this tour of the north, the Kings will hold a meeting in the Arktikum building with authorities from Rovaniemi and representatives of the Sami population, the only indigenous minority formally recognized in the European Union with about 10,000 people in the region.

Continuing with the institutional meetings in Helsinki, the official agenda will include the initial reception to the Spanish community with the intervention of the King, meetings at the Presidential Palace with President Alexander Stubb and his wife Suzanne Innes-Stubb, working meetings with Prime Minister Petteri Orpo and the President of Parliament Jussi Halla-aho, as well as official lunches, the wreath-laying at the Hietaniemi cemetery and the solemn State Dinner.

In addition to the political summit, the Queen will maintain specific activities such as her institutional visit to the Käpylä school, where half a thousand students study with a bilingual Spanish program, intertwined with the cultural projection that will culminate with the inauguration together with the king of an exhibition on the architect Alvar Aalto in the Finland Hall.

Beyond the defense and security challenges, the economic and commercial ties between both countries are experiencing constant growth supported by a "cumulative investment by Finland in Spain that amounts to about 750 million." To enhance this exchange, a delegation of 20 business representatives will accompany the official mission, focusing on cutting-edge sectors such as Artificial Intelligence, quantum technologies, photonics and semiconductors.

In this way, an outstanding business day organized through ICEX (Spain Exports and Investments) and Business Finland will be held with the support of the Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations (CEOE) and the Spanish Chamber of Commerce. In the energy field, Iberdrola's operation to acquire 80% of Caruna, Finland's main electricity distributor that serves more than 20% of the Finnish population, stands out.