U.S. Embassy in Finland

Embassy Helsinki’s Political-Economic Affairs Section is responsible for the full range of bilateral political and economic policy relations between the United States and Finland, as well as numerous multilateral and EU-related issues. The section is the embassy’s primary working-level point of contact with the Finnish government. The section works to secure U.S. policy priorities with Finland and multilateral policy goals in the Nordic-Baltic region, the EU, and beyond. These include, but are not limited to, regional and global security, the Arctic, cyber, peacekeeping and crisis management operations, energy, the environment and climate change, law enforcement, extradition and treaty compliance issues, bilateral and multilateral (i.e. EU, WTO) trade and investment, science and technology, nuclear safety, civil aviation, strategic trade controls, intellectual property, human rights, trafficking-in-persons, and counter-terrorism efforts.

The Political-Economic Affairs Section works with Finnish government officials, the Finnish parliament, political parties, the private sector, and NGOs. The section reports to the Department of State and the other U.S. government departments and agencies listed below on developments in Finland and in our bilateral relations, as well as more broadly in the region.

In close cooperation with the Public Diplomacy Section and the Commercial Section, the Political-Economic Affairs Section engages actively in a wide variety of outreach efforts with the Finnish media and public, as well as private and academic institutions seeking speakers on current topics. The section also utilizes traditional public diplomacy tools such as the International Visitor and Voluntary Visitor Programs to send key contacts to the United States to discuss security policies, the environment, border and immigration controls, trafficking-in-persons,  and other pertinent issues with U.S. counterparts and relevant experts.