SPEECH BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF FINLAND MR. MARTTI AHTISAARI
AT A BANQUET HOSTED BY HER MAJESTY QUEEN BEATRIX
AT NOORDEINDE PALACE IN THE HAGUE ON 20.1.1999

I thank you most sincerely for the warmth and hospitality with which you have received us.

I also thank you for the kind words that you have addressed to me, my wife and the Finnish people. It is indeed a great pleasure to meet Your Majesty and Your Royal Highness in the context of an official visit to the Netherlands. Your Majesty's state visit to Finland in 1995 remains vividly in our memories. I also remember the pleasure of Your Majesty's company during the meeting of the European Council in Amsterdam a year and a half ago.

We fondly recall Your Majesty's state visit to Finland, which happened at a felicitous point in our most recent history. We had just become members of the European Union and were rapidly recovering from the economic and social difficulties of the early 90's. Finland was well on the way to meeting the criteria for participation in the single European currency. The Finns were happy to show Your Majesty the fruits of tough decisions and hard work in a setting of early summer at its brightest.

When we look back on the relatively short history of state visits between our countries and the different backgrounds against which they have taken place, we cannot but wonder at how rapidly the world and especially Europe have changed. In the early seventies, when President Kekkonen came here to the Netherlands and Her Majesty Queen Juliana reciprocated by visiting Finland, the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe was about to take place. My predecessor Mauno Koivisto came here in 1990, when the structures of the Cold War had crumbled and a new era was dawning. Then we could only guess where the course of events would lead us.

When facing up to the new challenges and seizing the new opportunities Finland knew that she could place her trust in the tradition of friendship and cooperation between our two countries.

Dutch merchants established links with Finland several centuries ago and your country became one of our most important trading partners very early on. Your achievements in culture and science have always been greatly admired in Finland. Reliance on international law and the belief that differences between states can be settled peaceably have been the mainstays of Dutch policy. In the course of her history Finland has benefited from the Netherlands' support, which has sprung from these lofty principles.

We admire your country's active participation in international development cooperation and peacekeeping operations in different parts of the world. These areas, in particular, are among those in which our views are similar. We also share a respect for democracy, human rights and environmental values. That is why it has often been easy to choose the Netherlands as a cooperation partner. The different security arrangements that we chose in the post-war period have not been an impediment to our joint efforts to implement our ideals of peace and international understanding. Now that we are both EU members, we are closer together than ever before.

The European Union now faces the task of dealing with a demanding agenda, in the formulation of which the Netherlands played a significant role. One need only mention the milestones of Maastricht and Amsterdam. Decisions that will determine the shape of Europe far into the future will have to be taken this year. Finland and the Netherlands both support a strong Europe, one that can speak with a single authoritative voice in international contexts.

Finland will succeed Germany in the EU Presidency on 1 July. The agenda will be determined by developments during the first half of this year, but in any event we can expect a good deal of hard work. We have been putting a lot of effort into preparing ourselves for this task. In this connection, I want to express my profound thanks to the Government of the Netherlands and other authorities here for their readiness to share with us their expertise and experience regarding the demands of the Presidency.

When we discuss integration, we often mention only structures and institutions. It is important to remember, however, that they are merely instruments, used in efforts to give our citizens prosperity and security. Ultimately, it is in the everyday life of people that the success of integration will be measured.

A clean environment, safe streets and a good, secure job are matters that people can appreciate and which we can best work for through cooperation. It pleases us that these matters also feature prominently in the work that the Netherlands is doing in the European Union. I believe that our cooperation in these questions will further strengthen. We can also learn from each other's experience.

Exclusion and unemployment are a reality in all EU countries. Not even the Netherlands has been spared these phenomena, although the "Polder model" is an excellent example of how an economy and employment can be successfully managed.

Finland paid a high price for the economic recession into which she fell in the early 90s. A turbulent time like that can be a severe challenge for anyone. In our quest for profit, efficiency and growth we can too easily lose sight of the problems and damage that this can mean for many of our citizens.

In many countries, and also in Finland, unemployment is especially high among immigrants, which makes their integration into the host society all the more difficult. The social consequences are seen throughout the society. I am pleased that these issues have been placed high on the EU agenda.

A matter that deserves special attention is what kind of upbringing and living environment we offer our young people. We must try to ensure that coming generations will be tolerant and responsible Europeans. That would be the best guarantee of our continent's security.

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Once again I would like to tell you how much this visit to the Netherlands delights me, and I propose a toast to the health of Her Majesty Queen Beatrix and His Royal Highness Prince Claus and to the prosperity and happiness of the Dutch people.