The financial sector is largely regulated at EU level, and much of our lobbying work therefore focuses on EU legislation. Finance Finland’s EU lobbying involves cooperation with the Nordic financial industry associations, our European umbrella organisations and communicating the sector’s positions forward in meetings and memos in Brussels. We are present in Brussels through the Nordic Finance office, which is an office jointly held by Nordic banking and securities markets associations.
Finance Finland engages actively with EU policy-makers in different events and meetings in Brussels. These policy makers include Commission officials, members of the European Parliament and their assistants, financial supervisors, and other financial sector decision-makers and stakeholders. We also attend meetings with the European umbrella organisations (EBF, Insurance Europe, EFAMA, Eurofinas, Leaseurope, EPC, European Covered Bonds Council)
Finance Finland’s strength lies in our comprehensive expertise in all areas of the financial services sector. Our lobbying pays particular attention to the special characteristics of the Finnish and Nordic sectors. Being the representative of the entire financial sector makes us unique in Europe, where the different types of financial companies typically organise themselves with their own interest groups.
Having a Single Rulebook, uniform supervision and high-quality investor protection in the European Union benefits the Finnish financial sector. These elements secure the stability and reliability of European financial markets.
Since 2019, Finance Finland has cooperated closely with Nordic banking and securities markets associations in the joint Nordic Finance office in Brussels. Our permanent representative in Brussels, Miikkael Azaize, strengthens Finance Finland’s EU lobbying by meeting relevant stakeholders, building networks and promoting our policy objectives directly with the EU institutions.
Finance Finland’s EU lobbying is in the hands of a designated EU affairs group led by Director Mari Pekonen-Ranta. The EU affairs group monitors and prioritizes ongoing and upcoming EU projects and advocacy, standing ready to represent the Finnish financial sector’s interests. We engage in lobbying especially when a project carries particular Finnish or Nordic interest.
Finance Finland is a registrant in the European Commission’s Transparency Register. The purpose of the register is to inform citizens about the groups and organisations that seek to influence EU decision-making. The relations of these interest representatives are governed with a Code of Conduct, to which we have signed.
Contact our experts
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Miikkael Azaize
Head of EU Affairs, Brussels
EU lobbying, Brussels office
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Mari Pekonen-Ranta
Director, EU Affairs
Director of the EU Affairs team, Secretary of the Board, coordination of EU lobbying, Brussels office
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Julia Karinto
EU Affairs Specialist
EU lobbying
