Joint Declaration on the Strategic Partnership between Finland and France
The Government of the French Republic (hereinafter referred to as “France”) and the Government of the Republic of Finland (hereinafter referred to as “Finland”), hereinafter referred to collectively as the “Signatories”, are linked by a long and solid friendship and share common values based on freedom, democracy, the rule of law, human rights and gender equality.
France and Finland are historically close allies and trusted partners who cooperate bilaterally and within the United Nations, the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).
In the face of multiple threats, and particularly Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine, power rivalries, the growing use of disinformation, the weaponisation of economic dependencies, and the instability in the Middle East, France and Finland reaffirm their unwavering commitment to international law, to effective multilateralism, and to the territorial integrity of all states.
France and Finland are determined to strengthen further the sovereignty, security, competitiveness and resilience of the European Union and to make it a leading actor in the cutting-edge technologies, while ensuring the good health and well-being of its populations as well as the defence of the EU’s democratic values.
France and Finland underscore their commitment to the preservation and sustainable use of a healthy environment in the context of the triple global crisis caused by climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. They are determined to strengthen their cooperation on climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience within the framework of the Paris Agreement on climate change.
This strategic partnership aims to deepen the cooperation between France and Finland by providing political guidelines and a framework for existing and future agreements between various French and Finnish actors. A core objective of this partnership is also to give impetus to new bilateral commercial cooperation between France and Finland.
Defending Europe
France and Finland reaffirm their common commitment to a secure Europe and underscore that efforts need to be stepped up to achieve this, including by bolstering the defence of Europe’s Northern and Eastern Flanks, by stabilising and promoting democracy in the EU’s eastern and southern neighbourhoods, and by enhancing security in the Arctic in order to ensure security in the Euro-Atlantic Area. They recognize that Europe must become more sovereign, shoulder more responsibility for its own defence, and be better armed to act and to address immediate and future threats independently. Enhancing our deterrence, and defence, is essential. France's forward deterrence initiative (dissuasion avancée) strengthens European security and complements NATO's nuclear deterrence. As announced separately, Finland has decided to join Forward Deterrence. This decision, in conformity with the two countries’ respective international obligations, is an important step for European security, and for bilateral cooperation. The two countries reaffirm their ambition for a stronger, safer and better defended Europe.
France and Finland will work together for the security of the Baltic region and the Arctic region. The EU and NATO constitute important frameworks for this cooperation, while discussions may also be pursued through other formats, such as with the NB8. France and Finland recognize that the Arctic region is an area of growing geostrategic interest. The effects of climate change and the increase in strategic rivalries are intensifying ecological and security vulnerabilities. Broader discussions on Arctic issues take place in the Arctic Council, where Finland is a member and France an observer.
France and Finland recognize the importance of strengthening the European defence industrial and technological base. To step up investments in the defence sector and procurement by EU Member States, France and Finland will support initiatives aiming to reduce strategic dependencies, to bridge the gaps that exist in essential capabilities, according to priority capability areas defined by the European Council and stemming from the needs of the armed forces, to alleviate administrative constraints, and to build the capacity of the European defence technological and industrial base to innovate and to design products autonomously.
France and Finland recognize the advantages of enhanced cooperation regarding defence equipment, and they will coordinate, to the extent possible, the development and the procurement of defence equipment. They will continue to cooperate in the area of training and the conduct of joint exercises. They will utilize the framework of FLF Finland to enhance NATO’s posture in the North and ability to deploy rapidly, if need be.
In addition, France and Finland will strive to strengthen relations between the European Union and NATO with a complementarity approach respecting the remits and strengths of each organisation. They will participate in the strengthening of efforts to have a stronger Europe in a stronger NATO. France and Finland will support the actions aiming to enhance the role of Europeans within NATO and their contribution to Euro-Atlantic security, regarding the deterrence and defence, and operations, in particular. They recognize that European Allies are taking more responsibility of fairer burden sharing of the collective defence. At the same time, NATO’s unity and close transatlantic cooperation strengthen security in the whole Euro-Atlantic region. France and Finland will promote, in this context, the contribution of the EU’s defence instruments to the responsibility of European Member States for the security of the continent.
Ensuring that Ukraine prevails is a major security policy interest for all of Europe and more globally. Ukraine needs a wide range of support not only to bolster its defence capability, but also beyond a possible ceasefire or peace agreement. France and Finland will continue to support Ukraine in its fight for freedom, through military, political, financial and materiel support, via the EU Common Security and Defence Policy instruments, and the Coalition of the Willing framework, among other means, with a view to ensuring a just and lasting peace. Ukraine’s full Euro-Atlantic integration is a key component of a lasting peace. France and Finland confirm their unequivocal support for Ukraine’s path towards full membership of the EU and NATO and for the associated reform efforts. Within the Coalition of the Willing, they will work closely on robust security guarantees for Ukraine to deter further Russian aggression, while acknowledging the key role of Ukraine’s armed forces in strengthening deterrence and ensuring security for all of Europe. Therefore, France and Finland will cooperate to support Ukraine’s defence industry and to foster the integration of its technological and industrial base into that of the European Union. They will work to deprive Russia of resources that sustain its war of aggression, continue to take political and operational actions to disrupt the Russian shadow fleet, and respond to the long-term threat posed by Russia to Euro-Atlantic security.
France and Finland will discuss how to continue their cooperation on international crises. They will also endeavour to cooperate through their respective Gendarmerie-type organisations, developing a bilateral partnership to enhance their shared capabilities. Concerned by the risks of destabilisation of the Middle East, they affirm their intention to coordinate their actions to foster the protection of their nationals, defend their interests and those of their close partners, and foster the restoration of stability of the region through diplomacy. They will also discuss how the European Union and the United Nations could continue supporting Lebanon, ahead of the end of the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) within which French and Finnish soldiers have cooperated in an exemplary manner.
France and Finland recognise that national and European resilience depend on the ability of society as a whole to prepare for, withstand, and respond to crises, hybrid threats and hostile activities. They will deepen practical cooperation on comprehensive security and civil preparedness, including through commercial and industrial partnerships, to strengthen societal resilience, critical infrastructure, security of supply, and civil-military cooperation. France and Finland will also coordinate in relevant EU and NATO frameworks, in support of national preparedness, Allied resilience and European security.
France and Finland share the objective of developing a well-managed, comprehensive and effective European approach to migration, based on responsibility, solidarity and respect for international and European law. They intend to strengthen bilateral cooperation and coordination on key European migration and asylum priorities, deepen engagement with key countries of origin and transit, enhance cooperation on return and readmission, and exchange best practices on preparedness for migratory pressures, hybrid threats and the instrumentalisation of migration. Recognising the need for a whole-of-government approach, they will also exchange views on the coordinated use of policy instruments, including visa policy, development cooperation, trade, security cooperation, capacity-building and EU financial instruments, to support mutually beneficial partnerships with partner countries.
France and Finland will work together to tackle hybrid threats, including foreign interference and information manipulation. They will continue to promote a cyber space that is open, free, stable, safe and secure at a global level as well as responsible behaviour in cyber space.
To address the risk of the weaponisation of economic dependencies, the industries of the EU Member States need a secure and sustainable supply of critical raw materials. Keen to develop diversified supply chains for critical metals and minerals that comply with high environmental, social and governance standards, including the protection of nature, the preservation of water resources, the prevention of impacts on aquatic environments, and respect for rights of Indigenous Peoples as set out in UNDRIP, France and Finland will strive to enhance their cooperation in the sector of critical metals and minerals. They will work to ensure the signature of a declaration of intent to this end. They will bolster the high-quality cooperation that exists between the geological surveys of France and of Finland.
Building sustainable societies
Following on from the European Green Deal, France and Finland will continue to pursue the trajectory of the European Union towards climate neutrality by 2050 and thereafter negative net emissions. They will strive to continue the ambitious implementation of the Paris Agreement, of the commitments made in the first global stocktake of COP28, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. France and Finland, true to science and information integrity that guides our climate actions, declare their intention to continue supporting the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). They will also continue to support the Global Environment Facility. As maritime nations, they reaffirm the pledges they made at the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) held in Nice, in June 2025.
France and Finland will have ambitious positions regarding chemical products, with a view to a balanced modernisation of the REACH regulation, and enhanced governance of the European Chemicals Agency based in Helsinki. They will be proactive for the circular economy, the fight against fast fashion, and the promotion of the bioeconomy and bio-based materials.
They will be ambitious in tackling climate change and work towards aligning their positions on the development of the post-2030 climate framework and climate resilience. They will promote the competitive decarbonisation of their economies, particularly in the energy and transport sectors. They will also work on the implementation of the Déclaration de Chaillot on building and construction.
France and Finland confirm their ambitions for a just and equitable transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems, and the development of nuclear and renewable energy. They will remain committed to the European Nuclear Alliance. They will draw on the Declaration of Intent between France and Finland on nuclear energy cooperation, signed on 20 October 2025. Consistent with this text and with the Declaration of the Nuclear Alliance signed on 10 March 2026, France and Finland will cooperate to promote a favourable framework for nuclear energy, strengthening energy and industrial security, sovereignty, and technological neutrality, particularly within the EU regulatory and financial framework. They will facilitate industrial cooperation on large-scale reactors and small modular reactors, support for operating reactors, security of fuel supply and radioactive waste management, research and development in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and the development of human skills for new projects. France and Finland will also explore opportunities for further cooperation in the field of renewable energy.
As major European forest States, France and Finland will strengthen their cooperation in the wood and forestry sector, aiming to promote responsible forest-based value chains, including the protection of forest biodiversity and the restoration of degraded forests, and sustainable, resilient and multifunctional forest management. The signatories intend to work towards the signing of a letter of intent on forest cooperation. They will work together to implement EU policies that foster innovation, production, use and trade of forest-based industry products and services.
France and Finland are determined to end biodiversity loss and reverse the trend by 2030 by swiftly implementing the entire Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and achieving its goals together. In line with these commitments, the signatories will take ambitious stances to ensure the success of the first global biodiversity stocktake which will take place at the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the Convention on Biological Diversity. They will work towards the ambitious implementation of the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (the BBNJ Agreement). Furthermore, France and Finland support a protective pause or moratorium on deep seabed mining and will work together to expand the Ocean Pioneers Coalition, which backs this initiative. They will also collaborate on the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and on strengthening the role of the regional sea conventions in the governance of the Ocean. France and Finland also carry out work on the decarbonisation of maritime transport, particularly in the framework of negotiations conducted at the International Maritime Organization (IMO). They also intend to promote an ambitious implementation of the European Ocean Pact and the activities of Mercator Ocean International. France and Finland will look opportunities to deepen their cooperation within the maritime industry in shipbuilding and smart ports to decarbonise fleets and marine logistics. France and Finland are determined to end plastic pollution. They highlight the need to conclude negotiations to adopt a legally binding international treaty to end plastic pollution, which covers the entire life cycle of plastics, from production to end-of-life, and incorporates the “polluter pays” principle and the need to align financial flows with the aims of the treaty.
France and Finland are willing to defend the access to water and sanitation as fundamental human rights, to promote the UN Water Convention, to contribute to the global water agenda, among others in the context of the UN 2026 Water Conference and to strive for an intergovernmental UN process to address water in the form of regular UN water conferences.
The co‑chairmanship of France and Finland in the School Meals Coalition, together with Brazil, reflects a shared commitment to building sustainable, resilient, and inclusive societies. Since 2021, France and Finland are committed, within this Coalition, to the objective of ensuring that every child in the world has access to a nutritious meal at school by 2030.
France and Finland will further develop their historic relations in the field of health, with a particular emphasis on deepening collaboration in digital health, health technologies, the use of health data in healthcare, and data-driven innovation and development. One example of collaboration is the agreement signed on 23 November 2021 between health data platforms Health Data Hub (France) and FinData (Finland), in compliance with the applicable European legislation on personal data protection. This cooperation will support the establishment of resilient and future-oriented health systems and more personalised and preventative care.
France and Finland are determined to intensify their preparation in healthcare prevention, through the operationalisation of the “One Health” approach, including the interdependences between climate, water quality, the health of ecosystems, animal health and human health, to harmonise their strategies in order to strengthen their resilience in the future against health crises, and to position health as a driver of systemic resilience.
France and Finland will continue to reaffirm the importance of multilateralism in global health, for the health sovereignty of States and solid national health systems, to lock in the progress made in establishing universal health coverage through greater mobilisation of national health resources. In that respect, France and Finland recognise the central role of the World Health Organization (WHO) as a leading and coordinating authority of multilateral health action, and remain determined to actively participate in the joint process to support reform of the global health architecture hosted by WHO.
Emerging technologies in production and innovation
France and Finland will continue to promote the strengthening of European technological sovereignty, while fully safeguarding the Treaty-based division of competences between the Union and the Member States. The two countries aim to foster public and private investments in future technologies, to tackle the risk of the EU being left behind its global competitors. They will work on policies and financing of the EU and its Member States that are conducive to production and value creation in Europe, especially in strategic sectors that are essential for economic security and industrial and digital sovereignty. They will continue dialogue on the introduction of local content criteria (EU origin criteria) in targeted strategic sectors, in full respect of EU and international commitments, without prejudice to the EU´s commitments on ongoing and future FTA negotiations. They will support European actions that ensure the continuum of European funding for deep-tech scale-ups while maintaining the leverage-effect objective for the private sector. They also support regulatory simplification efforts for businesses, particularly SMEs, and administrations.
France and Finland are reasserting the principles to which they adhered in the Statement on Inclusive and Sustainable Artificial Intelligence for People and the Planet, adopted at the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit that was held on 10 and 11 February 2025 in Paris.
France and Finland will strive to enhance sustainable and secure artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructures and European cloud infrastructures. They will facilitate cross-border data sharing in the European Union and encourage AI-stimulated growth within the European Union while cooperating on the global governance of AI and open large linguistic models. They will ensure that the AI ecosystem remains open, competitive and conducive to innovation, including through joint efforts to develop open and interoperable AI models, and that it is supportive of scalability for businesses. They will promote the development and deployment of AI that is human-centric and fully respects human rights, fundamental freedoms and democratic values. They will ensure that the AI ecosystems are compliant with intellectual property rights and in accordance with European values such as freedom of expression, a pluralistic media as well as linguistic and cultural diversity, while taking into account the environmental impacts of AI throughout the value chain. They will strive to promote regulation that protects citizens, starting with children, and European democracies, and to enforce current regulations so that the digital environment continues to be a safe place.
Acknowledging the importance and added value of bilateral cooperation in ensuring European leadership in the data economy, the Signatories welcome the memorandum of understanding that was signed on 2 June 2026 to establish cooperation between France Datacenter and the Finnish Data Center Association.
France and Finland are among the leading European nations in quantum computing. The two countries will work together to step up academic research, as well as researcher mobility, collaboration between research institutes, innovation hubs and industries in this field. They share the goal of helping several sovereign quantum computing industrial powerhouses, specializing in different technologies, emerge on the European territory. They highlight that this goal should be supported by an ambitious European public procurement policy to acquire quantum computers designed and produced in Europe by European companies supporting Europe’s technological sovereignty and strategic competitiveness. They will also advance a coordinated European approach to promote international standards in quantum computing.
France and Finland will work towards strengthening European space capabilities promoting business and financing opportunities as well as research and development (R&D), and underlining the significance of space as a strategic sector, as well as the role of the EU Space Programme and the European Space Agency in Europe’s strategic autonomy. France and Finland reaffirm the importance of international law and the multilateral system in the global space domain as well as their engagement in discussions on the development of international space-related frameworks.
Education, research and culture
France and Finland are close partners in higher education and research. This will be further strengthened, for example through cooperation at all levels within the European Union. France and Finland wish to enhance collaboration between French and Finnish higher education and research institutes, particularly in innovative and disruptive technologies, space and its innovative uses, climate change, environmental and ocean issues, particularly through the Mission Neptune, the research of the Arctic region, the cryosphere and human sciences.
France and Finland will strengthen existing ties between their national higher education systems and facilitate qualification recognition, thereby helping to pave the way for a more ambitious European approach.
France and Finland wish to promote participation in the European Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, “Horizon Europe”, with the aim of increasing the number of scientific projects jointly submitted. They recognize the importance of promoting their academic cooperation through student, personnel and researcher mobility, including as part of the Erasmus+ programme and European university alliances. They will continue to work together on the integration of the European Research Area and the European Education Area.
Recalling the long-standing deep cultural cooperation between France and Finland, the signatories will maintain their close cooperation in this field, particularly in the framework of the current Creative Europe programme and the future AgoraEU programme. France and Finland will work together to strengthen cooperation between French and Finnish artists, organizations and cultural institutions, step up the mobility of artists and professionals, and promote co-productions, especially in the audiovisual sector.
France and Finland have recognized expertise in terms of training in music, design and artistic professions. They will develop cooperation in these areas, and also in the cinema and audiovisual fields in liaison with the CNC, France’s National Centre for Cinema and its Finnish counterpart, the Finnish Film Foundation. Furthermore, France and Finland will continue to foster the development of European platforms that share accessible content for every citizen in all EU languages and that aim to promote a shared European identity, similar to the ARTE+ project. They will collaborate on the review of the Audiovisual Media Service Directive in order to ensure that general interest media have visibility in the digital environment. France and Finland will support literary translation.
Heritage preservation and museum cooperation are shared topics of interest for the signatories, who are known for their excellence in this field. France and Finland will continue to further exchanges between professionals and specialists in this field, including, with regard to tangible and intangible cultural heritage, through the European Partnership for Resilient Cultural Heritage.
France and Finland will envisage the signing of a declaration of intent by their ministers of culture with a view to defining their shared priorities for cultural cooperation, including the promotion of cultural and creative industries and their international exports.
France and Finland will strengthen their cooperation in the field of education through workshops, seminars, conferences, study visits, school partnerships and mobility programmes for students, teachers and principals and school directors. They highlight the role played by the French-Finnish Lycée of Helsinki as a driver of French-Finnish educational cooperation, and declare their intention to support this model. France and Finland recognize the importance of teaching foreign languages in school and throughout students’ education, and reaffirm their support for multilingualism. The teaching and learning of Finnish in French universities continue to be important and enhance mutual understanding.
Strengthening political dialogue
France and Finland will strengthen their dialogue at every level. They will strive to organise consultations, on an annual basis, at the level of ministers and senior officials, in key fields set out in this strategic partnership. In particular, consultations will be organized for instance on European, multilateral and strategic affairs, in addition to bilateral matters.
Progress on the strategic partnership will be reviewed once a year, with the support of the bilateral embassies. In terms of monitoring, proposals may be made for improvements or changes that could facilitate the implementation of the partnership.
This Strategic Partnership is not legally binding and does not give rise to any rights or obligations under domestic or international law.
Signed at Helsinki on September 14th 2026, in duplicate, in the French and English languages, subsequently translated into Finnish.