Finland Times

European Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister Alexander Stubb will begin a Team Finland trip to Columbia and Mexico on Sunday.

Stubb will be accompanied by a business delegation of nearly 20 companies engaged in the metal, engineering, forestry, safety, meteorology, finance, ICT, and consulting service sectors during the five-day visit, said a government press release.

The Minister for European Affairs and Foreign Trade, Alexander Stubb. Photo Lehtikuva

The delegation is compiled by Finpro. The trade mission to Mexico is made together with Estonia. The Estonian business delegation will be led by Foreign Minister Urmas Paet. The purpose of the joint trade mission is to capitalise on Finnish and Estonian business strengths and seek synergy benefits.

Both the Colombian and Mexican markets are big and their economies are having a strong growing. Mexico is currently the world’s 11th largest economy in terms of purchasing power parity. 

Trade between Finland and Mexico amounted to about EUR 419 million in 2012. Of the amount, Finnish exports to Mexico accounted for EUR 236 million and imports EUR 183 million. Finnish exports to Colombia last year came to more than EUR 80 million while the value of imports was EUR 62 million.

Stubb’s visit to Colombia will be confined to Bogotá. During the visit, he will meet with Colombian Foreign Minister María Ángela Holguín and other ministers. Stubb will also participate in a business seminar and give a lecture at Los Andes University. 

The discussions between Finnish and Columbian ministers will deal with the trade agreement signed between the European Union and Colombia and Peru that comes into effect soon. During the visit, the opening of Finnish diplomatic mission in Bogotá scheduled for later this year will be celebrated. The new mission will operate under the Embassy of Finland in Lima.

In Mexico, the trade mission will visit the capital, Mexico City. Minister Stubb will meet with President Enrique Peña Nieto and several ministers, among others. Besides his official meetings, Stubb will take part in a business seminar and give a lecture at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

The Finnish companies participating in the trade mission (some companies are only involved in the visit to one of the countries) are AGH Associates, Condenomicon, Conmio, the Finnish Meteorological Institute, Finnvera, Hiab, Noptel, Kekkilä, Kemira, Nike Colombiana/Cargotec, Normet International, Outotec, Pohjola Bank, Rossbach de Mexico (Vaisala & SATEL), Selcast, Simosol, Software Blancco, UPM-Kymmene, Vaisala, and Wärtsilä.

 

The Estonian companies participating in the trade mission to Mexico are Alekon Cargo, CF&S Estonia, Chemi-Pharm, Defendec, Enterprise Estonia, the Port of Tallinn, Real Systems, Regio, Tavid, and Vesimentor, the press release added.