The number of Finland’s EU Presidency meetings increases

During Finland’s Presidency of the EU, an informal meeting of the Ministers of Gender Equality will be held in October 2006 in connection with the celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of the approval of the Parliament Act and Election Act by the Diet.

The Government's Cabinet Committee on EU Affairs has also decided on new civil servant meetings.

Finland will host a total of 130 meetings during the EU Presidency. The largest meetings will include the Asia-Europe meeting, ASEM6, in Helsinki and Foreign Ministers' follow-up meeting of the Barcelona Process (Euromed) in Tampere. The Presidency meetings also include nine informal ministerial meetings and several civil servant meetings.

The Asia–Europe ASEM Summit will be held on 10 and 11 September 2006. The sixth ASEM Summit is also a ten-year anniversary meeting. At least 39 official delegations from Europe and Asia will attend the meeting.




The ASEM Summit is expected to attract some 1 600 attendants, 650 representatives of the media and 400 representatives of the organisers. The total number of people at the event is estimated at 4 500 when the police and other support personnel needed in the Summit is added up.

These figures do not include the attendants of the Business Forum and the People's Forum that are organised in connection with the Summit. Exclusive of premises needed for the police and the connected events, the number of hotel rooms needed is estimated at some 2800.