Sustainability runs through the visual identity for Finland’s Presidency and the Presidency meetings

Sustainable development principles form a common thread throughout the meeting arrangements for Finland’s Presidency of the Council of the EU. Finland wants to draw attention to the climate impacts of meetings and is keen to seek new ways of doing things. Sustainability is also evident in the visual identity for Finland’s Presidency: the design for Finland’s previous Presidency has been recycled and revitalised for the Finnish Presidency that begins on 1 July.

“The aim with the sustainable meeting arrangements has been that the number of meetings held in Finland should be kept to a reasonable level, and the meetings centralised in a single location, Helsinki,” says Anja Laisi, Head of the Secretariat for Finland’s Presidency of the Council of the EU.

The delegates and other participants attending the Helsinki meetings will be served organic, seasonal and locally produced Finnish food, with a vegetarian and vegetable emphasis. The use of plastic will be reduced by providing quality tap water instead of bottled water. The amount of decoration and other materials will be minimised, and the focus will be on digital solutions instead.

In place of handing out traditional gifts to delegates and other participants, Finland will offset the emissions caused by flights made to Presidency meetings. This will be done by financing emission-reducing projects, which will be announced before the start of the Presidency.

“The idea of sustainable solutions also comes across in the visual identity of Finland’s Presidency. The 2006 Presidency design was the work of graphic designer Timo Kuoppala, and in the spirit of recycling he has now revamped the design, bringing it right up to date,” says Anja Laisi.   

The main communication channels for Finland’s Presidency are now live: the eu2019.fi Presidency website(Link to another website.) and the @EU2019FI Twitter account(Link to another website.). During the Finnish Presidency, Finland will also be communicating via Instagram: @eu2019fi(Link to another website.). YouTube will serve as the home for Presidency videos and Flickr for photographs. As the start of Finland’s Presidency draws nearer the level of communication in these channels will intensify.

More information about the visual identity(Link to another website.)