Minister Väyrynen to attend the EU-USA Meeting in Paris

Press release 148/2009
27 May, 2009

Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Paavo Väyrynen will attend the meeting between the EU and the United States to be held in Paris on Thursday, 28 May, where deepening of trans-Atlantic cooperation on development policy will be discussed. The meeting is taking place at the initiative of the United States.

One reason underlying the talks is the initiative presented by Minister Väyrynen for a trans-Atlantic partnership to promote sustainable development, the aim being to strengthen dialogue, coordination and cooperation on development policy at political and practical levels between the EU and the United States. The initiative has received unanimous support in the EU, and the United States has also taken a very positive view of it. Talks on the initiative have been held during spring both within the EU and between the EU and the United States, for instance, during Väyrynen’s trip to the United States in April.

In addition, at the Joint High-Level Meeting of the OECD Development Assistance Committee and the Environment Policy Committee to be held in Paris, Väyrynen will be a Lead Speaker at the session Financing for Climate Change Adaptation. Minister Väyrynen will also take part in the High-Level Meeting of the OECD Development Assistance Committee, where the topics on the agenda include the development challenges of the economic crisis and development financing.

Additional information: Ossi Martikainen, Senior Adviser to the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development, mobile tel. +358 40 592 6769, and First Secretary Kristiina Kuvaja, mobile tel. +358 40 578 5062