Prime Minister Orpo to host summit of EU leaders in Lapland

Prime Minister Orpo to host summit of EU leaders in Lapland

Prime Minister Petteri Orpo will host a summit on Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 December in Saariselkä. The North-South Summit will bring together leaders from northern and southern Europe to discuss key issues facing Europe in a tense geopolitical climate.

Prime Minister Orpo has invited EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Greek Prime Minister Kyriákos Mitsotákis and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson to take part in the summit.

The main themes of the North-South Summit will be European security, defence and preparedness, as well as migration, instrumentalisation of migration and border security. The summit will provide an opportunity to discuss issues confidentially and come up with ideas for new initiatives.

"Europe has to take greater responsibility for its own security. This means that European countries have to be strong leaders, both in the EU and in NATO. Our greatest threat is Russia, which is trying to consolidate power and sow discord in Europe. The geopolitical situation is also very challenging in the Middle East and North Africa, for example," said Prime Minister Orpo.

Inquiries: Tuomas Tikkanen, Senior Adviser to the Prime Minister in European Affairs, tel. +358 40 523 5768, Elisa Tarkiainen, Special Adviser (EU Affairs), tel. +358 50 433 4533, and Anne Sjöholm, Head of Communications for EU Affairs, tel. +358 40 537 0733, Prime Minister's Office