Team Finland services offered for companies by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Finland’s missions are working hard to improve international business opportunities for Finnish companies. This work involves providing companies with information, helping them to create new contacts and giving advice on issues concerning market access. The Ministry also offers funding opportunities in developing markets.

Influencing trade policy and facilitating market access

It is the Ministry’s task to identify the correct channels of influence and raise questions relating to companies’ market access. Successful influencing requires that companies specify their targets and needs for the advancement of their market access ahead of time, so that Finland’s interests can be promoted during negotiation processes and in EU and bilateral meetings.

The Ministry and the missions also help companies to solve acute problems with accessing markets. The missions are engaging in long-term collaboration with the European Commission and EU Delegations to remove trade barriers.

Creating contacts

Finland’s missions are serving companies by creating contacts with local operators and partners. Networking events range from working lunches and dinners to seminars, workshops and many more.

The head of a mission or a senior Ministry official may attend a company’s event to give it prestige in various ways; for example, by opening the event or giving a speech. This will increase the company’s trustworthiness, credibility and visibility in the target market.

Missions can help Finnish companies in creating contacts with local authorities. Missions can also write companies letters of reference as needed, and guide them in accessing the services of trade consultants in the host country.

Information services

Team Finland visits offer an effective opportunity to promote contacts with local operators in interesting markets. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs organises Team Finland visits regularly in cooperation with other organisations and according to companies’ needs and interest.

Companies have access to general information about the host country at Finland’s missions, as well as practical advice and encouragement according to the company’s individual needs. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs’ network of missions produces reports in which the country outlooks of the missions’ host countries are analysed, also from the point of view of companies. These reports are available on the Ministry’s website under 'Current affairs’.

In addition, the missions produce up-to-date information about market opportunities and concrete sales leads for the Team Finland network’s website: marketopportunities.fi(Link to another website.).

The Ministry also produces information for companies about the public procurements of international organisations and development financing institutions.

Financing opportunities in emerging markets

With development cooperation funds, the Ministry finances the instruments of the private sector which are used to support Finnish companies’ partnerships and business opportunities in developing countries.

The Ministry offers companies information and consultation on financing services, which involve Finnfund financing, BEAM innovation funding, Finnpartnership support for business partnerships and investment support for the public sector of developing countries.

Ministry for Foreign Affairs as part of the Team Finland network

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs works in close cooperation with other Team Finland organisations and, as necessary, directs companies to the services offered, for example, by Business Finland or Finnvera according to the one-stop-shop model.

The consortium under which Finpro and Tekes have joined to form the organisation Business Finland clarifies and simplifies the public internationalisation services offered to companies and supports international research, development and innovation cooperation, as well as regional growth services.

Get in touch!

Get in touch with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs by emailing us at teamfinland(a)formin.fi, or directly with Finland’s missions

You can also fill in the Request for Contact(Link to another website.), which will help the experts in the Team Finland organisation to provisionally estimate your company’s service needs. They will then contact you in order to tailor a service package for your company.

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