Macron arrives today on 2-day official visit

French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron will arrive in Finland on Wednesday for a two-day official visit, said the Finnish president’s office in a press release.

The visit will be hosted by President Sauli Niinistö and First Lady Jenni Haukio.

Macron’s visit will begin with a welcoming ceremony and a gala dinner in the Presidential Palace on Wednesday evening.

The welcoming ceremony scheduled for 7:45pm at the Helsinki Market Square will be open for all.

Niinistö and his French counterpart will hold an official discussion in the Presidential Palace on Thursday morning. Security and defence policy, relations with Russia and the United States, Arctic issues, climate change, and the state of the rules-based multilateral international order, among others, are on the agenda.

Afterwards the presidents will hold a joint press conference in the Hall of Mirrors of the Presidential Palace.

After the press conference, President Macron will visit Aalto University accompanied by Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipilä and learn about Finnish innovations.

Macron and Sipilä will have a working lunch in Kesäranta, the prime minister’s official residence, where they will discuss topical EU matters, such as the EMU, migration, and EU defence policy.

Following their lunch, Macron and Sipilä will hold a press conference.

Jenni Haukio and Brigitte Macron on Thursday will visit the New Children’s Hospital in Helsinki and the Suomenlinna Sea Fortress.

This is Macron’s first visit to Finland. President Niinistö’s latest visit to France was in 2015 when he attended the Paris Climate Change Conference. He made an official visit to France in 2013.