Europe in Brussels part 9: Finland

Finland’s national day on 6 December is a very serious affair, says His Excellency Timo Ranta, Finnish Ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg. "People light candles and go to cemeteries to remember their relatives," he says. "There are usually major concerts throughout the day. That night there is a national reception in Helsinki organised by our president. Usually there’s 1,000 guests there and the president tries to highlight those people who have contributed to Finnish culture, economy and politics that year."

He added that there are more events planned for 2017, the centenary of Finnish independence, including in the embassy in Brussels. "We have many Finnish organisations in Belgium, which are part of a network that meets regularly, such as the cultural institute, the embassy, the permanent representation," he says. "We try to co-ordinate activities in that group. We’ll host three or four events but others will also. We’ll try to cover everything we can think of - culture, films, food, exhibitions, plus a lot of parties for both Finns and Belgians to celebrate this anniversary."

Ambassador Ranta says Belgian-Finnish diplomatic relations are very strong, stretching back as far as Finland’s declaration of independence. “Our presence here has been long established, since the 1960s, when Finnish people came here for various reasons. There has been a steady increase since the mid-1990s after joining the EU. We have about 8,000 Finns in the Benelux, with about 4,000 Finns in Belgium."

One of those Finnish citizens based in Belgium is Kati Hognes, who lives in Leuven. She first came to Brussels nine years ago to do an internship for her university degree and loved the experience so much she decided to make Belgium her home.

“It was the variety of people, cultures and languages that attracted me. Belgium is an exciting country for me,” she says. She does however remain attached to her home country, especially as she is also the president of the Finnish Association in Brussels, in existence since 1979.

'Bringing a bit of Finland to Belgium'

“We want to be a link between Finland and Belgium for the Finnish people living here. We help Finnish people easily adjust when they move to Belgium. We invite artists, writers and singers to come and entertain Finnish people in Belgium - to bring a little bit of Finland to our nationals living here,” Hognes explains.

“We organise at least 10 events per year, and we publish a Finnish-language magazine, which I edit, called Parlööri, that is very important for Finnish people here,” she adds.

As with the embassy, Johnes and the Finnish Association are gearing up for the centenary celebrations of Finnish independence. “Next year will be especially important. We will organise several festive occasions to celebrate – the biggest one will be the mid-summer celebration on 24 July.”

She lists several places where one can find Finns in Brussels, especially the Finnish Seaman’s Mission also known as the Seaman’s church (Rue Jacques de Lalaing 33) - a non profit organisation with branches around Europe, that provides a range of services including a church, café, library and sauna.

“That is the best place to find a little bit of Finland in Brussels. There is a café and shop where you can buy Finnish food, books and art. You’ll always meet Finnish people there,” says Hognes.

Photo courtesy Finnish Association in Brussels