Kokoomus in International Affairs

Kokoomus has an active role in international affairs and in outlining the Finnish foreign policy. Securing the interests of Finland and maximising the Finnish influence is a natural starting point whether regarding foreign, security or EU policy.

Finland became a member of the EU and the eurozone while Kokoomus was in government in the 1990’s. Also today Kokoomus sets its sight forward: we aim to sustain – and to secure – the position and influence of Finland in an enlarging Union. We wish to build an economically and politically stronger European Union, we envisage an EU that is a more effective and a more prominent actor in world politics.

Kokoomus has direct contacts and discussion channels to the very core of the EU decion-making bodies as it belongs to the most powerful political movement of the EU – the European People’s Party, EPP http://www.epp.eu/. Kokoomus has four MEPs working in the biggest political group of the European Parliament, the EPP-ED group. The EPP is also the leading party in the Council (11 Heads of Government) and in the Commission, where nine commissioners belong to the EPP political family.

Kokoomus values highly the close relations to its Scandinavian sister parties within the Conservative Group of the Nordic Council. Regular meetings on all party levels ensure an open communication and a creative exchange of ideas.

The organisation for worldwide cooperation for center-right parties, International Democrat Union, offers Kokoomus a wide network of like-minded political actors around the globe. IDU stands for promoting democracy, human rights and market economy, and currently has over 80 member parties from over 60 countries – full members from both Russia and the USA.

International affairs and an active role on a range of multinational fora imply, however, a lot more than just the national perspective. We believe in the beneficiality of globalisation but recognise the problems it can bring about. The world is not by far ready yet, and Kokoomus wants to contribute to the efforts of Finland, the EU and the UN in fighting global poverty and defending human rights everywhere in the world.