How should Sweden and Finland deal with an increasingly complex world?

On 8 April 2025, the Finnish and Swedish Foreign Ministers Elina Valtonen and Maria Malmer Stenergard will be hosting the Hanaholmen foreign and security policy forum Hanalys, which will take its starting point in the turbulent and unpredictable security situation in the world. 

Russia’s unprovoked, illegal war against Ukraine has caused massive suffering among Ukrainian citizens, and Russia will pose a serious threat to European security for the foreseeable future. How can Sweden and Finland jointly ensure that international support for Ukraine remains, while at the same time strengthening international law and allowing the European economy to continue to flourish? 

In addition to the Finnish and Swedish Foreign Ministers, the participants also include Hanaholmen CEO Gunvor Kronman and a number of Swedish and Finnish foreign and security policy researchers and experts. 

"It is a pleasure to be able to hold Hanalys in Stockholm this year. Most of Hanaholmen’s activities take place in Finland, but we also participate annually in major events in Sweden such as grass-roots arts network Folk & Kultur, political forum Almedalen Week, Mötesplats Samhällssäkerhet security conference, and the Gothenburg Book Fair," says Gunvor Kronman. 

The Hanalys forum in Stockholm will kick off with opening speeches by Kronman and foreign ministers Elina Valtonen and Maria Malmer Stenergard. Former UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson will then give a talk entitled Global support for Ukraine and international law, followed by a panel debate. 

The second part of the forum, European economic security and the importance of open, rules-based international trade, will begin with a keynote speech by Anders Ahnlid, Director General of the Swedish National Board of Trade, and end with a panel discussion and a dialogue between the foreign ministers. 

Held in English, Hanalys is organised in cooperation with the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The discussion will be broadcast live online and moderated by former Finnish Minister of Defence, Stefan Wallin. 

The foreign ministers will be holding a joint press conference starting at 11:50 Swedish time/CEST, which can also be followed online. 

Time: 8 April 2025 at 9:00 AM to 1 PM Swedish time/CEST. Press conference at 11:50 AM CEST. 
Location: Villa Foresta, Lidingö, Stockholm    

View the full programme here: https://hanaholmen.fi/en/events/hanalys-2025-en 

Watch the Hanalys forum live online here: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_NzlmZDUxN2YtNTM1NC00ZjExLTllZjgtN2I5MTY3MzBmNmU0%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22166630b0-a653-4dc5-ba00-dc0847075f53%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22679221b8-a7f9-462b-a6e4-93d4c11ca0f7%22%7d

Watch the press conference here: www.youtube.com/live/mxB5kteo1yw 

Registrations and further information about the forum: Håkan Forsgård, Hanaholmen Communications Director, hakan.forsgard(at)hanaholmen.fi, tel. +358 40 767 7373 

Registrations for the press conference: Desk Officer at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Sweden, Julia Puhony, julia.puhony(at)gov.se, Phone: +46 76 135 45 43