Finland’s Minister of Climate and the Environment, Sari Multala, will travel to Munich on 5–6 October to promote Finnish-German cooperation in the energy sector, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment said on 2 October. She will also discuss current energy issues with representatives of the state of Bavaria.
On 5 October Multala will open the German-Finnish Hydrogen Dialogue. According to the ministry, the event aims to strengthen cooperation on new hydrogen projects, investments and business collaboration, and will bring together policy-makers, companies, research organisations and clusters from both countries.
“Finland and Germany have different strengths that complement each other within the European hydrogen economy,” Multala said. She pointed to Finland’s good availability of clean electricity and competitive production environment, and to Germany’s technological skills and industrial demand for hydrogen. “Together we can build a hydrogen value chain that is genuinely European,” she said.
On 6 October the minister will attend the annual Deutsch-Finnisches Businessforum, also held in Munich. The ministry said the forum brings together business leaders, researchers and decision-makers to promote investment in energy, digitalisation and infrastructure. During the trip Multala will meet Joachim Herrmann, Bavaria’s Minister of the Interior, and Tobias Gotthardt, Vice Minister in the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy.
Their talks are due to cover clean and affordable energy, European competitiveness, the hydrogen economy, energy security and investment in clean industry. The announcement does not mention specific projects or agreements to be signed. For the Baltic Sea region, Finland’s hydrogen ambitions are tied to proposals for cross-border links towards Germany, which makes the dialogue one to watch.
