Finland’s OECD presidency began in Paris on Wednesday, as Prime Minister Petteri Orpo opened the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s two-day Ministerial Council Meeting with a focus on how governments can support industry without weakening open markets.
Finland chairs the OECD meeting after more than 40 years
Finland is chairing the OECD Ministerial Council Meeting on 3 and 4 June at the organisation’s headquarters in Paris, with Korea and New Zealand serving as vice-chairs. The meeting brings together ministers from OECD member states, the European Union and partner countries for the organisation’s highest-level annual political forum.
The presidency gives Helsinki a visible role in shaping the debate among advanced economies at a time when industrial policy has returned to the centre of economic decision-making. Finland joined the OECD in 1969 and had chaired the ministerial meeting only once before, in 1984.
Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, of the National Coalition Party (Kokoomus, NCP), was scheduled to deliver the keynote address at the opening session. During his visit to Paris, he is also expected to meet French President Emmanuel Macron.
Finland’s delegation includes Minister of Finance Riikka Purra, Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development (ulkomaankauppa- ja kehitysministeri) Ville Tavio and Minister of Economic Affairs (elinkeinoministeri) Sakari Puisto. The Finnish ministers are also set to chair several sessions during the two-day meeting.
Industrial policy is back, but open markets remain the test
The official theme of the 2026 meeting is “Getting Industrial Policies Right for Open Markets, Growth and Prosperity.” According to the OECD, ministers will discuss how industrial strategies can support technological development, long-term growth and higher living standards while preserving competition and open markets.
The topic reflects a broader shift in economic policy. Governments are increasingly using public investment, subsidies, regulation and strategic planning to strengthen key sectors such as clean technology, digital infrastructure, defence-related supply chains and critical raw materials. For small, export-oriented economies such as Finland, the challenge is to combine economic security with predictable trade rules.
That balance is particularly relevant for Nordic countries. Their economic model depends on innovation, skilled labour, public capacity and international trade. At the same time, geopolitical tensions and supply-chain disruptions have made governments more willing to intervene in sectors considered strategically important.
The OECD has warned that industrial subsidies have reached their highest levels since the global financial crisis. The organisation’s new data on industrial support is expected to feed into the Paris discussions, where member states will have to address the risk that public support measures could distort competition or trigger subsidy races.
Helsinki wants industry, growth and resilience in the same debate
Finland had already framed the meeting around industrial renewal, sustainable growth, open markets and broader social wellbeing. In March, the Finnish government said the OECD Ministerial Council Meeting would focus on industrial policies that support the renewal of industries while maintaining openness and long-term prosperity.
This approach fits Finland’s current economic and strategic position. The country is a highly developed economy with strong technology sectors, but it also faces weak growth, security pressure after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the need to accelerate investment in new industries.
For Helsinki, the OECD presidency is therefore more than a diplomatic appointment. It is a way to place industrial renewal within a wider international conversation about competitiveness, resilience and rules-based trade.
The Finnish government has also underlined the value of OECD analysis for policy-making. When the presidency was announced, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio said Finland uses OECD expertise widely in developing public policy.
