Leadership training for the future EU

Over the course of Finland’s three decades of EU membership, the European Union has undergone profound transformation. Its membership has expanded, and the scope of its authority has grown accordingly. At the same time, the Union’s operating environment has become increasingly complex, shaped by the resurgence of power politics and a series of overlapping crises. Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the COVID-19 pandemic, and intensifying global competition have tested the EU’s cohesion and capacity for joint action in unprecedented ways. Meanwhile, the urgency of climate and environmental challenges continues to demand sustained and immediate attention, regardless of shifting political priorities. 

As EU membership has an impact on both Finland’s domestic and foreign policies, it is important for us to exercise active and timely influence on decisions taken in the EU. 

Leadership training for the future EU provides participants with opportunities to gain deeper insight into Europe’s future challenges and changes in the operating environment. The overarching theme of the training is that Finland’s sustainable future is dependent on the EU’s capacity to function.

The question of how the European Union will manage to solve its current and future challenges and seize opportunities will also have an impact on Finland. 

The objective of the training is to enhance the preparedness of Finnish decision-makers and influencers to together take on the challenges and opportunities associated with the European Union’s future leadership. The training offers current and reliable information to support the participants’ creative and independent thinking. 

The training will be built around a practical exercise. The exercise allows the participant to also actively create and edit information and reflect on the functionality of current EU processes and related development opportunities.

The group is always pluralistic and represents various sectors in society. It will include members of parliament, government officers and representatives of advocacy organisations, businesses, media and non-governmental organisations.

Best practices and operating models from Sitra’s highly regarded economic policy leadership courses will be applied in the training.

The course will increase the participants’ understanding of 

• The playing field of the European Union 
• EU leadership and decision-making practices and development needs   
• The EU’s role as a global operator  

The course will provide the participants with 

• reliable and up-to-date information from leading experts 
• the latest information about EU leadership practices and development needs
• opportunities for open and multi-perspective discussion about the EU

The next course will start in October 2025. Two courses will be offered each year (spring and autumn).

Upon graduation, the course participants will become Sitra training alumni and gain the right to participate in alumni events, for example.

Admission is invitation-based. A group of approximately 25 Finnish decision-makers and influencers from various sectors of society will be selected to attend.

You can register your interest to participate in the training or suggest someone else as a participant using this form.