30 YEARS IN BRUSSELS  

HISTORY PUBLICATION

The Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners MTK, the Central Union of Swedish-speaking Farmers and Forest Owners SLC and Pellervo Coop Center have had a joint office in Brussels since 1991. 

In October 2022 we are celebrating our three decades in Brussels in the seminar and gala dinner 26.10.2022. We have also released the history publication covering the past 10 years. 

In 1991 the organizations were smart to think ahead and realized that Finnish agriculture, forestry and cooperatives’ actors needed to do EU-lobbying, as the operating environment and market situation was about to radically change with then potential EU membership. Since then, the Brussels office has been actively involved in the EU decision making processes to better take the positions of the members of the MTK, SLC and Pellervo into consideration in the EU-legislation.

Now we have released a publication in Finnish covering the history of the office, mainly the last 10 years as there was a similar publication for the 20th anniversary. The publication covers the main events of the past 10 years through the eyes of the office staff members of the time and MTK, SLC and Pellervo’s key actors involved in the EU work. The name of the publication is ‘Office of Finnish agriculture, forestry and co-operatives 30 years - Suomen maa- ja metsätalouden ja osuuskuntien Brysselin toimisto 30 vuotta’ and printed copies can be found at the Brussels office and MTK, SLC and Pellervo’s headquarters in Helsinki and online.

Please find below two articles from the history publication in English.

With knowledge and a big heart - 30 years of lobbying in Brussels
-President of MTK, Juha Marttila

Agriculture and forestry have solutions and know-how to meet the challenges of our time – lobbying in Brussels 2012-2021 
-Hanna Leiponen-Syyrakki, Director of Brussels office