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Suomen itsenäisyyden juhlarahasto

Sitra

Sitra is Finland's national innovation fund supporting economic efficiency, research, and future development scenarios.

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Marie-Helene Boulanger (Head of Unit Justice and Consumers)

21 Jan 2026 · Contribution of SITRA to the implementation of the European Democracy Shield (EDS)

Meeting with Lucilla Sioli (Director Communications Networks, Content and Technology)

26 Nov 2025 · Discuss the AI Act Service Desk and the Regulatory technology (RegTech) ecosystem in Finland

Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra urges EU single market for circularity

6 Nov 2025
Topic — The consultation addresses the Circular Economy Act to promote sustainable production and economic security.
Message — Sitra requests harmonizing end-of-waste criteria and driving demand for high-quality secondary materials. They advocate for prioritizing product reuse and refurbishment through rapid design requirement implementation. They call for standardized Digital Product Passports to improve traceability in complex value chains.123
Why — Harmonizing rules and removing administrative barriers would unlock economies of scale for investments.4
Impact — Foreign exporters of virgin materials lose out as the EU reduces raw material dependencies.5
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Meeting with Thomas Skordas (Deputy Director-General Communications Networks, Content and Technology) and

23 Sept 2025 · Exchange of views on the impact assessment on AI infrastructure in the Nordics, conducted by Sitra for the Finnish government.

Sitra proposes European Civic Tech Hub to strengthen democracy

5 Sept 2025
Topic — The EU initiative aims to strengthen engagement and protect civil society actors.
Message — Sitra proposes the establishment of a European Civic Tech Hub for digital participatory tools. They want to combine digital mass participation with deeper engagement to influence policy decisions.123
Why — EU-level coordination would help scale the fund's democracy-focused technical initiatives across Europe.45
Impact — Actors using strategic lawsuits and surveillance would lose power to suppress civil society.6
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Meeting with Jessika Roswall (Commissioner) and

26 Aug 2025 · Visit to Sitra - The Finnish Innovation Fund – and discussion on circular economy

Meeting with Sirpa Pietikäinen (Member of the European Parliament)

10 Jun 2025 · Green initiatives

Meeting with Sirpa Pietikäinen (Member of the European Parliament)

10 Jun 2025 · Ongoing Initiatives, Health and Sustainability initiatives

Meeting with Henna Virkkunen (Executive Vice-President) and

27 May 2025 · Presentation of SITRA’s work of relevance to the digital portfolio

Meeting with Bjoern Juretzki (Head of Unit Communications Networks, Content and Technology)

26 May 2025 · Discussion about Sitra’s work on RegTech and future ideas for data policies

Meeting with Antti Timonen (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen), Silvia Bartolini (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen)

11 Apr 2025 · Digital Policies

Meeting with Olivier Micol (Head of Unit Justice and Consumers)

9 Apr 2025 · A follow up meeting to present Sitra’s ‘GDPR repair kit’

Meeting with Thomas Schmitz (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen)

1 Apr 2025 · Exchange on Democracy

Meeting with Werner Stengg (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen)

21 Feb 2025 · EU data union

Meeting with Bjoern Juretzki (Head of Unit Communications Networks, Content and Technology)

21 Feb 2025 · Discussion on data initiatives related to making the European tech industry more competitive

Meeting with Olivier Micol (Head of Unit Justice and Consumers)

20 Feb 2025 · Presentation of Sitra and its on-going work, in particular on ‘Data and IA’

Meeting with Sirpa Pietikäinen (Member of the European Parliament)

20 Feb 2025 · Circular and data economy

Meeting with Antti Timonen (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen), Fausto Matos (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen), Silvia Bartolini (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen), Thomas Schmitz (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen)

19 Feb 2025 · Digital Policies

Meeting with Sirpa Pietikäinen (Member of the European Parliament)

13 Feb 2025 · Health innovations

Meeting with Bjoern Juretzki (Head of Unit Communications Networks, Content and Technology)

29 Jan 2025 · Discussion on simplification using digital tools and RegTech more generally.

Meeting with Nils Behrndt (Deputy Director-General Justice and Consumers) and Sparkter

28 Jan 2025 · lifestyle test calculator for consumers

Meeting with Daniel Braun (Cabinet of Vice-President Věra Jourová), Diana Vlad-Calcic (Cabinet of Vice-President Věra Jourová)

16 Oct 2024 · Participatory platforms for democracy

Meeting with Aura Salla (Member of the European Parliament)

15 Oct 2024 · Polarization and Democracy shield

Meeting with Aura Salla (Member of the European Parliament)

24 Sept 2024 · Introductory meeting, Research and Innovation

Meeting with Aura Salla (Member of the European Parliament)

24 Sept 2024 · Introductory meeting, AI Regulation and the future of AI

Meeting with Eero Heinäluoma (Member of the European Parliament) and Maa- ja metsätaloustuottajain Keskusliitto – Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners

5 Sept 2024 · Ajankohtaisaiheet

Meeting with Ville Niinistö (Member of the European Parliament)

17 Apr 2024 · Sustainability solutions

Meeting with Renaud Savignat (Cabinet of Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen)

25 Mar 2024 · The discussion topics were democracy and social participation by youth. The meeting allowed the exchange of views by Sitra elaborating their work on these domains and cabinet Urpilainen.

Meeting with Henna Virkkunen (Member of the European Parliament)

26 Oct 2023 · Circular Single Market

Meeting with Miapetra Kumpula-Natri (Member of the European Parliament)

24 Oct 2023 · EU´s Future leadership

Meeting with Werner Stengg (Cabinet of Vice-President Věra Jourová)

17 Oct 2023 · Data economy: DSA, DMA

Sitra urges EU-wide data space for vehicle recycling

27 Sept 2023
Topic — New rules to improve vehicle recycling and the reuse of car components.
Message — Sitra recommends establishing an EU-wide data space to monitor vehicle recycling and locate missing vehicles. They suggest using decentralized data architectures instead of a single unified IT system. They also support using vehicle passports to track and recover critical raw materials.123
Why — Using Sitra's Finnish model as the EU standard would validate and export their technology.45
Impact — International raw material exporters lose influence as the EU reduces its import dependency.6
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Sitra urges EU to target over 90 percent emission cuts

22 Jun 2023
Topic — The European Commission is establishing a climate target for the year 2040.
Message — Sitra recommends a 2040 net emission reduction target exceeding 90 percent. They advocate for separate targets for emissions and carbon removals to improve investment predictability. Finally, they suggest reducing biomass use for energy in favor of material uses.123
Why — These targets would provide the investment predictability Sitra identifies as necessary for Finnish growth.4
Impact — Bioenergy producers lose financial support as incentives for burning biomass are phased out.5
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Meeting with Helena Braun (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans)

28 Mar 2023 · Circular economy, biodiversity and the use of biomass

Meeting with Dubravka Šuica (Vice-President)

9 Mar 2023 · Issues related to democracy - deliberative democracy & citizen engagement and demographic trends

Meeting with Werner Stengg (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager)

6 Mar 2023 · Data policies

Meeting with Henna Virkkunen (Member of the European Parliament)

2 Mar 2023 · EU Environmental Policy

Meeting with Malte Gallée (Member of the European Parliament)

2 Mar 2023 · Circular Economy

Meeting with Suvi Leinonen (Cabinet of Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen), Taneli Lahti (Cabinet of Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen)

1 Mar 2023 · circular economy

Meeting with Taneli Lahti (Cabinet of Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen)

14 Dec 2022 · EU Training and Development

Meeting with Taneli Lahti (Cabinet of Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen)

9 Dec 2022 · international partnerships

Meeting with Sirpa Pietikäinen (Member of the European Parliament)

7 Dec 2022 · Post-Green Deal

Meeting with Ralf Kuhne (Cabinet of Commissioner Stella Kyriakides) and DIGITALEUROPE and

10 Oct 2022 · Working group on European Health Data Space

Meeting with Werner Stengg (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager)

30 Sept 2022 · Data Economy

Meeting with Sirpa Pietikäinen (Member of the European Parliament)

28 Sept 2022 · Digital policies in the EU

Meeting with Helena Braun (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans)

28 Jun 2022 · Tackling biodiversity loss through circular economy

Meeting with Werner Stengg (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager)

20 Jun 2022 · DSA, DGA, DMA, AI Act, Data Act.

Meeting with Dimitri Lorenzani (Cabinet of Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič)

19 May 2022 · Follow-up discussion on strategic foresight

Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra urges SME-friendly Data Act rules

6 May 2022
Topic — The European Commission is seeking feedback on rules for sharing and using industrial data.
Message — Sitra requests that regulations are simplified for smaller firms to prevent excessive compliance costs. They also suggest using industry-led standards and ensuring that new laws do not overlap with existing rules.123
Why — Simplification would help Finnish companies overcome major regulatory barriers to data innovation.4
Impact — Large cloud providers will lose market power as customers gain rights to switch services.5
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Meeting with Johannes Hahn (Commissioner)

27 Apr 2022 · Innovation and security

Meeting with Maroš Šefčovič (Executive Vice-President)

27 Apr 2022 · Future cooperation on strategic foresight with SITRA

Meeting with Ilze Juhansone (Secretary-General Secretariat-General)

26 Apr 2022 · EU’s political situation and priorities of the Commission

Meeting with Margrethe Vestager (Executive Vice-President) and

26 Apr 2022 · Data Economy

Meeting with Margaritis Schinas (Vice-President)

26 Apr 2022 · Health Data Space

Response to Policy Program - Digital Decade Compass

13 Dec 2021

The Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra thanks the European Commission for the possibility to respond to the public consultation on the Digital Decade Compass. SITRA'S GENERAL REMARKS Data economy is a central policy instrument advancing Europe's digital transition. Data policy needs to be an even more visible and prominent part of the digital decade targets and measures. As can be deduced from the name of the policy programme, the Commission's proposal approaches the targets extensively from the perspective of digitalisation, which gives a partial picture of the reality as data-related targets and measures are insufficiently present in this proposal. The Commission has furthered data economy and the single market for data with regulation. Sitra emphasises that regulation is just one tool in the toolbox and requires complementary investments in skills, infrastructure and other measures in the private and public sectors. The targets set for digital transition and enhanced competitiveness of the European markets are unattainable without investments in value-based data policy and fair data economy rules. Sitra supports establishing common digital decade targets for the EU and its Member States. Without a shared goal and an action plan the EU risks to fall behind from its competitors and miss its opportunity to influence the values and rules, according to which global data economy will take shape. There is no time to lose and Sitra encourages the Commission to set concrete and clear-cut targets that lead the development of effective measures suitable in national operational environments and further boost the ambition level especially in the more developed Member States. Sitra underlines that the digital decade targets need to sufficiently ambitious and they need to be revisited when necessary. According to e.g. DESI, the start level varies from one Member State to another and the targets seem to focus on improving the level of the digitally less advanced Member States. It is essential for the overall competitiveness and development of the EU to invest in encouraging the digitally more advanced Member States to set for themselves higher targets with concrete indicators. The annual report compiled and published by the Commission should present a holistic picture of the global competition situation and development. Qualitative data is also needed in addition to quantitative data collection from the Member States. Sitra encourages the Commission to engage actively with stakeholders widely throughout the lifeline of the policy programme (inter alia the preparation of national plans, the implementation process). Sitra has prepared more detailed input on the content of the proposal. Please see attached for the full submission (in Finnish).
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Meeting with Kurt Vandenberghe (Cabinet of President Ursula von der Leyen)

30 Nov 2021 · European Green Deal

Meeting with Valdis Dombrovskis (Executive Vice-President)

30 Nov 2021 · EU and China relations, Stability and Growth pact.

Meeting with Filomena Chirico (Cabinet of Commissioner Thierry Breton), Maurits-Jan Prinz (Cabinet of Commissioner Thierry Breton)

30 Nov 2021 · Digital regulation, in particular on data

Meeting with Filomena Chirico (Cabinet of Commissioner Thierry Breton)

3 Nov 2021 · Fair data economy

Meeting with Filomena Chirico (Cabinet of Commissioner Thierry Breton)

5 Oct 2021 · Fair data economy

Meeting with Annukka Ojala (Cabinet of Commissioner Stella Kyriakides), Ralf Kuhne (Cabinet of Commissioner Stella Kyriakides)

27 Sept 2021 · VTC Meeting - European Health Data Space

Meeting with Miapetra Kumpula-Natri (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur)

11 Mar 2021 · DGA

Meeting with Miapetra Kumpula-Natri (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur)

18 Feb 2021 · Meeting on DGA

Meeting with Jutta Urpilainen (Commissioner)

10 Feb 2020 · Climate policy, Green Deal

Meeting with Alina-Stefania Ujupan (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager), Werner Stengg (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager)

4 Feb 2020 · Fair data economy

Meeting with Margrethe Vestager (Executive Vice-President) and

4 Feb 2020 · Digital policy

Meeting with Daniel Calleja Crespo (Director-General Environment)

22 Mar 2019 · World Circular Economy Forum 2019

Meeting with Ann Mettler (Director-General Inspire, Debate, Engage and Accelerate Action)

13 Jun 2018 · Human-Centred Technology

Meeting with Annika Nowak (Cabinet of Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis)

13 Jun 2018 · eHealth

Meeting with Jyrki Katainen (Vice-President)

12 Mar 2018 · Circular Economy and Artificial Intelligence

Meeting with Marika Lautso-Mousnier (Cabinet of Vice-President Jyrki Katainen)

27 Feb 2018 · Human-driven data economy and links to GDPR, EIDAS, PSD2 (presentation of ongoing work in SITRA)

Meeting with Daniel Calleja Crespo (Director-General Environment)

21 Feb 2018 · World Circular Economy Forum 2018, Circular Economy Mission

Meeting with Antti Timonen (Cabinet of Vice-President Jyrki Katainen), Grzegorz Radziejewski (Cabinet of Vice-President Jyrki Katainen)

21 Feb 2018 · Outreach for the World Circular Economy Forum 2018