Trump threatens, but the fierce tariffs are removed elsewhere: Completely new opportunities are now opening up for Finnish companies

Donald Trump’s the customs game worries Finnish export companies again, but there is also optimism in the business field.

In a survey published by the Central Chamber of Commerce in December, 66 percent of the responding export companies believed in export growth in 2026.

“The uncertainty created by Trump is, as it were, the new normal. It has already been discounted in a way to these companies’ prospects that anything can come from there. That is, the companies see that there will be growth. For example, Germany has been in the lowlands for a long time, and now the industry there is starting to move,” commented the CEO of the Central Chamber of Commerce Juho Romakkaniemi Financial morning live on Tuesday.

Trump’s Greenland deal and the threat of a new trade war certainly dim the prospects of the US market, he estimates. But while Trump is raising customs walls, free trade has become interesting in a new way in other parts of the world.

After more than 25 years of negotiations, the European Union and the Mercosur countries, i.e. Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, reached an agreement of the free trade agreement.

Trade agreements between Indonesia, Mexico and India, which have been stalled for a long time, have also progressed.

Not many Finnish exports have gone to Mercosur countries. What does the trade agreement mean for Finnish companies?

Romakkaniemi reminded that there have been quite significant tariffs of 20–30 percent in the region, for example, on products from the chemical industry and the technology industry. These are now completely removed.

“Yes, it opens up opportunities in the market and improves the competitiveness of our products. I would imagine that the share of exports to Mercosur countries will be much higher in the future.”

The Prime Minister of Canada recently visited China to talk about deepening cooperation. Only a couple of years ago, China and Canada were still in a fierce trade dispute.

“This is how the reliability of partners is always evaluated in relation to others,” Romakkaniemi stated.

Should Europe also reassess its relationship with China?

“Without a doubt. We want a transatlantic partnership with the USA, but Trump wants a transactional partnership. You also get it reciprocally from Europe, that cooperation is no longer based so much on values, but more on the basis of interests.”

“It means that we evaluate our operating environment in Europe more independently. We are no longer a silent partner of the USA in China policy.”

Watch the interview and the Talousamau broadcast in full from here.