Stageblog - Yannick Schimmel - January/February 2025

Moi! Mina olen Yannick, and in this blog I will take you along in my 6-month internship at the Embassy of the Netherlands in Helsinki. With this blog, I hope to provide some further insights into the work the Embassy does, as well as into the daily life in the Finnish capital. I study Cybersecurity Governance at the University of Leiden, and have a background in International Relations and European Studies. This blogpost is the fifth, and the last one, and it is about the months of January and February.

SecD-Days

In January, I attended the Sec-D Days, Finland’s largest security and defence conference. The conference was opened by the Finnish minister of defence, and included several panel discussions about the Finnish comprehensive security model, its renowned icebreaker technology, and the future of the defence industry in Europe. In between, there was plenty of time to walk around and explore everything that was on display in the exhibition hall: armored vehicles, drones, laser technology and much more.

The Netherlands was present with a company delegation and was even the only country with a country pavilion in the hall. It was interesting to talk to several companies involved in this industry and hear their experiences. In the evening, we welcomed them at the Dutch residence for a reception, for which I wrote the opening speech.

Other events, interviews, and consular affairs 

I was lucky to still visit the residence for two more events during my final weeks. First, we hosted a large group of alumni from Maastricht University. It was a nice opportunity to hear about the experiences of Finns in the Netherlands, as well as from Dutch alumni who are currently living in Finland. The week after, we hosted a group of pupils in their last year of primary school, who were keen to learn about what concepts like an embassy and international cooperation mean. A short Kahoot-quiz at the end hopefully gave them some insights into the basics of the Netherlands 😊. 

For my research on the Finnish preparedness-model, I was able to do some more interviews. I spoke to the Security Committee, the Secretary General of the Finnish Red Cross, the organization in charge of organizing voluntary defence courses (which are extremely popular), and the agency that plays a key role in the successful Finnish media literacy strategy. With all the information collected, I created a stakeholder map with the key actors, best practices, and main documents that together make up the so often praised Finnish preparedness system. During my last days, I presented the results to the team of the embassy. 

Two final things I still wanted (and got) to do were to attend a briefing in preparation of the Foreign Affairs Council and to learn more about the consular affairs at the embassy. Spending a day at the consular desk taught me a lot about this important part of the embassy’s function.

Ticking off the last highlights  

Time does fly, and so I had to make sure to still see some of Helsinki’s main highlights before leaving the city. Attending an ice hockey match was certainly one of them. It is very easy to notice the importance this sport has in Finnish culture, and during matchdays you can see supporters everywhere throughout the city. As a bonus, the Helsinki team won the game :-). I also visited some more museums. 
With a friend coming over from the Netherlands for a weekend, this was also a nice way to visit all the highlights for a last time. Playing ‘tour guide’, I realized how much Helsinki has come to feel like home over the past months, and how much I have come to appreciate the city. While it may not necessarily be among Europe’s top destinations for a city trip, the city in fact does have a lot to offer and I certainly recommend visiting! 

It's a wrap! 

Six months have flown by, and I will certainly miss the city and the work at the embassy. I have learned a lot about how diplomacy, trade promotion and event organization work, and also gained a deep understanding of Finland as a country: its history, culture and functioning. At the same time, I in fact learned a great deal about the Netherlands as well, and I was struck by how strongly represented the Dutch were at so many conferences and events. 

Before flying back home, I am very excited to first spend a week in Finnish Lapland and experience this magical part of the country. To illustrate how big Finland actually is: the bus ride will be the same distance as driving from Amsterdam to Vienna. However, I am sure it will be worth it, and it will be a great way to finish my stay.

 As a final note: if you are looking for an internship experience in the second half of 2025, look no further! I fully recommend applying to the embassy in Helsinki, and you may just find yourself enjoying snowy landscapes, cinnamon buns and ice skating matches next year. Feel free to reach out with any questions via LinkedIn!