Congressal Staffers Visit Finland Annually

The Embassy of Finland works to build relations between people in the United States and Finland. One important medium for this work is the Finnish American Congressional Staffer Travel and Exchange Program, FACSTEP. It is a long-term, bipartisan exchange program that is intended for the staff of Members of the U.S. Congress from the House and Senate. The program provides opportunities for staff to travel to Finland on fact-finding missions on an annual basis. So far the program has been arranged five times.


The Foreign Ministry of Finland crafts detailed programs in co-operation with other Finnish ministries, such as the Ministries of Education, Defense, Finance, and Social Affairs and Health. Representatives of the Finnish government brief participants on current issues in foreign affairs, politics, economy, education, health, and defense.

Rhoda Margeson
Rhoda Margesson

The programs include also visits to the Parliament of Finland, Finnish companies, think thanks, media outlets, cultural institutions, army bases, historical sites and national landmarks. After the visits the participants have a better knowledge of Finnish culture, history, politics, and nature.


FACSTEP get-together

On September 18, the former FACSTEP participants gathered at the residence of Ambassador Ritva Koukku-Ronde to meet one another and share memories from their trips to Finland.

We asked two former participants, Rhoda Margesson, a Specialist in International Humanitarian Policy  at the Congressional Research Service, and John Billings, Chief of Staff of Congressman Dan Benishek, what they liked the most about their FACSTEP visit. Both agreed that the trips they attended were successful and well-organized.

"The most memorable experiences for me were the visit to the Nuclear Plant near Pori, and the education day, which included a visit to a Finnish school. Also, the trip offered incredible access through meetings at the most senior levels of government," said Margesson.

For Billings the most memorable experience was a day with the Finnish Navy.

John Billings
John Billings


"We learned about the history of Finland, for example about the battles and how Finland protected itself during wars."


The trips had also an influence for both participants' life back in the United States.  Margesson highlights the relationships she created during the trip, both with the Finnish Embassy and with the other participants. For Billings the trip gave a greater awareness over European politics, and personally he misses the Finnish food.

"It was phenomenal! We got to taste traditional food like reindeer and salmon daily."

Since the FACSTEP program has been such a success, the embassy looks forward to arranging many future trips to come.