Finnish Prime Minister Alexander Stubb turned down a pair of gift skis when he visited the town of Heinola on Monday.
The PM is renowned for being a keen skier but politely refused the monogrammed locally-made skis from a generous local business in the south-central town during his visit earlier in the week.
The skis, from the town’s Peltonen factory, even had his named emblazoned on them, but he explained that he was forced to turn down the offering as it was forbidden for state officials to accept gifts worth in excess of 300 euros, before joking that “unfortunately” he’d have to stick to his old pair of Peltonens.
During his trip, Stubb had a look at some youth entrepreneur projects, visited a business centre and popped into a local bakery. He later told reporters that he’d enjoyed the day, before pointing out that he had to cut his previous visit to the town short as the Russian and Ukraine sanctions had hit a critical point.
The PM said that the trip had given him energy because the country was in a “transitional phase” with lots of hidden potential and entrepreneurship. He noted that the past six years had been “thin” so people have been forced to adapt, but that companies already in place were growing while new businesses were popping up in industries such as wood, gaming and health among others.