Barroso at seminar: Finland serves as example to whole EU

Aho warns of weakening competitiveness of EU

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European Commission President José Manuel Barroso sees Finland as an example for all member states of the European Union.
      "Above all, Finland is a good example of how a remote country can have a great role in the centre of European politics", Barroso said at a seminar held on Friday at the University of Helsinki marking ten years of Finnish EU membership.
     
Barroso noted that Finland had a key role in the EU’s talks over a new constitution. He especially praised the input of Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen (Centre).
      At a press conference held after the seminar, Barroso saw Finland as a "measuring stick" for other countries because its competitiveness is based primarily on knowledge and education - areas which the EU wants to promote in Europe.
      Barroso also defended a disputed draft directive aimed at establishing common rules for services.
      "We have one internal market for goods, but 25 markets for services", he said.
      There have been fears of possible negative consequences of opening up competition in areas covered by municipal services. Barroso noted that health services, and certain other public services have been dropped from the draft directive.
      He observed that improving competitiveness is the aim of the changes that the EU is making to its so-called Lisbon strategy. For it to work, Barroso emphasised that the member states have to commit themselves.
     
Competitiveness was the focus of an address by  Esko Aho, President of the Finnish National Fund for Research and Development (SITRA).
      Aho, who served as Prime Minister when Finland joined the EU, said that the competitiveness of the EU is weakening badly. As he sees it, the United States is already ahead in economic and technical competitiveness, and China is ahead in production.
      Aho said that the focus of the global economy is moving toward the Pacific region.
     
Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen also sees a need to improve the economic competitiveness of the EU.
      Already on Thursday, Vanhanen discussed a number of issues with Barroso, including future EU financing and regional subsidies.
      As Vanhanen sees it, the EU is problematic from the point of view of national regional policy. He says that the regional development programmes of the EU and their administration involve such complicated issues that they cannot be utilised as well as they should.
      "In the next financial period the EU will reduce its regional policy input in the old member states, which will mean a significant decrease in aid for many of Finland’s regions."
     
Vanhanen called for more flexibility on issues of national regional policy. Barroso agreed that the EU cannot limit its assistance to the new, and poor member states, while forgetting the poor regions of the old EU members.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Barroso on two-day visit to Finland (4.3.2005)

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