Ιούνιος 2014 A message from the Prime Minister We live in turbulent times. The stability of the world economy has been severely tested, and we in Europe have experienced our own difficulties as well. Climate change, in particular, remains a continuing concern and the ageing population is a common challenge for many European countries. While a lot has been done, a lot still needs to be done. Particularly in terms of building stronger economic and social structures for the future and developing the technologies needed to underpin and drive them. The main issue is to stay competitive in a rapidly changing global economy. Competitiveness can be measured in many different ways, but ultimately what counts is that the technologies, products, and services we offer meet people s expectations across a wide range of criteria and markets. There has never been more choice in the marketplace than there is today in terms of cost, speed of delivery, reliability, durability, or service availability, to name just a few of the factors involved. Responding effectively to this competitive challenge obviously involves building on existing strengths and getting as much out of them as possible. Given the speed with which technological development is progressing today, however, going beyond what you already excel at and developing or consolidating new areas of excellence is even more critical. Focusing resources where they can have the most impact, and encouraging people to innovate and succeed, are very much part of this, as is being as flexible and agile as you can. Finland has built up an excellent track record in a variety of fields, many of which are covered here in HighTech Finland 2013. We have a lot to offer, I believe, and the range of technology available today and under development is growing all the time. I hope that the enthusiasm of the companies and organisations profiled here, which are responsible for many of these achievements, will inspire you as much as it does me. Jyrki Katainen Prime Minister of the Republic of Finland (Published in HighTech Finland 2013)
Embassy of Finland, Athens Ambassador Pekka Lintu As an element of the Foreign Service, the network Finnish Diplomatic Missions plays a central role in the development of a safe and predictable tomorrow for every Finnish citizen. Finnish Diplomatic Missions, established in various parts of the world, provide a wide range of services for Finns and the Finnish society. A total of 189 countries are member states of the UN. Finland has concluded diplomatic relations with 170 countries and set up an Embassy in 76 countries. In addition, Finland has 7 Permanent Representations to international organizations, such as the EU, the UN, the OSCE and the OECD. Seven Consulates are headed by a Consul General. The fields of responsibility of non-resident Ambassadors and of the four Roving Ambassadors appointed to work in Helsinki cover 61 other countries. The operation of Diplomatic Missions abroad is governed by public international law, established in the Vienna Conventions on Diplomatic and Consular Relations. The main duties of the Embassy of Finland in Greece are: - to entertain bilateral political and commercial-economical relationships to Greece - to follow Greek standpoints on EU matters and to report them to Finland - to promote Finland in Greece, also different kind of information and cultural duties - to look after the rights of Finnish companies and industry - consul affairs The work in the field of politics and commercialism traditionalle forms the basis of the Embassy s work. It involves negotiating, analysing and reporting on political and ecoomic develpoments in Greece, building up a network of contacts, taking care of the practical arrangements for state and ministerial visits etc. The consular services protects the interests of Finnish nationals in Greece. The services include providing passports and notary services, visas for foreigners travelling to Finland, and assistance to Finnish citizens in distress. In addition to the Embassy of Finlad in Athens, Finland has Honorary Consuls based in 7 other cities in Greece. The Embassy also briefs journalists based in Greece and promotes Finnish image and monitors Greece 19, Syngrou Ave, 117 43 Athens Greece Tel. : +30 210 92 44 368 - Fax : +30 210 92 10 392 e-mail : info@fhcc.gr - www.fhcc.gr Branch in Thessaloniki : 1st Km Thessalonikis Kalochoriou, 570 09 - +30 2310 511 191 e-mail : marko@fhcc.gr Branch in Finland : Veistamonaukio 1-3 (WTC-Builting 20100 Turku, Tel. +358 (0) 50 3635 109 e-mail : pirjo@fhcc.gr
China, Greece sign agreements worth Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is paying an official visit to Greece after spending four days in London. Li met Thursday with Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras in Athens, with both sides agreeing to advance bilateral ties and cooperation. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Greek Prime Minister Antonis witness a signing ceremony in Athens. (Xinhua) After the meeting, China and Greece signed 19 cooperation agreements worth some US$4.8 billion. The largest deal was between China Development Bank and the Greek shipping company Costamare and was valued at US$1.5 billion. Meanwhile, maritime cooperation between China and Greece has been an important topic as well during Li s visit. The premier called for more investment in the Piraeus Container Terminal project at Greece's largest port, which is jointly run by Chinese shipping giant COSCO and the Greek port authority. CCTV.com
Looking for a great investment? We can help you to find and identify the best investment opportunities. There are hundreds of cleantech companies in Finland looking for international partners. But the question of course is: what is in it for you? Well, to begin with, Finland is among the leading nations in: Energy efficiency Clean industrial processes Biomass Combined heat and power (CHP) Wind energy Water solutions Up to 59 % of Finnish cleantech companies work with energy efficiency solutions, and these account for more than a third of the total industry turnover. In Finland, wood-derived fuels cover already 20 % of the primary energy consumption, and tighter building regulations together with changing attitudes and policies open up an untapped market in energy efficiency and green construction. Almost half of the companies also have operations in renewable energy production, transfer or distribution. For investors seeking new markets, Finland offers opportunities that cannot be found anywhere else. Political stability, geographic location, decades of dedicated work for sustainability, and highly qualified and educated workforce are the perfect reasons to invest in Finland. Invest in Finland Top cleantech companies and experts Cleantech Finland is a network of top cleantech companies and experts. We bring the world s best cleantech solutions and expertise to companies and public-sector organizations that have environmental or energy-efficiency problems that need solving. We also connect potential investors and partners with the best cleantech experts in the market. Natural capital of cleantech Finland has become a hotbed for environmental technology partly because of our harsh climate and lack of fossil fuel resources. It has simply made sense for both industry and society to minimize energy consumption. Relative to the population, Finland is the world s leading researcher in the energy and environment field. More than 40 per cent of the Finnish public R&D funding goes to the energy and environment sector, and more than a third of public R&D investments are made in cleantech. Our long traditions in forestry and ICT also provide a wealth of opportunities.
International investments in Finland are growing 213 new foreign-owned companies invested in Finland last year. Foreign direct investments in Finland started to increase in 2013. There were 213 new investments made in Finland last year, compared to 153 during the previous year, according to statistics compiled by Invest in Finland. The major source countries for investments in Finland were Sweden, Britain and the United States. The most investments were made in the consumer retail sector, business services, the health care and wellbeing sector, and the ICT sector. According to preliminary data from UNCTAD, foreign direct investments reached a total of about USD 1460 billion globally, which was 11% more than the year before (2012: USD 1317 billion). Investments into developing countries continued to grow, contributing 52% of the total investment flows. However, investment flows into the developed countries remained at a historically low level for the second consecutive year, contributing 39% of the total. Nevertheless, foreign investments in the EU countries increased, while investment flows to the United States continued to decrease. Finland has gained its share of the growth in foreign direct investments. Despite the challenging global economic and competitive situation, there are always companies looking for new business opportunities. The task of Invest in Finland, and Team Finland as a whole, is to recognise these opportunities in Finland and to communicate about them to internationalizing companies around the world, says Ville Aittomäki, Executive Vice President at Invest in Finland. Read Invest in Finland's press release here. New wind farm set to be one of Finland s largest Finland is on course to increase its use of wind power next year when one of the country s largest wind farms comes online. The new farm in Vähäkyrö, Vaasa boasts 16 wind turbines and an overall nominal power of 52.8 megawatts. Its annual electricity output will correspond to the electricity consumption of nearly 10,000 homes heated with electricity. The investment amounts to about 100 million euros. EPV Tuulivoima, a subsidiary entirely owned by EPV Energia, is in charge of the construction of the wind farm. Electricity production is planned to begin next summer. Wind power production in 2013 was about 777G Wh which was 0.9 per cent of Finnish electricity consumption. EU statistics currenly show 34.3 per cent of Finnish energy usage currently comes from renewable sources. Source: Good News from Finland
Finland could be Europe s leader in robotics by 2025 Finnish machine and metal products industry has the prerequisites for international success, according to the Federation of Finnish Technology Industries. Finland could be the leading country in Europe in the use of robotics in ten years time, according to the Federation of Finnish Technology Industries. The prediction is based on a vision for the Finnish machine and metal products industry for the year 2025, commissioned by the federation from ETLA, the Research Institute of the Finnish Economy. According to vision, the Finnish machine and metal products industry will be an even more tightly networked part of Europe s world-leading machine industry cluster and has all the prerequisites to be flourishing in 2025. One of the goals set for the industry is to increase Finland s share of intermediate goods imports to Germany s machine industry from the current level of 0.8% to 2% by 2025. Meeting increasing demand Ilkka Niemelä, Director of the Federation of Finnish Technology Industries, believes that the Finnish machine and metal products industry should invest more in research and development. In order to be successful, the investment in R&D in 2025 should be an average of 3.5% of turnover, whereas it is now 2.2%, he says. According to ETLA Project Director Timo Nikinmaa, who compiled the vision, Europe s machine and metal products industry is in a strong position. Its products will be needed globally in more and more sectors due to population growth and the increasing living standards of the developing countries, says Nikinmaa. The machine and metal products industry currently employs 127,00 people in Finland. Source: Federation of Finnish Technology Industries
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