Όλι Ρεν: Προειδοποιεί την Φινλανδία για το χρέος

Τεύχος 2o - 2013 Urpilainen calls on labour market organisations to tackle sustainability deficit Minister of Finance, Jutta Urpilainen The Minister of Finance, Jutta Urpilainen (SDP), calls on labour market organisations to address the sustainability deficit in the national economy. The recent dispute over study leaves may, however, hinder the labour market organisations efforts, she recognises. An agreement reached by the government session would naturally alleviate pressure on the government to make its own decisions and, in particular, to introduce adaptation measures, Urpilainen views in an interview with Nykypäivä, an organ of the National Coalition. Regardless, the current sustainability deficit of roughly 3.5 per cent of GDP, requires additional measures, Urpilainen believes. HT-STT Lehtikuva - Sari Gustafsson Όλι Ρεν: Προειδοποιεί την Φινλανδία για το χρέος Ο ευρωπαίος επίτροπος αρμόδιος για οικονομικά θέματα Όλι Ρεν προειδοποίησε την Φινλανδία κατά της αύξησης του δημόσιου χρέους της, το οποίο σύμφωνα με τις προβλέψεις της κυβέρνησής της αναμένεται να φτάσει το 54,9% του ακαθάριστου εγχώριου προϊόντος της το 2013. «Το χρέος της Φινλανδίας πρόκειται να φθάσει σε σχεδόν 55% την επόμενη χρονιά και τα πέντε επόμενα χρόνια, στην διάρκεια της θητείας της επόμενης κυβέρνησης, θα ανέλθει περί το 60%», είπε ο Ρεν στην δημόσια ραδιοφωνία yle. «Στην Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση, αυτό είναι το επίπεδο στο οποίο τίθενται σε εφαρμογή μέτρα για την τιθάσευση ενός υπερβολικού χρέους και των δημοσιονομικών ελλειμμάτων», προειδοποίησε ο Φινλανδός επίτροπος. Το Σύμφωνο Σταθερότητας και Ανάπτυξης της ΕΕ προβλέπει την διατήρηση του χρέους των κρατώνμελών κάτω από το 60% του ΑΕΠ τους. Η Φινλανδία είναι μια από τις λίγες χώρες-μέλη της ευρωζώνης που εκπληρώνει αυτό το κριτήριο, μαζί με την Εσθονία, το Λουξεμβούργο, τη Σλοβακία και την Σλοβενία. Για τον Ρεν, «θα ήταν καλύτερα να αναληφθεί δράση βάσει της αρχής των συνεχιζόμενων προληπτικών μεταρρυθμίσεων και της λήψης έγκαιρων αποφάσεων, παρά (τέτοιες αποφάσεις να ληφθούν) με την πλάτη στον τοίχο». Ο επίτροπος απηύθυνε έκκληση να αποφευχθεί ένα σενάριο βάσει του οποίου η κυβέρνηση θα αναγκαζόταν να προχωρήσει σε περικοπές δαπανών για να συμμορφώνεται προς τα ευρωπαϊκά κριτήρια από την μια και ταυτόχρονα σε μεταρρυθμίσεις για την ενίσχυση της ανταγωνιστικότητας της οικονομίας της. HT-STT Lehtikuva - Sari Gustafsson

Going it alone Are you an immigrant to Finland and considering opening your own business? You aren t the only one. CHANDRASHEKAR Challagonda and Konstantin Kojonen started their company Sampo Software early in 2012. It was the culmination of a long process. Challagonda says he had been thinking about going it alone for some time. After working in the corporate world for fifteen years, I wanted to do something on my own where I can productise technologies, simplify them, create a value for them and make them available to everyone, Challagonda says. The time is right, I am at the right place, and I will get the right support. So it s a sweet spot to become an entrepreneur. I made a decision and took a package from Nokia during August and have been a full-time entrepreneur since then. Starting up Nokia has laid off tens of thousands of employees over the past several years, and many of Finland s new entrepreneurs come from Nokia s ranks. The popular Nokia Bridge program, where each entrepreneur can get up to 25,000 euros in funding, has helped several hundred new companies get started. We got very good support from Nokia to establish the company, says Challagonda. I am thankful for Nokia giving initial support and funding. There are a host of organisations that aim to help new entrepreneurs in Finland. The state offers many, such as the ELY Centres for general help and Finnvera for export-oriented companies. Universities have programs, like Aalto s Entrepreneurship Society. Others help with funding, such as Tekes. After we set up the company we were accepted in an incubation centre in Tampere called Protomo at New Factory, Challagonda explains. Protomo has helped us to receive legal guidance and other expert services which have really been essential for our survival. Also ELY Keskus and Tekes have supported us as we made a business plan. Generalist v. Specialist I feel for the first time in my life that my skills are fully utilised and I feel more energetic and happy, Challagonda continues. At the same time it has been an excellent and unique learning experience. So the good thing is that I am learning a lot of new things, I am in control of things, and I am also accountable. Challagonda says that some days are predictable and some days are not. But one thing is always in his mind: money. He spends a large amount of time talking to potential business angels, customers and investors. It was important to learn that I need to do everything by myself. In the corporate world I only did my job and there were always other teams to do the next steps. Here I need to do everything from beginning to end. For example, I filed for a trademark in the USA and I needed to read all the required documentation even though I was involved in creating them in the past. I felt as if I became an attorney for a while! Φινλανδία: Ύφεση 0,1% το 2012 Όπως μεταδίδει το Reuters, το φινλανδικό ΑΕΠ θα συρρικνωθεί κατά 0,1% το 2012, προτού επιστρέψει σε ρυθμούς ανάπτυξης 0,5% και 1,7% το 2013 και το 2014 αντίστοιχα. Η φινλανδική κυβέρνηση προέβλεπε προηγουμένως ότι το ΑΕΠ της χώρας θα αυξηθεί κατά 1% το 2012 και 2013 και κατά 2% το 2014. "Η αποδυναμωμένη ανάπτυξη αντανακλάται άμεσα στα δημόσια οικονομικά" σημείωσε σε ανακοίνωση του το φινλανδικό υπουργείο. "Η αύξηση του δημόσιου χρέους δεν θα σταματήσει στην προβλεπόμενη περίοδο" πρόσθεσε. Το έλλειμμα θα συρρικνωθεί στο 1,5% του ΑΕΠ το 2013 από 1,6% το 2012, ενώ το χρέος θα ανέλθει στο 56% του ΑΕΠ από 53,3%, σημείωσε το υπουργείο. Σημειώνεται ότι, ο ευρωπαίος επίτροπος αρμόδιος για οικονομικά θέματα Όλι Ρεν προειδοποίησε την Φινλανδία κατά της αύξησης του δημόσιου χρέους της. "Το χρέος της Φινλανδίας πρόκειται να φθάσει σε σχεδόν 55% την επόμενη χρονιά και (...) τα πέντε επόμενα χρόνια, στην διάρκεια της θητείας της επόμενης κυβέρνησης, θα ανέλθει περί το 60%", είπε ο Ρεν στην δημόσια ραδιοφωνία yle.

Apple s record-high interim result fails to meet expectations Apple failed to meet the sky-high expectations of investors despite posting record-high interim profits of 13.1 billion and a revenue of 54.5 billion USD in the last quarter of 2012. A total of 47.8 million iphones and 22.9 million ipads were sold between October and December. Yet, the publication of the interim report saw the company s share plummet by ten per cent, wiping out 50 billion USD of Apple s market value. While the gadget maker voiced its delight with the results, analysts believe Apple may be losing its firm grip on the electronics market. You can t just keep rolling out iphones and ipads and think that everybody needs a new one, says Jeffrey Gundlach, the CEO at the investment management firm, DoubleLine Capital. HT-STT Finland country profile Around two-thirds of Finland is covered in forest and about a tenth by water. In the far north, the sun does not set for around 10 weeks during the 'White Nights' of summer, while in winter it does not rise above the horizon for nearly eight weeks. Hundreds of years of Swedish rule were followed by a further century of Russian control before independence in 1917, and the country displays distinctive elements of the Scandinavian and Russian legacy. Independence failed to stem the demands of Finland's giant Soviet neighbour, and World War II saw fierce fighting along Finland's eastern border. Finnish troops mounted a vigorous response to Soviet forces and stalled their advance, but the country was eventually forced to cede 10% of its territory and pay extensive war reparations to Moscow. Throughout the Cold War Finland's neutrality depended on a de-facto Soviet veto on its foreign and defence policy, a status dubbed "Finlandisation". The collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s allowed Finland to step out of the Cold War shadow. It applied for membership of the EU soon after its friendship treaty with the Soviet Union became void in 1991, becoming a full member in 1995. Finland is the only Nordic EU member to use the euro as the national currency. The country spends heavily on education, training and research - investment which pays dividends by delivering one of the bestqualified workforces in the world.this has been a key factor in the development of a modern, competitive economy in which an advanced telecommunications sector has been added to the traditional timber and metals industries. Helsinki Cathedral, a landmark in the capital

Full name: Republic of Finland Population: 5.3 million (UN, 2010) Capital: Helsinki Area: 338,145 sq km (130,559 sq miles) Major languages: Finnish, Swedish Major religion: Christianity Life expectancy: 77 years (men), 83 years (women) (UN) Monetary unit: 1 euro = 100 cents Main exports: Machinery and electronics, paper and paper products, chemicals GNI per capita: US $47,720 (World Bank, 2010) Internet domain:.fi President: Sauli Niinisto Sauli Niinisto won the presidential election of February 2012 to become the country's first conservative head of state in five decades. He is the first president from the conservative National Coalition Party since 1956, and the first in 30 years from a party other than the Social Democrats. The victory of the pro-europe politician suggested to observers that voters wanted to keep the country in the eurozone despite misgivings over European Union bailouts. Sauli Niinisto Mr Niinisto is credited with leading Finland's economy towards growth following the collapse of the Soviet Union, during his tenure as finance minister from 1996 to 2001. Finland's president has a largely ceremonial role with fewer powers now than in previous decades, and is not directly involved in daily politics. However, the head of state is seen as an important shaper of public opinion, takes the lead on non-eu matters of foreign policy and plays a role as a "brand ambassador" of Finland overseas. Mr Niinisto succeeded President Tarja Halonen, who was elected as the country's first female president in 2000 and re-elected in 2006. Prime minister: Jyrki Katainen Mr Katainen's conservative National Coalition Party emerged as the largest single group in parliament in the April 2011 elections. He formed a grand coalition in June with six other parties from the left and centre, including the Social Democrats. The new opposition is the populist True Finns party, which refused to join the government in protest at its support for a bailout for Portugal during the debt crisis. Katainen previously served as deputy prime minister and finance minister Born in 1971, Mr Katainen worked as a teacher before being elected a councillor in 1993. He entered parliament in 1999 and became party leader in 2004. He served as deputy prime minister and finance minister in the previous two Centre-Party-led coalition governments between 2007 and 2011. BBC News

Finnish data eraser Blancco amongst receivers of President s The Finnish data eraser Blancco, entertainment company Rovio and fashion group L-Fashion have won the2012 Internationalisation Awards of the President of the Republic of Finland. The awards were being granted for the 45th time. The Internationalization Award of the President of the Republic is a tribute to the global risktaking and success of Finnish entrepreneurs. The aim is for the award-winners to set an example that encourages other Finnish companies to internationalise, says Finpro's President and CEO Kari Häyrinen. According to Häyrinen, nine out of ten workplaces in Finland have been created in small and medium-sized companies in recent years. Rovio is the first Finnish company to succeed in building a global entertainment brand known of its Angry Birds games and merchandise. L-Fashion Group, is Finland s largest international fashion industry company. Blancco is a global market leader in data erasure, and its software can be used to safely erase saved data from all IT assets, such as computers, smart phones and servers. Its customer base includes the European Commission, European Parliament, NATO, SAP, Al-Jazeera television network and many of the world's largest financial institutions. We got the business idea when we read that a Finnish hospital had accidentally sold a used computer that contained patient data for about 3,000 people. This inspired the idea of a professional data erasure product for hard disks, says Blancco's CEO Kim Väisänen. Good News from Tue, 05 February, 2013 The financial news providerbloomberg has ranked Finland to the fourth place in its innovation rankings. The Bloomberg Rankings examined more than 200 countries and sovereign regions to determine how innovative they were, and based on the examinations it has published its list of top 50 countries. The number one country by innovation was USA, second South Korea and third Germany. Bloomberg measured innovation by seven factors, including research and development intensity, productivity, high-tech density, researcher concentration, manufacturing capability, education levels and patent activity. Each country was ranked on a scale of 0 to 100 percent. In these rankings Finland was place as a number one country based on researcher concentration and second by its research and intensity. It was third when measured by tertiary efficiency, 11th on high-tech density and 14th on productivity. Research and development intensity was based on R&D as a percentage of gross national product ( GDP ), productivity on GDP per employee and per hour worked, and high-tech density is based on the percentage of publicly-listed companies who specialize in areas including aerospace, defense, biotechnology, Internet software and renewable energy firms. LEHTIKUVA/ VELI-MATTI PARKKINENFinland was ranked as a number one country when measured by researcher concentration and second by its research and intensity. Good News from Thu, 07 February, 2013 Finland ranked as one of the most innovative countries in the world

10 Bizaniou str. - GR 15237 Filothei Tel. 210 9657142 mob. 6944 948 110 www.goldevents.gr info@goldevents.gr Η εταιρία διοργάνωσης εκθέσεων, συνεδρίων και company events Gold Events προσφέρει στα μέλη του Ελληνο-Φινλανδικού Επιμελητηρίου έκπτωση 15% στις υπηρεσίες που παρέχει. Για περισσότερες πληροφορίες μπορείτε να επισκεφτείτε την ιστοσελίδα μας (www.goldevents.gr) ή να επικοινωνήσετε απ ευθείας με τη Γεν. Διευθύντρια της εταιρίας κα Κρίστυ Δημούδη στο τηλέφωνο : 210-9657142 ή και στο e-mail: info@goldevents.gr Όποιες επιχειρήσεις επιθυμούν να προσφέρουν τα προϊόντα τους στα μέλη του Επιμελητηρίου με έκπτωση, μπορούν να μας στείλουν το υλικό τους να το δημοσιεύσουμε στο δελτίο του Επιμελητηρίου. Επίσης υπάρχει δυνατότητα να διαφημιστούν στο site του Επιμελητηρίου πολύ οικονομικά. Και για τα δύο (Δελτίο & Site) θα ενημερώνονται σε μόνιμη βάση Φινλανδικά Επιμελητήρια, Υπηρεσίες, η Ελληνική Πρεσβεία στη Φινλανδία και Φινλανδικές Επιχειρήσεις. Στείλτε μας νέα της επιχείρησης σας, νέα προϊόντα, νέες δραστηριότητες κ.λ.π. να τα δημοσιεύσουμε. Παράκληση, μην αμελείτε να πληρώνετε τις συνδρομές του Επιμελητηρίου, είναι τα μόνα έσοδα που έχουμε.

Online σύμβουλος περιβαλλοντικής νομοθεσίας Η εφαρμογή της περιβαλλοντικής νομοθεσίας στην Ελλάδα αποτελεί ένα εξαιρετικά δυσχερές εγχείρημα, καθώς: -η περιβαλλοντική νομοθεσία είναι κατακερματισμένη σε μεγάλο πλήθος διατάξεων, αλληλοεμπλεκόμενων και μη κωδικοποιημένων σε ενιαία κείμενα. Αρκετές διατάξεις δεν έχουν ρητή ισχύ ή κατάργηση, με αποτέλεσμα οι ενδιαφερόμενοι να μη γνωρίζουν ποια είναι τελικά η ισχύουσα νομοθεσία -Η ταχύτητα αλλαγής της περιβαλλοντικής νομοθεσίας είναι πλέον αστραπιαία και σχεδόν αδύνατη η παρακολούθηση της σε όλο το εύρος -Τα νομοθετικά κείμενα όπως οι εγκύκλιοι ή τα ενημερωτικά έγγραφα με αφορμή ερωτήματα υπηρεσιών, δεν δημοσιεύονται σε ΦΕΚ, με αποτέλεσμα να είναι δύσκολη η ανεύρεση τους από τους πολίτες -Η νομοθεσία για τις μελέτες περιβαλλοντικών επιπτώσεων είναι συνήθως γενικής φύσεως και δεν δίνει συγκεκριμένες απαντήσεις σε εξειδικευμένα θέματα που αντιμετωπίζουν οι μελετητές. Σήμερα μια νέα on line υπηρεσία από την Α.Ζ. SUSTAINABLE MEDIA SERVICES LTD, κωδικοποιεί όλη αυτή τη νομοθεσία και έρχεται να εξυπηρετήσει όλους όσους δραστηριοποιούνται σε πεδία που άπτονται της περιβαλλοντικής νομοθεσίας. Πληκτρολογώντας το www.water-waste.com/index.php/gr/law, σας δίνετε η δυνατότητα να εγγραφείτε στη συνδρομητική υπηρεσία και να έχετε τη δυνατότητα για : Καθημερινή ενημέρωση με τη νέα νομοθεσία. Απευθείας πρόσβαση σε κάθε κατηγορία νομοθεσίας. Κατηγοριοποίηση με βάση την περιβαλλοντική αδειοδότηση του κάθε έργου. Πρόσβαση στο σύνολο των εγκυκλίων και των επιμέρους αποφάσεων για περιβαλλοντικά θέματα. Πρόσβαση σε κωδικοποιημένα - ενοποιημένα νομοθετικά κείμενα. Εξειδικευμένες υπηρεσίες ad-hoc σε συγκεκριμένα ερωτήματα επί της περιβαλλοντικήςνομοθεσίας

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 media coverage of Finland and international politics. 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 : 1rst 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