Seminar on cross-border cooperation called for joint advocacy work by the Nordic countries in the EU
Speaking at the seminar “Cross-border barriers as barriers for economic growth” organized by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Central Chamber of Commerce on 18 February 2015, Minister for European Affairs and Foreign Trade Lenita Toivakka, the minister responsible for Nordic cooperation, called for joint advocacy work by the Nordic countries in the EU so that EU legislation would not cause unnecessary barriers to the possibilities for enterprises to operate between the Nordic countries.
Speaking at the seminar “Cross-border barriers as barriers for economic growth” organized by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Central Chamber of Commerce on 18 February 2015, Minister for European Affairs and Foreign Trade Lenita Toivakka, the minister responsible for Nordic cooperation, called for joint advocacy work by the Nordic countries in the EU so that EU legislation would not cause unnecessary barriers to the possibilities for enterprises to operate between the Nordic countries.
“When speaking about Nordic cross-border barriers, we are speaking about the same thing for which we seek a solution both in Finland and in Europe: better regulation and seeing that legislation does not unnecessarily hinder the mobility of people and enterprises between different countries,” Toivakka said.
Work to remove cross-border barriers has long been on the agenda of cooperation between Nordic Governments, and it will be one of the priorities of Finland’s Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2016.
“The removal of cross-border barriers is one way in which Finland can strive to invest specifically in economic growth in our Northern regions,” Toivakka stressed.
“The seminar showed that Finland and the other Nordic countries have services that, for their part, gather information and provide advice on cross-border barriers. In Finland, the North Calotte cross-border advice service Pohjoiskalotin rajaneuvonta and the Nordic advice service Haloo Pohjola do excellent work. Our challenge is to make this existing information available to enterprises. It is also pivotal that all ministers in the next Government are committed to reducing cross-border barriers in their own sector,” Toivakka emphasized.
Additional information: Kari Kahiluoto, Chief of the Secreteriat for Nordic Co-operation, tel. +358 295 351 556; Miika Tomi, Press Attaché to the Minister for European Affairs and Foreign Trade, mobile tel. +358 50 574 0507