Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Mykkänen to OECD Ministerial meeting on challenges of globalisation in Paris
Press release 106/2017
5 June 2017
The OECD Ministerial Council Meeting (MCM) will be held in Paris on 7–8 June 2017. Finland's representative at the meeting will be Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Kai Mykkänen. The meeting will be chaired by Denmark.
The main themes of the meeting will be globalisation and its challenges. The purpose is to explore policies which would ensure that people, firms, regions and cities will thrive in a rapidly changing, open and digitalised environment. Minister Mykkänen will also participate in a session which will focus on ways to create conditions for trade and investment policies that would best promote an open and fair global economy.
“The OECD is a defender of the benefits of an open global economy. In light of the current economic state of the world, the OECD finds it increasingly important that all impacts of globalisation are examined and that means are sought for a more balanced distribution of its benefits,” Minister Mykkänen states.
The OECD will also publish its annual Economic Outlook, which assesses the prospects of world economies.
The MCM will be preceded by the OECD Forum 2017 held on 6–7 June. It will bring together business life, civil society, research community and media representatives from different parts of the world. The Forum will focus on the impacts of globalisation, different divides and trust. Minister Mykkänen will attend a panel discussion on responsible business conduct.
A Multilateral Convention to Implement Tax Treaty Related Measures to Prevent Base Erosion and Profit Shifting will be signed in connection with the meeting. The Convention is a part of the OECD/G20 Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project, which aims to standardise international taxation and reduce aggressive tax planning strategies and tax evasion. According to Mykkänen, the Convention is a significant milestone, which shows that efforts to bring international tax evasion under control have become an objective that unites a large number of governments.
More information about the Ministerial Council Meeting at http://www.oecd.org/ and on Twitter (#OECDweek). The OECD Forum 2017 can be followed live as webcasts at http://www.oecd.org/forum/ and on Twitter (#OECDForum).
Inquiries: Marja Koskela, Diplomatic Adviser to Minister Mykkänen, tel. +358 40 352 0463 and Johanna Ala-Nikkola, Commercial Counsellor, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 295 351 122.
More information about the Convention: Antero Toivainen, Senior Government Adviser, Ministry of Finance, tel. +358 295 530 098 and Minna Ojala, Ministerial Adviser, Ministry of Finance, tel. +358 295 530 291.
The Foreign Ministry’s email addresses are of the format [email protected] and the Ministry of Finance’s email addresses are of the format [email protected].