Kauppapolitiikka magazine: The growing power of the stronger

The September issue of the Kauppapolitiikka magazine looks at the future of a rules-based and multilateral world order at a time when trade policy cooperation is becoming increasingly regionalised and fragmented into blocs. The economy and trade have become tools of power and superpower competition, and there seems to be no going back to the way things were.

Strengthening the EU's competitiveness is now more important than ever. The interview section features Finnish member of the European Court of Auditors Petri Sarvamaa, who talks about the proposal to promote European competitiveness. In this issue, we also explore whether excessive red tape erodes the benefits of the EU’s single market.

Mongolia aims to intensify its commercial and economic cooperation with its ‘third neighbours’ in Europe. In an interview with the magazine, Mongolia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Battsetseg Batmunkh highlights opportunities for cooperation with Finnish SMEs, especially on smart energy solutions, cold-climate technology and digitalisation.

This section on markets focuses on East Africa, where urbanisation has created a prosperous middle class. The region has a growing demand for Finnish business expertise. The section on trade policy highlights that the reconstruction of Ukraine can also present significant opportunities for Finnish businesses. Now is the right time for businesses to make plans for the future even if they were not yet ready to establish operations in Ukraine.

In his editorial, Kauppapolitiikka’s Editor-in-Chief Timo Sysiö focuses on the plan to bring government communications under one roof in the Prime Minister's Office. The proposed reform would impact a well-proven system, under which communications specialists work within individual ministries and, as part of an expert organisation, are well placed to select essential information, respond rapidly, exert strategic influence and provide expert support to businesses.

These articles and plenty of other content are available on the magazine’s website.

Kauppapolitiikka is a quarterly international trade magazine, published in Finnish by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. It has a print run of 12,000 copies. You can subscribe to Kauppapolitiikka free of charge.