Risto E. J. Penttilä, President and CEO of the Finland Chamber of Commerce, to represent Finland in the Nordic Freedom of Movement Council

Anne Berner, minister in charge of Nordic cooperation, has invited Risto E.J. Penttilä, President and CEO of the Finland Chamber of Commerce, to represent Finland in the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Freedom of Movement Council for a term ending at the end of 2017. Penttilä will chair the Freedom of Movement Council during Finland’s Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2016.

Work for freedom of movement in the Nordic region and overcoming border obstacles is one of the key priorities of Finland’s Nordic Presidency in 2016. During its Presidency, Finland aims to pay particular attention to obstacles to business across the borders of the Nordic countries and work against the creation of new obstacles to freedom of movement.  The Freedom of Movement Council is a body of the Nordic Council of Ministers responsible for monitoring obstacles to movement and joint Nordic efforts to abolish them.

Risto E. J. Penttilä was a member of the expert group established by the Prime Ministers of Finland, Sweden and Norway in spring 2015 whose report Growth from the North also extensively discussed the harmful effect of obstacles to freedom of movement from the point of view of the economic development of the Nordic region. The Presidency of the Freedom of Movement Council provides Penttilä with excellent opportunities to continue the implementation of the recommendations of the Growth from the North report.

More information about the Freedom of Movement Council: www.norden.org .

More information:  Kristo Lehtonen, Special Adviser to the Minister Berner, Ministry of Transport and Communications, tel. +358 50 464 9779,  Kari Kahiluoto, Head at National Secretariat for Nordic Cooperation, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, tel. + 358 295 351 556