Baltic Rim Economies 1/2020
Published on the 28th of February 2020
Trade relations between Finland and South Korea: Room for new innovations and cooperation
“South Korea is considered to be a miracle on the Han River – a nation with economic development curve so steep it is nearly impossible to match with any other country in the world. Today, South Korea is a buzzing nation of over 50 million people and the world’s 11th biggest economy. What does Finland have to offer the homeland of high-tech giants such as Samsung, LG, and Hyundai?”
Eero Suominen,
Ambassador of Finland to the Republic of Korea
Russia, NATO and European security
“The end of the Cold War opened a possibility to build a system of genuine security in Europe. But the chance was missed. Why?
Let’s take 1990 as the starting point. Leading powers were discussing crucial matters concerning the future of Europe, with a united Germany as a core issue. The essence of the American and other Western partners’ approach could be illustrated by what Moscow heard from Washington: if Americans maintain presence in Germany that is a part of NATO, the Alliance’s forces would not be moved one inch to the east.”
Alexander Gremitskikh,
Consul General of Russia in Turku,
Finland
EU Interreg funding for smart ideas in blue growth
“Mussels farming, algae cultivating, blue biotech are no longer exotic words in the vocabulary of regional governments and private companies in the Baltic Sea region. Lately, they’ve been generating a lot of knowledge and experience in these sectors. And here projects, like those co-financed by Interreg Baltic Sea Region that provides grants for smart ideas, allow experimentation.”
Elena Kolosova,
Project Officer/Advisor for External Cooperation,
Interreg Baltic Sea Region Managing Authority/Joint Secretariat,
Latvia
Yegor Gaidar Foundation activities in the Baltic Region
“Only a decade ago independent actors such as NGOs, universities and civic initiatives in their international activities were heavily dependent on the political, communicative and often financial support of quasi-independent state agencies. Nowadays, these agencies cannot efficiently target their audiences and moreover be successful in their efforts without extensive support of the mentioned actors.”
Stanislav Usachev,
Head of Strategy and International Co-operation,
Yegor Gaidar Foundation,
Russia