Ambassador Pekka Huhtaniemi: World economy needs a strong European Union

A strong and dynamic European Union is required in order to balance international developments, said Ambassador Pekka Huhtaniemi, Finland’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, when addressing the bi-annual meeting of the International Chamber of Commerce, Finland, in Helsinki on Friday, 9 May.

If the European Union cannot not maintain its dynamic, it threatens to become marginalised by the rapidly growing Asia and the United States. In addition to being politically functional, the EU must put emphasis on developing economic competitiveness. Huhtaniemi called for a new “strong-will” policy within the EU’s industrial, trade and competiton policy-making which would support the global competitiveness of businesses. If results in innovations require wide cooperation among the business sector, it must not be hampered by a bureaucratic implementation of the EU’s competition policy, he said.

Ambassador Huhtaniemi’s address (in Finnish)

EU
WTO