BUSINESS PARTNER
INTERVIEW
H.E. KIMMO LÄHDEVIRTA, AMBASSADOR OF FINLAND TO SERBIA
SUPPORTING NORDIC VALUES In The Balkans
The Western Balkan countries are small in terms of the size of their populations, as are the Nordic countries, and playing together makes all of us stronger in the European and global arena
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he political and economic priorities of the Nordic countries in Serbia and the region are practically the same. From year to year, our countries top international rankings measuring happiness, equality, anti-corruption, media freedom, prosperity, environment and innovations. These are the areas where we would also like to see improvement in Serbia and other Western Balkan countries, says Finnish Ambassador to Serbia H.E. Kimmo Lähdevirta. As Ambassador Lähdevirta explains, the political priorities of Nordic countries are, overall,in line with those of the EU. “In the second half of 2019, Finland was presiding over the Council of the European Union. The priorities of our presidency included rule of law, a more competitive and socially inclusive environment, tackling climate change and protecting the security of citizens. Finland was also committed to working on a credible enlargement perspective for Serbia and other Western Balkan countries. Those priorities were, and remain, the cornerstone of relations of Finland, as well as other Nordic countries, towards Serbia and the region.” According to our interlocutor, more alignment with EU policies, especially those related to the rule of law, will bring numerous benefits for both Serbian citizens and business stakeholders in the long run.
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What are Nordic and Finnish economic interests when it comes to economic cooperation with Serbia? - The Embassy of Finland often joins forces with other Nordic Embassies, as well as the Nordic Business Alliance, when tackling topics that are important for Serbia and that are closely related to the Nordic values. One of the latest examples was the creation of a Nordic Task Force that worked on improving the business environment and fair competition by tackling public procurement issues. Furthermore, the Embassy has been working on sharing Finnish experiences and knowhow in many other fields, including innovations, digitalistion, transport, smart cities and other relevant sectors. Lately, we have noticed increased interest among Finnish companies in the renewable energy and environment sector in Serbia. Those sectors will require large investments in the coming years if Serbia wants to reach the minimum EU requirements. Companies from Finland, like those from many other countries, also recognise the potential of outsourcing and manufacturing in labour-intensive industries. Do you see something that resembles Nordic cooperation in the Western Balkans’ ‘mini Schengen’ initiative? - We follow the evolution of the “mini Schengen” initiative with interest. In principle, we support regional cooperation,
