Opportunities for Cooperation between Estonia and ... - Valitsus

One of the biggest surprises during the course of preparing this report was to
discover how inadequate and sporadic the exchange of information in many
areas is even today. Primarily this applies to information about the background
and underlying causes of developments and processes under way in Estonia
and Finland; the market conditions in the various branches of industry; the
progress made in the neighbouring country and the real opportunities for
cooperation.
Of equal importance with the dissemination of views and information is the
promotion of an atmosphere favourable to cooperation between Estonia and
Finland. A positive atmosphere influences attitudes and expectations which,
in turn, tend to generate new ideas. By contrast, biased information, possibly
reflecting an air of superiority, is likely to discourage concrete ideas and their
implementation. Mutual honesty and trust as well as the understanding of the
other party’s interests are important. Cooperation can only be successful if its
objectives give due consideration to the interests of the two parties and both
perceive the cooperation as useful and rewarding.
With regard to global and European developments, all the Baltic and Nordic
countries are in a similar position in many respects. If cooperation between
Estonia and Finland is raised to a new level, it could give impetus to more
intense cooperation between other Baltic Rim countries and ultimately benefit
the entire European Union.
Global competitiveness and innovation
The inevitable globalization of the individual sectors of the world economy has
intensified competition between companies, branches of industry, geographical
areas and companies – and will continue to do so. Global competition is fiercest
in resources, markets, better investments, efficiency and productivity. The
competition triggered by globalization has accelerated the worldwide mobility
of innovations, talented people and cost-efficient qualified labour.
The European Union is a central forum for cooperation between Estonia and
Finland. Within the Union, the key objective outlined in the Lisbon strategy is
to strengthen competitiveness. The competitiveness of a specific region in the
world is the sum total of a range of factors, and the politicians and institutions
that determine the level of productivity within that region. The increase in
productivity is the precondition for general economic growth which, in turn,
provides the basis for rising living standards and affluence.
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