Finland Times

Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen on Wednesday has placed the new Government Report on European Union policy before the parliament where he said that only a stronger, more unified and fairer EU can best serve the interests of Finland and its citizens.
The report lays down guidelines for Finland's EU policy where the government marked a number of practical-level development areas to prioritize in the next few years, said a government press release.
Respect of values and rules; the promotion of competitiveness, employment and the social dimension; strengthening of the Economic and Monetary Union; common energy policy and mitigation of climate change and guaranteeing the free mobility of people were the sectors prioritized by the government in the report.
The Prime Minister, while placing the report said it has been prepared based on an idea of a moderate, cooperative Finland which is eager to exert its influence and welcomes European integration but emphasizes the importance of national responsibility.
‘Difficulties in EU member state affect the whole of Europe. These problems can be solved, however, through national and European-level measures,’ Prime Minister Katainen said after placing the report.
‘Economic problems that many countries are facing threaten to destabilize societies and increased sense of injustice felt by many,’ Katainen said, adding that youth unemployment, in particular, threatens to exclude hundreds of thousands of people permanently.