FACC Newsletter - Winter 2009

Finnish stimulus package features broadband

Like in Australia the Finnish government stimulus package introduced in February of 1.7 percent of GDP or approximately three billion Euros, is the third largest among the 27 EU member states. It features renovation and refurbishment of airports, railroads and schools plagued with mould problems. The Finnish government promises free or affordable broadband connections for everyone in Finland. The programme is planned to amount to 3,000 man-years of work between 2009 and 2015. The government will offer stimulus funding also for the production of domestic movies.

Bank of Finland sees recovery 2011

The Bank of Finland cut its 2009 Finnish gross domestic product (GDP) forecast to a contraction of five per cent, matching the finance ministry's outlook unveiled 24 March.

The central bank expects the Finnish economy to shrink by 1.1 per cent next year before growing by 1.5 per cent in 2011.

As usual, all members of the executive committee retire at the AGM, and a new executive committee will be voted in. The current executive committee is:

All of the retiring members of the executive are eligible to stand for re-election.

The executive committee is made up of a president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer and up to 6 additional members.

In accordance with its constitution, the Chamber is calling for nominations for appointment to the executive committee for the following year. A nomination form has been sent to all paid up members. Additional copies are available on request.

The nomination form must be completed, signed by at least 2 current members and the nominee, and received by the secretary of the Chamber no later than 6:00pm on Thursday, 23 October 2008. The nomination forms can be sent by email to chamber@finland.com.au, or by post to the Chamber at the address below. Please note that to be eligible for election, a person must be an individual member or a representative of a business member.

Finland leads in sustainability

According to the World Economic Forum's Environmental Sustainability Index (ESI) Finland has been one of the leading countries in sustainability practice since 2000 (see graph). Finland has successfully reduced air and water pollution, and has a high institutional capacity to handle environmental problems.

Since 2002, the United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development (Johannesburg) has urged the international community to move from words to concrete action in order to work towards sustainable development. The best practices range from policy frameworks to business solutions, from innovations and technology transfer to capacity building and facilitating cooperation, as well as sustainable consumption and production. These best practices are reviewed on a regular basis to reflect and focus on relevant issues and themes.

Environmental protection and sustainable development policies are already well established and effectively implemented in Finland and in partnerships with other countries and regions. Furthermore, a National Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change has also been prepared, one of the first of its kind in the world.

The World Economic Forum ranks countries according to their economic competitiveness and environmental sustainability. The figures for 2002 indicate that competitiveness and environmental protection can be mutually supportive.

For more information visit http://www.ymparisto.fi/default.asp?contentid=284017&lan=EN

Greenpeace Lauds Nokia

In September 2008 Greenpeace announced in the ninth edition of its Guide to Greener Electronics that the Finnish mobile phone maker had regained the lead, thanks largely to improvements in product take-back practices in India.

In the eighth edition of the guide, Nokia had been ranked third.

Nokia, with a mark of seven out of 10, is followed in the ranking by Samsung (5.7), Fujitsu Siemens (5.5), Sony Ericsson (5.3) and Sony (5.3). Languishing at the bottom is Nintendo with a mark of 0.8.

For more information visit http://virtual.finland.fi/stt/showarticle.asp?intNWSAID=19732&group=Business

Large New Power Plant

The first nuclear power station built in Western Europe since the Chernobyl disaster 20 years ago, the Olkiluoto 3 plant will be one of the largest in the world and the first "third generation" pressurised water reactor. Predicted to go on stream in 2011 and accounting for about 15% of Finland's power needs, it is being built in the south-west of Finland on the island of Olkiluoto, next to two other existing units (OL1 and OL2).

The Olkiluoto reactor in Finland is widely regarded as a special case. It is not being built for an electricity utility but rather for a consortium of industries who will guarantee to take all power on a 'not-for-profit' basis. The total cost of the project at the 2003 level is about EUR 3 billion, making this the largest single investment in Finnish industrial history.

Of the 450 commercial reactors around the world, this is the one being most closely watched as Australia and other countries contemplate nuclear power as at least part of the solution to reducing carbon emissions and slowing climate change.

For more information, see http://www.tvo.fi/www/page/2294/

TallinkSilja Gains Environmental Merit

AS Tallink Grupp's (ASTG) ships and subsidiary managing the technical operating of the vessels, HT Shipmanagement has gained the high level environmental certificate ISO 14001:2004 released by Lloyds Register, a highly valued international environmental management certificate, voluntary for companies.

ASTG is one of the largest and most modern and environmentally friendly passenger and cargo shipping companies in the Baltic Sea region operating on seven shipping routes under the brands of Tallink and Silja Line.

Vessels of Tallink have for years been following the principles of environmental management described in this certificate and made proactive efforts to promote an ongoing awareness of safer navigation and prevention of marine pollution. Today 90 percent of worldwide cargo is moved by ships, but only 7 percent of global air pollution is contributed by shipping.

www.tallinksilja.com

Finland's security policy review

Finland has been actively involved in the diplomatic front, with Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb getting a fair share of world attention. Finland is currently the Chairman-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in charge of monitoring the ceasefire and observing the humanitarian situation in the crisis area. The conflict took place right at the eve of decisive weeks and months during which the next White Paper on Finland's security and military policy will be finalized.

Finnish Foreign Minister and OSCE Chairman Alexander Stubb (pictured) met his Georgian counterpart Eka Tkeshelashvili in Tbilisi on August 22.

Finland Leading Nordic Conference Host

Finland was one of the world leading international conference hosts in 2007 ranked seventeenth ahead other Nordic Countries in the Union of International Associations (UIA) review. In 2007, Finland hosted 438 congresses, of which 79 were held in Helsinki which was placed 20th in the city ranking by UIA.

Helsinki Fair Centre is Finland's single largest meetings venue, in addition to which other major venues such as Finlandia Hall, Marina Congress Centre and Paasitorni serve thousands of congress visitors each year. The extension of the Helsinki Fair Centre will be completed by autumn 2010.

The UIA is headquartered in Brussels and has compiled statistics about the number of international association meetings since 1910. The research included information from 176 countries and 1623 cities.

For more information visit www.fcb.fi www.uia.org/db

Finland Features at Westfield

VisitFinland with partners Finnair and Beyond Travel are running an online promotion in 37 Westfield Shopping Centres Australia wide for the 2008 Christmas season. The Promotion call to action is the chance to “win a Magical Christmas Holiday to visit Santa at home in Finland. The competition will also feature in the 2008 Westfield Christmas catalogue (with a circulation of. 1 million) online, in email newsletters, leaflets at Westfield centres as well as point of sale in Westfield shopping centres nationally. Finland winter tours are also promoted to all travel agents in Westfield shopping centres. For more information on tours to Finland please visit www.visitfinland.com/au.

Westfield is the largest Australian centre manager & marketer (44 shopping centres in major capital cities and most populated areas in Australia). It is the only nationally branded Australian shopping centre group featuring 11,500 retailers carrying 1.8 million products and services. Westfield sales turnover represents 40% of total regional shopping centre turnover in Australia.

Pekka Kuusisto Performing with ACO

Renowned for being versatile and distinctive the Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto will be touring during the 2009 season with the Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO).

Following his victory at the Sibelius Violin Competition in 1995 (the first Finn ever to win it), Pekka has released 2 CDs of works by Sibelius. Pekka also features in the DVD documentary '4' about Vivaldi's Four Seasons, in which he presents Winter, set in the snowscapes of Lapland.

Each summer, Pekka creates his own programme of events at Finland's Lake Tuusula Chamber Music Festival, of which he is Artistic Director.

Other permanent Finnish members at the ACO are Satu Vänskä in the role of Deputy Leader, and Timo-Veikko Valve as Principal Cellist.

www.aco.com.au

Finn of the Month

Dr Marko Nykänen
Electron microscopist (JDRF, Research Scientist), R&D office, Westmead Research Hub
Conjoint Lecturer (Electron Microscopy), Faculty of Medicine, The University of Sydney

What are you doing in Australia? I am a biotechnologist with doctoral degree from Finland. I was born in Helsinki 39 years ago, and have lived in various regions of Finland. Since 1995, I have visited Australia several times. Following a very recent relocation to Sydney, I am performing as a health service manager/electron microscopist in Children's Hospital at Westmead. My job includes working on biomedical research at a fine structural level, to discover factors regarding development of various children's diseases.

Where did you work previously? I have been involved in various corresponding scientist positions at adult hospitals and in the medical industry both in Finland and internationally.

How does Australia/Finland differ in your work? Basically, the research does not differ considerably between Finland and Australia, excluding some cultural aspects, including differences in national and institutional policies. Current research occurs in more international environments than in Finland. Repertoire of several research projects is more generously proportioned than earlier.

What's best in Australia? What do you miss from Finland? In addition to favourable weather and a captivating nature, more resourceful outdoor activities and multinational atmosphere with fantastic food and wine selection are amongst most magnificent attractions of Australia. I'm missing my Finnish friends and family in the northern hemisphere, midnight summer sun and a savusauna. I have discovered that traditional Finnish food - including cloudberries, Karelian pasties, smoked vendace - are most welcome also at Australian barbeques.

SAS Update

Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) has been awarded with the "Leadership in Technology Award" for its contributions to "green approaches" and the use of biometry for flight check-in, at the annual Airline Business Awards ceremony in London.

"SAS began using biometric scanning of passengers' fingerprints at check-in, in response to intensified security requirements. The objective was to find a way to securely connect passengers with tickets and baggage. A fully automatic solution using biometry has functioned well ", according to Olofsson, General Manager, Australia & New Zealand, SAS.

"The green approaches are one of many key initiatives the airline is taking to reach its environmental goal of lowering emissions, per unit, by 50 per cent by 2020," Lars Olofsson, General Manager said.

The SAS Group was one of the first airlines globally to launch a carbon dioxide offset program in 2007 as part of its environmental focus. SAS' sustainability program also includes the development of more environmentally adapted technology, such as fuel-savings programs and work on creating infrastructure improvements through such activities as a common air-traffic control system in Europe. Also, all SAS Group business travel is now fully compensated for carbon dioxide emissions with payment offsets via our program partner, The CarbonNeutral Company.

For more information visit www.sasgroup.net.

Finnair Update

Finnair will increase its long-haul connections with links between Asia and Europe in the winter 2008-2009 by adjusting the schedules of its Asia flights. By increasing the number of onward connections Finnair aims to increase passenger sales and load factors to meet the growing pressure caused by rising fuel prices.

The Finnair Silver Wings Lounge, located in Helsinki Airport, opened its doors after the summer's re-decoration work. The lounge is now more spacious than before, and the interior design emphasises the core values of the Finnair brand - freshness, creativity, security and Finnishness. While waiting for a flight, passengers can enjoy an espresso in the café area and relax in the arm chairs or by the bar tables.

On the 2 September Finnairs' maiden flight headed for the Urals with a new route open to Yekaterinburg. Roughly three hours flight time from Helsinki to Yekaterinburg and excellent connections through Helsinki Airport make the route competitive in Russia, the Nordic countries and the rest of Europe.

Finnair will have an open route to Istanbul starting in March 2009, with flights twice per week. The flight time between Helsinki and Istanbul is 3 hours and 20 minutes, operating all year round and featuring business class.

FACC Events in Australia 2008

Harbour Cruise with the Europeans

Date: TBA
Time: Wednesday, 26 November 2008
Venue: TBA

FACC Committee Meetings in 2008:

• 30 October - Annual General Meeting

Please, note that some dates and times are yet to be confirmed. For enquiries and suggestions for future events please contact: the FACC secretariat secretery@finland.com.au or call 02 -9327 5164.

FACC Board 2007-2008

The board members can be contacted at chamber@finland.com.au