ITRE visit Finland
By way of a change, this edition will be about a visit to Finland by a group of MEPs from my committee - Industry, Research and Energy.  We have squeezed the programme into the right hand column so I can focus on the main elements. 

Presidency country
Finland holds the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and we aim to send delegations to each Presidency country during the calendar year.  There are strong reasons within the areas of responsibility of my committee for a visit.  Forestry http://www.finnforest.com/ and papermaking industries http://w3.upm-kymmene.com are synonymous with Finland and a major element of their economy (click here for photo). 

World class technology
Mobile telephony is another industry where they are pre-eminent with Nokia http://www.nokia.com being a world class manufacturer.  And in the energy sector most of Europe is keenly interested in the new EPR (European Pressurised Water Reactor) nuclear power plant which is under construction at Olkiluoto on the west coast (click here for photo)

EU–Russia relations
Because of their geographical location on the northern frontier of Russia, not to mention their history of dealings with the Russians throughout the 20^th century, Finns are well placed to play a key role in EU-Russia relations, particularly in the energy field.  Indeed a concern about becoming over-dependent on imported electricity from Russia was a major factor in the decision to build the third unit at Olkiluoto (click here for photo). 

Visit to Olkiluoto
However, I think the most interesting part of the visit to Olkiluoto was being driven down the tunnel at the Onkalo waste repository (click here for photo) next door to the power plant.  They have excavated huge underground silos for the long-term storage of medium and low-level radioactive waste from the existing reactors as well as a pilot facility for the canisters containing spent fuel assemblies or high level radioactive waste (click here for photo).

Public support
The Finns have been very methodical, structured and open in their approach to waste disposal.  Issues are debated in full and at length in their Parliament before a vote and decision is taken on where to locate the repository and whether to build a new reactor.  Consequently, they enjoy a significant level of public support (click here for photo). 

Financial acumen
They are financing the project by contracting long-term sales of electricity to their major customers who are also owners of TVO. http://www.tvo.fi/index_eng.shtml  They boast that they operate on a non-profit basis.  And it must be said that by depositing spent fuel canisters on the spot, they avoid the expense of re-processing and many of the political difficulties surrounding the transport of rad waste. 

Money for research
A common theme during the visit was another proud boast by the Finns that they spend 3.5% of their gross domestic product (gdp) on research.  http://www.aka.fi/  They are one of only two Member States (Sweden is the other) that have attained the EU target of 3%.  The big question is how and what can the rest of us learn.  It is very tempting to say the answer lies in one word, Nokia, but there must be more to it than one company in a small country hitting the jackpot of new technology. 

Emphasis on research
They suffered a deep recession in the early 1990’s (didn’t we all!) with a 13% contraction in gdp over 3 years.  Their government made a virtue of necessity by placing great emphasis on the importance of research.  http://www.tekes.fi/eng/ They applied the proceeds of privatisations to increase spending, particularly on their universities’ research and education activities which means a properly funded further education sector free to the students.   

Look to our laurels
Being a small country, they have decided to concentrate on four areas of research namely: biosciences and environment; culture and society; natural sciences and engineering; and health.  And they have now set a 4% target so we must look to our laurels!

Committee on Industry, Research and Energy
Delegation to Helsinki and Pori/Rauma, Finland
13^th – 15^th September 2006

Tuesday 12^th September
Late pm flight from Brussels to Helsinki 

Wednesday 13^th September
Visit to Kuparitalo for presentation of Pohjolan Voima by Timo Rajala CEO
Parliament of Finland – meeting with Mr Erkki Tuomioja, Minister of Foreign Affairs
Visit to Nokia premises (Keilaniemi, Espoo) for presentation of new 3G handsets and mobile telecom issues
Visit to Finnforest premises (Tapiola, Espoo) and demonstration of wood-based construction materials and building solutions
Flight to Pori and transfer to Rauma
Visit to Old Rauma (medieval wooden town area, UNESCO World Heritage Site)  

Thursday 14^th September
Presentation of Rauman Voima, a biofuel-fired combined heat and power plant at UPM Rauma paper mill.  Mr Jussi Hintikka, Vice-President, Thermal Power Projects, Pohjolan Voima Oy
Presentation of UPM Rauma paper mill and tour in the paper mill -  Mr Pertti Asunmaa, Vice-President and General Manager
Presentation of TVO (Teollisuuden Voima) and the OL3 project (click here for photo) {construction of the new nuclear power plant unit} by Mr Rauno Mokka, Executive Vice-President
Site tour at Olkiluoto – OL3 construction area, Onkalo underground repository and TVO Visitors’ Centre (click here for photo)
Transfer to Pori and flight to Helsinki
Dinner and presentation hosted by the Confederation of Finnish Industries and the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions – Industrial representatives and MPs from Commerce Committee 

Friday 15^th September
Meeting with Mr Mauri Pekkarinen, Minister of Trade and Industry
Presentation of Finnish science, technology and innovation policy by Academy of Finland and TEKES (Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation
Press Conference
Meeting with Mrs Susanna Huovinen, Minister of Transport and Communications (click here for photo)