Administrators to analyse relations between Finland and Estonia

Government Communications Unit

Press Release  164/2007
6 June 2007

In Helsinki on Wednesday, 6 June, Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen and his Estonian counterpart, Andrus Ansip, agreed to designate one administrator in both countries, tasked with analysing the scope for developing relationships further between Finland and Estonia. Jaakko Blomberg, Ambassador, will act as Finland’s administrator and Gunnar Okk, Senior Vice President at Nordic Investment Bank, as Estonia’s administrator.

The administrators’ duties include identifying new ideas on how Finland and Estonia, alongside other countries around the Baltic Sea, could meet the challenges presented by globalisation while taking account of the EU’s Lisbon Strategy objectives. Both countries are seeking to develop their relationships from a variety of perspectives, with science, technology and innovation in particular representing the co-operation forums under scrutiny.  The administrators should complete their work during 2008.

In addition, both countries’ ministries for foreign affairs will analyse the current co-operation between Finland and Estonia and issue recommendations for enhancing it.

In the autumn of 2002, Finland and Estonia also designated administrators to perform the same work, completed in May 2003.

Further information: Jaakko Blomberg, Ambassador, tel. +358 40 511 0471, and Gunnar Okk, Senior Vice President, Nordic Investment Bank, tel. +358 9 180 0303