Tallinn, Ülemiste City, 3 December 2008 – Today, Prime Minister Andrus Ansip and Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen agreed on the cooperation priorities between the two countries, which are the fields of IT and e-services, the free movement of people and knowledge and the development of an attractive business environment.
When finding common priorities, the Prime Ministers proceeded from the propositions in the Estonia-Finland cooperation report, which was prepared in May of this year. The cooperation priorities have been approved by the governments of both countries during cabinet meetings. Prime Minister Andrus Ansip praised the great work done by both parties: “The fact that in half a year, we have gone from a vision document to cooperation priorities approved at the government level shows a good intention to achieve common goals”.
In the field of information and communication technology, the Prime Ministers see the greatest development potential mainly in e-governance and e-services.
In the expansion of the free movement of people and knowledge, the Prime Ministers pointed out the importance of such common projects that promote the fields of education, labour markets, social well-being and healthcare.
The Prime Ministers also stressed the importance of the development of a safe and attractive business environment.
At the meeting, the topics to be discussed at the European Council, to be held on 11-12 December, were also discussed, such as the EU Energy and Climate Package, the global economic crisis and the future of the Lisbon Treaty.
Photos from the press conference http://www.valitsus.ee/redirect/223