Finnish Presidency

Yesterday the Finnish Presidency of the Union commenced. The official website of the Presidency is stil quite poor, but I wil for sure follow info on the Western Balkans on it even though I seriously doubt Finns will bother with our pat of the world. Finland and Austria together put forward already earlier this year the Operational Programme which does not say a lot about the enlargemet, but more deals with the economic recovery of Europe. Among priorities for Finland's EU Presidency are the future of EU Constitution, increasing competitiveness of the Union, external relations (in relation to the economy of course), JHA, and finally increased transparency in the legislative process.

My former flatmate was Finn. Even though I can't say I manged to hear from him many stories about his country, visitng it once back in the end of 1990s, I am well aware that people from this part of Europe difere significantly from us Balkan-Southerners. Population of this country numbers a bit more than 5 million. The most interesting is that the Swedish minority communty (called "Swedish-speaking Finns") is given great cultural, and even territorial authonomy at the Western cost, and in Aland islands. Mentioning this cause Finns seem very proud about this arrangement, at least they are showing of with it at the official web site of the Presidency.