Community of Security, Equality, and Sustainable Development

​​​​​​​The views of MTK on the EU and its future.

The European Union is a community of peace and security. As a result of the eastern expansion, the equal development of the areas has created stability and economic growth for all the EU regions. A strong EU has an important role to play. The global competitiveness of the EU must be strengthened by supporting sustainable growth.

The changing operational environment is forcing the EU to review its own policies and take upon themselves the tasks, which the Member States have previously dealt with. Delegation of tasks will require Member States to take more financial responsibility for the funding of the EU activities.
Climate change gives Finnish agriculture and forestry increased value as important solution providers. Sustainable agriculture and forestry maintain our forests’ carbon sinks and provide natural diversity.

The European food production model is based on the common agricultural policy and the production standards based on it. They also create the conditions for trade policy to act as a single area.

As global uncertainty increases, Finland and the Finnish countryside benefits from the revolving, unified, and globally influential Europe. Our economic development is exposed to global phenomena. The changes are increasingly intense, more rapid, and less predictable. Climate change, food security instability, foreign trade perturbations, and security threats affect the everyday lives of the Finns in various ways.

The EU must be able to solve problems and to create added value for its members. The objectives of the European cooperation and the financial resources must be better matched. The EU must fill the gap caused by Brexit in the Multiannual Financial Framework and find additional funding for the new common policy challenges.

New funds must be found for the MFF, both for the new challenges of the EU and agricultural, rural development, and cohesion policy, in order to achieve sustainable growth and European integration.

Rural areas and Finland need a strong EU, which will provide more operational opportunities. Unnecessary bureaucracy in the EU should be reduced by focusing only on essential issues. This gives entrepreneurs time and strength to concentrate on their actual work. All the Member States must respect and comply with the common EU values, treaties, and legislation. In the future, less EU legislation is needed, but it needs to be better. For the small Member States, such as Finland, the influence in the decision making can be increased with similar communication by different actors.