Citizen survey: Finland‘s special characteristics must be more actively highlighted in the EU

According to this EU election survey, Finns think that EU regulation does not give sufficient consideration to Finland‘s special characteristics, such as long distances, climate, sparse population and geographical location.

“Of the 1,000 respondents, as many as 85 per cent thought that Finland should be more active in the EU to ensure that our country’s special characteristics are taken into account in decision-making,” says Jukka Ihanus, Director of Public Affairs, Finnish Food and Drink Industries’ Federation.

“In recent years, the Commission has introduced a wealth of new climate and environmental regulation, and the impact of these has been widely discussed in public debate.” The results show that Finns, who are currently experiencing a cost-of-living crisis, would like regulation to take their circumstances into consideration better.

Finland‘s chances of influencing the EU are not considered to be insignificant, however. 41 per cent of respondents felt that Finland is making its voice heard in the EU.

Promoting peace and security should be the priority

Based on the survey, Finland‘s main objectives in the EU should be promoting peace and security in Europe, strengthening the security of the EU‘s external borders, reducing regulatory red tape and safeguarding the conditions for food production throughout the Union.

“The responses reflect the challenging global situation. 44 per cent of Finns felt that promoting peace and security should be Finland‘s top priority in the EU,” says Ihanus.

The least important objectives for Finns were promoting pan-European social security, promoting access to skilled labour from outside the EU and promoting EU enlargement.

However, just under half of respondents considered EU enlargement regarding Ukraine, for example, to be a necessity in terms of security policy. Finns were in favour of enlargement, even if it means a reduction in the amount of EU funding received by Finland or an increase in the EU budget.

Finns unanimous – Europe’s self-sufficiency must be strengthened

85 per cent of Finns felt that the self-sufficiency of Europe must be strengthened in important sectors of the economy and production, such as food, pharmaceuticals, minerals and microchips, even if they are more expensive to produce in Europe than elsewhere.

The survey data was collected via the Internet between 5 and 13 December 2023 from the national consumer panel of Iro Research Oy. 1,000 Finns participated in the survey.