Domestic politics

Finland is a parliamentary republic. The parliament (Eduskuntu) has one chamber with 200 members, directly elected for a four-year term under a system of proportional representation. Legislative power is exercised by parliament and the president. The president, elected by direct popular vote for a six-year term, is mainly responsible for non-European foreign and security policy, the supreme command of the armed forces and for promulgating laws and decrees. Tarja Halonen is Finland’s first female president.

Foreign policy

After a referendum held in 1994, Finland became a member of the European Union on 1 January 1995. Finland has been neutral since the Second World War, but on joining the EU it accepted the obligations of the Common Foreign and Security Policy. Together with other North European countries, Finland cooperates closely with Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in the Council of the Baltic Sea States. Finland is not a member of NATO.

Economy

In the 1990s, Finland began restructuring and modernising its economy. It is now one of the world’s leading economies. Finland has become a world leader in the electronics industry, and has had great success in the mobile telecommunications sector. Another major export sector is the paper and timber industry. Finland’s main trading partners are France, Germany, Russia, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Per capita GDP: EUR 24 273 (in 2001 in purchasing power parities; source: Eurostat)

Links

Source: Dutch EU Presidency 2004