Matti Vanhanen, Prime Minister of Finland

The president of European socialists (PES) Poul Nyrup Rasmussen participates in his Finnish sister party’s European election campaign by claiming that my Cabinet does not do enough to fight the recession and increasing unemployment. Rasmussen says that my government just copies ineffective policies from elsewhere and Mrs. Jutta Urpilainen and SDP represent Finland “at its unique best”. I suggest Mr. Rasmussen to get to know the Finnish political and economic reality before making these accusations.

It is true, that most of the European countries and the US are searching for a new way economy, because both socialism and pure capitalism have shown their weaknesses in an unpreceded way during past months. In my thinking the state plays a stronger role but the principles of the market economy are respected. A collective responsibility is coupled with market economy. (more…)

Prime Minister of Finland

In a sort of massive worldwide pendulum swing, the world economy shifted from the planned economies of past decades to a period of market liberalism. Both of these economic doctrines have eventually failed. First socialism and then free-for-all capitalism both came to an impasse.

Today, virtually everyone is searching for a third way for the economy, with the State playing a stronger role yet without compromising the principles of the market economy. This is also a way for the European Liberals to take.

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