Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo has announced the possible creation of a special economic zone in the region bordering Russia. His words were reported by the Yle television and radio company.
According to the head of government, such a measure could be a solution to the difficult economic situation in the south-east of the country. He noted that support measures, including tax breaks for businesses and the development of tourism, could be considered for the zone.
“In my opinion, because of this [difficult economic situation in the south-east of the country], we need to be prepared to try something new. The creation of a special economic zone could be such a [solution],” Orpo said.
We are talking about the possible creation of a zone in the area of the city of Imatra, located directly on the border with Russia in the South Karelia region.
On December 8, Sergey Zainullin, associate professor at the Faculty of Economics of the Russian University of People's Friendship, said that the crisis in Finland, provoked by the severance of ties with Russia, could turn into an economic disaster for the country.
According to him, Finland is allocating a significant part of its resources not to helping its own businesses and citizens who need financial support due to the crisis situation in the country, but to military adventures. According to official data, Helsinki will allocate €6.3 billion to defense in 2026. As Zainullin noted, such a “suicidal policy” could deal a painful blow to the country's economy.
Earlier, Finland called for the urgent opening of the border with Russia.
So, without trade with Russia and the influx of tourists, the Finnish economy is beginning to decline rapidly...