International Law

CNET News.com covers why Finland Europe's technology leader (at least according to Finland's Prime Minister):

Although it's on the fringe of Europe geographically, Finland has for years been at the center of the continent's tech industry.

The country gave birth to cell phone leader Nokia and has emerged as a place where multinationals like to recruit and erect labs. The government and local entrepreneurs are now moving into clean technology.

It can be traced back to policies set up in the early 1980s, said Matti Vanhanen, the country's prime minister, during an interview with CNET News.com on Wednesday afternoon. The country saw the dawning of globalization and realized it would have to dig out a high-end niche in the industry.

"Because we cannot compete with Asian companies with low wages, our only possibility has been to stay a few steps forward," he said. "Of course, we also invested in education."

Funding for research and development has also consistently remained fairly high, he added.

"As a nation, around 3.5 percent of our gross domestic product goes into R&D. There are only two or three nations that spend that much," he said.

 

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