Finland

	Score	Rank
Financial Standards Index	47.50 out of 100	43
Business Indicator Index	10.98 out of 12	12

Business Indicators Summary

With an overall score of 10.98/12, Finland is at standard on the economic, legal, and political indicators that make up our Business Index. Finland has a market-based, private sector economy, however, government spending remains high totaling 50.7 percent of the country's GDP. Finland welcomes foreign investment and provides equal incentives for both foreign and domestic investors. The country has little impediments to trade signified by little or no import controls or protective tariffs. Finland's tax rates are considered average compared to international standards. The political parties in Finland, both ruling and the opposition, are pro growth and globalization. Property rights, including intellectual property rights, are well protected, as are contractual agreements. Corruption is of no concern to investors, as reflected in Finland’s ranking of 6th out of 180 countries in Transparency International’s 2009 Corruption Perceptions Index.

Business Indicators

Economic Model
Forex Regulations
- Capital Controls
- Exchange Controls
Foreign Investment Law
Trade Regulation
Tax Regime
Tax Rates
Bankruptcy Indicators
International Dispute Settlement
Political Environment
Political Stability
Corruption
Adherence to global labor standards

Commitment towards globalism by ruling authorityPositive

The 2009 U.S. Department of State (DoS) Background Note asserts that until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Finland had maintained bilateral neutrality arrangements with Russia. Since then, Finland has incorporated itself into Western political and economic structures and joined the EU in 1995. Finland is also a member of the United Nations (UN), North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Partnership for Peace, The IMF, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and several other multilateral organizations. Finland is also involved in international peacekeeping efforts through the UN and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. It is a member of the Nordic Council and participates in the common labor market and no-border immigration policy.

The 2009 U.S. DoS report notes that, in Finland, the executive power is divided between the president, whose role focuses on foreign policy, and the prime minister whose role covers all other areas. BBC News reported in 2007 that President Tarja Halonen, who is on the centre-left of the political spectrum, was elected in 2000, and then re-elected in 2006. Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen, of the Centre Party, has been in office since 2003.

Sources

U.S. Department of Commerce, "Doing Business in Finland: A Country Commercial Guide," February 2009. Available from U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service and U.S. Department of State website. Accessed on December 1, 2009. (U.S. DoC 2009)
Link

U.S. Department of State, "Background Note: Finland," February 2009. Available from U.S. Department of State website. Accessed on December 1, 2009. (U.S. DoS 2009)
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