Slovakia could use Finland's experience in many aspects

Finland, which is viewed as a leader in innovation and technology among EU-member countries, can be an inspiration for Slovakia in many aspects, head of the Representation of the European Commission in Slovakia Dušan Chrenek stated on Friday on a seminar entitled "From a Rural Economy to a Leader in Education and Innovation: Can Slovakia Use the Finnish Experience?". "Finland is very similar to Slovakia in many aspects; it has a similar population, it has to face similar challenges and it's also in the core of European integration. Over the past decades it has travelled quite a distance, transforming itself from a rural country to an exceptionally developed country with high investment in science, research and technology," said Chrenek, arguing that while Slovakia allocates some 0.82 percent of its GDP towards science and research, Finland allocates more than 3.5 percent.