Jan Store, Finland's ambassador to Poland, talks with Jolanta Wolska.

How significant was it for Finland to hold the rotating European Union presidency last year? What were your country's biggest challenges and what were your priorities during that time?
We entered the EU in 1995. Our first EU presidency was in 1999, and then it was a big undertaking. It always is, especially for a small country-and sometimes even for a big country. At the end of our presidency, we felt that we were a full-fledged member in every sense, because the presidency gives you an insight you didn't have before. And it is something that opens all doors. In 2006, it was a bit different than in 1999 because we already had experience.

Finland wanted the EU to focus on innovation and R&D. An innovative Europe-that's the Finnish model. That was also the topic of a paper you delivered at the Social Europe and its Citizens Conference in Poznań last December. Why is innovation so important in Europe?
During our presidency, I participated in seven conferences where the topic was innovation, and indeed it was one of the items that we wanted to push forward. Europe needs more innovations. We are lagging behind the United States, Japan and many emerging economies, and there is much to be done in this field. So we wanted to put this matter high up on the European agenda. It is now center stage.

For Finland, the question of innovation and R&D was a matter of life and death in the early 1990s when we suffered from a deep depression and we had to determine in what direction we should go as a small country. And the only way to survive was to focus on research and development, education, innovation-to be avant-garde in all these fields.

In what areas do Finland and Poland work together at the EU level?
There are many fields where we have similar views and where we are very close to each other. For example, the internal market is the very basis of the EU. And even though the internal market has developed very far it needs to be developed further. That includes the liberalization of services, which is one of the four freedoms that are the core of the internal market-goods, capital, people and services. With goods and capital, we have come far, but services have been lagging behind. Through the directive adopted a year ago we have progressed, but there is still much to be done. And here Poland and Finland have almost identical views. Another example is our similar views about the Baltic Sea-everything that happens in and around the Baltic Sea. In this area, we are after more forward-looking and forward-leaning policies.

Another issue is not so much environmental but making use of the economic potential of the region. It is the fastest growing region in the EU. It is a region where we have a well-educated young population; it's a region where the focus is on R&D and innovation, forward-leaning policies, and we have to make all these things work better.

Tourism has become the leading export commodity for many countries. Is it a priority for Finland as well?
Yes, it is more and more so. Lapland, the northern part of Finland, is increasingly popular in the winter time-mainly because we have snow, which was a scarce commodity in many other places in the world during past few winters.

But Finland also offers many summer attractions, some of which are underrated. Finland is definitely worth visiting. If you are interested in peace and quiet, light, never-ending days, vast unpopulated areas, and forests, then you must come to Finland. But there are many other things to do in Finland as well. The Turku archipelago, for example, is especially beautiful and great for sailors-or if you just want to take a walk and get in touch with nature. The country's 200,000 lakes are a big tourist attraction in Finland for all seasons.

Another Finnish charm is the Santa Claus Post Office! Do people take it seriously?
It is a serious enterprise. It is pure magic, and it is magic that works every year. The mail that Santa Claus gets is huge and comes from all over the world. Everyone receives an answer from Santa, and he always does his best to meet the wishes of those who write to him.

There is certainly more tourist activity around Christmas time. There are charter planes one after another from continental Europe to visit Santa Claus and his environment. Some people stay for a day, while others stay overnight. We have the infrastructure to meet the tourist demand.

How is Finland going to celebrate its National Day in Poland Dec. 6?
We will have a reception at the ambassador's residence. We want to share our happy day with people in Poland from various spheres of business, culture and politics. There will be a Finnish film week from Dec. 3-it has become a tradition to hold it in the first week of December. The opening movie is titled The Best of Mothers, and it is a very touching film, much acclaimed and worth seeing, as are, of course, the other movies. An outstanding Finnish schoolchildren's choir with a 40-year tradition, The Tapiola Choir, will perform at the Warsaw Philharmonic Dec. 8.