Raimo Valo, chair of the Finnish Trade Guild, talks to Ewa Hancock.

How many members of the Finnish Trade Guild are there?
There are about 75 members of the Guild, and the numbers remain fairly constant. These are individual members representing around 25 large companies and 25 small companies.

What are the guild's main activities?
The main focus of FTG activities in Poland is to protect the interest of Finnish companies here, organize social activities, and support good initiatives within the Finnish business community. In order to do so, we organize monthly business mixers with recognized lecturers, as well as excursions and other events. We also increasingly cooperate with other Nordic organizations, such as the Danish Chamber of Commerce and the Swedish Business Club. Nordic countries share in many ways the same values, like democracy, openness and transparency, so we can gain a lot by combining our efforts in selected areas.

hat problems do Finnish companies encounter in the Polish market?
According to a Finpros survey, the key problem for Finnish companies in Poland is bureaucracy; it is causing delays and extra costs. The different interpretations of regulations are also confausing. Moreover, according to the Finpros EU-workshop in September, companies dealing with local authorities and public tenders hope that Poland's EU accession will make tendering practices more transparent and competition more fair.