IMI - SHOWCASE EUROPE: SECOND BREAKFAST BRIEFING FEATURES FINLAND AS A GATEWAY TO ST. PETERSBURG

1. SUMMARY: ON MAY 4, THE U.S. AMBASSADOR TO FINLAND, DEREK SHEARER, AND FCS HELSINKI FSN KUNNAS BRIEFED EXECUTIVES FROM U.S. FIRMS AND BANKS BASED IN LONDON ON

FINLAND AS A GATEWAY FOR TRADE AND INVESTMENT WITH RUSSIA. AMBASSADOR SHEARER PRESENTED AN OVERVIEW ON THE PROS AND CONS TO THE FINNISH GATEWAY CONCEPT. THERE IS A VERY HIGH LEVEL OF INTEREST WITHIN THE U.S. BUSINESS COMMUNITY IN LONDON TO EXPAND THEIR OPERATIONS TO RUSSIA, AS WELL AS RESEARCH MARKET POTENTIAL IN FINLAND. THE PARTICIPANTS WERE VERY INTERESTED IN LEARNING ABOUT THE CONCEPT AND THE WAYS FCS HELSINKI CAN ASSIST U.S. COMPANIES IN ENTERING THE RUSSIAN MARKETS. THE BRIEFING WAS FOLLOWED BY SEVERAL QUESTIONS COVERING FINANCING, FRANCHISING, ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS ETC. IN RUSSIA. FSN KUNNAS COUNSELED INDIVIDUAL COMPANIES AND HANDED OUT A NUMBER OF REPORTS AND MATERIAL, INCLUDING INFORMATION ON THE AMERICAN BUSINESS CENTER IN ST. PETERSBURG. END SUMMARY.

2. AMBASSADOR SHEARER CITED THE ADVANTAGES IN USING THE FINNISH GATEWAY AS: FINLAND'S LONG HISTORY OF COMMERCIAL TIES WITH NORTHWEST RUSSIA, PARTICULARLY ST. PETERSBURG; FINLAND'S GEOGRAPHICAL CLOSENESS TO RUSSIA, AND MODERN INFRASTRUCTURE. FOR TRADE, FINLAND HAS EXCELLENT RAIL, MOTOR, AND SEA LINKS WITH RUSSIA. FINLAND'S TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE IS MODERN AND IS OPERATED EFFICIENTLY. FINNS HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH RUSSIA FOR CENTURIES; A U.S. INVESTOR CAN BUY INTO THAT RELATIONSHIP AND GO INTO RUSSIA CONFIDENT THAT HE IS ON A SOUND FOOTING. HELSINKI IS ALSO A MODERN, WESTERN EUROPEAN CITY, WITH ENGLISH SPOKEN AS THE BUSINESS LANGUAGE AND SIMILAR BUSINESS ETHICS AND CULTURE TO THE UNITED STATES.

3. PARTICIPANTS: FIFTEEN PEOPLE FROM 8 COMPANIES, AMCHAM, AND FCS (INCLUDING EBRD) ATTENDED THE BRIEFING. THE FIRMS COVER PRODUCT LINES SUCH AS SPORT SHOES AND ATHLETIC WEAR, ENVIRONMENTAL EQUIPMENT, ROAD PAVING EQUIPMENT, HOUSEHOLD AND COMMERCIAL CONSUMER PRODUCTS, AND BANKING.

4.PARTICIPANT COMMENTS:

A U.S. COMPANY DEALING WITH ENVIRONMENTAL EQUIPMENT WAS VERY INTERESTED IN CONTACTING FINNISH GATEWAY COMPANIES AND THOUGHT THIS EVENT GAVE HIM INVALUABLE INFORMATION ON FCS SERVICES THROUGHOUT SCANDINAVIA AND RUSSIA/NIS.
A COMPANY INVOLVED WITH ROAD PAVING EQUIPMENT IS FOCUSING ON THE FINNISH MARKET AND RUSSIA AND FOUND THE INFORMATION, CONTACTS AND MATERIAL HE RECEIVED WILL GIVE HIM A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE MARKET POTENTIAL BOTH IN FINLAND AND RUSSIA.
ONE OF THE PARTICIPATING COMPANIES WAS INTERESTED IN LEARNING ABOUT THE NEW MARKET POTENTIAL IN FINLAND FOR HIS SPORTING SHOES AND ATHLETIC WEAR. HE SAID HE WILL CONTACT FCS HELSINKI TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE EFFECT OF THE LOWER IMPORT DUTIES ON HIS PRODUCT LINE DUE TO FINLAND'S EU ACCESSION. HE IS ALSO VERY INTERESTED IN HOW FCS HELSINKI COULD ASSIST HIM IN LOCATING A FINNISH DISTRIBUTOR THAT COULD POTENTIALLY COVER THE RUSSIAN MARKETS.
ONE U.S. COMPANY REPRESENTATIVE SAID THAT SHE WILL ENCOURAGE THEIR U.S. CUSTOMERS TO USE FCS SERVICES WHEN LOOKING FOR DISTRIBUTORS FOR THEIR PRODUCT LINES.
ONE FIRM WAS PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN EBRD PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN EASTERN EUROPE, RUSSIA, AND NIS.

4. THE ACTIVE INTEREST SHOWN IN THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR U.S. ENTERPRENDERS TO EXPAND THEIR OPERATIONS IN FINLAND AND RUSSIA AGAIN DEMONSTRATES THE TIMELINESS OF THE SHOWCASE EUROPE BRIEFING SERIES.

5. THE THIRD AND FOURTH IN THIS SERIES OF SHOWCASE EUROPE BRIEFINGS ARE BEING PLANNED FOR JUNE AND JULY 1995 AND WILL FEATURE OPPORTUNITIES IN PORTUGAL AND EBRD.