Helsinki, May 10 (IANS). The people of Finland have supported reducing the EU’s dependence on the US and China in terms of economy and technology. A survey was conducted in this regard, which showed that the people of Finland supported the European Union in reducing its economic and technological dependence on America and China.
According to a survey published by the Finnish Innovation Fund (Sitra) and the Finnish Business and Policy Forum (EVA), two government-backed think-tanks, 77 percent of respondents said Europe should reduce its technological and economic dependence on the US, even if it affects bilateral relations. However, Finland’s Yale reported that nine percent of respondents were against it.
“This is not directly anti-American. It appears that Finns distinguish between security cooperation as well as economic and technological interdependence,” the researchers said in a statement.
Nearly three-quarters of respondents supported tighter restrictions on energy networks, ports and other strategic assets for security reasons. A similar number of respondents said European firms should be supported in public procurement, even if it means higher prices.
Nearly three in four respondents supported forming partnerships with emerging economies such as India, Brazil or Vietnam to reduce dependence on China.
Most respondents said that when necessary, security should be prioritized over climate goals. Nearly two-thirds of respondents supported reducing Europe’s technological dependence on China for products such as batteries and electric cars, even if that would slow down climate action.
According to the Yale report, when asked which issues the EU should give more emphasis to in the future, respondents put self-reliance and security at the top.
About 65 percent of the respondents said that more emphasis should be given to general security, while 44 percent said that more attention should be given to the fight against climate change.
The survey was conducted by Taloustutkimus in March and took responses from more than 2,000 adults in mainland Finland and 34 experts invited from across the EU. It was told that the margin of error is 2–3 percentage points on both sides.
–IANS
KK/ABM