Jyrki Katainen: “The future of Europe in my mind is integration”.

On Friday, October 9, 2015 the Faculty of Economics had the amazing privilege to host the former prime minister of Finland who is now the Vice President of the European commission in charge of jobs, growth, investment, and competitiveness, Jykri Katainen.  For a brief 45 minutes, VP Katainen spoke with a crowded room full of eager students about “Europe at the crossroads – Economic, Social, and Political Challenges.”

Our very own dean  gave a warm welcome to the Vice President, calling him one of the most influential co-creators of EU policy and encouraged students to take advantage of this opportunity to interact with Mr. Katainen.

The Vice President (VP) gave a short introduction and asked students for their opinion of the future of the EU, stating that, “The future of Europe in my mind, is integration.” Even going so far as to state that integration is a two-way street”. The VP also mentioned the topics of social dialogue, equal opportunity, and reform.

It was then time for the Q&A session. A multitude of hands shot into the air, asking questions about climate policy, austerity, the TTIP trade agreement, the refugee crisis, and the situation with Russia. Emieija Poposka asked about the reaction of Prime Ministers to the refugee crisis and if it has hurt the integrity of the EU. VP Katainen felt very strongly about the issue, answering, “Basically this issue is too big to be taken care of by individual member states (MS). We must help MS with border control. We have to help them expel those who do not deserve help. There are people in their hearts who want to help. We owe the people who want to help, to be fair to those who don’t deserve or need our help.”

Another student who raised a contentious issue was Jernej Ančin, who wanted to know wether the EU was taking notes from America concerning the situation with the sanctions given to Russia. This was another topic that the VP felt strongly about, saying, “It is wrong to invade your independent neighbor“, and that the EU needs to encourage Russia to withdraw from Crimea.

The excited chatter of students followed him out. We caught up with students Emieija Poposka and Jernej Ančin, to find out what they thought about the VP and if they agreed with his replies to their questions.  They had this to say about Vice President Katainen’s responses.

Jernej Ančin: “I don’t agree with his answer concerning Russia, because I think the situation is a little bit more complicated.  From the economic point of view, no matter if you think what Russia did is bad, it is bad for the EU to give them sanctions, because they are our biggest neighbor. I think it is bad to have bad relations with them.”

Emieija Poposka: “I think he answered my question only 60-70%. He answered more than I expected, but I don’t think he gave a direct answer whether the basic core values of the EU have been hurt. Whether the human rights have been protected during this refugee crisis.”

It was a great honor to have the opportunity to interact with such an influential person and one thing is clear: The Faculty of Economics is educating a generation of students who are ready to do what it takes to actively change the world and ask the tough questions, making the world a better place.

Leeanna Whirl, EFnews

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