In Hautala's eyes, the Nord Stream project provides the other countries around the Baltic Sea with an opportunity to encourage Russia to ratify important environmental agreements. Finland could demand that Russia commits itself to international rules in the Baltic in return for rights in its territorial waters, for example.

Hautala, a mamber of the Green League, attended a seminar on Friday called "What the Nordic Region should know about Russia", organised by the Nordic Institute in Finland (Nifin), the Norwegian Embassy and the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Other participants included Per Egil Hegge, a Norwegian journalist and expert on Russia, and Professor Klas-Göran Karlsson from Sweden.

Hautala also described how she sees relationships between Russia and the EU. In her opinion, the Union is divided up into layers depending on countries' attitudes to Russia. For example, Estonia, Poland and Sweden are very straight-talking in their statements about Russia under Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and President Dmitrij Medvedev, whereas countries like Italy, Spain, Germany and Finland try to bind Russia to joint European policies without placing any demands, she pointed out.

Nifin in central Helsinki is the Nordic Council of Minister's centre in Finland. It provides information about the Nordic Region in Finland and about Finland to the rest of the Nordic Region.

The Nordic Institute in Finland

Further info about the Nord Stream project

Gun Oker-Blom
Phone +358 09-68 40 56 20
Email gun.oker-blom@nifin.helsinki.fi