Finnish energy and water expertise marketed to the world

Press release 7/2009
13 January, 2009

Focus 2009 published
Finnish energy and water expertise marketed to the world

Focus on the Economy and Technology 2009, the annual publication showcasing Finland's strengths and attractions as a target for investments has come out even bigger and better than before.

Published jointly by the by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Development and the Economy, Invest in Finland, Finnfacts and Tekes, Focus highlights the diversity and innovativeness of Finland's business community and society as a whole.

"This year we focused on Finnish expertise in energy and water technology," says Focus's Editor-in-Chief Juha Parikka from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

The challenges and opportunities Finland faces in terms of competitiveness are discussed by Maarit Toivanen-Koivisto, who exercises considerable influence in business life, and straight-talking visionary Raimo Sailas, Permanent State Secretary at the Ministry of Finance. Focus 2009 also sheds light on the secrets of the high standard of basic education in Finland and looks at the Finnish world of design.

The process of revamping Focus's design has continued this year. "The magazine has a fresher and brighter look," says Parikka.

Focus, which has grown to 40 pages, will be published in English in January 2009, followed by Spanish, German, Russian, Chinese and Japanese in March. Circulation is handled mainly by Finnish embassies around the world. Now in its seventh year of publication, Focus has awakened keen interest wherever it is read.

Production, design and project management of Focus are handled by Sanoma Magazines Finland - Custom Publishing, a unit of the Sanoma group.

Focus is available online in easy-to-browse "digipaper" format at http://www.digipaper.fi/focus/23544.

Companies and organisations can order Focus free of charge from the following web address:
http://extranet.libris.fi/focus/
User name: focuslib
Password: f0cu5extra
Please note: lower case letters only: f(zero)cu(five)extra

Further information: Mr Juha Parikka, Head of Publications and Promotion Group, Department for Communications and Culture, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 9 1605 5843, Ms Mervi Liukkonen, Director of Communications, Ministry of Development and the Economy, tel. +358 10 606 4786, Mr Tuomo Airaksinen, CEO, Invest in Finland, tel. +358 10 773 0302, Mr Markus Kokko, Director, Finnfacts, tel. +358 9 1315 1536, Ms Soili Helminen, Communications Manager, tel. +358 10 605 5719