Browsing by Subject "valtiontuki"

The aim of this study is to outline what does the complaint for the European Commission concerning unlawful state aids for the forestry organisations reveal about Finnish forestry. In the complaint the competitive position of the Finnish Forestry Centre and Forest Management Associations is described unfair and the flaws of competition in the forest management services are shown serious. The focus of the thesis is to analyse the complex role of the Finnish private forestry organisations through the issues of governance and competition. The research method is a descriptive literature review. The case is described as detailed as possible through its history and political and economic circumstances. The literature consists of books, documents and articles. The topic is approached in the competition legislation framework, in particular, within the control of state aids. In the case the discontent with dominant forestry practices of a private forest owner was converted into a national issue by taking it to the EU level. Through the EU’s state aid regulation and monitoring it was possible to influence the national institutions, which, without complaint, would have been impossible or, at least, slow. Looking at the background of the organisation and state aid system in the Finnish forestry emerged much regularity, which supported the complaint argumentation. The results showed that the established practices and, as well as, organisations’ administrative and operational connections have strongly influenced on how the forestry market activities have evolved and the challenges in operating environment have been addressed. In fact, the problems related to the organisational system and competition setup can be seen occurred in four different forms, which are illustrated with the following themes: general interest, long-established operations models, self-interest and passivity.