Former Prime Minister of Finland, Esko Aho spoke with reporters at the World Science and Technology Forum.
When asked about how he thought Europe was doing in the ten years since his January 2006 report on creating innovation in Europe, his disappointment was obvious. “The European Commission was not able to implement the recommendations,” he said, “which has led Europe to lag.”
Despite this, the former president believes Europe has “huge potential.” He mentions Europe’s greatest assets: its education system, R&D, and equal opportunity. But what makes him believe so much in Europe “Global technology is roughly equal around the world,” he says, “but as far as creative individuals, Europe has a lot of creativity that we haven’t fully utilized.”
Indeed, harnessing creativity to spur innovation is what the World Science and Technology Forum and OECD Ministerial Meeting is all about – and what the current government of Korea seeks through its push for a creative economy.
