Europe Forum in Turku, Day 2: "do policies drive or hinder business growth?"- The vision of academia, startups and science
Hosuk Lee-Makiyama, ECIPE asked how Europe competes at the end of the Western order, and how the EU survives Trump, Xi, Putin, and AI. Strategy beats slogans.
The second day of the Europe Forum in Turku began with a welcome from Minna Arve, CEO of Business Turku, and a key guest: Prime Minister Petteri Orpo.
Orpo reviewed the historic events the EU and the world have had to face over the past 30 years since Finland joined the Union, including the energy crisis triggered by Russia’s war against Ukraine. He also pointed out what has worked and what needs to change going forward, making it clear that Finland seeks and wants peace for Ukraine. The takeaway: today (and tomorrow) is about innovation, competitiveness, growth, and peace.
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do policies drive or hinder business growth?
Then came the day’s provocation. Hosuk Lee-Makiyama, Director European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE) asked how Europe competes at the end of the Western order, and how the EU survives Trump, Xi, Putin, and AI. Strategy beats slogans.
"A.I. is one of the key areas where we’re going to have a major breakthrough in terms of impact on business. I mean, it goes without saying: if you have a technology that can boost up to 30% of your productivity, it means that a company that adopts the technology has 30% more resources, given the same amount of money, than a company that doesn’t—guess where the winners are gonna be. I mean, there are a number of fears around AI, and I belong to one of them who’s really concerned about it, but it’s one thing to ask people who have read the Terminator 2 script and who are computer scientists what it is going to lead to, and also to ask economists and say, okay, we must have had similar productivity boosts in the past—we invented the PC, we invented the semiconductor, we invested in highways and railways, and we invented electricity—none of them has led to mass unemployment", said Hosuk Lee-Makiyama to EntrepreNerd.
Next, a panel tackled the big question: do policies drive or hinder business growth? On stage: Kenneth Widell (Wärtsilä), Lasse Leppäkorpi (CardioSignal), MP Miapetra Kumpula-Natri, and Lee-Makiyama, moderated by Tapani Mylly (Business Turku). They addressed topics such as funding for startups, growth, regulations, and more.
The live wire was AI—not whether to use it, but how to regulate it. There are two camps: one, led by the EU, is already writing rules to protect citizens’ digital and social rights. The other—across the US, much of Asia, and Latin America—argues it’s too soon for hard limits; the evidence isn’t settled, and innovation should keep moving while the data matures.
On this point, MP Miapetra Kumpula-Natri told Entreprenerd, "I’m of the opinion that there should be a framework people can trust for AI tools on the market. We’ve seen social media go largely unregulated, and that’s a big challenge today; meanwhile, medicines are regulated before they reach the market. The idea isn’t to regulate the technology itself, but to regulate market-used products so AI doesn’t create problems—it solves them. There’s plenty of AI that can be used without heavy regulation, but when it poses risks to health, society, or individuals, it should operate within a clear framework. And where there are grey zones, sandboxes let you structure trials before risks materialize. We’d rather prevent risks up front, whereas the other view is to react only when the risk is already happening, instead of preventing it in the first place".
So, what does an experienced entrepreneur think about these opposing views on a technology that’s here to stay?
Lasse Leppäkorpi, Operations Executive, CardioSignal, said: "I think regulation in health is good because it’s about patient safety—it lets people trust what they’re getting: that diagnoses are accurate, results reliable, and treatments effective. The problem is over-regulation; when safety and performance rules morph into protectionism, they end up shielding markets. I’d rather see us clear the path so working solutions reach the market, benefit patients, and improve health. We also need harmonization—not only within the EU but with the US and Asian countries. If a product is proven safe here, people aren’t that different in the US or Asia, so common standards should make it easier to move between markets: if you pass in the US, it should be easier to enter Europe or Asia, and vice versa. Overall, we should move faster while maintaining basic safety—prioritizing safety, not protectionism".
The highlights, day 2:
- Europe in the New World Order- Åbo Akademi University
- Esko Antola Lecture: A Strong Europe in a World of Confrontation - Bank of Finland
- The Esko Antola Lecture will be delivered by Olli Rehn, Governor of the Bank of Finland
- European security: Common defence and a federal state as answers to the challenges of the 2020s? - Union of European Federalists, Eurooppafederalistit ry
- More EU Funding for Finland! - The Role of Culture and Creative Industries in Europe’s Future
- Leverage from the EU for Finland’s Growth? - European Investment Bank Group
- Cold Winds Blowing in Europe: Will Workers’ Security Collapse? - SAK, STTK, Industrial Union, Trade Union Pro
- The World Is Changing - What Kind of Multiannual Budget Does the EU Need? European Parliament Liaison Office in Finland, Representation of the European Commission in Finland
- Sustainable Education in Europe - How Can We Provide High-Quality and Sustainable Education While Reducing Inequality? - Student Union of the University of Turku (TYY), Åbo Akademi Student Union (ÅAS)
- Does Security Attract Investment? Finnish Energy, Technology Industries of Finland, Finnish Forest Industries, Chemical Industry Federation of Finland
- How Can Europe Secure Clean, Reliable Energy and Stay Competitive? - Fortum Oyj
- Social Security and the EU: How Has Free Movement of People Affected Finland’s Social Security? - Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela)
- The Key to Young People’s International Future - Young European Federalists Finland (Eurooppanuoret ry)
- Mind the Gap - How Can We Close the Innovation Gap through New Tech Policy? - Technology Industries of Finland, Teknikföretagen rf
- Medicines for Europe’s Security - Pharma Industry Finland
- Cities as Pioneers of Europe’s Future- Six City Strategy (Helsinki, Espoo, Tampere, Vantaa, Oulu, Turku), European Parliament Liaison Office
- Startups Renewing Europe’s Defence - Business Finland, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland
Two days down, one to go. From Turku, this was the recap from Entreprenerd Media.