Finland falls flat in bioeconomy push

In Finland, auditors have concluded that former Prime Minister Juha Sipilä’s bioeconomy efforts fell short of its goals to create new jobs and boost the country’s agriculture sector.

The National Audit Office of Finland says during Sipilä’s 2015-2019 term, in which €323 million ($354 million) was invested in the sector, only half of the administration’s objectives were met.

“The energy and climate objectives were achieved, and the deregulation objective was definitely a success. But only a few jobs were created within the bioeconomy and cleantech, and the balance of trade for foodstuffs did not improve,” Auri Pakarinen, a principal auditor at the office, said in a statement.

The auditors suggest future government projects should provide more guidelines to working groups.