On 15 September 2021, the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia issued its opinion on the investment programme for the state fairway network for 2022-2029. The development of the transport system in accordance with the investment programme does not guarantee the accessibility of Northern Ostrobothnia and Northern Finland, does not meet the needs of the business sector and does not support sustainable mobility and climate objectives. The investment programme is deficient, especially from the point of view of improving the conditions for business transport. The programme does not take into account the special circumstances of Northern Finland and the requirements of business and industry. The region's importance for the Finnish economy as a whole and for national and international accessibility is significant and must be reflected in the investments in the network of fairways targeted at the region. From the point of view of Northern Ostrobothnia, the most important measures to achieve the national transport system targets are completely lacking. In the investment programme, the development of rail traffic in particular is focused only on southern Finland, which makes it difficult for the business community in Northern Finland to develop and improve the rail traffic required for investments. The level of funding proposed in the economic framework of the Transport 12 plan is totally inadequate for the transport network of the future. The investment programme cannot achieve the objectives set for the plan. For example, according to the strategic situational picture, the road network has development needs of up to EUR 3 billion over the next ten years. The increase in the repair debt and the deterioration of the road network have a significant negative impact on the operating conditions of the industry in the region, as well as on the flow and safety of tourism. The overall level of funding is completely insufficient to implement measures that are significant for Northern Finland, such as investments in the development of the main routes and the reduction of the repair debt. The development of the main line is important in terms of economic growth and sustainable mobility. The Ylivieska-Oulu section of the main line is the second most significant and busiest freight section in the nation and serves more than one million passengers per year in terms of passenger traffic. From the point of view of social impact, for example, the volumes of freight transport on the main line south of Kokkola are very low and the planned investments will not support the competitiveness of the Finnish economy as well as investments on the northernmost sections of the main line. Developing the most important routes is important. In addition to this, it is extremely important to maintain a functioning lower-level road network for the operating conditions of Finnish business life and the smooth everyday life of companies and people. In particular, the traffic performance of the road network has deteriorated worryingly in recent years. Sufficient resources must be allocated to basic road maintenance. Link to the statement.  

The new website of the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia has been published on Wednesday 23 September. The aim of the website renewal is to ensure the accessibility of online services for all users of the site. According to the EU's accessibility regulations, public websites must be accessible by 23 September 2020. The structure of the Federation's website has also been clarified and efforts have been made to ensure that things are easier to find within the website. In accordance with the accessibility requirements, the new website also takes into account the clear comprehensibility of the content, sufficiently high contrasts between colours and the use of screen readers when using websites. – The starting point for the reform was the accessibility of public websites in accordance with the Digital Services Act. At the same time, we wanted to renew the content of our website to serve our users even better. The new pages also support the Federation's new strategy, the goals of which are to be highlighted on the website. The entire staff has been involved in the reform and the pages will continue to be developed even after the publication, says Administrative Manager Arja Hankivaara. Accessibility work on the Federation's website is continuous and the EU's accessibility requirements are taken into account in all content production even after the new website has been published.