18.12.2020
The common future of the Euregio Karelia region is in accessibility
ANNOUNCEMENT 16.12.2020
Euregio Karelia's cooperation area and cooperation forum will celebrate its 20th anniversary this year. The most recent example of the power of cooperation is the tourism road maps between the Republic of Karelia and North Ostrobothnia and Kainuu, as well as between the Republic of Karelia, North Karelia and South Karelia. Euregio Karelia has served as a model for cooperation on the EU-Russia border. There is a great demand for similar cooperation in the world.
To mark the anniversary, a commemorative seminar was organised under the theme ‘The importance of regional cooperation in Finnish-Russian dialogue’. The webinar, held remotely on Tuesday 15 December, was attended by more than 120 people interested in cross-border cooperation from Finland and the Republic of Karelia.
The seminar was opened by the Chairman of the Kainuu Regional Government Timo Korhonen.
‘Euregio Karelia has become a collaborative structure where the border is a gateway to dialogue; The border is the bridge and enabler of cooperation. In Euregio Karelia, the local level meets the regional level, and interregional cooperation creates a link to transnational cooperation, for example through Barents cooperation, in which Euregio Karelia is actively involved.”
Kainuu and the Republic of Karelia have chaired Euregio Karelia this year. This year is not only an important year for 20 years of cooperation, but also for the completion of the new cooperation strategy. The new cooperation strategy was approved at the meeting of the Board of Directors of Euregio Karelia on 26 November 2020. The strategy outlines common objectives for interest representation until 2027. The achievement of these goals requires a broad commitment. Euregio Karelia's cooperation is a dialogue between people, local levels and regions, and there is mutual trust and a desire to achieve common goals. There is no place for international tensions.
Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland Pekka Haavisto I received a greeting from the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"It is clear that it is of the utmost importance for border regions to ensure smooth transport and telecommunications connections. The common future of the Euregio Karelia region is in accessibility; road, rail and air connections should be further developed, especially east-west connections and roads leading to border crossing points," said Minister Haavisto in his speech.
Haavisto stated that Finland and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs were actively working to ensure that the total amount of EU and national funding allocated to the EU's external border programmes (CBC programmes) would continue in the new programming period 2021-2027 at least at the level of the current programming period.
In addition, Minister Haavisto saw as an important aspect of regional cooperation that practical implementations are also influenced by solving major common challenges, such as climate change and environmental degradation.
Head of the Republic of Karelia Artur Parfenchikov pointed out that cross-border cooperation in the Karelian region and its border regions in Finland started 55 years ago, when friendships were first established between the cities of Petrozavodsk and Varkaus in 1965.
Mr Parfenchikov stressed the importance of economic cooperation.
“Finland is traditionally one of the main trading partners of the Republic of Karelia due to its long-term cooperation and geographical proximity. In January-September 2020, Finland accounted for more than 25 % of the region’s foreign trade turnover.’
As the latest example of cooperation, Parfenchikov mentioned the road map signed in September to implement tourism measures between the Republic of Karelia and North Ostrobothnia and Kainuu, and the road map signed in December between the Republic of Karelia, North Karelia and South Karelia. The main objective of these documents is to create a common tourist product that is attractive on the international market.
Once the restrictions caused by the pandemic have been lifted, it will be important for us to restore tourism flows and attract tourists from third countries to our regions.”
Plans include developing event tourism and creating new tourist routes connecting the Republic of Karelia and St. Petersburg, as well as North and South Karelia in Finland. It is also planned to organise tourist routes leading from Finland to the White Sea. The Head of the Republic of Karelia also raised the issue of the introduction of electronic visas in Russia, which has also attracted interest in Finland.
"For our part, we are making great efforts to include international road crossing points on the territory of the Republic of Karelia in the list of checkpoints through which foreign citizens can cross the border with a uniform electronic visa," Parfenchikov said.
Scientific Director, Institute of Northern European Studies, Petrozavodsk State University, Doctor of Economics Valery Shlyamin stated in his speech that trust between people, entrepreneurs, researchers and politicians in the border regions of the Republic of Karelia and Finland is the most important achievement of cross-border cooperation.
“We must protect it in these difficult times when the collective West and Russia face confrontation.”
Valeri Šljamin also stressed the importance of economic cooperation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Let us not forget the direct cross-border links between Karelian and Finnish companies. According to our calculations, they make it possible to maintain about 3,000 jobs in the Republic of Karelia and at least 1,000 jobs in Finland during the most difficult crisis period of the coronavirus pandemic, when bilateral trade has decreased by a third.”
Doctor of Science (Technology and Economics), Regional Director of North Karelia 1995-2001 Tarja Cronberg is one of the founders of the Euregio Karelia cooperation forum. According to Cronberg, northern Europe has accepted that regions can also conduct foreign policy, which in the past was only the policy of states. Euregio Karelia is a good example of this.
Euregio Karelia is a good example of how it has been possible to strengthen the common identity on both sides of the border, build trust and cooperate to improve the living conditions of people living in border areas. Today, security policy talks a lot about human security and, according to Cronberg, its role is becoming increasingly important.
Journalist Value Import estimates that cultural cooperation, and in particular cooperation in the music sector, will recover fastest after the COVID-19 crisis. Programme Director of Karelia CBC Programme Marko Ruokangas stated that funding for cross-border projects would continue to be available. The preparation of the new programme is ongoing and it is estimated that the programme will start from the beginning of 2023.
Managing Director of the Finnish-Russian Chamber of Commerce Jaana of Reko stressed the continuity of economic cooperation. According to the Business Barometer published in November, 64 per cent of Finnish companies operating in Russia have not changed their strategy towards Russia as a result of the pandemic.
There is potential for growth in Russia. Rekolainen highlighted waste management and clean technologies for industrial use. Russia is a major forestry power, and there are seeds for growth in sustainable forest management and upgrading. On the service side, health and education provide growth opportunities for Finnish organisations. However, a prerequisite for growth is that the business environment is predictable and stable, transport connections are functional, and the border crossing of goods and people is undisturbed.
Member of Parliament Juha Pylväs noted that facilitating border formalities will boost tourism, business and cultural cooperation. It is also important to promote business activities and the means by which we motivate investments. There are actors on both sides of the border in the border area whose cooperation requires funding. Promoting business activities through cooperation projects has also been seen as important in EU programmes.
"Local and regional actors have the best knowledge, operational capacity and cooperative relationships in their communities. Their know-how should be valued and utilized. By strengthening areas, we will also improve the resilience of the whole area.”
When the Euregio Karelia cooperation forum was established 20 years ago, the then Regional Director of North Karelia Tarja Cronberg saw that Euregio Karelia is a postmodern bag shop. The bag merchants cared not only about the lace, but also about the news. In the same way, Euregio Karelia aims to be an arena for cooperation and communication in accordance with the European cross-border cooperation model. It is a self-determined, self-determined development of border countries. An Euregio – a European border country – can only be created if regions on both sides of the border want it.
The words spoken at the inaugural meeting are still relevant today. The common intention of Euregio Karelia's member regions is to promote cross-border dialogue and implement joint development projects across the border.
Euregio Karelia is a cooperation area located on the border between Finland and Russia. The member regions are the provinces of Kainuu, North Karelia and North Ostrobothnia in Finland and the Republic of Karelia in Russia.
More information: https://www.euregiokarelia.com/
Link to the recording of the ceremonial seminar
