Press releases

17.01.2022

Meeting press release of the the Board of the Regional Assembly

The Provincial Government held its first hybrid meeting of the year on 17 January 2022 in Oulu, Finland

Six candidates will be interviewed for the position of Planning Director

Eleven applications were received by the deadline for the position of Design Director in the open call. The provincial government decided to invite the following applicants for an interview: M.Sc. (Econ.) Kari Aalto, M.Sc. (Econ.) Markus Erkkilä, M.Sc. (Econ.) Janna Kumpula, architect, M.Sc. (Econ.) Anu Syrjäpalo, M.Sc. (Econ.) Ilpo Tapaninen and architect Kai Tolonen.

Renewable and Skilled Finland 2021-2027 Regional Financing Plan 2021-2022

The granting powers for Northern Ostrobothnia for the 2021-2027 programming period amount to a total of EUR 356.4 million. The breakdown is as follows: European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) EUR 152,7 million, European Social Fund (ESF+) EUR 84,2 million and Just Transition Fund (JTF) EUR 119,4 million. The allocation of ERDF and ESF+ funding is described for the next two years on the basis of an angle figure by region.

The cornerstones of Northern Ostrobothnia in 2021 and 2022 are as follows:

The Regional Council of North Ostrobothnia's granting powers total EUR 15,014 million and the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment EUR 23,251 million. The Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment for Northern Ostrobothnia (ELY Centre) operates under the ESF+ allocation of EUR 18.149 million. € as intermediate authority. When the county receives the JTF granting powers, the whole and the distribution ratio are examined.

Other issues

• Advocacy issues raised by Regional Director Pauli Harju: Monitoring the preparation of EU climate policy and legislation is a priority for the EU Office for Eastern and Northern Finland in 2022. The Regional Council of North Ostrobothnia makes the implementation of the TE-service reform the second priority in the regional development discussion with the Government. The aim is to influence the cooperation structure required of municipalities and their stronger role in the preparation of the reform. The Regional Council of Lapland, as chairman of the Advisory Board for Northern Finland, will compile the joint government programme targets for 2023. The Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia prepares, in cooperation with stakeholders, the most important regional objectives for Northern Ostrobothnia as themes for parliamentary elections and to be taken into account when negotiating the Government Programme. The work will start in February.
• The Occupational Safety and Health Programme 2022-2025 of the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia was adopted.
• The Provincial Government held a referral discussion on the association's activities in the cooperation organisations of Euregio Karelia and the CPMR Baltic Sea Commission. The provincial government will make a decision on the members representing the union at the next meeting.
• Director Kari Aalto told about current affairs at the EU Office in Eastern and Northern Finland. The joint EU office of seven regions promotes the internationalisation and know-how of the Eastern and Northern Finland region, the priorities of regional development, the implementation of the programme for the Structural Funds period, and the competitiveness and operating conditions of the Eastern and Northern Finland economy.
• At the end of 2021, the last application round of the Finnish Structural Funds programme period for Sustainable Growth and Jobs 2014-2020 was carried out, for which funding was received from decommitted funding for completed projects. As a rule, the implementation of the projects will end at the end of 2022.
• The Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia is applying for AKKE funding for the project "Developing digital well-being and participation in Northern Ostrobothnia". The total budget for the 2022 project is EUR 96 000.
• The Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia is applying for AKKE funding for the project EMMI – Energy Transition and Climate Impact Assessment of Land Use in Northern Ostrobothnia. The total budget for the project running from 1 March 2022 to 30 September 2023 is EUR 100 000.