Press releases

The spillover effects of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine threaten Finland’s economic development. By ensuring the security, economy and accessibility of Eastern and Northern Finland, the security of supply of the whole country is strengthened and the development potential of the region is unleashed. According to the Regional Councils of Eastern and Northern Finland, the future Government Programme should be based on a realistic assessment of the situation. Safety, security of supply and equitable economic development must be taken into account. The regions of Eastern and Northern Finland play a crucial role in the development of the whole country, so their transport connections, the availability of skilled labour and investments must be secured. Accessibility plays a particularly important role. Concrete measures include the promotion of the EU transport system. Northern Finland must be connected to the transport network of Northern Sweden and Northern Norway. This will speed up investments in the north and in Finland as a whole and connect Finland to the European transport network, emphasises Chairperson of the Regional Government of Northern Ostrobothnia…

The Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia, the Youth Council of Northern Ostrobothnia, the Regional State Administrative Agency for Northern Finland, the Employment and Economic Development Office of Northern Ostrobothnia, the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment of Northern Ostrobothnia and the POPNUVA project will organise a youth forum on Monday 21 November at the Provincial Government Building in Oulu. The Northern Ostrobothnia Youth Council discussed the nature of the event, the desired speakers and the theme for the forum. The theme of the event is the well-being of young people's minds. The working group responsible for the event will continue preparations on the basis of the Youth Council's briefings. Hyvärinen, Rentola and Kemi to represent Northern Ostrobothnia The Youth Council made personal choices in its meeting. Iida Hyvärinen was elected as a member of the Advisory Board for Climate Work in Northern Ostrobothnia. Sofia Rentola was elected as the main representative of Metsähallitus' natural resource planning and Sami Kemi was elected as the deputy member of the youth council. At its meeting on 1 September 2022, the Youth Council also heard several communications on climate work in Northern Ostrobothnia, Metsähallitus' natural resource planning and Leader activities in Northern Ostrobothnia from the perspective of young people. Agenda of the Northern Ostrobothnia Youth Council meeting. Further information:…

The secretariat of the regional cooperation group held its first meeting of the autumn season on Tuesday 30 August. In Oulu, Finland. The Northern Ostrobothnia Just Transition Plan and the preparation of the JTF The European Commission has given informal feedback on the counties’ transition plans on 17 August 2022. The Commission's feedback concerns all provinces. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment has requested the corrected transition plans by Monday, 5 September. According to the timetable, the Government will discuss the plan in October, and the proposal for programme amendments will also be discussed by the Commission in October. The Commission's approval of the draft programme and the regional transition plans is expected by the end of the year. The implementation of the JTF is expected to start in early 2023. The Regional Councils of Finland are responsible for preparing the regional funding plans for the EU's Regional and Structural Policy Programme. The unions make the preparations in cooperation with the Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment and other regional partners. The financial plan shall describe …:

From the point of view of the accessibility and investment environment in Northern Ostrobothnia, rapid investment in the planning of the northern connections will be central to the 2023 budget session: the widening and improvement of the Poikkimaantie road in Oulu. Stora Enso is planning a billion-dollar investment in Oulu. Improving the road is key to investment. The road connection to the port and factory is already congested and the level of service is inadequate. The Government of Northern Ostrobothnia emphasises that the construction of the road must start already in 2023 as part of the implementation of Stora Enso's investment. The provincial government has followed with great concern the outlook given to Northern Finland by the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Investment Programme, which implements the national 12-year transport system plan. As a repair movement, the provincial government requires that planning capacity be improved for key sites in Northern Ostrobothnia. “North Ostrobothnia is currently in a weak situation with regard to projects that are feasible in terms of planning readiness. In the investment programme of the fairway, the emphasis on planning readiness in selected projects…

The regional government held the first meeting of the autumn season in Oulu on Monday 22 August. Regional Director Pauli Harju raised the issue of transport appropriations in advocacy matters: the planning capacity of the northern connections needs to be improved in spite of the decreasing transport budget frameworks. The Regional Government of Northern Ostrobothnia emphasises that, from the perspective of the accessibility and investment environment of Northern Ostrobothnia, widening and improving the Poikkimaantie road in Oulu is central to the 2023 budget debate. “We need to make sure this goes through”, Harju stressed. The strategy 2020-2024 of the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia is the basis for operational and economic planning. The provincial government held a discussion on the strategic objectives of the union as a basis for the further preparation of next year's economic and operational plan. At its June meeting, the Provincial Government approved an increase of 4% in the planning framework for the 2023 budget as regards the municipal contribution. The proposal for an economic and operational plan for 2023-2025 will be discussed in the Provincial Government…

The regional government held a meeting at the Haapavesi power plant on Tuesday, 21 June. Regional Director Pauli Harju raised the issue of advocacy at the Barents meeting held in Kuusamo at the end of May, which dealt with cooperation without Russia and the maintenance of cooperation structures, the reallocation of EU funds under the Interreg programme and the measures required for it, the establishment of a working group of state secretaries due to the changed position of Eastern (Northern) Finland, and the measures of the Terva working group of Northern Ostrobothnia in assessing the impact of the suspension of the Hanhikivi nuclear power plant project. The Regional Government of the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia discussed the planning frameworks for the economic and operational plan for 2023-2025. The provincial government approved a 4% increase in municipal funding in accordance with the provincial president's proposal. In its meeting in August, the Provincial Government will discuss the objectives of the Union's activities for 2023. The proposal for an economic and operational plan for 2023-2025 will be discussed by the Provincial Government on 26 September 2022 and the plan will then be sent to the member municipalities for a statement. Northern Ostrobothnia…

The secretariat of the regional cooperation group held its meeting on 20 June 2022 in Oulu.  Päivi Keisanen told about the current state of play in the preparation of a just transition plan for Northern Ostrobothnia. Informal feedback from the European Commission on the provincial transition plans has been received. The Commission's official feedback on the transition plans is expected to be received in September, after which the Government's deliberations and the amendment to the Renewable and Skilled Finland 2021-2027 programme document will take place. According to the current timetable, approval by the Commission would be obtained towards the end of the year and regional implementation would begin. Riitta Ilola presented the ESF progress report for the 2014-2020 programming period. According to the situation in June 2022, approximately EUR 104 million of ESF project funding has been granted in Northern Ostrobothnia. There were 340 funded projects. 6642 SMEs, 2579 other organisations and some 37500 people have participated in the projects. The figures do not include cross-border projects. Main project implementers in Northern Ostrobothnia…

The Northern Ostrobothnia Regional Cooperation Group held the last meeting of the spring season on Wednesday 15 June in Oulu. The Working Party took note of the following topical presentations and briefings: CEO Janne Anttila from Hiekkasärkät Oy presented the activities of the Arctic Sea project. Project Manager Anna-Riitta Sulander from Naturpolis Oy presented the tourism development projects in the Ruka-Kuusamo area. The Northern Ostrobothnia Culture Development Programme 2022-2030 was presented by Auli Suorsa, Culture Specialist at the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia. Read more here. Timo Lehtiniemi, Head of the Rural and Energy Unit at the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment for Northern Ostrobothnia, told about current agriculture, EAFRD funding for 2021 and the agricultural crisis package. The Just Transition Plan for Northern Ostrobothnia (JTF) The state of play of the preparation of the Just Transition Plan for Northern Ostrobothnia and the JTF was presented by Päivi Keisanen, Development Manager of the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia. In May, the European Commission gave its informal feedback on the counties' just transition plans. Provinces finalize …

The Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia held a meeting in Oulu, ODL Wegelius Hall on Monday, 13 June 2022. The provincial council approved the financial statements for 2021 and discharged the accountable persons from liability.  The result for the financial year 2021 is a surplus of EUR 282 033.22. The Board of Auditors issued its evaluation report on the activities of the Association. The Regional Council approved the new rules of the Regional Development Fund for Northern Ostrobothnia. The rules of the Development Fund have been clarified with regard to the purpose of the Fund and the criteria for granting funding. Over the past few years, a surplus of more than EUR 980 000 has been accumulated. The provincial council decided to transfer EUR 500 000 from the surplus/deficit account of previous financial years to the development fund. In order to be able to act in accordance with the strategic objectives set and the operational objectives set for the coming years, the federation acquires project funding for the implementation of its operations. Almost all project funding requires an organisation's own contribution, some of which is covered by the Development Fund to balance the budget. Provincial Council…

The Regional Government of the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia held a meeting in Oulu on Monday, 23 May. In advocacy matters, Regional Director Pauli Harju highlighted the state of preparation of the Just Transition Fund (JTF) and the feedback received from the European Commission, the state of preparation of the TE Services 2024 reform and the impact on employment of the suspension of the Hanhikivi nuclear power plant project. The preparation of the regional plan for the energy and climate phase progresses The Regional Government approved the principles as the basis for the further preparation of the regional plan for the energy and climate phase in Northern Ostrobothnia. The most important background study for the phase county plan is the TUULI project, which produces new information on the suitability of the Northern Ostrobothnia region for wind power production and seeks solutions for solving environmental issues. Comprehensive interaction procedures have been implemented during the TUULI project and the views of different stakeholders have been taken into account. However, the procedures carried out during the project do not replace the interactions carried out during the provincial planning process. During the phase county plan, through participation, the county's member municipalities and various actors…