Press releases

The investment programme for the state fairway network does not take into account the needs of northern Finland and does not identify future opportunities. The Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia is disappointed with the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency's proposal for an investment programme for 2023-2030. The programme completely ignores the needs of northern Finland's residents and business life, as well as the security of supply of Finland as a whole. For Northern Finland, the investment programme does not implement the objectives of the Transport12 plan in terms of accessibility, sustainability and efficiency. According to the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia, the investment programme must take into account the significantly changed operating environment and the vital role of its northern connections in security of supply, international transport policy and international logistics. For Northern Finland, the development of the Ylivieska-Oulu connection on the main railway line, starting with the construction of the Liminka-Oulu twin track, and investments in the development of highway 4, must be taken into account in the further preparation of the investment programme. “In Northern Finland, ongoing and ongoing business investments should be visible…

The municipalities, regional federations and chambers of commerce of northern Finland have published a futures review on the significance of the north, security of supply, security and growth opportunities. Traditionally, the ministries have published, at the end of the parliamentary term, future reviews, views on phenomena affecting their field of activity. In this same forward-looking spirit, an assessment of the future of the north has been prepared, in which the perspective is broader than Finland's territory. The title of the review is ‘Northern Futures Review – The Finnish Sampo and the Gate to the West’. ‘It is not a detailed list of the objectives or projects of advocacy in the region, but a general view of the strengths and developments that the state, in particular, would be justified in taking into account and exploiting for the benefit of the whole country. This is the opening of the debate and the justification for taking the northern perspective into account in national decision-making. The review also encourages …

The secretariat of the North Ostrobothnia Regional Cooperation Group met in Oulu on 27 April 2022. At the meeting, Ilpo Tapaninen from the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia presented the Regional Programme for Northern Ostrobothnia 2022-2025. More information on the regional programme is available on the website of the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia. Timo Lehtiniemi from the ELY Centre for Northern Ostrobothnia presented EAFRD statistics for 2021 and the agricultural security of supply package. The development themes and priorities of the Regional Programme for Northern Ostrobothnia 2022-2025 and the Smart Specialisation Strategy 2021-2024 have been identified as Omnibuses for the organisation of monitoring. Päivi Keisanen, Development Manager at the Regional Council of North Ostrobothnia, presented the current state of play of the Renewable and Skilled Finland 2021-2027 programme and the JTF. The adoption of the Renewable and Skilled Finland 2021-2027 programme by the European Commission is expected on 12 May for the European Regional Development Fund and the European Social Fund. by the opening ceremony in 2022.  EURA 2021…

The provincial government held a hybrid meeting on Monday, 25 April 2022. During the meeting, a lively referral discussion was held on the TUULI project's location management model and its connection to the regional plan for the energy and climate phase, as well as on the investment programme for the state transport network for 2023-2030. The location management model of the TUULI project identifies potential wind power areas The TUULI project of the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia produces new information on the suitability of the area of Northern Ostrobothnia for wind power production and seeks solutions for solving environmental issues in the industry.  In March 2022, a total of 408 power plants with a total capacity of 1482 MW were built in Northern Ostrobothnia. There are approximately 2658 MW of licensed wind power in the region. More than 6,000 MW of additional capacity is planned for the ongoing wind power plans. Based on the results of the electricity transmission survey of the TUULI project, the ongoing projects can mainly be connected to an existing or planned electricity network. The location control model has identified areas suitable for wind power construction and defined areas that …

The Northern Ostrobothnia Co-operation Group held a hybrid meeting on Wednesday 20 April 2022 in Oulu, Finland. At the beginning of the meeting, Project Coordinator Tiina Nokela from the Prikka Kieron project presented the current ESF project to the cooperation group. Prikka Kierkka is a development project that develops a logistics centre for the circular economy in Oulu in extensive cooperation. The Centre solves two current challenges, both the better utilisation of food waste and the employment of those in a challenging position on the labour market. Hanna Honkamäkilä, Head of International Affairs at the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia presented a snapshot of the role of Northern Ostrobothnia in cross-border programmes. Honkamäkilä told, among other things, about the new responsibility for tourism in the Baltic Sea macro-regional strategy that had been opened up to the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia. The Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia has been selected as the second coordinator of the tourism policy area of the European Union's macro-regional strategy for the Baltic Sea region together with the Pomorski region of Poland. Honkamäkilä also told about Interreg Aurora's first call for applications for the new programming period, which opens…

Petition 8.4.2022 GovernmentFinnish Members of the European ParliamentMembers of Parliament of the provinces of the programme areasThe ERDF funding under the INTERREG NEXT programmes 2021-2027 will be an important development instrument for border regions throughout the 21st century in Finland. For the 2021-2027 programming period, Finland had prepared three Interreg NEXT programmes at the EU’s external borders with the aim of supporting the development and cooperation of border regions between Finland and Russia through development and investment projects. Sweden and Norway also participated in the Kolarctic programme. The total EU funding allocated to the three programmes was approximately EUR 112.1 million, of which approximately EUR 55.5 million from the ERDF and approximately EUR 56.6 million from the NDICI. In addition, a similar amount of government funding would have been allocated to them. Russia's military action in Ukraine has halted the preparation of new external border programmes. European Commission…

The Secretariat of the Northern Ostrobothnia Regional Cooperation Group met on 22 March 2022 and supported the following projects to be funded under the Finnish Structural Funds Programme for Sustainable Growth and Jobs 2014-2020: HAiLife - New business from human sciences data/ERDF Responsible authority: Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia Applicant: University of Oulu Total cost: 177 335 € ERDF and state funding requested: 124 135 € Digital Power Plant/ERDF Responsible Authority: Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia Applicant: Joint municipal authority for education OSAO Total costs: 385 117 € ERDF and state funding requested: DROPPI - Bold experimentation with drones in Northern Ostrobothnia/ERDF Responsible Authority: Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia Applicants: Oulu University of Applied Sciences Ltd, University of Oulu Total costs: 307 857 € ERDF and state funding requested: €215 500 AMENDMENT - Resilience for well-being and sustainability in rural business/ESF Applicants: Diaconia University of Applied Sciences Ltd, ProAgria Oulu ry, Oulu Deaconess Institute Foundation Funded by:…

The Northern Ostrobothnia Regional Cooperation Group held a hybrid meeting on Wednesday 16 March 2022 in Oulu, Finland. At the beginning of the meeting, Chairman Matti Heikkilä told about the joint announcement of the chairmen of the cooperation groups of Finnish counties, in which the counties' cooperation projects with Russia are suspended for the time being.  "With sanctions against Russia imposed by the European Union and many other international actors, provincial federations must also refrain from cooperating until Russia ceases military action and Ukraine's national sovereignty is respected," said the co-chairs. Jussi Ylitalo, chairman of the regional government, explained how Russia's invasion of Ukraine has affected the activities of the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia. The Karelia CBC programme's press release on the matter can be read here. Professor Matti Muhos, Director of the Kerttu Saalasti Institute at the University of Oulu, presented the micro-entrepreneurship entity at the University of Oulu. Microentrepreneurship Centre MicroENTRE® is a research group…

The war in Ukraine has had a direct impact on Finland's energy production. Significant quantities of oil, natural gas and energy chips are imported into Finland. About a quarter of the energy chips used in Finland come from Russia. We are now in a situation in Northern Ostrobothnia where energy production is facing significant challenges in terms of fuel availability. The price of energy is a crucial factor for all parties involved. The rise in price treats industry, agriculture and forestry as well as service production and the community in the same way. The share of companies' income, municipal income and citizens' wages that goes to the price of energy will increase if energy self-sufficiency is not immediately improved through support measures to overcome the acute crisis. In addition to managing the change in the short-term energy situation, plans must be prepared to return to a fossil-free, climate-resilient and self-sufficient environment once the situation stabilises…

The Regional Government of the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia held a hybrid meeting on Monday, 14 March. In Oulu, Finland. The report of the Board of Directors and the financial statements will proceed from the meeting of the Provincial Government to the Provincial Council in June for approval. The Regional Council of North Ostrobothnia has a surplus of EUR 213,026.22 for the financial year 2021. When EUR 69,006.38 is credited from the development fund, it is proposed that EUR 282,033.22 be recorded in the surplus/deficit account of the balance sheet. The preparation of the regional plan for the energy and climate phase of North Ostrobothnia proceeds with the adoption of the responses to the participation and assessment plan for the regional plan for the energy and climate phase of North Ostrobothnia as the basis for the further preparation of the regional plan. 31 feedbacks were received on the participation and evaluation plan. The prerequisites for emission-free and renewable energy production in the region, as well as the transmission and storage of electrical energy, became the most important subject of feedback. It is proposed that the potential of decentralised and centralised solar energy be investigated for the whole province. Electricity transmission, i.e. new…