The strategy for the green transition of the Barents region's industry was prepared in Oulu

14.12.2022

There were 12 in Oulu.–13.12.2022 Joint meeting of the Chairmanship of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council of Finland and the Regional Committee. Representatives from Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Iceland and the EU attended the meeting.

The priorities of the Finnish Presidency in 2021-2023 are sustainable development, people-to-people contacts and good transport connections. The UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the European Green Deal and the Barents Programme 2019-23 of the Barents Regional Council have laid the groundwork for action.

Cities and provinces play a key role in promoting people-to-people cooperation in the Barents region. North Karelia's chairmanship, which will officially begin in 2023, will play a key role in the realisation of these goals. The Finnish Presidency is already working in close cooperation with North Karelia. Young people are key to the future of the Barents region and to keeping it alive and developing. In connection with the Oulu meeting, the Barents Region Youth Council (BRYC) also met to plan its future activities.

The meeting paved the way for the Barents region's industrial green transition strategy to be published in February, based on expert presentations. Broadly speaking, the topic was to highlight the technologies and opportunities related to the EU’s green transition. On Monday, we studied research at the University of Oulu. Professor Marko Huttula presented alternatives to carbon-neutral hydrogen production, Professor Jukka Kömi presented the production of carbon-free steel and Professor Jukka Riekki presented digitality as an enabler of the green transition.

The meeting heard a presentation by Liisa Ansala, CEO of the Lapland Chamber of Commerce, on investments in the Barents region, the potential of which has been estimated at EUR 160 billion by 2030. Examples of plans and investment decisions made include battery factory investments, forest industry investments, carbon-neutral steel production, wind power production decisions and mining projects. The battery projects include the Northvolt battery factory in Skellefteå and the Norwegian company Freyr, which is building a battery factory in Mo i Rana and exploring opportunities in Vaasa. For the forest industry, significant investments include Metsä Fibre's bioproduct mill in Kemi and Stora Enso's investment in a consumer carton line in Oulu.

Carbon-neutral steel production is of particular interest in the Barents region at the moment. SSAB will start the transformation processes at its factories in the 2020s, and at Boden, H2 Green Steel will also develop carbon-neutral steel. In Northern Ostrobothnia, the largest amount of wind power is planned and built in Finland. North Ostrobothnia currently accounts for about 40 per cent of Finland's wind power capacity. There are several mining project plans, especially in northern Sweden and Finnish Lapland.

Following Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, member states and the EU have decided to suspend Barents cooperation with Russia.

More information: Jari Vilén, Ambassador of Barents, jari.villen@formin.fi, +358 50 5296321

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Barents

14.04.2023
Invitation to contribute to the Barents Region Cultural Report

Are you a professional artist or cultural operator from Northern Ostrobothnia, Lapland, Kainuu or North Karelia? Are you or your organisation internationally active or do you have international goals or wishes? Do you want to help develop cultural and cultural cooperation in the Barents region? If you answered yes, we hope you will join us in preparing a cultural report for the Barents region by answering the survey. The cultural report will be an overview of the cultural life in Northern Norway, Northern Sweden and Northern Finland and its international activities in cooperation with development proposals. The report provides a description of the current state, opportunities and challenges of cultural life, as well as future development needs and strategies. The study takes into account the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia's war against Ukraine and the economic downturn. Cultural stakeholders in the Barents region play an important role in the drafting of the report and, through the survey, participate in analysing the current situation and drafting development ideas. In addition to the survey, the survey includes research visits and data collection, as well as interviews in cooperation with selected stakeholders. The report was commissioned by the Barents Euro-Arctic Regional Assembly. It involves the governments of Finland, Norway, Russia and Sweden, as well as the Regional Boards of the region. Finland participates in the Regional Regional Assemblys of Lapland, Northern Ostrobothnia, North Karelia and Kainuu. The study was commissioned by the Barents Euro-Arctic Regional Assembly Working Group on Culture. Link to the survey: https://forms.gle/xshpYeUPScRMWUAK7 Response time is until 28 April! Read more in the information letter. The message and link can be forwarded to potential participants. Thank you to all the respondents! More information Questionnaire: Eric Sjöström, Senior Research Fellow, Erda konsult AB, (eric@erdakonsult.se) Auli Suorsa, Senior Specialist, Regional Assembly of Oulu Region (auli.suorsa@pohjois-pohjanmaa.fi)

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The strategy for the green transition of the Barents region's industry was prepared in Oulu

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