27.01.2026
OECD report highlights new growth opportunities in northern and eastern Finland
The report, commissioned by the European Commission from the OECD, presents concrete ways to strengthen the resilience and competitiveness of Finland's eastern and northern border ‑ regions. The report was published in Helsinki on 10 December 2025 and supports the Government's ongoing programmes in Northern and Eastern Finland.
The report is based on the impact of Russia’s war of aggression, which has weakened cross-border trade and tourism and increased economic and security uncertainty, especially in the border ‑ regions. At the same time, the regions are being challenged by an ageing population, a loss of migration and a tightening geopolitical situation. According to the OECD, the focus of regional development should be shifted even more towards resilience, security of supply and diversification of the economic structure.
The key message of the report is that security and resilience should be integrated into all regional development. They are not seen as separate themes, but as a starting point for industrial policy, investment and competence development. In addition, the OECD underlines the need for targeted and more flexible funding for the future EU region‑ and for the external border‑ regions in the structural policy programming period.
Diversify the economic structure
The OECD recommends diversifying the economic structure, particularly in cooperation with regard to clean energy, cybersecurity, the bioeconomy, defence, dual-use goods and sustainable tourism. These sectors are seen as offering growth potential from both economic and security perspectives. In addition, the report highlights investments in energy‑ and digital infrastructure, which improve the self-sufficiency and resilience of regions.
According to the OECD, the availability of skilled labour is a key prerequisite for growth. The report recommends developing education‑ and skills policy to better meet regional and sectoral demand.
In the report, Northern ‑Pohjanmaa is seen as a region in cooperation with significant strengths to meet these challenges. The key recommendation is to integrate security and resilience into all regional development. This is particularly the case for energy‑, digital‑ and industrial investments that can simultaneously support growth and security of supply.
The report highlights the strong technological expertise of Northern ‑Pohjanmaa, especially in the Oulu region. The region is well placed to develop dual-use technologies that can be utilised in both civilian ‑ and security sectors, for example in cyber security and digital solutions.
Northern Ostrobothnia has growth potential
According to the report, clean energy and energy infrastructure are strategic development targets in Northern ‑Pohjanmaa. The OECD recommends investing in renewable energy, energy storage and transmission networks to strengthen the region's energy independence and support the green transition. The report also highlights the potential of increasing the value added of the bioeconomy and developing sustainable tourism. These will help to diversify the economic structure and contribute to offsetting the effects of the reduction in cross-border traffic.
The report also emphasises inter-regional cooperation and the active role of Northern ‑Pohjanmaa in influencing the national and EU‑ levels. The aim is to ensure that the future EU region‑ and structural policy take into account the specific needs of the northern external border‑ regions.
The OECD estimates that, despite the challenges, Northern ‑Pohjanmaa has significant growth potential. in cooperation with the right policy choices and targeted investments, the region can strengthen its position at the heart of technology, the green transition and the security transition.
Additional information:
OECD report
