news

  The Northern Ostrobothnia Regional Youth Regional Assembly met for the first time on Wednesday, 8 October 2025. The Northern Ostrobothnia Regional Youth Regional Assembly is a joint Regional Youth Regional Assembly of Pohde and the Regional Assembly of Oulu Region. The members represent the Regional Youth Regional Assemblys of 30 municipalities in Northern Ostrobothnia. The Regional Youth Regional Assembly is one of Pohteen's three advocacy bodies, the other two being the Elderly Regional Assembly and the Disability Regional Assembly. The Regional Youth Regional Assembly participates in planning, preparing, implementing and monitoring the activities of the wellbeing services county in matters that are relevant to the services of children and young people. The current term of office of the Regional Youth Regional Assembly runs until 2027. In its organizing meeting, the Regional Youth Regional Assembly made the following choices for its new term of office: President: Matilda Alanen from Muhos. First Vice-Chair: Jere Viinamäki from Isis. Second Vice-Chair: What an Inkeroinen from Nivala. Regional Assemblylor: Matilda Alanen. Deputy member of the Regional Assembly: Jere Viinamäki. Represented by …

On Wednesday 8.10.2025, some 40 tourism and cultural stakeholders from Northern Ostrobothnia and Kainuu gathered at Paltamo to discuss the opportunities offered by the Oulu2026 Capital of Culture year for our region. The Regional Assembly of Oulu Region organised the event in cooperation in cooperation with the Regional Assembly of Kainuu, Humanpolis, Oulu Tourism Ltd and Oulu Cultural Foundation. The aim was to strengthen cooperation between regional tourism and cultural stakeholders, create new networks and find concrete ideas for the development of cultural and tourism activities as part of the Oulu2026 programme. The workshop focused on, among other things, the development of international marketing and cooperation between regional tourism brands, as well as the importance of promoting accessibility in the region. Another key theme was Oulu2026 product ideas and partnerships, where nature and culture are intertwined. Participants discussed what kind of partnerships they need to support their own activities and implement new product ideas…

Change Now – Prosperous communities and mental resilience!   The Northern Ostrobothnia Welfare Forum 2025 will be held on Friday, 21 November 2025, from 10 a.m. to 3.30 p.m. at the Iisi Arena at Kisatie 2 B, 91100 Ii. The Regional Assembly of Oulu Region organises the forum in cooperation in cooperation with the Northern Ostrobothnia Village Regional Assembly and the municipality of Ii. The event is free of charge, including coffee and lunch.   The Northern Ostrobothnia Welfare Forum will be held for the eighteenth time. This year we will focus on healthy communities and mental resilience. The forum also hears about local good practices and rewards the well-being act of the year.   After the event, the municipality of Ii will organise the afterparty of the well-being forum for young people in the evening. Appears in Etta. More information ii.fi The program has been published and updated.     You can sign up for the forum via this link ​ by 12.11.2025.  

On 1-2 October, the Baltic Sea Tourist Forum 2025 brought together top tourism experts and regional representatives from across Europe in Gdańsk. The main themes of the two-day forum were regenerative tourism and data-driven tourism development, which emerged at the centre of the discussions in response to climate objectives and the pressures for change in the sector. On the first day, it was considered whether regenerative tourism is just a fashion word or a genuinely new way to build tourism that improves the environment and communities. International speakers such as Anna Pollock (Conscious.Travel) and Jeremy Smith (Tourism Declares) highlighted the importance of tourism as a driver of climate neutrality and the power of storytelling as a driver of change. In her speech, Tiina Rajala, Development Director of the Regional Assembly of Northern Ostrobothnia, thanked the partners of Northern Ostrobothnia and highlighted the importance of the Forum's themes for the entire tourism industry in the future. The message of today's speakers was,…

The AKKE application period opens on 1 October 2025 and ends on 26 October 2025. AKKE - funding is being applied for, especially for boosting the region's competitiveness and for business cooperation projects. More here

Are you interested in advocacy and international assignments? Now we are looking for a specialist in Brussels for the EU Office for Eastern and Northern Finland, which also monitors the interests of Northern Ostrobothnia in Europe. The deadline for applications is 6.10.2025 at 13.59 (Finnish time). More information about the position and the application form. EU Office for Eastern and Northern Finland

The Advisory Board for Climate Work in Northern Ostrobothnia has acted as a working group set up by the the Board of the Regional Assembly for two periods (2019-2021 and 2022-2025). During its first term of office, the Advisory Board steered the drawing up of the Climate Roadmap and during the second term the updating of the Climate Roadmap. The road map has compiled the county's climate targets and measures, and the information generated in the network has been utilised, for example, in advocacy, in the preparation of EU programmes and in cooperation in cooperation with various stakeholders. The Advisory Board has been an important forum in the development of the region's climate work and as a channel for information exchange and networking. During the meetings, experts have been consulted and close cooperation has been established in cooperation with the Canemure project of Oulu University of Applied Sciences. Now the look is coming. The Advisory Board has carried out a self-assessment and the feedback will be taken into account in the work of the new working group. The new the Board of the Regional Assembly will set up working groups for 2026-2029. 🔹 Financial overview Autumn 2025…

Finland is practically an island: Our security of supply and the functionality of our society rely on sea transport. But what happens if our maritime connections are compromised? How do we prepare for an unstable future in the Baltic Sea? These questions are addressed in the recently published report, Maritime Spatial Planning: Security of supply for maritime industries and the overall safety of the maritime area. The report, carried out by Capful and commissioned by the Finnish Maritime Spatial Planning Coordination Group, discusses the critical role of Finnish maritime spatial planning in supporting security of supply and overall safety. The report provides a snapshot of security in the Baltic Sea, creates three alternative scenarios for the future in an uncertain global political situation and presents a vision of how we can jointly strengthen overall security in Finland's maritime areas. In the first scenario, ‘in the vortex of the great power struggle’, the power struggle of the great powers is causing increasing geopolitical instability in the Baltic Sea region and security risks are increasing. The second scenario “In the Eye of the Storm” opens the perspective of a situation in which military action in the Baltic Sea …

At the start of the plenary debate, the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, said: "In times of uncertainty, we need clarity and the will to lead Europe. We need a Europe that takes responsibility for its own security, facilitates business and protects jobs. A Europe that is fairer and defends our democratic values. Too often it seems that the whole world is on fire when Russia invades Ukraine and the situation in Gaza is appalling. Then the European Parliament's position is that Europe needs to respond in cooperation with new and bold ideas.” Ursula von de Leyen: We need our freedom, independence and democracy "This must be the moment of European independence", said Ursula von der Leyen in her speech. Europe must be able to take care of its own security and defence, manage its economy-boosting …

Registration is now open, welcome! The region's most significant seminar on tourism brings together tourism companies, developers and decision-makers to discuss current themes and future opportunities in the sector. Come and hear how the demand for tourism, rising trends and Oulu's Capital of Culture year can boost tourism in the region! Northern Ostrobothnia Tourism Forum 2025 - BusinessOulu