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On Wednesday, 11 December, the Finance Committee decided on the targets for so-called Parliament's Christmas gift money. The municipalities of Northern Ostrobothnia will receive a total of approximately EUR 3 million in Christmas gift money, most of which will be allocated to transport projects. Among the road projects that have received funding is the Salonpää underpass in Varjakka, Oulunsalo. Other road projects can also be implemented thanks to the allocation funds, such as the Jokiniihour light traffic route in Alavieska. “Transport projects are the most presented as Christmas gift money projects, and their funding is thus the most competitive nationwide. We can be satisfied in cooperation with the funding received for the region, for which we thank our Members of Parliament from the region," says Jussi Rämet, Regional Director, and continues: "There is still work to be done to finance the major infrastructure projects in Northern Ostrobothnia. The national Transport 12 plan and the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency's annual investment programme are a channel through which major transport projects can be mobilised and financed by the state …

The Regional Assembly of Oulu Region continues its active work as the coordinator of the EUSBSR Policy Area Tourism in cooperation in cooperation with the Pomorskie Region of Poland. The The Regional Assembly received a positive funding decision for a two-year project under the Baltic Sea Interreg programme on 14 November 2024. The Baltic Sea Strategy's tourism policy area actively coserve ass in cooperation with tourism projects in the Baltic Sea region. The coordinators support those applying for funding in both the application and implementation phases. In addition, the coordinators collaborate in cooperation with funding programmes and share news in the project's newsletter and social media channels. The last call for applications for the Baltic Interreg programme ended in November 2024, when the programme monitoring committee decided to fund a total of 21 projects. Among them is the CliNeDest tourism project led by Visit Tampere. More information on the funded projects can be found on the website of the Interreg Baltic Sea Programme. The next call for funding under the Baltic Sea Interreg programme is …

By working closely in cooperation with organisations, municipalities can gain significant benefits for the provision of services, as well as for increasing vitality and the well-being of their residents.   “We need to invest more in the development of cooperation now that the business environment of municipalities has changed dramatically and the economic situation has tightened. That is why we set out in the Northern Ostrobothnia NGO Advisory Board to draw up guidelines for municipalities to strengthen cooperation," says Esa Aunola, Chair of the NGO Advisory Board and Executive Director of the Northern Ostrobothnia Village Regional Assembly.  The guidelines are a concrete list of five measures.  Associate person: A person responsible for organisational cooperation is appointed in the municipality, and his/her role and resources are clearly defined.   Use of facilities: The municipality provides organisations in cooperation with free and accessible facilities for activities of general interest on the basis of fair and transparent principles.  Grants: Organisational grants are seen as an investment in the well-being and vitality of the municipality. The application processes are made clear and…

The eighth application period for ERDF projects for the 2021-2027 programming period of the Regional Assembly of Oulu Region has closed on 30 November 2024. During the application period, 55 new applications were received by the Regional Assembly of Oulu Region. The applications sought funding from the Regional Assembly of Oulu Region totalling approximately EUR 18.41 million. The solutions for applications progressing to positive further processing will be received in February 2025. The next call is planned to open in March 2024. The timetable for the application period and the specific objectives to be opened will be specified during the winter.

The municipality of Ii received the Northern Ostrobothnia Act of Wellbeing 2024 recognition for its comprehensive work to promote the well-being of its residents and increase life management. The award will be presented at the Northern Ostrobothnia Welfare Forum on 27 November 2024 in Vaala, Finland. In Ii, special attention has been paid to the Participation and Inclusion of mental well-being and Participation and Inclusion in the strategic plans guiding the municipality's operations, as well as in concrete well-being work. We are very proud and honoured that our long-term, extensive and Ii-looking well-being work has appeared worthy of recognition, says Mayor Marjukka Manninen. The well-being work of the municipality of Ii is strongly based on strategic priorities: strong and sustainable growth, close-to-nature Ii, mental well-being and systemic change. I think that well-being work has been nicely combined in cooperation with our strengths in culture and the environment. Comprehensive well-being work is also a genuine part of our responsibility work, says Janne Halftaival, Director of Well-being at Manninen, who says that …

The joint statement by the actors of Northern Ostrobothnia – the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia, the City of Oulu, the University of Oulu, Oulu University of Applied Sciences, the Oulu Chamber of Commerce and the entrepreneurs of Northern Ostrobothnia – praises the process of preparing the draft Northern Programme, which has taken into account the interactive area orientation in an excellent way. Operators consider it particularly important that the Government has recognised the opportunities and significance of the northern region in the programme. “The Northern Agenda is rightly based on growth, security and cooperation. The structure of the programming enables discussion and joint development between the government, ministries and northern actors", the statement states. However, the actors propose that the Northern Vision be added to the programme. According to them, it is important to state aloud that the north produces solutions for the whole of Finland and that it is worth investing in the north. Northern Finland is an area with huge potential…

The meeting of the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia will be held on Monday 9 December 2024 at 10.00 am in the Wegelius Hall of the ODL Wellbeing Centre in Oulu, Albertinkatu 16, 90100 Oulu. Regional Council's agenda The Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia's Economic and Operational Plan 2025-2027 and Budget 2025 The Regional Council approves the Economic and Operational Plan 2025-2027 and the budget 2025 of the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia. Regional plan for the energy and climate phase of Northern Ostrobothnia, feedback summary for the proposal phase The regional council takes note of the state of play of the regional plan for the energy and climate phase in Northern Ostrobothnia. Election of the audit firm Proposal for a decision: The provincial council decides that the audit firm of the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia for the financial years 2025-2028, including the option financial year, will be TALVEA Public Administration Services Ltd, who has submitted the most economically advantageous tender, with JHT, Authorised Public Accountant, KRT Marko Paasovaara as the responsible auditor; authorises the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia’s office to conclude an audit agreement for the financial years 2025 to 2028 with TALVEA Public Administration Services Ltd.   the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia …

The approval of the regional plan for the energy and climate phase of Northern Ostrobothnia will be postponed to spring 2025. According to the original goal, the phase-provincial plan was to be submitted to the approval process of the provincial council in December. However, a lot of feedback was given to the public proposal, a total of 130 pieces, which led to the need to specify the planning material. The Provincial Government of Northern Ostrobothnia discussed the feedback received on the proposal at a meeting held on Tuesday 19 November. The regional plan guides the location of regionally significant wind power areas, i.e. entities of 10 or more power plants. The goal of the regional plan for the energy and climate phase is to increase areas suitable for regionally significant wind power construction in Northern Ostrobothnia. At the same time, the goal of the plan is to steer wind power construction as a whole, to coordinate different activities and to manage impacts at the level of the entire province. North Ostrobothnia is the leading wind power region in Finland, with about 40 per cent of Finland's wind power plants. There is also …

The Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia's ERDF funding for circular economy projects will open in early 2025, in February-March. Applicants may be research and training organisations, business development organisations, publicly owned technology and competence centres, municipalities and other public entities and associations. In line with the objectives of the Carbon Neutral Finland programme, applications are required to promote the circular economy and the transition to it. Projects to be supported may, for example, support RDI activities related to high-refining bioeconomy, carbon cycle or cleantech. The project can also promote research and development related to carbon sinks, develop smart material management and curb waste generation, or promote digital solutions in the transition to a circular economy. Read more about the criteria for the previously open call for applications to promote the transition to a circular economy EURA 2021: Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia's 8th call for projects ERDF 1.9.- 30.11.2024. The opening of the application period is announced on the website of the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia Applying for EU funding…

On Wednesday 27 November 2024, starting at 8.30 a.m., the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia will organise an information event for representatives of the technical office of the municipalities of Northern Ostrobothnia on the possibilities of EU funding for the financing of plans. The event takes place through teams and lasts about an hour. We have sent all representatives of the technical function of the municipalities of Northern Ostrobothnia, primarily the technical function managers, a team invitation to the event through the registries of the municipalities. You can also participate in the event via the following link by opening the link Ctrl+click: Join the meeting now. The presentation material of the event will be available on the website of the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia after the event: www.pohjois-pohjanmaa.fi -> Finance -> Renewing and Skilled Finland 2021-2027 -> Educational resources Greetings Aki Lappalainen, Regional Development Specialist, tel. 040 502 1851 aki.lappalainen@pohjois-pohjanmaa.fi