news

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

The agenda for the meeting of the Regional Government on 19 November 2024 has been published on the website of the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia. Matters to be discussed at the meeting: Progress report on the implementation status and implementation of the Structural Funds programme of the Renewable and Skilled Finland 2021-2027 programme and the JTF (Just Transition) fund, as well as national funding Indicate for information the status of implementation of the Renewable and Skilled Finland Programme 2021-2027, the JTF Fund and national funding.  North Ostrobothnia Tourism Strategy The provincial government approves the update of the tourism strategy for 2024-2027. External evaluation of the Regional Programme for Northern Ostrobothnia 2022-2025 The Regional Government takes note of the external evaluation of the Regional Programme for Northern Ostrobothnia 2022-2025. Launch of preparatory work for the provincial programme for Northern Ostrobothnia 2026-2029 The Provincial Government decides to initiate the preparation of the Provincial Programme for Northern Ostrobothnia 2026-2029, including the environmental report, to publish an announcement of the start of the preparation on the official bulletin board of the Union on the website and in the newspaper Kaleva, and to approve the work plan of the Provincial Programme for Northern Ostrobothnia 2026-2029.…

The House of Good Mind will receive the 2024 North Ostrobothnia Organisational Act Award for its Prospect training programme. This year’s theme was ‘Broader than Whole – Cross-Border Cooperation’. The selection emphasised the crossing of borders and effectiveness, as well as the role of volunteering in the association's activities.  The award-winning association receives 1,000 euros to support its operations.   The House of Good Mind as a local association operator in Oulu has participated in a larger, cross-border cooperation that supports the well-being of mental health rehabilitees and relatives in Europe. The Prospect training programmes have been developed in cooperation with EUFAMI. The implementation of the training programmes in the House of Good Mind has started in 2004 and the updated training programmes have been introduced in 2024. Prospect training programmes support the mental well-being and recovery of mental health rehabilitees and their loved ones, as well as human rights, inclusion and empowerment…

According to HTT Raimo Ikonen and FL Rauno Lämsä's Northern Finland - The Future on the Move study, Northern Finland plays a crucial role in securing the nation's security of supply and self-sufficiency. The liquidators have independently made the report available to the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia. Permanently changed operational and safety environments have highlighted new structures for regional development: accessibility and regional vitality, coupled with security of supply and self-sufficiency from the perspective of Finland as a whole. Self-sufficiency concerns food, energy and health. Regional needs and actions are increasingly of a national and, at the same time, European nature. There is now a need for a reform of national regional policy. The northern routes are the only routes to Europe in the event of a crisis in the Baltic Sea. Strategic and critical resources are unpredictable. Accessibility is common to Europe…

The North Ostrobothnia Transport System Plan 2040 has been updated. The Government of Northern Ostrobothnia approved the updated transport system plan for the region at a meeting on 14 October. The Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia and the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment of Northern Ostrobothnia were responsible for the update. The work was carried out during 2024 in cooperation with the municipalities of the region and the regional stakeholders. The provincial transport system plan includes a shared vision and willingness of the actors in the region to develop the provincial transport system. The plan presents the vision, objectives and policies, as well as the measures to be taken to make the region's transport system more efficient, safe and sustainable. The regional transport system plan is used to support the interest representation of the region. Regional plans play an important role in communicating the needs of the region, both in national planning and decision-making. In addition, the plan aims to guide the development of individual municipalities based on their own decision-making. “Significantly changed landscape in recent years…