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In its statement, the Northern Ostrobothnia Youth Council requires that the resources supporting the youth activities of the Barents Secretariat should also be secured in the future. The Youth Council demands that the Government secure the continuation of Barents cooperation also in the future. The role and human resources of the International Barents Secretariat (IBS) in organising, managing and implementing the activities of BRYC are also crucial. The Youth Council's statement states that administrative support for a voluntary institution is a prerequisite for qualitative and active action. On 13 May, the Northern Ostrobothnia Youth Council decided to authorise the Presidium to prepare its position paper for the Ministry for Foreign Affairs regarding the continuity and resourcing of the Barents Region Youth Council (BRYC). Northern Ostrobothnia Youth Council Statement Additional information: Ilpo Tapaninen, Strategy Manager, tel. +358 50 301 7546, ilpo.tapaninen(at)pohjois-pohjanmaa.fi

Figure: Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia. The mouth of the Haapakoski smolt downhill migration path. On the bottom of the flow rate meter, on the side of the camera. There's a fence in the background. In the Lohi Iijoki project, early summer is a busy time. Hundreds of thousands of small salmonid juveniles are planted in the river Iijoki and its tributaries, as many as possible rising fish are moved above the power plants, and smolts, i.e. downdrafting salmon and sea trout juveniles, are moved below the plants. In addition, the behaviour of fish on the Haapakoski downhill migration path is monitored. ‘The small-child stocking of salmon and sea trout takes place between May and June. The placentas are newly hatched, pre-summer and one-year-old. The main responsibility for plantings lies with Metsähallitus," says Eero Hartikainen, Fisheries Specialist at Metsähallitus.   Removals of bulls will take place in May-June. Transfers will continue towards the end of the summer when the waters have cooled down again. Salmon and sea trout entering the river are requested to be crossed in two ways: Commercial fishermen catch overloaded fish…

The Council of Oulu Region is involved in a large project submitted to the EU's Horizon Europe program, the purpose of which is to develop the hydrogen economy on the west coast of Finland and create a functioning ecosystem for it. Energy production and consumption are in a transition phase when moving from combustion-based energy to emission-free energy. The need for clean electricity is growing all over Europe. A significant part of renewable energy investments has been realized and is planned in the BotH2nia hydrogen valley area. In this way, energy-using industry can also be created and attracted to the…

The Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia is involved in an extensive project submitted to the EU's Horizon Europe programme, the purpose of which is to develop the hydrogen economy on the west coast of Finland and create a functional ecosystem for it. Energy production and consumption are undergoing a transition from combustion-based energy to zero-emission energy. The need for clean electricity is growing across Europe. A significant part of the renewable energy investments have been realised and are planned in the BotH2nia hydrogen valley area. In this way, energy-using industries can also be created and attracted to the region. The BotH₂nia Hydrogen Valley project has a total budget of EUR 20 million and involves 65 actors and an even larger number of other participants. Oulun Energia, Raahen Energia and SSAB are partners from Northern Ostrobothnia. The University of Oulu is responsible for the research and technology work package of the project.…

The next European elections, the European Parliament elections, will be held in Finland in June. Finland elects 15 MEPs to the 720-seat parliament. The seven regions of Northern and Eastern Finland want to raise awareness of the importance of the European Union and encourage voting. Voting can affect who will represent Finland in the European Parliament for the next five years. Northern and Eastern Finland's election messages can be followed on Instagram (@largest part of Finland) until the election day on 9 June. More information and general information about the elections and the European Union can be found in most of Finland on the ‑ website. The website also provides information on matters of importance to Northern and Eastern Finland, which are decided at European level. The European Parliament is the parliament of the European Union, which legislates and approves the EU budget together with the Council of the European Union. In addition, …

The joint meeting of the Regional Councils of Mainland Finland was held in Turku on 14 May 2024. The 18 regional federations of Finland issued a joint statement on the preparation of the cultural policy report. The purpose of the preparation of the Cultural Policy Report launched by Prime Minister Orpo's Government is to produce an ambitious vision for the future, which will enable the long-term development of Finland's artistic and cultural policy. In addition to the vision of the future, the report presents the actions that will be taken to achieve the objectives. The aim of cultural activities is to support people's opportunities for creative expression and activities, as well as for making and experiencing culture and art, to promote equal opportunities and participation of all population groups in culture, art and education, to strengthen the well-being and health of the population, as well as inclusion and communality, and to create the conditions for the development of vitality.  In this work…

The Northern Ostrobothnia Youth Council met on Monday 13 May 2024. The meeting was chaired by First Vice-Chair Sami Kemi from Siikalatva. At the meeting, the Youth Council decided to draw up two statements. The first concerns securing the financing of social and health services for children and young people. The Youth Council of the Central Ostrobothnia Welfare Region has issued an invitation to the youth councils of the Finnish Welfare Regions to make a joint statement to secure the funding of social and health services for children and young people.  The position paper will be prepared in June 2024. The Youth Council will make a second statement by the end of May. The Youth Council mandated the Presidium to prepare a statement for the Ministry for Foreign Affairs regarding the continuity and resourcing of the Barents Region Youth Council (BRYC). In addition, the Northern Ostrobothnia Youth Council elected Jere Viinamäki from Ii as a member of Pohte's interface board. Representatives were also selected for the annual BRYC meeting, Generation Barents, to be held in Bodö, Norway, from 19 to 22 September. Youth Council at the event …

What is my relationship with nature? What does home mean to me? How can emotions be handled and expressed through art? How can art increase the participation of local residents?  Could art be part of our daily lives? What is art? Can anyone make art?  Could art be used as a means of development? For example, these questions were considered and the answers to them were sought in the recently completed Culture Cell project and its art pilots. In 2023, six art pilots were carried out in Northern Ostrobothnia to meet the development needs of municipalities. They had a total of 97 workshops and produced 29 artworks and events. The pilots were carried out by 17 artists and nearly 3,000 local residents participated. Videos were also made for each pilot. All this extensive work…

Projects funded under this call must meet at least one of the following criteria: - the project supports research, development and innovation activities of SMEs and thus improves the innovation capacity of SMEs - the project strengthens the innovation ecosystem of the region - the project expands the range of parties involved in RDI activities The application period is from 22 April 2024 to 30 August 2024 at 15.00. A maximum of EUR 448 000 is available to fund projects that have arrived in the application round. More information on the AKKE page.

From 2 to 5 April 2024, the Connecting Europe Days took place in Brussels. The event is a biennial key event for EU transport policy, bringing together stakeholders from the public and private sectors to discuss the development of the common European transport network. The event hosted a number of panel discussions and presentations on the hottest issues and future trends in EU transport policy. On Wednesday 3 April 2024, the Connecting Europe by Air event at Brussels Airport was opened by Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo. Speaking at the event, Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean stressed the importance of the new TEN-T regulation, the role of sustainable propulsion in future air transport, and the need to better connect airports to the rest of the transport network. Jouni Jussinniemi, 1st Vice-Chairman of the provincial council, who participated in the event, says that air traffic is undergoing a major propulsion revolution: ‘In addition to electricity, the propulsion of air transport must take into account hydrogen…