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The Regional Councils of Kainuu, Central Ostrobothnia, Lapland and Northern Ostrobothnia have launched an evaluation of the regional programmes for Northern Finland. The evaluation examines the effectiveness of the current provincial programmes, the success of their implementation and the need for reforms. This thesis assesses the realization and impact of the objectives and programmes of four regional programmes (Kainuu, Central Ostrobothnia, Lapland and Northern Ostrobothnia) as part of the regional development steering system. Based on this, development recommendations will be formulated on the priorities of the future provincial programme. The evaluation includes both joint and provincial development proposals for the new provincial programmes for 2026-2029. The regional programmes will be part of regional and provincial planning and development as a whole and will give concrete expression to the development needs and measures to respond to them in the coming years. The content and level of ambition of the provincial programmes 2022-2025 of the four counties under assessment emphasise, for example, the sustainable development, vitality, accessibility and green transition of the regions…

A grant of EUR 300,000 has been granted for the further development and expansion of the Pirkanmaa Cultural Bank online service launched at the beginning of 2023 from the Ministry of Education and Culture's structural support for the renewal of the cultural and creative sectors. As a result of the grant, the service will be extended to eight other regions in addition to Pirkanmaa. North Ostrobothnia is also included. Practical work in the area is carried out in cooperation between the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia and the City of Oulu. Pirkanmaa Cultural Bank is a free online service maintained by the City of Tampere that brings together cultural and artistic creators and their on-demand services. The aim of the online service is to increase the employment, visibility and networking of artists, as well as the availability and diverse use of culture. At the moment, the service has 500 cultural and artistic authors and more than 400 on-demand cultural and art services. User experiences…

The Maritime Working Group of the Baltic Sea Commission of CPMR, the cooperation organization for the European peripheral maritime regions, met on June 3-4 in Oulu. The topic of the meeting was the role of ports in the Baltic Sea. At the event, a review of the security situation in the Baltic Sea was heard by the former intelligence chief of the Defense Forces, MP Pekka Toveri, as well as presentations from the ports of Oulu and Stockholm and the Raahe Region Development. In the new TEN-T regulation, the port of Oulu has been dominant from the comprehensive network to…

The Baltic Sea Commission's maritime working group of CPMR met in Oulu on 3-4 June. The theme of the meeting was the role of ports in the Baltic Sea. The event included a review of the security situation in the Baltic Sea by Pekka Toveri, former Chief of Intelligence of the Finnish Defence Forces, as well as presentations on the ports of Oulu and Stockholm and the Raahe region. In the new TEN-T regulation, the Port of Oulu rose from a comprehensive network to a core network. “Ports have been an important topic on the agenda of the Maritime Working Group during this EU mandate period, and their importance will be further emphasised in the future due to the security policy situation in the Baltic Sea. It is also important to ensure an adequate level of CEF funding to support port investments. The participation of our key partner regions in the meeting of the Maritime Working Group in Oulu was particularly valuable," says Sari Nurro, Chairman of the Maritime Working Group and Member of the Regional Board of Northern Ostrobothnia. On Tuesday 4.6, the marine working group made a visit…

According to the current assessment of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, it is only possible to submit amendments to group projects in the EURA 2021 system in late autumn, October-November 2024. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment is making every effort to ensure that the timetable is not further delayed. The managing authority has instructed the intermediate bodies (= funding authorities) on the exceptional procedure for applications for amendments. Under Section 20 of the Administrative Procedure Act, the beneficiary may submit an application for amendment to an intermediate body in a free-form manner, because it has not been possible to do so in accordance with the provisions of the Finance Act by means of the EURA2021 system. A free-form amendment application that accurately identifies the changes can be initiated by submitting it to the registry of the intermediate body before the start of the implementation of the desired amendment and the end of the implementation period in accordance with the current aid decision. In the case of a free-form amendment application, it is good to contact the financier before submitting the amendment application…

The application period for sustainable urban development under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) for projects under the Oulu Innovation Agreement ended on 31 May 2024 in the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia. By the deadline, 13 applications were received by the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia. All applications were under Priority Axis 1 'Innovative Finland' under Specific Objective 1.1 'Improving research innovation capacity and deployment of advanced technologies'. The applications applied for funding from the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia for a total of EUR 1.801. Funding is available from 1,000,000 euros. Next, the project evaluation work will begin. Due to the summer holiday season, the evaluation work takes about 3 months.

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.…