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Dear ministers and provincial councillors, representatives of municipalities and partners Young people, women and men of Arvo I am pleased to welcome you all here on behalf of myself and the Provincial Council to the Provincial Council's reception in Loppias. The Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia was founded in Oulu on 6 January 1931, 92 years ago. It's nice to be together after a few years.  Together with the Summer University of Northern Ostrobothnia, the Regional Council celebrated its 90th anniversary by highlighting civilisation and its importance to our region. The jubilee year included, among other things, a series of remote lectures and other presentations of science or art, rewards.   For more than 90 years, the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia has acted as a guardian of the interests of our region, as a regional developer and financier, as a regional planner and as a builder of cooperation with many partners.  In those 90 years there has been a great change, in the society…

The Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia opens an application round for ERDF projects from the EU's Regional and Structural Policy Programme for a Renewable and Skilled Finland 2021-2027. The application round is open from 9 January 2023 to 28 February 2023. The Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia finances European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) measures. Only projects under Specific Objectives 1.3, 2.2 and 3.1 will be funded under this call. Before preparing your application, you should read more about the Renewable and Skilled Finland 2021-2027 programme document and the content of the above-mentioned specific objectives. An amount of EUR 3,610,000 is planned to be used to finance the projects received in the application round. The maximum amount of funding requested (ERDF and State) is 80% development project and up to 70% the total cost of the investment project, excluding infrastructure investment projects carried out by municipalities or joint municipal authorities under specific objective 3.1, for which the support funding (ERDF and State) may not exceed 50;%…

The European Commission has approved the actions of the Just Transition Fund (JTF) as part of the Renewable and Skilled Finland 2021-2027 EU Regional and Structural Policy Programme. At the same time, the Just Transition Plan for Northern Ostrobothnia was adopted, which defines the actions to be financed in the region. The funding for Northern Ostrobothnia amounts to up to EUR 119 million, which is 20% of Finland's total JTF funding for the 2021-2027 programming period. Funding is provided by the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia and the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment of Northern Ostrobothnia. The call for applications will open in the EURA2021 information system in February-March 2023. The JTF compensates for the negative socio-economic and environmental impacts of reducing the energy use of peat. The territorially just transition of phasing out peat will be supported by developing the region's livelihoods and SMEs, providing coaching for the industry's workforce and restoring safe production areas, among other things. In Northern Ostrobothnia, JTF funding is allocated to four main areas: Development of RDI activities, SME development, competence development…

On 15 December 2022, the Government granted a total of EUR 950,000 to strengthen the vitality and ability to change of Eastern Finland. In addition, the Government granted EUR 416 000 for the creation of an action plan for clean and stable energy production in the Pyhäjoki economic area.

  Organised in Oulu on Wednesday 25 January, from 9:00 to 11:00 at Valkea Shopping Centre (Valkea 4th floor, Isokatu 25). Morning coffee service starting at 8.30 am. In the programme o Presentation of the JTF and the Just Transition Plan for Northern Ostrobothnia o JTF financial instruments of the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia o JTF financial instruments of the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment for Northern Ostrobothnia o Application periods and applications Registration for the event is now closed and the event is full. A TEAMS briefing with the same content on JTF funding will also be held on Friday 27 January 2023 from 12:00 to 14:00. The link to participate in the info session can be found closer to the date on the website of the Regional Council of North Ostrobothnia and the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment of North Ostrobothnia, as well as on the Structural Funds.fi website. Participation in the TEAMS info session does not require pre-registration. The event will be recorded and can be viewed after the event for two weeks. Info sessions are organised by the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia and the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment of Northern Ostrobothnia in cooperation with the European Direct EU Information Point…

A joint meeting of the Presidency of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council of Finland and the Regional Committee was held in Oulu on 12-13 December 2022. Representatives from Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Iceland and the EU attended the meeting. The priorities of the Finnish Presidency in 2021-2023 are sustainable development, people-to-people contacts and good transport connections. The UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the European Green Deal and the Barents Programme 2019-23 of the Barents Regional Council have laid the groundwork for action. Cities and provinces play a key role in promoting people-to-people cooperation in the Barents region. North Karelia's chairmanship, which will officially begin in 2023, will play a key role in the realisation of these goals. The Finnish Presidency is already working in close cooperation with North Karelia. Young people are key to the future of the Barents region and to keeping it alive and developing. the Oulu Meeting …

The Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia has long-term advocated for making the Port of Oulu and the airport part of the TEN-T core network. In early 2022, the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia and the City of Oulu took a joint position to make the port part of the core network, highlighting in particular the strategically important location of the port in terms of the northern transport connections between Finland and the EU. In addition, the Federation has highlighted the importance of the Port of Oulu in CPMR's Baltic Sea Commission's statements. On Monday 5 December 2022, the EU Transport Council adopted a general approach on the TEN-T proposal. The Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) is an EU-wide transport network that identifies the most important routes, ports, airports and rail terminals and aims for their sustainable and high-quality development by 2050. In a proposal for a regulation adopted by the Transport Council on Monday, the Port of Oulu is proposed to be upgraded to the TEN-T core network. Minister of Transport and Communications Timo… representing Finland at the meeting

Discussions in the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions of Europe (CPMR) have for a long time highlighted the situation regarding the availability of alternative fuels in the peripheral regions of the EU. For example, the proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure sets challenging requirements for both the TEN-T core network and the comprehensive network, subject to the requirement of a recharging station with an interval of no more than 60 km. This will most likely require significant investment in infrastructure. The proposal for a regulation also requires the construction of hydrogen stations in major urban areas. Jouni Jussinniemi, 1st Vice-President of the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia, attended the CPMR Baltic Sea Commission Working Group on Transport in Stockholm in November 2022. Jussinniemi emphasised in the discussions that electric cars are not the only solution for future traffic. “A solution with electricity, hydrogen and renewable sustainably produced … is needed

For the first time, the North Ostrobothnia Welfare Area, or Pohde, is conducting a grant application for organisations. During the organisation session, project planner Helena Liimatainen told about the grant practices and encouraged organisations to submit applications. He instructed the applicants to familiarise themselves with the welfare area's strategy and organizing plan, as the assisted activities must support and supplement the services that the welfare area is responsible for organizing. Before applying, associations should also review their own rules. Grants can be applied for by various associations, but the rules must include a record of the task of promoting health and social well-being or safety. Municipalities also continue to award organisational grants. No double grants may be awarded. Therefore, it is important to specify the allocation of grants in the application and to present the activity as a whole. “As the year changes, we are all on the verge of something new”. This is what Elina Vehkala, Director of Education and Culture, would say in an organizational moment…

The Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia has started to prepare positive decisions for 12 new ERDF projects. A total of approximately EUR 2.763.000 is planned to be allocated to the projects. Among the projects under preparation are research and innovation environment development projects and projects related to cultural tourism and the circular economy. Formal funding decisions for projects in the EURA2014 system are planned to be taken during January 2023, after consideration by the Provincial Cooperation Group secretariat and for some projects by the Provincial Cooperation Group. The projects will run until 31 December 2023 at the latest. However, the development of the region with the help of structural funds does not stop. The activities will continue with funding from the 2021-2027 programming period. The Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia has a reasonable amount of ERDF funding available for project activities. Two application rounds have already been organised for the 2021-2027 programming period. The third round of applications for Sustainable Urban Development is open…