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The Finnish Government must ensure that the return of NSPA funding for northern sparsely populated areas and full consideration of the specificities of the northern sparsely populated areas are binding starting points for Finland's EU negotiating position and national programme preparation. The legal basis for NSPA special funding has been identified in Finland's Accession Treaty, the Treaty and the current government's own position on the EU. A weakening of NSPA funding would mean a direct and permanent cut in Finland's EU funding allocation. This would weaken Finland's net payment position, make it more difficult to invest in regional growth and security of supply, and weaken Finland's ability to meet its own and the EU's common security objectives. The decisions for the next financial period will be made now. Eastern and Northern Finland produces a significant share of the EU's raw materials and clean energy The vitality, regional competitiveness, know-how, overall security and sustainable growth offered by Eastern and Northern Finland are essential…

Aura Salla, Member of the European Parliament, who gave the keynote speech at the seminar of the energy and transport working groups of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions of Europe (CPMR), held in Lahti, discussed the electrification of regional energy and transport systems and its current state, challenges and development paths. The challenges of the electricity grid are therefore common across Europe. – Renewable energy currently accounts for almost 50% of Europe's energy production, but the take-up rate of renewable energy varies greatly between European countries, Aura Salla said. European solutions played a key role in the seminar. The speeches focused, among other things, on the European Network Package and the Energy Highways project. The aim of the online package is to strengthen funding and speed up permit processes…

The Regional Assembly of Oulu Region opens the twelfth round of applications for projects under the EU's Regional and Structural Policy Programme Renewing and Skilled Finland 2021-2027. The application round is open from 4 May to 30 September 2026. The Regional Assembly of Oulu Region finances measures under the European European European European European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) (ERDF) (ERDF) (ERDF) (ERDF). Only projects under Specific Objectives 1.1, 2.3 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 contents of the above-mentioned specific objectives. An amount of EUR 2.820.000 is planned to be used to finance the projects received in the application round. The maximum amount of funding requested (ERDF and State) is 70.% development project and up to 70% the total cost of the investment project.   For more information on the application rounds, click here.

The CPMR Baltic Sea Commission's Marine Working Group and the Working Group on Energy and Climate met in a joint meeting in Stockholm on 14-15 April. The theme of the meeting was the sustainability and resilience of the coastal areas of the Baltic Sea and the energy transition of maritime transport. The two-day meeting included several speeches on the European Commission's strategies in preparation, as well as on current projects in the Baltic Sea regions. Manuel Pleguezuelo, DG MARE, European Commission, presented the EU strategy for coastal communities. The EU’s coastal regions are home to around 90 million people and face not only climate change-related problems, but also accessibility challenges. The strategy is currently being prepared by the Commission and will be finalised in June. The EU's Affordable Energy Action Plan was also discussed. It was presented by a representative of DG ENER…

The seventh application period for sustainable urban development for the 2021-2027 programming period of the Regional Assembly of Northern Ostrobothnia has closed on 13 April 2026. During the application period, 29 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 3,674 million. The decisions on applications for positive follow-up will be received in June 2026. The project selections are made by the evaluation group of the City of Oulu. The next application period for new Sustainable Urban Development projects will take place in spring 2027. At that time, approximately EUR 1,500,000 will be applied for funding.

The regions of Eastern and Northern Finland are concerned about the tendering of passenger train services prepared by the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom from 2031 onwards. The planned changes threaten to weaken the service level, fluency and attractiveness of rail travel, especially in Eastern and Northern Finland. In particular, the position is opposed to mandatory long-distance train changes in Kuopio and Oulu, as well as weakening the service level in cooperation with regard to the train fleet used in purchasing traffic. The Regional Assemblys emphasise that EU regulation enables a more effective solution: Purchasing services should include larger entities where market-based connections also cover the costs of less profitable services. This will ensure an equal level of service throughout the country, avoid train changes that weaken travel, and support the vitality of Eastern and Northern Finland as well as sustainable mobility for both residents and tourists. Further information: Hannu Takkula, Regional Director, tel. +358 400 203…

On Wednesday 15 April, the premises of the Regional Assembly of Oulu Region were filled in cooperation with good-humored speeches and topical topics for discussion, when the EU project funding authoritys, payers and administrative staff of the Regional Assemblys of Northern Ostrobothnia, Kainuu, Central Ostrobothnia, Lapland and Northern Ostrobothnia gathered around a common table. The purpose of the two-day joint meetings was to strengthen cooperation between the Regional Assemblys, strengthen mutual learning and exchange good practices. – The Regional Assemblys of the North have tended to meet annually to discuss common issues and learning. Visiting destinations and organisational responsibilities alternate, and this year it was our turn, says Tiina Rajala, Development Director of the Regional Assembly of Oulu Region. The theme of Wednesday was the situational picture of the northern regions and joint discussions. The key offering of the day was Secretary General Hanna Honkamäkilä's …, who leads the preparations for the programming period in Eastern and Northern Finland.

  The main line must be developed into a high-quality, fast and reliable transport route that is two-track in its entire length and at least three-track between Helsinki and Tampere. The aim is also to improve international contacts. The development of the main railway requires a commitment that goes beyond government terms. The guidelines are available in the Main Line 2060 strategy published in Helsinki on 15 April. The strategy has been prepared by the Finnish Main Line Group, which includes regional The Regional Assemblys, cities, ports and chambers of commerce along the entire main line. Markus Erkkilä, Vice President of Planning at the Regional Assembly of Oulu Region, who serves as the Vice-President of the Main Line Group, considers the Main Line Vision to be important, as the development of the Main Line has lacked a clear long-term goal, even though it is undoubtedly the backbone of the Finnish transport system.   The main railway line in Finland is 800 kilometres long from Helsinki via Hämeenlinna, Tampere, Seinäjoki, Kokkola and Oulu to Tornio.…

New funding opportunities for defence projects - The implementation of the Safe Finland theme will start on 15 April 2026. Funding from the Centre will be directed to SMEs for projects promoting dual use and to public stakeholders for the development of transport infrastructure. The aim is to strengthen the emergence of innovations in the defence sector, the growth of production and the internationalisation of companies, as well as military mobility and national security of supply. The Northern Finland Vitality Centre will organise a call for applications for companies on 20 April 2026 from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.: Strengthening industrial capacity in Northern Finland to support the defence industry and dual use. A national information event for public stakeholders will be held on 20 April 2026 at 10.30-11.30: Search for the development of dual-use transport infrastructure for military mobility. More information https://www.sttinfo.fi/factsheet/71951112/new-funding opportunities-defence-projects-safe-Finnish-theme-implementation-fails-1542026?lang=en

Overall, the cyclical development in Northern Ostrobothnia has recently been cautiously positive. There is a clear dichotomy between the clusters: some are already at a high level after a long growth, while others have only just begun their turn to the better. Economic activity has improved in many areas, but employment developments lag behind. The ICT cluster and especially the extensive tourism cluster stand out as the strongest entities in the region in terms of revenue growth. In these clusters, growth is not only recent, but has continued for several years. In the ICT sector, the strong development of net sales is combined in cooperation with a slight decrease in the number of employees, which points to the increasing use of artificial intelligence and automation to improve productivity. The tourism cluster, which is sensitive to global changes and changes in purchasing power, has maintained its position well, but not to exceptionally strong growth …