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The population of Northern Ostrobothnia has started to decline for the first time in statistical history. According to Statistics Finland's preliminary data, 418,130 inhabitants lived in the region at the end of 2025. During the year, the population decreased by a total of 201 persons, which corresponds to a change of -0.05 per cent. Demography is particularly due to the deepening of the loss of internal migration. The region of Northern Ostrobothnia lost a total of 1,819 inhabitants in migration to the rest of Finland, which is more than 400 persons more than in 2024 and the biggest migration loss in the history of Northern Ostrobothnia. The exceptionally high level of net immigration in previous years has not led to a permanent settlement of the population in Northern Ostrobothnia. The migration loss between regions consists largely of persons born abroad, i.e. residents who have previously moved to Northern Ostrobothnia from abroad and who have since moved to other regions. ‘The figures are …

The chairmen of the the Board of the Regional Assemblys of mainland Finland met at the Kuntatalo building in Helsinki on 20 January 2026. At the meeting, Johannes Koskinen (SDP) from Häme was elected Chairman of the the Board of the Regional Assemblys. Janne Sankelo (KOK) from South Ostrobothnia was elected as 1st Vice-Chair and Lauri Nikula (KESK) from Northern Ostrobothnia as 2nd Vice-Chair.  – Cooperation between the regions of Eastern and Northern Finland has been effective and close. in cooperation with the same attitude, I approach cooperation between all regions," says Lauri Nikula. The meeting of the chairpersons of the the Board of the Regional Assemblys is a political group for mutual cooperation based on the voluntary nature of the Regional Assemblys, whose term of office is the same as that of the the Board of the Regional Assemblys. – The upheaval in the regional state administration underlines the need to develop regional democracy and its effectiveness. That is why it is important that regional The Regional Assemblys coserve as nationally at different levels. Cooperation between the chairmen of the Regional Boards strengthens the voice and Influencing of the counties in regional policy, says …

The Regional Assembly of Oulu Region is applying for funding from the EU's Regional and Structural Policy Programme Renewing and Skilled Finland 2021-2027. In the context of the upcoming call for applications, the Regional Assembly of Oulu Region will only fund projects that are in line in cooperation with JTF priority 7 “Finland for Just Transition” specific objective 7.1 “Territorially Just Transition for the Relinquishment of Peat”. The application round is open from 26 January to 31 March 2026. A maximum amount of EUR 2 000 000 is planned to be used to finance the applications received in the application round. The maximum amount of funding requested (JTF and State) is 70% development project and up to 70% the total cost of the investment project. 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 objective, as well as the Northern Ostrobothnia Fairness Transition Plan. All projects to be funded must implement the programming document and…

The regions of Eastern and Northern Finland warn that weakening funding for the northern sparsely populated areas (NSPA) in the next EU funding period would endanger the European Union's security of supply, clean energy investments and Finland's overall security. In addition, bypassing the basic principles of the NSPA is contrary to Finland's Treaty of Accession to the EU. According to the counties, the special support for northern sparsely populated areas (NSPA) is not a national exception or special wish, but an obligation based on the EU Treaties and Finland's membership of the EU. The European Union must support regions in cooperation with permanent structural handicaps, such as sparsely populated areas, long distances and demanding climatic conditions. The declaration of the Summit of the regions of Eastern and Northern Finland requires that Finland defends NSPA funding decisively in the EU negotiations and that the Regional Assemblys are fully involved in the national preparation and implementation of the funding. The work is …

The Regional Assembly of Oulu Region is part of the Regional Assembly's regional development work. The Regional Assembly of Oulu Region invites organisations to nominate their candidates for membership of the Regional Assembly of Organisations of Northern Ostrobothnia for the term 2026-2029 by 16 February 2026. Nominations are made through this link. The candidate nominated by the organization undertakes to work for the benefit of the entire organizational field of the region. The Regional Board of Northern Ostrobothnia will appoint an organisation advisory board in March 2026. The tasks of the NGO Advisory Board are to actively participate in the regional development work of the county, to make the organisation activities visible and known, to promote opportunities for the participation of citizens and organisations, and to promote cooperation between organisations and between organisations and the public sector. In addition, it is the duty of the NGO Advisory Board to ensure that the field of organisations is involved in cooperation on a large scale. The Advisory Board shall specify the objectives and tasks in connection in cooperation with the drafting of the action plan. Criteria for the selection of the members of the NAC: The Advisory Board for Organisations is composed of organisations from different fields in such a way that it is comprehensive…

The people of the Regional Assembly of Oulu Region wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2026! Our office is closed 22.12.2025-4.1.2026.

For the first time, the political representatives of the region of Northern Ostrobothnia and the region of Norrbotten in Sweden will take a joint position on the EU's future financial framework. The joint statement targets the EU's 2028-2034 draft budget, which is considered to weaken the position of Northern Sparsely Populated Areas (NSPA)s. Cooperation between Northern Ostrobothnia and Norrbotten has continued for several years. Political representatives have met regularly and cooperation has become more strategic in recent years. The last meeting took place in August 2024 in Oulu and Liminka. The previous visit of representatives of Northern Ostrobothnia was to Luleå in December 2023. – Our cooperation in cooperation with Norrbotten is long-term and based on shared challenges and opportunities. Now we take it to a new level by taking a joint stand on EU funding. This is the first time the Northern …

The Rural COOP project's regional stakeholder group met in December for the second meeting in 2025 to discuss the current development needs, development tools and future measures in Northern Ostrobothnia. We updated the situational picture of the Rural COOP project, mapped regional development needs, reviewed the characteristics of a good project application and looked at the study visit in Oulu in the autumn of 2026.In Northern Ostrobothnia, the municipalities of Ii and Muhos, the Nivala-Haapajärvi region NIHAK ry, Oulu University of Applied Sciences and the Kerttu Saalasti Institute of the University of Oulu.  Development needs – common challenges and opportunities The discussions identified the following development needs, among others, and explored ways to address them: Challenges to internationalisation and exports: skills gaps and perceived difficulties in applying for subsidies were highlighted. Consideration was given to whether learning environments suitable for internationalisation were available. It was also noted that, in addition to strengthening export know-how,…:

The Advisory Board of Eastern and Northern Finland commends the Government for its clear statement recognising the regional orientation of cohesion policy, the predictability of funding and the importance of special funding for northern sparsely populated areas (NSPA).[1] We consider it important that Finland defends these principles in the funding negotiations. At the same time, we present the following clarifications and concrete actions to the Government, the EU Parliament and the Commission, so that the National and Regional Partnership Plan strengthens the development of the entire EU and Finnish regions. Cohesion policy must be based on multilevel governance and partnership. The Advisory Board of Eastern and Northern Finland supports the Commission’s proposal to the Parliament in November 2025 to supplement the NRP Regulation COM (2025) 565 final/2 by adding partnership and multi-level governance as horizontal principles alongside the rule of law and the EU’s human rights document. regional The Regional Assemblys must have a clear responsibility for the EU 2028-2034…

Northern Ostrobothnia is facing a new one. In recent years, the business environment has brought us surprises: geopolitical tensions, security of supply challenges, cybersecurity threats and accelerating climate change. The current regional programme is no longer enough – a new direction and commitment to the development of the region is needed. The Regional Assembly approved the regional programme for 2026-2029 in December 2025. It combines regional development objectives in cooperation with global phenomena and strengthens our ability to react locally. At the same time, the programme will lay the foundations for regional development in the coming years throughout the region, in cooperation with emphasis on sustainable growth, well-being and a high-quality living environment. The current EU Structural Funds period ends during the regional programme period. The new regional programme must create sufficient capacity to meet the challenges of the future, and Northern Ostrobothnia can continue on a positive development path. The regions of Finland in Northern Ostrobothnia currently have the best…