North Ostrobothnia Regional Day 2.11.2020
Dear Minister, Members of Parliament and Members of Parliament,
It is my great pleasure to warmly welcome you to the traditional Parliament! This year we have an exception.There's only one provincial day and we're meeting each other through telecommunications. Today's theme is The state of public finances – how do municipalities in Northern Ostrobothnia stand? We focus strongly on the municipal economy and changes and opportunities in the operating environment, and we end the day with social and health care discussions. In particular, I would like to welcome today's speakers. We have a really versatile and great programme, thank you to the office holders of the Regional Council for that!
Oh, my good friends.
Last spring, the COVID-19 pandemic hit our society and the whole world unexpectedly and violently, regardless of national borders. Corona has caused a lot of trouble and worries. It has exposed the vulnerability of our society. On the other hand, it has challenged us to do things in a new way in our everyday life, at work and in our free time. Even this opportunity and our meeting together has changed form, but only technically. I hope that we will maintain active discussion and participation, even though, thanks to advanced technology, we are now meeting online.
This also shows that we can boldly change and adapt to new situations, as well as find solutions to today's challenges. In Northern Ostrobothnia, the situation has been made easier by the fact that, in terms of technology, infrastructure has been put in immense shape in recent years. We have fiber optic networks in almost every municipality.
In addition to Corona, this year has been a year of great change. All of our foundations have been under review. We have created a new strategy for the federation, which is now being implemented in the federation. I would like to thank all stakeholders for their active participation in its preparation. During the various stages of the work, we received a very clear and strong message that our owners and the people of the county see the union's most important task as advocacy and communication closely connected to it. We have wanted to respond to this and will, in addition to statutory duties, forcefully raise provincial advocacy and information-based communication. It will be visible both in the organization and in external activities.
In addition to the strategy, regional development legislation has been under reform and, with regard to the Structural Funds, the debate will continue to be lively, both nationally and with new elements, also at European level.
The management and fight against the COVID-19 pandemic has had a drastic impact on the state of public finances and, unfortunately, even the private economy has not survived. Every day we talk about the importance of rebalancing the economy, the appropriate relationship between stimulus and cuts, and the indebtedness of public finances. But do we also remember to talk enough about the revenue side and how to create better conditions for competition in the business life that drives growth?
We urgently need the growth of companies that employ our region and the investments they make. We can also support growth and investment with public funds and thus put our common economy on a growth path. This is the picture of the European Union's recovery package, which we must be able to take full advantage of in Northern Ostrobothnia. Finland's sustainable growth programme, which is under preparation, should be thematically focused. It makes sense to clearly choose the themes that Finland invests in.
The JTF, or Just Transition Fund, will be used for the transformation of the peat industry. We should not remain in the opposition as a province, but invest all available public money in supporting those sectors that are suffering from energy policy changes. Even though we see the energy use of peat here as very important, it does not mean that we are left with four-legged braking. We see the actors in the industry as so important that we want to do everything we can to sustainably overcome the changes in the industry.
More broadly, we are part of a heavy-duty solution in Northern Ostrobothnia. We are implementing climate-improving reforms that are relevant nationally and internationally without going to the individual citizen's purse. Industrial investment is historic. There are gigantic wind power projects in our county and right nearby, SSAB in Raahe has a mega-scale project to produce carbon-free steel, bio-installations will be built in Haapavesi, Kemi and Kainuu. These projects have already been granted environmental permits, and in this context I would like to thank the Regional State Administrative Agency for how well you have handled the permitting processes.
Good provincial people.
There are a few key factors for the success of Northern Ostrobothnia. The first is a bold and enterprising attitude. We are problem solvers, not screamers. The second is close and open cooperation between companies, municipalities, central government and educational institutions. The third is the ability to combine common sense and researched knowledge. This can be seen in our region, for example, in the climate debate and in solving it. I believe that with these key factors we will succeed in the future as well.
Matias Ojalehto
President of the Provincial Government
Regional Assembly of Oulu Region
