Neighbouring area cooperation to receive 19.5 million euros; a stronger role for economic cooperation
Press release 56/2010
25 February, 2010
The Government has today, Thursday 25 February, granted 19.5 million euros for projects in neighbouring areas in 2010. Neighbouring area cooperation in Northwest Russia focuses on strengthening economic cooperation. Appropriations totalling 6.5 million euros, more than in the past, will be channelled for this in the present year. In addition to economic cooperation, work is done to promote environmental protection and nuclear safety, prevent the risks associated with communicable diseases and drugs, support strengthening of civil society and to foster administrative and legislative reforms.
A new form of cooperation in the economic sector involves projects based on proposals made at regional level and complementing EU cross-border cooperation programmes launched in border regions of Finland and Russia. Moreover, economic cooperation projects develop cross-border cooperation in the innovation sector and between small and medium-sized enterprises, promote the preconditions for Finnish companies to do business in Northwest Russia, and strive to enhance energy efficiency and increase the smoothness of cross-border transport.
The environment remains a central sector alongside the economy? A total of 4.2 million euros is allocated for environment-sector cooperation, of which about 3.5 million euros will be used for projects implemented within the Northern Dimension Environmental Partnership. A considerable share of environment-sector support is channelled to supporting waste water projects important with regard to the Baltic Sea. Forestry projects strive to promote regional forestry administration and to strengthen partnership in forestry between the public and private sectors.
Nuclear safety projects will receive 2 million euros in support. The aim is to enhance safety in the neighbouring areas and to reduce risks to safety affecting Finnish areas. The largest projects focus on increasing the safety of nuclear power plants in the Leningrad and Kola Peninsula regions. Support to the social welfare and health care sector totals about 1.7 million euros and focuses on the prevention of communicable diseases.
In all, 1.5 million euros is allocated in support for the work of Finnish civil society organisations in neighbouring areas and 0.8 million euros for projects involving the establishment of Finnish small and medium-sized enterprises. The distribution of these appropriations to projects will be decided separately by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
Neighbouring area cooperation is an important aspect of Finland’s foreign and security policy and relations between Finland and the Russian Federation. Neighbouring area cooperation focuses on Northwest Russia, especially St. Petersburg, the Republic of Karelia, the Leningrad Region and the Murmansk Region. Economic cooperation, in particular, can also be carried out with other areas of Russia important to Finland. Neighbouring area cooperation between Finland and Russia is developed on the basis of equal partnership with both partners committed to joint objectives and cost sharing. Each year about 200 projects are carried out, most of them bilateral projects. Neighbouring area cooperation also supports the Northern Dimension policy goals at project level.
Additional information: Counsellor of Foreign Affairs Anneli Puura-Märkälä, Unit for Regional Cooperation of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 9 1605 5625, and Ossi Martikainen, Senior Adviser to the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development, mobile tel. +358 500 459 009