Minister Väyrynen: Neighbouring area cooperation must invest in economic cooperation
Press release 140/2010
4 May 2010
According to Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Paavo Väyrynen, in this changing operational environmental, neighbouring area cooperation between Finland and Russia must invest increasingly in economic cooperation alongside the traditional sectors.
“In recent years, doors have been opened so that, in addition to the closest neighbouring areas, neighbouring area cooperation can also be carried out elsewhere, such as areas inhabited by Fenno-Ugric peoples further away in Russia. Funding for small entrepreneurial projects, in particular, can be granted for these areas,” the Minister said in his address at the NGO seminar held in Helsinki on Tuesday, 4 May.
Besides the increased weight given to economic projects, Väyrynen considers it important to maintain the broad scope of cooperation and to develop further the more traditional sectors, such as projects in the sectors of the environment, social welfare and health, where the role of NGOs is especially important.
“As the State focuses its efforts more on economic activities, the role of NGOs in the social, health and education sectors is emphasized. There is thus reason to consider increasing the share of funding to NGOs,” Väyrynen said.
In his address the Minister stressed that neighbouring area cooperation is a question of equal partnership between countries and that it should be possible to justify cooperation from the perspective of each country’s interests.
“From the perspective of Finland, neighbouring area cooperation entails two sorts of national motives: It can be a means of achieving positive development in neighbouring areas, development that creates social stability and a base for beneficial economic trends in the area. Secondly, cooperation can be a way to combat threats to Finland, such as the spread of communicable diseases,” Väyrynen emphasized.
The Minister also hoped that the newly introduced European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument Cross Border Cooperation (ENPI CBC) programmes and Finland’s bilateral neighbouring area cooperation can be made to work together in a way where they complement each other.
Additional information: Hanna Saarni, Press Attaché to the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development, tel. +358 9 1605 5358 or mobile tel. +358 400 739 82