Regional tour highlighting the use of the EU Recovery Instrument

Finland is receiving its share of the EU’s 750 billion EUR recovery package. In a budget negotiation, the Marin government outlined Finland’s Sustainable Growth Programme which will be drawn up to guide the financing of the EU’s recovery support instrument. The programme was prepared in close cooperation between national and regional actors. As part of the preparations, a ministerial-led provincial tour was organised to gather views and project ideas from regional actors on reforms and investment, and to discuss where EU recovery funding should be used. At the same time, the aim was to give actors in the regions a unified overall picture of the priorities, preconditions and practical preparation of Finland’s sustainable growth programme. MDI was involved in the regional tour and in facilitating the debate. After the speeches by ministers and officials, the voices of the regions were heard in the form of plans, expectations and questions. The tour started out from Northern Ostrobothnia on Monday 21 September and ended on 20. October. After this, the regions’ plans were compiled into one package through a survey and the whole was presented at the summary event of the regional tour, in Helsinki on 28 October 2020. Finland’s Sustainable Growth Programme is prepared to a fast schedule. Information on the preparation of the programme and on the material collected during the regional tour can be found in the project page (in Finnish): https://www.mdi.fi/maakuntakiertue2020.