Finnish strategy

Post-industrial society has brought many problems along with numerous advantages. Today the excessive concentration of urban populations is considered a problem rather than something good, despite all the benefits of living in a big city. Urban residents are starting to gain a new appreciation of ecology, clean air, rural products and food, and country life in general.

How is Finland fighting the overpopulation of cities? Does the government discourage residents of farmsteads, villages, and small towns from moving to big cities? These and other questions are raised in The Day ’s exclusive interview with Ambassador of Finland to Ukraine Christer MICHELSSON.

“Finland is a country of a little over five million people with a huge area of land. Big cities on the global level do not exist in Finland and the country is sparsely populated. The metropolitan area of Helsinki-Espoo- Vantaa has about one million inhabitants, and right now some other areas in Finland are experiencing strong population growth. So the question in Finland is mainly how to attract people to stay in other regions as well. It is the duty of the state to promote balanced regional development.

“The general goals of regional development in Finland are based on the Regional Development Act and the government decision on regional development goals. According to the law, one of the goals is to improve the potential for economic growth, the development of business and industry, and the improvement of employment, which is based on expertise and sustainable development and which ensures competitiveness and regional prosperity.

“Another goal is to reduce regional disparities in development, improve the population’s living conditions, and promote balanced regional development. Furthermore, the aim is to create a balanced regional structure that keeps all the regions viable. Responsibility for regional development rests with the state, municipalities, and Regional Councils acting as regional development authorities. In Finland the system of regional development is based on the principle that living conditions in the regions are taken care of with the help of many officials even though responsibility for this lies with the state.

“Special programs have been drawn up by government decision to achieve regional development goals. These are programs of Regional Centers, Rural Policy, Centers of Expertise, and Island Development. The European Union Solidarity policy complements and supports national policy.”

Are there any long-term programs for encouraging people to remain in villages or small towns? When and how were they developed? How are they financed?

“In practice, no direct funding is directed at trying to keep people in the areas where they live. The thinking behind regional policy in Finland is the following: to try to help the regions develop their capabilities to attract business, which in turn creates employment, which in turn provides incentives to the population to stay or move to a certain area. A lot of programs are devoted to implementing this principle. For example, it is understood that it is vitally important that the transportation infrastructure be maintained throughout our vast country.

“The government of Finland establishes the national regional development targets for a fixed period, in practice for its own term of office, which lately has been four years. Based on a government decision, the sectoral ministries specify their own regional development targets and measures in their regional development strategies. So the expertise of sectoral ministries is being used to identify the means of reaching the development targets.

“The Ministry of the Interior is responsible for preparing national regional development targets together with other ministries and regional councils. In addition, the Ministry of the Interior is responsible for coordinating, monitoring, and evaluating the preparation and implementation of regional strategic programs and other programs under the Regional Development Act jointly with other ministries and Regional Councils.

“At the regional level, Regional Councils are responsible for general development in their regions. Regional Councils take into account the national targets in their own regional strategic program, which is prepared every four years. The regional strategic program covers all the programs implemented in a region and determines how the whole region should be developed in the years to come.

“On Jan. 15, 2004, the government passed a decision on national regional development targets. The decision specifies the goals of the Regional Development Act and establishes the priorities of regional development measures at the national level for the government’s term of office 2003-2007. It also specifies and complements the objectives and measures of the current government program. The preparation of updated priorities is currently underway, so that the work will be finished by the end of 2007.”

What role can and do the local authorities play in keeping people in villages or small towns?

“Regional development is intersectoral in nature. The better the cooperation between different administrative sectors, the more effective are the measures that are adopted. Intersectoral cooperation is essential already at the planning stage of projects and measures.

“The government’s regional administrative bodies and the regional administrations participate in the actual work of developing the regions.”

How are new high tech and IT (information technology) used in your country to make it possible for people to work at home anywhere, even in remote villages and small towns?

“Distance work does play a certain role, but up until now it has not been too popular. This is not primarily a question of technology but of organizational and cultural levels.

“For example, the Center of Expertise Program plays an important role in the national growth strategy based on information and expertise. The program is designed to pool local, regional, and national resources for the exploitation of top-level expertise. The program supports regional strengths and specialization and furthers cooperation between centers of expertise. There are a total of 22 centers of expertise in Finland, and they represent 45 different fields of expertise, ranging from biotechnology to cultural content production.

“The centers of expertise launch cooperation projects involving the research sector, educational institutions, and businesses and industry. These projects boost the competitiveness of companies, strengthen and improve regional expertise, create new businesses, and promote the creation of new innovative environments.”