Networking-a key to success

by Ms Tuula Loikkanen

The South Finland EU Office represents three Southern Finnish regions: Häme, Itä-Uusimaa and Päijät-Häme. These regions form an area around Helsinki. This area has a total population a little less than half a million. The office works closely also with the main cities, such as Lahti and other municipalities.

The EU-Office is staffed on a full time basis and represents regional and local partners effectively across a wide range of areas including Structural Funds, sustainable development, environment, social inclusion, culture, tourism, etc. For example, the office works to ensure that the partners in Lahti are aware of development in European policy and legislation. The South Finland EU-Office also acts as a conduit for the establishment of partnerships with other European regions and cities. The office itself is keen to play a full and active role in ensuring that regions and cities are actively involved in shaping the Europe of the Regions. In the past, this has meant developing new relationships with regions and cities in Central and Eastern Europe and this is likely to continue and strengthen over the coming decade.

The office operates through its extensive network of contacts with key decision-makers in the EU institutions, including the European Parliament, European Commission, Finnish Government representatives and the wide range of regional, national and international organizations represented in Brussels. This is reinforced by many regional, national and international networks in which South Finland operates with European partner members.

One of the benefits of being part of the EU is that the regions and cities can easily collaborate on joint projects and learn from each other. This, in EU jargon is known as 'trans-national working' and is often a pre-requisite for accessing EU funding. A large part of activities surrounding trans-national working focuses currently on the existing 25 Member States and those countries in Eastern Europe, such as Bulgaria and Romania, as they wait to join the EU. However, there are also opportunities in Africa, Latin and North America, Asia and beyond.