A major achievement of the Finnish Hydrogen Valley advocacy working group is the completion of the association’s policy platform.The ResilEast program has received support from all major political parties.
The government program objectives drafted in the spring—Development of Eastern Finland—have been approved by the association’s board and are being taken forward. Discussions have been held with, among others, those responsible for the parties’ program work and key members of Parliament. The goal is to ensure that Eastern Finland’s unified message is reflected in the upcoming government program and supports investments in the region’s clean energy transition as well as the development of the hydrogen economy.
In our advocacy work, the ResilEast program has been a key focus over the past year. The program has continued to be developed by experts on a volunteer basis without separate funding. Its implementation requires both financial and parliamentary commitment. Funding has been sought and is being sought from sources including the government’s budget negotiations and regional councils.
The program has garnered the support of nearly all key stakeholders, including the Chambers of Commerce in Eastern and Northern Finland, with whom we are collaborating based on their recent energy and industry report. The Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK) and its member associations,Harri Broman, Special Envoy for Eastern Finland, as well as several municipalities and cities, also support the program’s objectives.
Support for the initiative can be found across all major political parties. During the spring, a dedicated ResilEast network was established for members of parliament to strengthen parliamentary cooperation across electoral terms. Ten members of parliament joined the network right from the start, and the program has also been presented to nearly twenty other members of parliament as well as Prime MinisterPetteri Orpo.
ResilEast has also attracted interest at the European Union level. In the European Commission’s program on eastern border regions, published this spring, ResilEast is mentioned as a pilot project at the national level. Finnish Members of the European Parliament met with during the year have likewise expressed their strong support for the program’s implementation. In addition, Sitra has been actively involved in supporting the preparation of ResilEast since last summer.
