PROMAS
Kolarctic CBC is entering year 2023 in a busy way. The Monitoring committee of the programme held its meeting in Helsinki at the beginning of the month and handled various topical issues.
As usual, a Kolarctic CBC funded project presented its activities and results to the JMC. This time it was the turn of project HazArctic.
One task of the meeting was also to handle the Annual report of the programme, concerning period 1.7.2021 – 30.6. 2022.
Evaluation of Large Infrastructural Projects (LIP:s)
MDI Public Oy has done an evaluation of border crossing point development projects under the Karelia, Kolarctic and South-East Finland -Russia CBC programmes. In the meeting, the JMC heard a presentation of the results of the evaluation. The MDI focused in this presentation on the evaluation of Raja-Jooseppi border crossing point. On the basis of the interviews and the survey, the results of the Raja-Jooseppi BCB improvement projects have been satisfactory. The investments have improved the border crossing facilities, supported a healthy working environment for the authorities working at the border, as well as improving the throughput times for the traffic. However, given the current situation at the border, the full potential of the investment has not been realised in terms of traffic volumes. Nevertheless, if the border traffic eventually normalises, the Raja-Jooseppi BCP will be ready for a higher volume of cars and cargo vehicles.
The whole document “ Evaluation of border crossing point development projects on the Finnish-Russian border under the Karelia, Kolarctic and South-East Finland – Russia CBC programmes can be read here. MDI, Border crossing points evaluation final report 13.12.2022
Regulation on programmes under disruption
Since the cooperation with Russia was suspended in spring 2022, in, among others, the Kolarctic CBC programme, there has been a need to ensure the legal basis for the implementation of the ENI CBC programmes of 2014 – 2020 period. On 12th November, the European commission has adopted, a new special provisions legal act serving the needs of the CBC programmes. Many projects are still ongoing, and this legal act secures and clarifies the status of these projects when Russia is no more included in them. The legal act is available in Eur-Lex: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=OJ:L:2022:292:FULL&from=FI
Events in January 2023
Karelia CBC and Kolarctic CBC projects have pursued, and really achieved, some interesting results that they are supposed to utilize, and to make available for their target groups. Therefore, Kolarctic CBC and Karelia CBC are offering the projects two events to show their results and reach further contacts.
25th January in Oulu, Finland: View to the arctic forests
Kolarctic CBC and Karelia CBC projects, which have worked with forests, their use, their protection – anything concerning forests have gained results which are worth sharing. On 25th January the programmes bring together projects and people interested in forests to discuss and show what Kolarctic CBC projects and Karelia CBC projects have done concerning forests.
26th January in Oulu, Finland: Circular economy and waste management in the Arctic
Kolarctic CBC and Karelia CBC projects, which have worked with circular economy and waste management, are gathering in Oulu on 26th January. They are supposed to share their experiences, results, and discuss future development