Infrastructure is more than transportation
MEP Merja Kyllönen set the tone early in the day. Infrastructure is no longer just about transportation in the traditional sense, but about how multiple social systems are connected.
“We talk about how goods move, how energy flows, how data moves and how the Nordic region stays in touch with itself and with the world. The future is not a place, it is a network and the optimization of entire systems”, Kyllönen stressed.
When asked which individual infrastructure initiative she would prefer to see Europe realise in the next five years, she pointed to the Kvarken corridor (Nordic Connector). The point, she emphasised, is that the corridor is not simply about a road or a bridge, but about creating a coherent regional system for transport, energy, industry, data and security of supply.
At the same time, she challenged the traditional perception of the Nordic countries as a peripheral region. Instead, the region should be seen as a gateway between the Atlantic and the Baltic Sea and between Europe and the Arctic, as well as between industrial resources and emerging global needs.
According to Kyllönen, the Kvarken Council EGTC is a concrete example of how cross-border cooperation can work in practice.
“The economy knows no borders, unless the infrastructure builds them”, she stated.
She also highlighted the mutual trust between the Nordic countries as a competitive advantage.
Merja Kyllönen gave the opening speech titled: The infrastructure of the future – important for both industrial growth and the security of the new Nordic region.
Trade in a changing world order
Anders Ahnlid, Director General of the the Swedish National Board of Trade, described how the trade policy landscape is changing. US protectionist policies, tensions between major economic blocs and a more complex relationship with China are affecting the operating environment for European industry.
In this situation, Sweden and Finland need to safeguard the EU’s internal market and rules-based trade, according to Ahnlid. At the same time, the two countries can take the lead by deepening Nordic integration.
The message referred to Kyllönen’s reasoning: as the surrounding world becomes more uncertain, the value of well-functioning regional markets and robust connections between neighbouring countries increases.
Anders Ahnlid spoke about the new world order in trade.
Preparedness is built in everyday life
Katarina Gabrielson, CEO at Oriola, used the pharmaceutical supply chains as an example of how dependent the Nordic countries and Europe are on other countries and long international supply chains.
To strengthen preparedness, she highlighted three principles: clarity, robustness and collaboration.
Clarity means that responsibilities and roles must be clearly defined in complex supply chains. Otherwise, when something happens, there is a risk of losing both momentum and the ability to act. Robustness means that systems must work already under normal conditions. A system that does not work in everyday life rarely works better under pressure.
The third principle is collaboration. No single player can single-handedly secure the supply of medicines alone. What is needed is cooperation between authorities, the pharmaceutical industry and the distribution chain, and in a Nordic context, better cross-border interaction.
“Business must take its responsibility but also work together”, Gabrielson said.
She pointed to a concrete Nordic problem; national regulations can make it difficult to quickly distribute medicines from warehouses in one Nordic country to patients in another. More players therefore need to think and act Nordic, with fewer border barriers and better coordination.
At the same time, the Nordic region is too small to solve all supply issues on its own. Therefore, Gabrielson also stressed the need for cooperation at the EU level.
Katarina Gabrielson’s presentation title was: Pharmaceutical distribution in focus – supply preparedness and cooperation in the Nordics.
The initial discussions showed how closely infrastructure, trade and security of supply are linked. In a more uncertain world, Nordic cooperation is becoming increasingly important, and trust needs to be translated into working connections and concrete collaboration.
This was in line with the words that Kjell Skoglund, CEO of the Finnish-Swedish Chamber of Commerce, opened the seminar:
“Being a good neighbour is almost sacred up here in the Nordic countries.”
Later in the day, the focus shifted to the growth potential of the Kvarken region, the financing of the Nordic Connector, and the importance of the transport system for military mobility and civilian preparedness.
Kjell Skoglund opened the seminar with a welcome greeting.
Facts:
The seminar was organized by the Kvarken Council EGTC within the framework of the FLINC project, together with the Finnish-Swedish Chamber of Commerce, during the Wasa Future Festival on 13 August, 2026. A total of 290 people attended the seminar. The seminar was moderated by Sarah Väre, Growth Manager at the Kvarken Council EGTC.
FLINC, Financing Large-scale Infrastructure – Case Nordic Connector, is a project co-financed by Interreg Aurora and led by the Kvarken Council EGTC. The project produces a knowledge base on financing, regional effects, military mobility and security of supply in connection to the Nordic Connector. The results can also be used in work on other large cross-border infrastructure projects.
Links
- Watch the full seminar on YouTube
- Presentation material from the seminar HERE
- Read more about the FLINC project HERE
- Article 2 — The region has the assets – now they must be tied together HERE
- Article 3 – New analysis shows the conditions for financing Nordic Connector: HERE
- Article 4 – New security analysis identifies bottlenecks in the northern Nordic region: HERE
