MINISTER OF ECONOMIC AFFAIRS MIKA LINTILÄ’S GREETING
Finland and Sweden have now officially established the first Nordic European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation, the Kvarken Council EGTC.
We need to invest in the future now more than ever. Although official cooperation between Ostrobothnian counties in Finland and Västerbotten and Örnsköldsvik in Sweden has been going on for almost 50 years, the Kvarken Council and its members have always relentlessly sought to promote the Kvarken region’s continued development into a functional, competitive, and integrated border region.
The establishment of this fully Nordic EGTC in the Kvarken region is a unique and gratifying step. The region recognizes the opportunities which benefit its inhabitants, businesses, and educational institutions. This generates major opportunities for the region also at Nordic and European levels. I wish the collaboration the best of luck and success. You are a role model for other regions.
Mika Lintilä
Minister of Economic Affairs Centre Party of Finland