Contributing to the ongoing reform on establishing regional governance for provision of health, social welfare and rescue services in Finland in line with good European practice and standards will be the main focus of the new Council of Europe- EU project "Delivering Good Governance and Balanced Local Economy in Finland", which will be implemented by the Centre of Expertise for Good Governance from 1 September 2022 to 31 August 2024.
During the project implementation, the Centre of Expertise will work in synergy with the Ministry of Finance of Finland to provide legal and policy advice, consultations and workshops to improve the relevant legislative framework and operational mechanisms pertaining to good democratic governance at the local and regional level. Thanks to its unique set of standards and a well-developed repertoire of toolkits, the Centre of Expertise will also provide capacity-building opportunities to enhance the performance of municipalities and regions through improved awareness, knowledge and skills of relevant Finnish authorities.
To officially mark the launching of the project, the Ministry of Finance hosted a kick-off event in Helsinki on 29 September 2022. Representatives from the European Commission Directorate General for Structural Reform Support (DG REFORM), the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Justice, the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities, the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra, the Wellbeing services, the Regional Councils and the Council of Europe discussed the project’s overall objectives, expected outputs and steps forward. This was also the first meeting of the Project Advisory Group, competent for steering the project throughout its implementation.
The Project was welcomed by the participants for its timeliness and relevance within the ongoing Finnish reform on establishing regional governance for the provision of health, social welfare and rescue services.
The project is co-funded by the European Union via the Technical Support Instrument 2022 and implemented by the Council of Europe, in cooperation with the European Commission.
