Contracting, contracting, contracting.

The Joint Monitoring Committee selected the projects for Cultural cooperation, Social wellbeing and Sustainable exploitation of natural resources on November 13th and in December the European Commission approved the selection.

Since then the contracting of the last projects of the Karelia ENPI CBC programme has taken nearly all our time. Some of the projects have a signed grant contract already. More information on the launched projects can be found from our website.

The opening seminar for the natural resources projects will be organised on 13.-14.2. at Oulu and for the culture and wellbeing projects on 19.-20.2. at Petrozavodsk. Even we have already met most of the lead partners during the contract negotiations, we look forward meeting all the projects at the same time and seeing what kind of ideas and expectations the lead partners and partners have for cooperation.

Henna-Mari Laurila
Programme coordinator

We wish you a merry Christmas!

During the past weeks we've been busy with contracting and theme seminars and unfortunately the blog has been neglected for a while.

However, I'm happy to tell that even we haven't been writing what has been happening, there has been happening: two culture project, three wellbeing projects and one natural resources projec has already been contracted. We'll tell you more about these, and other projects, next year. Now it's time to wish you peaceful Christmas and a very happy upcoming year.

From behalf of the whole team

Henna-Mari

Pilot projects in Kalevala district completed

As it was initially planned by the KA255 project, implemented by the Energy Efficiency Center, the new systems of water supply and sanitation in the Kindergarten #2 in Kalevala settlement and the brand-new central draw-well in Borovoi settlement were constructed by the end of September 2012. 

 New sanitation system

It is important to mention that the general architecture, internal facilities and equipment of the kindergarten are very typical for Kalevala and other small settlements of Karelia. Thus, the demonstration investment project implemented in Kalevala could be and we hope will be replicated in other settlements and districts. 

Also its worth to mention that such plastic items as septic tanks for canalization in kindergarten and special PE-plastic inner pipe for the draw-well in Borovoi have been produced in Borovoi by the local manufacturer OOO "Al Hola" (subsidiary company of Finnterrus OY). The next steps according the Action plan are pilot projects in Prjazha district. The selection of the objects (Kroshnozero,Chalna, Essoila) and estimation of expenses for construction works and materials are going on.

Alexander Berdino

Improvement of the environment and living standards is the basis for modern rural development -project

Fores and Energy projects unleashed

The opening seminar of the Forest and Energy projects was organised last week at Oulu. Representatives from all ten approved projects, of which 7 already have their contracts, participated the event.

The thematic meetings have been an essential part of the programme implementation from the very beginning. The idea is that the projects from the same theme meet when the theme is launched and approximately once a year after that. The idea is not only to give practical information for the projects but to give them a chance to meet each other, and this way enhance cooperation between projects. 

This time, since it was the first meeting of the theme, we concentrated on practical issues and getting familiar with the projects. Also, we had an external expert, Lasse Pipinen from Viestintätoimisto Deski, giving good ideas for project visibility. On the next meetings we'll concentrate on projects results and outcomes and see if the ideas for visibility have been taken into practise.

Projects working with their headlines.

Starting up a project

I have worked since September in the project Promotion of low-cost and youth tourism in the cross-border areas. It is a combination of five partners in Russia and two in Finland.

For me the project had a flying start. After only one or two weeks in the project I found myself heading towards the border, picking the passport with a brand new visa from a travel agency in Tohmajärvi and then forward towards Petrozavodsk to meet the project partners. Then one or two weeks more and a new trip to Petrozavodsk, Olonets (Aunus in Finnish) and Sortavala to see in practice what our partners are doing. In Karelia I went to see hostels and student dormitories that are offering or are going to offer low cost accommodation especially for young people.

What is this all about? In this project one aim is to increase accommodation possibilities (low cost, good quality) in Petrozavodsk, Sortavala, Olonets, Kostamuksha and Segezha hoping that once the service is there the young people can find their way to these places. Social media is in focus when we are doing marketing. 

In September and October our Russian partners coming from education institutes have made renovation plans for their hostels and student apartments. Later on an internet based booking portal will be developed. It is planned to be open by May 2013. This portal can be used by the Finnish and Russian partners and other interested education institutes and companies. 

In Finland our partner Centria (university of applied sciences) has prepared a training program to be implemented in their unit in Ylivieska and in Kalajoki resort. This two days program is in December and it is targeted for teachers and specialists working in tourism and service branches. They will learn to know about Centria tourism education program and learning methods, as well as about ways to cooperate with tourism companies. In return the Russian partners and participants will tell about tourism education in their region.

The project is now taking its first steps. It will last until November 2014 and for me it is very motivating to take part in this important and exiting effort. For me this project is success if we really can open doors and make travel across the border easier for young people who this way learn to know each other better.

Merja Heikkilä

Project Manager

Update on large scale projects

Large scale projects (also called LSPs) are projects that are not based on open calls like the projects funded under our thematic calls. The projects and Lead Partners are pre-determined by the Joint Monitoring Committee. The projects are centered on major investments that have direct cross-border benefits and are closely related to the objectives and aims of the Programme. 

Our JMC has decided that there will be a total of five LSPs in our Programme and approximately one third of Programme funds have been allocated for them. I am happy to say that the acceptance and contracting processes for these projects are proceeding rapidly. The Joint Monitoring Committee has accepted all five applications, while the European Commission has accepted three of them and the process is still pending for the remaining two projects in the EC. If the contracting process goes well, all five projects should be running by the end of November 2012.

So far only one of them has been contracted and commenced: Fennoscandian Green Belt, with Metsähallitus, Natural Heritage Services, Ostrobothnia as the Lead Partner. The aim of the project is to improve the quality and service level in natural parks on both sides of the border. The parks include Oulanka (FI), Paanajärvi (RU), Kalevala Parks (FI & RU), Friendship Park (FI), Kostamuksha (RU), Koli (FI) and Petkeljärvi (FI). The activities focus on investments and enhancement of cooperation between the parks.

More information about the LSPs can be found at our website after the projects have started.

Toni Saranpää

Programme Coordinator

Projects in media

Even the administration takes a lot of time and effort - especially when we are talking about the Joint Managing Authority - it's good to remember we are not doing this in order to receive interim reports and payment requests but in order to see the results of the work done by the projects.

The most important thing in the programme are the projects and the work done by them. It is also important that the work done is visible and that the target groups and beneficiaries acknowledge the things done by the projects. That's why we encourage - and insist - the projects to pay attention to the visibility and communication issues when implementing the projects.

The Municipality of Suomussalmi is implementing two projects. One is concentrating on sheeps and the other on improving a gravel road in Karelia. Both have been made visible and have raised interest in the media. You can read more about speephusbandry from Uusi Suomi blog (in Finnish) and about the gravel road from here (in Russian) or from the projec websites - and see how different channels can be used in making a project visible.

Henna-Mari Helenius
Programme Coordinator