ECR Member and Treasurer Ilpo Heltimoinen hosted the ECR Local Dialogue "Strengthening regional resilience" in Lappeenranta, Finland. The event saw the participation of Riikka Purra, Finland's Minister of Finance, Sebastian Tynkkynen, Member of the European Parliament, and Carina Jäntti, ECR member and City Councillor in Kotka, Finland. 

Mr Heltimoinen, whose opinion on strengthening regional economic resilience was adopted by the CoR last October, moderated the event underlining how the impact of recent crises, such as the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia's military aggression against Ukraine "has been asymmetrical on EU member states and regions". Strengthening regional preparedness for future shocks therefore depends on "a tailor made approach that takes into account each territory and its specific structures, including political, economic and geographic ones".

Minister Purra intervened via video message underlining the economic losses "suffered by Finland's eastern and southeastern regions following the closure of the border with Russia". She emphasised the need to strengthen these regions' economies stressing that "those regions who have suffered from the geopolitical tensions must receive more support during the next multiannual financial framework". 

The importance of boosting regions' resilience was the focus of the Mr Tynkkynen message delivered to participants. In his intervention, Mr Tynkkynen underlined the particularly important role of the eastern border regions in "separating our economy from Russia", pointing out that ending the flow of goods and services across the border to Russia has had a "disproportionate impact on the eastern border regions, who have to endure this burden for the security of the whole of Europe." He also recalled the challenges of these regions in responding to the instrumentalisation of migrants.

Mr Tynkkynen emphasised that it is in the "security interests of the whole of Europe to keep the eastern border regions economically strong", and that "the EU must invest particularly in the border security infrastructure, as well as in military mobility infrastructure in these regions."

"Eastern border regions, as it is in Kymenlaakso where I come from as well as in South Keralia where we are hosting this event, are particularly vulnerable to geopolitical conflicts. Our country, Finland, is well known for its whole-of-society approach to security and preparedness, where the society's vital functions are secured via close coordination between the core entities: government, businesses and non-governmental organisations and citizens", Ms Carina Jäntti said.

The event saw the participation of local authorities and members of the business community of the region, engaging in a fruitful debate that offered different takeaways on the topic of discussion.