A Success Story: Rail Baltica Growth Corridor.

2. A SUCCESS STORY: Rail Baltica Growth Corridor
BEST PRACTICES PRESENTATIONS
SEVILLE, 16TH DECEMBER 2013
ROSA VIHAVAINEN, EDUCATION AND INNOVATION EXPERT
HELSINKI-UUSIMAA REGIONAL COUNCIL

3. PROJECT BACKGROUND
Rail Baltica Growth Corridor:
•21 partners in 7 countries - Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania,
Poland and Germany
•9 cities, 6 regions, 5 research institutions, 1 public transport
authority
•Lead Partner: City of Helsinki
•24 Associate Organizations: Ministries, railway companies,
universities, logistics development organizations and projects
•Duration: 3 years, 2011 - 2013
•Budget: 3,6 M EUR
•Funding: European Regional Development Fund

4. PROJECT BACKGROUND
• Background: in 2006 Baltic Metropoles’ network defined Fehmarn Belt
(between the German island of Fehmarn and the Danish island of Lolland)
and Rail Baltica as the two most important transport infrastructural projects
•From Finland’s point of view: as travel connections elsewhere in Europe
improve and travel times shorten, a risk that Finland will be isolated
•Objective: to improve the competitiveness and accessibility of cities and
regions in the Eastern Baltic Sea Region through increased interaction and
cooperation
•Focus on improving passenger mobility and freight transportation
•Organization of multilevel dialogue about transport policies of Baltic
countries

5. 7.2.2013

6. Blue line: existing connections
Red line: the Rail Baltica plan
7.2.2013

7. PROJECT ACTIVITIES
•The Connectivity Pilot for passenger transport
improves the accessibility of the Baltic Sea Region by
introducing an integrated door-to-door travel planner
for long-distance and local public transport in the
project region
•The Logistics Pilot for freight transport harmonizes
the services of the logistics centres in Baltic States and
strives to create new service products for global freight
flows

8. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS
•Extensive stakeholder inclusion and policy dialogue 
commitment of cities and regions
•The project’s work will continue following the Growth
Strategy
•Preparation of Rail Baltic Branding project and the
governance model has begun
•Ultimate goal: to build a railway from Warsaw to Tallinn (to
Helsinki), to connect Central and Eastern Europe

9. A SUCCESS STORY: Innovative Services for International Talents
– Easier Access to the CBSR (EXPAT project)
BEST PRACTICES PRESENTATIONS
SEVILLE, 16TH DECEMBER 2013

10. PROJECT BACKGROUND
Innovative Services for International Talents – Easier Access to the CBSR (EXPAT project)
•Duration: 2 years (2012-2013)
•Budget: 1,3 M EUR
•Program: Central Baltic INTERREG IV A Programme 2007-2013
•Partners:
•Finland:
•Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Council (Lead Partner), Laurea University of Applied
Sciences, Culminatum Innovation Ltd
•Turku Science Park (Western Finland), Regional Council of South-West Finland
•Sweden: City of Uppsala
•Estonia: Institute of Baltic Studies, E-Governance Academy
•Latvia: Riga Planning Region, University of Latvia
•Objectives: to make the region more attractive for international skilled workforce, students and
professionals, their spouses and families, by improving soft landing services and by facilitating
creation of social networks
• Importance of social integration highlighted

11. PROJECT ACTIVITIES
•Analysis of the local immigration policies, current services and expats’ needs in
partner regions and comparison with other regions
•Survey research on how expats experience the level of immigration services,
how their social integration has succeeded in the participant regions
•Workshops and seminars
•Case studies in Stockholm and Amsterdam
•Other regions’ best practices: review of Toronto’s settling-in services for
immigrants
•Introduction of new practices
•Online portal for sharing project activities and results, for partners and
stakeholders
•Cooperation initiatives to enhance cooperation among public, private and
third sector actors

12. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS
•Need to improve immigration services for skilled workforce
demonstrated
•Policy recommendations, e.g.:
• To increase awareness of the region’s need for skilled labour as a
decisive factor for global competitiveness
•Holistic approach on services: improvement of coordination of local
immigration services and need to network public and private sector
service providers
• To increase information on soft landing services for expats
•Development of regional immigration policy, focusing on expats’ social
integration and wellbeing

13. GENERAL CHALLENGES ON THE PERIOD 20072013
•Need for simplification of the application process
•Funding for the preparation of large-scale projects
needed
•Fragmentation of the themes of the projects 
weaker overall impact
•Measuring impact difficult

14. GENERAL CONCLUSIONS
•Closer cooperation needed with neighbouring regions
and the central government to increase impact of the
regional development planning
 New regional strategic plan 2040 (Uusimaa
programme) developed together with the Centre for
Economic Development, Transport and the
Environment (governmental agency)

15. THANK YOU
Rosa Vihavainen
Education and Innovation Expert
Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Council
Rosa.vihavainen@uudenmaanliitto.fi