Turku’s mayoral leadership will take the city’s key advocacy priorities directly to the heart of EU decision-making, as they visit Brussels to promote Finland’s cross-border transport connections and the role of cities in the EU’s next funding period.
Mayor Piia Elo and Deputy Mayors Elina Rantanen and Mirka Muukkonen visit Brussels on 27–29 January. At the core of the visit is a strategically important message for Turku and for Finland as a whole: the West Rail project (Länsirata) must be eligible for EU funding in the Union’s next 2028–2034 financial framework. The longer-term objective is for the fixed Helsinki–Turku–Stockholm connection to be included in the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T).
“In the future, Finland should no longer be an island. Better connections between the Nordic capitals will strengthen the competitiveness of Finland and Europe. Securing EU funding for these projects must be a key priority,” says Mayor Piia Elo.
In Brussels, the mayors will meet several Finnish Members of the European Parliament, Finland’s Permanent Representative to the EU Jori Arvonen, Antti Timonen, Head of Cabinet to Commissioner Henna Virkkunen, André Sobczak, Secretary General of Eurocities, as well as senior officials from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE). The objective of the meetings is to convey that the needs of cities, and particularly sustainable transport projects, should be included in the EU’s future funding plans.
On Tuesday, Turku will host an event Finland’s future connections to Europe together with the Confederation of Finnish Industries. The Nordic Capitals Railway report published in December will be presented in the event. It is a concrete proposal for developing rail connections between the Nordic capitals and linking them more closely to the European rail network.
In connection with the visit, Mayor Elo and Deputy Mayor Rantanen will participate in the meeting of the European Governing Board of the sustainable cities network ICLEI and in advocacy meetings organised by the network, including an audience with European Commission Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto. Elo was recently elected as the Vice President of ICLEI’s global governing board.
The mayoral leadership’s visit to Brussels is part of Turku’s long-term EU advocacy work. The city’s presence in Brussels and its relations with EU institutions are coordinated by the Turku-Southwest Finland European Office.
Photo (from left): Mirka Muukkonen, Piia Elo and Elina Rantanen in front of the Berlaymont, the main building of the European Commission. Photo: Inka Laaksonen / Turku-Southwest Finland European Office