Regional Development Plan of Lapland 2030

The Regional Council is responsible for the planning and development of the region in accordance with the Regional Development Act (Laki alueiden kehittämisestä), no. 1651 (2009), and the Land Use and Building Act (Maankäyttö- ja rakennuslaki), no. 132 (1999). The regional development plan is a description of the joint and desired development direction for Lapland which the operators in the region actively strive for. The policy definitions further guide the allocation of the development funding, safeguarding of interests, regional land use planning and the planning of other area use.

The regional development plan 2030 lays out the long-term development objectives for Lapland and the strategy for achieving those objectives. The plan brings out the desire and enthusiasm for development in Lapland, which the national government as our partner is expected to commit to with its operations. The strategy of the industrial policy in Lapland is to strongly invest in highly processed natural resource and energy industries as well as the tourism and travel cluster, based on our natural resources, attraction factors and expertise. By investing in these top branches, it is possible to create a significant number of new jobs and to turn the migration balance positive. This way, the traditionally negative migration in the region can be transformed into a positive one, making Lapland a lively region of 195,000 inhabitants by the year 2030.

Along the development of livelihoods, the operational ability of the municipalities as well as the availability of services also in the future must be ensured. Both the national economic budget and the economy of the municipalities are expected to constrict over the next few years. At the same time, there is more pressure on organising services for the inhabitants, particularly due to the aging of the population. For this reason, it is essential to have an open mind toward organising services in cooperation over municipal and regional borders. In addition, a certain readiness for renewing the municipal structures in terms of consolidations of municipalities must exist.