1. x x

2. SwedenFinland We are building our cities together – on the border. Barcelona

3. x x

4. HAPARANDA Area918 km2 Inhabitants 10 350 Population density11,6 per km2 Unemployment rate14,7 % (2004) Number of companies500 TORNIO Area1227 km2 Inhabitants22 200 Population density 19,2 per km2 Unemployment rate14,8 % (2004) Number of companies1 050 x

5. History of municipal co-operation Started in 1970s in the field of culture 1987 Provincia Bothiens Haparanda- Tornio was set up Now co-operation in all areas of municipal operations

6. What goes around comes around… 17th century Tornio: an important North- European town of commerce 18th century Sweden-Finland 19th century: Russia takes over Finland, town of Haparanda established 1842 20th century: Cold War period NATO Warsaw Pact Sweden Finland up to 1990´s: a hard national border between Haparanda and Tornio 1987 Provincia Bothniensis: a co-operation forum for Haparanda & Tornio 21th century: Haparanda and Tornio grows together as one. from 1970´s to 21th century: cooperation has spread into to all levels

7. - x Forms of co-operation in Haparanda-Tornio Common city council meetings City board meetings Working group meetings Daily contacts between officials and politicians Provincia Bothniensis board Borderless education Common use of facilities Common investments Common arrangements, festivals, cultural and sports events Borderless cultural and sports organisations Common marketing and promotion

8. Co-operation in education 1978 Agreement on free attendance at Comprehensive school 1989 Language school ( 308 pupils) 1998 Euro senior secondary school (gymnasium) (49 students) Free vocational training across the border Free attendance across the border at Kemi-Tornio polytechnic 2002 Agreement on day care across the border Planning of new borderless combined upper secondary school and vocational training programmes started in spring 2005

9. Why municipalities co-operating Question of survival Better services for residents at lower cost Development opportunities (E.g on the border) HOW Very strong local political support TRUE partnership culture between authorities

10. Organisation COVERNMENT 5+5 GOVERNOR SECRETARIAT Workgroup for business and tourism Workgroup for education Workgroup for municipal engineering spatial planning and environment Workgroup for sports and leisure Workgroup On the Border Workgroup for social services and health care Workgroup for culture and youth projects

11. Problems Limited national and regional support Legal hindrances in establishing an international association of municipalities

12. Successes On the border project – creating a common town centre right on the border

16. 1995Finland & Sweden join the European Union 1996-7Nordic idea competition 1998-2000Development plan 2001-3Realisation plan On the border - process 2003 Building and Marketing

17. IKEA 23 500 m2 IKANO –property company 11 000 m2 ICA 8 500 m2 Shopping centre Tornio33 000 m2 Shopping centre Haparanda 16 000 m2 Hotel Haparanda200 rooms Hotel Tornio200 rooms Apartmenthouses 13 000 m2 Haparanda-Tornio police station 5 200 m2 Estimated manpower need during construction500 pers. /2 years Estimated number of new jobs1 000 – 1 300

18. Lessons learnt Peripheral localities and economies of scale in co-operating across a border National or regional levels have not yet fully understood the benefits of cross-border co-operation in remote localities Cross-border problems have reduced since the EU accession 1995