The City of Lahti has signed an agreement with Korkia Consulting Oy on the joint development and piloting of a Green Deal Office service model with businesses in the Lahti region. The service model and pilot support the implementation of Lahti’s city strategy and the achievement of the objectives the city has set for its year as the European Green Capital. The new service will be started at the beginning of 2021.
The European Green Deal is the European Commission’s growth strategy for an economically sustainable and carbon-neutral Europe in 2050. The new growth programme will direct billions of euros in funding to sustainable investments and development projects. It also helps reform operating environments. Finnish SMEs have traditionally not made as much use out of the EU’s development and funding opportunities as their peers in other Member States have. The Green Deal programme will also bring changes to national operating environments, which Finnish companies and industries should prepare for in good time.
According to the Minister of Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari, it is important to support the identification of new growth opportunities for sustainable development and to receive enough funds for the business development of Finnish SMEs from the new programme.
‘Finnish companies have the know-how and potential to develop the solutions and innovations needed to achieve global climate and environmental goals’, says Minister Skinnari, who spoke at the launch event of the new cooperation.
The new service package will be developed during autumn 2020 by the City of Lahti, Lahti Region Development LADEC Oy and Korkia. The Finnish Green Deal Office service will be piloted in early 2021.
‘Lahti is the European Green Capital 2021, and we want to make the Lahti region a major innovation hub for green business. With this pilot project, we are building an even stronger service network for companies in the Lahti region. The project bring us one step closer to reaching our goal, which is providing the best business service in Finland’, says Pekka Timonen, Mayor of Lahti.
According to Martti Malmivirta, Director of Korkia Consulting, the service package comprises an open information service platform providing easily accessible green deal-related information to companies as well as community-based digital discussion platforms, and business development and financial services operating on a turnkey basis.
‘The service will make it easier for companies to identify the development opportunities of the EU programme and to receive funding for the development of their business’, Malmivirta says.
The Finnish Green Deal Office service will be piloted in early 2021 as Lahti starts its year as the European Green Capital. The service will later expand into a national open service.
More information:
Mari Kuparinen, Director of City Development
tel. +358 44 371 9450, mari.kuparinen@lahti.fi
www.lahti.fi
Jukka Rantanen, CEO
tel. +358 44 749 9288, jukka.rantanen@ladec.fi
www.ladec.fi
Martti Malmivirta, Executive Chairman
tel. +358 40 555 4720, martti.malmivirta@korkia.fi
www.korkia.fi