A day in Brussels – Europe offers plenty of opportunities also for the people of Southern Ostrobothnia

A group of BELC members representing Finnish municipalities visited Brussels in September 2024 and following the trip, one of the participants, Piia Kattelus-Kilpeläinen wrote an article about the study tour in a regional website. The comprehensive description is a prime example of how important communication about EU topics is to local and regional networks. 

The article outlines the interesting discussions local councillors had in Brussels about the opportunities the EU offers and the urgency to increase knowledge about them at local level.  

Ms. Kattelus-Kilpeläinen reported the meetings she had with experts at the European Commission in charge of the various topics of concern, such as European defence, financial and budgetary issues, the Green Deal and renewable energy, as well as support for young farmers and rural areas. She drew parallels, provided statistics and explained the wider Finnish context for a better understanding of these themes in her article. 

Discussions covered also aspects of support to Ukraine, the humanitarian situation in the Middle East, as well as the overall security situation in the EU.