Official name of the LAG

Eteläisen maaseudun osaajat EMO ry.

LAG EMO

Official status

The LAG is a registered non profit association

Members

141 members of which 45 are communities

Country:

FINLAND

Region:

Uusimaa, Häme

Leader theme chosen

No specific theme.

Languages spoken

Finnish, Swedish, English, French, (German)

The Local Development Program

Vision: People, enterprises and villages are active in developing their home region. They look into the future but respect nature and traditions.   

1/ Goal 1: Quality of life in rural areas

- Better living-conditions outside urban areas

- Providing services outside urban areas

2/ Goal 2: Quality in environmental matters

- Principles of sustainable development in living, leisure activities and entrepreneurship

- Respecting and saving nature as well as built environment

3/ Goal 3: local culture

- History, traditions and cultural events

- Culture as a marketing tool

4/ Goal 4: developing entrepreneurship in rural areas

-  Better opportunities for micro-enterprises, cooperation of enterprises

-  Key sectors: Bioenergy, tourism, social, environment and local food, youth, starting and innovative enterprises, multifunctional farms

Cooperation projects between rural and urban areas are possible throughout the program.

Trans-national cooperation

Capacity building in international LEADER-projects, activating, networking, exchanging good practices and experiences have an important role in EMO´s local development program. EMO has already some well established international actors (twin-relations, educational organisations, entrepreneurs, some associations) but is willing to extend the possibility of international cooperation for villages or local communities. LAG EMO is open for all kind of cooperation (all axes) corresponding to the above mentioned goals, with however an emphasis on youth, culture and entrepreneurship. There is a possibility for trans-national events.

Trans-national projects has to meet the following criteria

Total Leader budget:

6 755 006 €

EU

1 533 800 €

STATE

1 972 000 €

Municipality

876 500 €

Private funding

2 372 706 €

LAG EMO with its 8 municipalities, 380 000 people of which 70 000 in rural areas is situated north of the capital Helsinki. The municipalities have several multisectoral/sectoral cooperation programs and organisations. The logistical framework is excellent with highways, railways and Helsinki-Vantaa airport. 

People, especially younger families are moving from towns to neighbouring rural areas where the nature is very variable with however no highlands. You have large fields, pine forests, lakes, rocky mounds, hogbacks and the VantaaRiver covering whole of the area. The nature has been exploited by both enterprises (gravel) and by inhabitants for their leisure. Urban areas are spreading north giving an important role to landplaning. This is the question of areas to be kept as rural. Other areas of the LAG are loosing population. Of the main industrial branches services account for 65%, manufacturing 33% and primary production around 2%. Metals, logistics and transports, machinery, mechanical transformation of wood, building products, food processing industry are strong. We also have environmental entrepreneurship. The number of farms has decreased but the surface of arable land/farm has however grown. Cattle- and livestock farming have decreased while plants production has grown.

Moreover we have several development centres and educational organisations dealing with rural entrepreneurship and quality of life on our area.

Number of inhabitants/inhabitants in rural areas

70 000

Surface area (km²):

2352 km2

Density (inhabitants per km²):

12 – 250

Number of municipalities: see presentations below

8

Population under 25 years old (%):

35%

Population over 65 years old (%):  

10 %

Unemployment rate (%):

4,5 – 8 %

Agriculture and Forestry %

2 % (1- 8 %)

Industry %

33 %

Services %

65 %

Preparatory phase

The first contact should be made to the LAG manager. When partners are willing to build up a trans-national project, the Finnish applicants (the LAG included) have the possibility to apply for exploratory project funding for project planning, travel costs in order to sign letters of intent and formal cooperation contracts. In non-LAG projects, the LAG can be asked to be a partner. The LAG itself can be a lead partner or a partner. For specific administrative details during the planning, contracting or implementing phase you should contact the coordinator of international affairs. It is often the LAG who is the contracting partner and handles the international cash flow, even though the implementation is delegated to local actors.

Decision-making

The decisions in trans-national projects are made by the board of directors of the LAG. The board has 10 members and a chairperson. The board is elected in the annual general meeting of the members of the association. In the board three different groups are equally represented; the public sector, associations or representatives of the entrepreneurs operating in the region and inhabitants not involved in the above mentioned groups.

The LAG manager introduces the application to the board of directors. The board gives a statement on the application to the Rural department of the Employment, and the Economic Development Centre, which gives the applicant the official decision. If the statement of the LAG is positive, the authorities may reject the project only in case of violation of the regulations. If the statement is negative, the authorities have no other solution than rejecting the project. 

Organisation

Eteläisen maaseudun osaajat EMO ry,

LAG EMO

Address:

Eteläinen asemakatu 2 A

Post code:

11130

City:

Riihimäki, Finland

Phone:

+358505732972

Fax:

-

Email:

emo@emory.fi, info@emory.fi

Website address:

www.emory.fi

Personel

Responsabilities

Contact

LAG president:

Timo Silvan

Chairman of the Board

timo.silvan@pp.inet.fi

LAG manager:

Esko Pietari

LAG manager

emo@emory.fi

+358 50 5732972

Programme coordinator and coordinator for international affairs

Kim Smedslund

Activator and project manager (international affairs)

info@emory.fi

+358 40 5833356

Financial administrator

Tuula Saastamoinen

Payments and general administration

toimisto@emory.fi

+35845 1272510