Minister Tuppurainen and “We are Europe” tour to visit Oulu

NordenBladet — Minister for European Affairs Tytti Tuppurainen is inviting young people from Oulu, North Ostrobothnia and the Barents Euro-Arctic region to share their thoughts about Europe and its future on 30 November in Oulu. That same day, residents of the Oulu area are invited discuss EU matters over coffee with Minister for European Affairs Tuppurainen at an open event at the H20 Konstila café located in the Cultural Centre Valve.The events are part of the Finnish ministers’ “We are Europe” tour. This autumn and winter, several ministers will travel around the country to hear Finns’ thoughts and hopes about the development of the EU. Minister for European Affairs Tuppurainen will give an opening speech at the afternoon event at the Cultural Centre Valve, after which she will discuss topical EU issues with the residents of the region in attendance. Over a cup of coffee, participants will also hear a summary of the group sessions and panel discussions that took place at the youth event earlier in the day. “I’m very interested to hear what young people in the north have to say. It’s especially valuable for us to engage in dialogue together, across boundaries, as people in northern and Arctic regions share many of the same concerns, and we cooperate closely on a variety of issues. Passing along messages from young people in the north as part of the Conference on the Future of Europe is very important. I am equally excited to hear what kind of thoughts people in the Oulu region have on the future of Europe,” Minister for European Affairs Tuppurainen says.The youth event is intended for young people in the Barents Euro-Arctic region, and it will also be attended by youth from Sweden, Norway and Russia. The youth participants will first reflect on the future of Europe in working groups. The themes of the discussions were prepared in advance discussions organised at the UNESCO Associated Schools. The youth event will feature talks by Minister Tuppurainen, Ambassador for Barents and Northern Dimension Jari Vilén, Chair of the Oulu City Executive and conference delegate from the European Committee of the Regions Mirja Vehkaperä, and citizens’ representative Ninni Norra. The debriefing of the group work sessions and the full panel discussion will be streamed live. The seminar is organised by the Prime Minister’s Office, the City of Oulu, the Council of Oulu Region, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Barents Euro-Arctic Presidency.   The Finnish ministers’ “We are Europe” tour is part of the Conference on the Future of Europe, which aims to collect a wide variety of views from EU citizens on the future of Europe. The issues raised in the discussions will be recorded in the conference’s Multilingual Digital Platform, and the Finnish ministers will pass the messages on at the conference’s EU-level Plenaries. You can also share your thoughts and ideas in the digital platform. The online forum seeks citizens’ views on values, climate change, the economy, health and education, and a variety of other themes. The common EU-level hashtag #TheFutureIsYours can be used on social media.Programme for the events in Oulu on Tuesday 30 November9.30–13.50 Youth event Participants must register for the event in advance. The event will be held in English.The debriefing of the group sessions and the youth panel discussion will be streamed online at 12.30-13.50.  15.30–16.30 Open event and coffee The event will be held at the H20 Konstila café located in the Cultural Centre Valve.

Source: Valtioneuvosto.fi