During their meeting, the mayors discussed the future priorities for the twin-city cooperation between Helsinki and Tallinn and approved them by a joint decision. The mayors focused on areas such as the competitiveness of both cities, innovation and start-up cooperation. The discussions between the mayors also covered cooperation in the promotion of the Helsinki–Tallinn Tunnel, spatial planning and the tourism sector, as well as between the ports of Helsinki and Tallinn.
Cooperation in several sectors
Helsinki and the City of Tallinn have been working together since the early 1990s. The main lines of cooperation have been defined as strengthening the competitiveness of the twin-city region through cooperation in business, innovation, education, culture and tourism; combating climate change; sustainable development, and improving the state of the Baltic Sea environment. In addition, promoting the sustainable mobility of both people and goods through the development of infrastructure and services is one of the key priorities. Cooperation between the two cities can be seen in concrete actions such as the exchange of information between different sectors, joint EU projects, and cooperation between delegations and experts.
During his visit to Tallinn, Mayor Sazonov also took part in the Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, which addressed current regional development issues and the role of cities in Baltic Sea Region cooperation. The Mayor joined the Estonian Foreign Minister, Margus Tsahkna, and the Managing Director of the Nordic Investment Bank (NIB), André Küüsvek, on a panel discussion on adapting to demographic change in the Nordic and Baltic countries.