Mayor Juhana Vartiainen attended a co-operation meeting of the mayors of the Nordic and Baltic capitals on Wednesday 5 October. The topics of the remote meeting were related to the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine and energy preparedness. Cooperation between the mayors has increased significantly since the outbreak of the war.
As regards Ukraine, the meeting focused particularly on reconstruction and concrete ways of targeting aid and support in the best possible way. All of the cities have a strong will to help. The discussion involved sharing experiences of best practices and identifying new common practices. Information was also exchanged regarding the situation of the Ukrainians who have arrived in the cities. Issues related to children’s school attendance and the employment of adults were raised in particular.
The plans that emerged during the mayors’ visit to Ukraine on 19 August 2022 organised by the Eurocities network were also discussed at the meeting. The Memorandum of Understanding signed during the visit will help successfully coordinate aid and EU funding. Mayor Vartiainen was among those to visit Ukraine and shared at the meeting his thoughts on the visit.
“We cannot forget Ukraine or the Ukrainians. Helsinki is working in close cooperation with other European cities to enable reconstruction. Russia’s brutal war of aggression in Ukraine has now continued for more than 200 days and, as President Zelensky stressed at our meeting in August, reconstruction must begin now,” says Mayor Vartiainen.
In terms of energy preparedness, the meeting focused on sharing information on practical energy saving measures and means to support residents in potential energy supply disruptions. The mayors shared their views on the energy crisis and described preparedness measures in their cities.
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News item 19 August 2022: Helsinki Mayor travels to Ukraine as part of Eurocities visit
Photo: Mila Eremina