Equal Before the Law

The Wider Europe Initiative, a development policy framework programme covering Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus and Central Asia, was launched during 2009. The initiative complements Finland’s foreign and security policy in these regions through development policy measures.

The aim of the framework programme is to extensively promote stability as well as economic and social development. The initiative underlines regional conflict prevention, support for peace processes, and environmental cooperation. The Initiative’s thematic priorities include security, trade and development, information society development, energy and the environment, and social sustainability. The funding framework for the Wider Europe Initiative is over EUR 70 million in 2009–2013.

The Wider Europe Initiative’s cooperation partners include international organisations (OSCE, FAO, ILO, UNDP, UNECE, UNEP) and financial institutions (EBRD, IFC, NIB, WB), as well as Finnish agencies and departments. The Geological Survey of Finland, Statistics Finland, the Finnish Meteorological Institute and the Finnish Environment Institute were given approval to implement inter-institutional development cooperation projects. Finnish research institutions started cooperating with local parties in research on security and development. Support for business partnerships was also considered to be a potential form of cooperation in the Wider Europe Initiative. The implementation of the objectives of the Wider Europe Initiative emphasises the exploitation of Finnish know-how and resources, as well as safeguarding Finland’s opportunities to have its voice heard in the administrative bodies of the different programmes. The aim was to systematically include the cross-cutting themes of Finland’s Development Policy Programme in all activities.