Finland and the CEB: building on a great relationship

Since 2014 the CEB has approved ten operations in favour of Finnish municipalities. Totalling some €580 million, these loans have focused on the five cities of Vantaa, Espoo, Tampere, Turku and Kuopio, building on a previous partnership with Helsinki. Cooperation between the Bank and Finland is ongoing, with the Bank recently approving additional loan increases to support these investments.

What lies at the heart of the successful relationship between the CEB and Finland? Diana Bertje, the CEB’s Country Manager for Finland, says, “Finnish municipalities are reliable partners for the CEB in reaching different, socially important, investment sectors. For example, educational investments in Vantaa and Espoo are setting a positive example in the modern, forward-thinking design of learning spaces.

 “What’s more, the professional teams working in the municipalities are committed to the implementation of their city plans. CEB financing helps them to partially finance priority investments and move towards implementing their strategy objectives.”

Working with the City of Vantaa

The CEB has strengthened cooperation with the City of Vantaa since 2014, and the latest loan agreement, approved in January2020 and signed in May 2020, is the City’s third consecutive loan from the Bank. The CEB is part-financing social infrastructure investments in line with the City’s strategy and investment plans, the majority of which are in the education sector.

Projects receiving support from the CEB include the:

• renovation of the Hakunilanrinne school for 947 students
• construction of Hämevaara day care centre, with almost 100 places
• renovation of Myyrmäki library, with 33,000 monthly visits
• renovation of the Myyrinkoti care home (92 inhabitants, 58 employees).

Finding the focus

Vantaa has seven districts, Myyrmäki, Tikkurila, Koivukylä, Korso, Hakunila, Kivistö and Aviapolis. In three of these - Myyrmäki, Koivukylä and Hakunila – the number of students from foreign backgrounds who are enrolled in basic education is over 30% - significantly higher than in the other districts.

Almost 90% of sub-projects supported by the CEB’s most recent loan are located in these three districts, where some 4,000 of the 12,000 primary and secondary school students are from foreign backgrounds.

A school with a fresh approach

A CEB technical mission in 2016 to Länsimäki comprehensive school in Hakunila district found that 44% of the 570 students spoke another language at home, and 29 different languages were represented at the school.

The school is taking an innovative approach: providing new students who need it with additional language tuition and ongoing support. Special needs teachers help students with their specific challenges, and school clubs provide additional support as well as help with homework. Interpreters also facilitate communication with families.

Education and culture in Kuopio

The city of Kuopio is home to almost 8,300 children under the age of six, many of whom attend the 37 municipal day care centres. There are also some 10,500 pupils, aged seven to 15, enrolled in the 46 comprehensive and upper secondary schools run by the City. With the number of children of day care age projected to grow by around 800 by 2022, prioritising investments in Kuopio’s day care centres and school infrastructure is crucial.

Kuopio has received two consecutive CEB loans, with the latest, a public sector finance facility (PFF) signed in May 2020.

Investments being targeted within the new PFF include:

• the construction of new day care centres, including the installation of energy-efficient systems, for example, solar panels and geo-cooling systems
• the renovation of school infrastructure to promote more efficient use of premises.

The City of Kuopio also runs many museums, cultural institutions and sports facilities and is investing in the restoration of various sites because many city traditions are rooted in key musical and cultural events. Investments being supported by the latest CEB PFF include the city’s ice rink, and the Kuopio Music Centre.

 “Our work with Finland is not just about financing infrastructure enhancements,” concludes Diana Bertje. “It’s about the thousands of people in every city who benefit from these improvements every day. In the Finnish context, the number of people from foreign backgrounds is constantly growing and number over 30% of the population in some areas. As a result, I find the CEB projects in Finland are well aligned with the CEB’s core priority to provide ‘aid to refugees, migrants and displaced persons’.”