Project duration: August 2004 - August 2007 

ProMidNord was a projectinitiative of the MidNordic Committee to the Interreg IIIB -program.
The project consisted of five different workpackages, which all aim to strenghten the potential and attractiveness of the whole region.
The five areas of co-operation:
1) Strengthening the MNR as a macroregion and introducing joint Spatital Development as a method
2) Environment and eco-competitiveness
3) Sustainable Energy Development
4) Youth, Regional Development and Democracy
5) Culture and cultural heritage as a means for sustainable development

The workgroups of the MidNordic Committee  - energy, culture, youth and environment - acted also as workgroups in the project-workpackages. 

The partnership in the project was wide, including 26 organizations from three countries: regional authorities, municipalities, national institutions, colleges/universities, science-centers etc. 
The MidNordic Region consists of eight regions: 
- North- and South Tröndelag counties in Norway
- Jämtland and Västernorrland counties in Sweden 
- and Ostrobothnia, Central Ostrobothnia, Central Finland and South Savo counties in Finland.

Summarised description of the project:
The eight County Councils from Norway, Sweden and Finland being the members of the 25 year old Mid Nordic Committee (MNC)-covering the Mid Nordic Region (MNR)-are facing great challenges such as an ongoing decrease of the population and a tendency towards centralization of the whole society. The cities in the MNR have difficulties in balancing the increasing impact from the big cities. The population density is low compared to the central and southern parts of the three countries, and extremely low compared to that of the other EU countries. 
Subsequently there are grave consequences with high costs for public and private service, for the transport of people and goods and for small business to get access to the commercial markets.Traditional industry and farming do not create new jobs like they used to. The low population density does not favour the creation of new business. Communications tend to follow a north-south axis, aiming atthe capitals. All this will lay the basis of a common agenda. 
The MNR has a several thousand year old cultural tradition of communicating along an east-west axis. In addition there is a rich cultural heritage. Also MNR holds great natural resources. The living conditions are of highest quality with access to great nature and  a rich culture. One way of balancing the negative trends is to develop the advantages and make them more visible, both for the inhabitants in MNR and for the people in the BSR and EU. With a stronger identity and a higher self-esteem, MNR can more actively take part in the challenges for the northern part of EU as well as the efforts to promote sustainable development. 
The MNR attractive force must be increased, which can also be done by developing a joint strategy in a MNR common perspective, applying the intersectoral comprehensive view, that characterizes "spatial development". The top goal of the project is to develop and market the MNR potential, based on natural resources and environmental qualities.
The type of measures, being based on the earlier analyses of MNR's strengths and weak points, will be
1) strengthening the transnational co-operation within MNR, politically and through co-operation between regional centres, universities and science parks
2) strengthening the knowledge and the ability to compete within the environmental sphere 
3) develop MNR's natural resources for sustainable energy production 
4) engage young people to improve the conditions for future development 
5) use culture to strengthen the identity. Together these activities will contribute to a sustainable development thus also strengthening BSR and EU.

East-west transports in teh region being important will be developed in co-operation with the ongoing I IIIB project NECL.

        
Baltic Sea Region Interreg Neighbourhood Programme
The Baltic Sea Region (BSR) INTERREG III B Neighbourhood Programme belongs to one of the three different strands of the European Community Initiative INTERREG III and this initiative supports transnational co-operation to enhance balanced and sustainable development of the European territory.
Further information: www.spatial.baltic.net 

The Nordic Council of Ministers
The Nordic Council of Ministers, formed in 1971, is the forum for Nordic governmental co-operation.  Nordic co-operation in the regions takes place at a central level through exchange of information, discussions with Nordic colleagues and mutual efforts for knowledge development to give the decision makers a better foundation for policy development.  The Nordic Regional Ministers have the overall responsibility for this co-operation, and it is managed by the Committee of Senior Official for Regional Policy (NERP). 
The Mid Nordic Committe is one of the eight border regions.
Further information.