In Brussels on 15 December the Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the EU, Ambassador Vladimir Chizhov, and on 18 December the Director for the Neighbourhood of the European Commission Directorate-General for Development and Cooperation, Michael Köhler, signed a Protocol to the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the European Community on Financing and Implementing the Cross-Border Cooperation Programme “South East Finland - Russia” of 18 November 2009. The Protocol provides for an extension of the period of implementation of projects in the framework of the said Programme until 31 December 2015.
The Programme, co-financed by Russia and the EU, encompasses Saint-Petersburg and the Leningrad Oblast, as well as bordering regions of Finland. Its aim is to enhance cross-border cooperation in various fields.
The Russian Federation and the European Union are currently engaged in preparation of a renewed Programme “South East Finland - Russia” for the period until 2020.
