This year, 83 applications summing up to €524,451 were submitted for the Nordic-Baltic Mobility Programme for Public Administration. Estonia (34 applications), Lithuania (21) and Latvia (19) submitted the largest number of applications. Nine applications were submitted by the Nordic countries; most applications came from Finland and Iceland.
Head of Tartu branch office of the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Office in Estonia and coordinator of the programme, Madis Kanarbik said: "All Nordic and Baltic countries are generally very well and equally represented as every project must include partners from at least three countries."
Considering the participation rates (both as applicants and partners) of projects that received the grant, the most active civil servants participating in the programme come from Finland (18% of all projects), Estonia (16.9%) and Sweden (16.5%). Grants were given to cooperation projects dealing with education and science, social affairs, justice and home affairs, local and regional development, etc.
In 2015 the Head of Division at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs in Iceland, Hugrún Ösp Reynisdóttir, used the cooperation grant to organise a study trip to Estonia and Latvia. "We think that it is vital for small countries like Iceland, Estonia and Latvia to get together and share experiences. We were very impressed with the Estonia’s X-Road concept and intend to investigate how we could acquire that experience. Public sector workers should take even more advantage of the mobility programme," says Reynisdóttir.
The Nordic-Baltic Mobility Programme for Public Administration supports study and training trips and network meetings of civil servants and other public sector workers, thus enhancing Nordic-Baltic cooperation between ministries, regional departments and local authorities.
Support will be given to projects which include cooperation partners from at least three countries (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland) The programme covers up to 60% of the travelling and accommodation costs and daily allowance of the project. The programme is funded by all Nordic and Baltic countries.