The Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Council is a joint authority for Helsinki-Uusimaa with 26 member municipalities. We are one of the 18 regional councils in Finland that are mandated in law, receiving our funding mainly from our member municipalities.
Our main operational tasks at the Council are regional and land-use planning, as well as the promotion of local and regional interests. We articulate common regional needs, long term development goals and conditions for sustainable development.
Our main operational tasks at the Council are regional and land-use planning, as well as the promotion of local and regional interests.
To be successful in what we do, we work in close cooperation with member municipalities, the government, the business sector, universities and research institutions, as well as with civic organisations.
International cooperation is increasingly important to us. We focus on the Baltic Sea Region and our most important partners there. Our Council also supports EU programmes and develops various EU projects. For these activities, we have received regional development funds from both the Finnish Government and the European Union. Our Council shares a representative office in Brussels with several cooperation partners.
Our Council is an Unconventional World-Class Regional Developer
Our Council’s vision for 2029 is to be an Unconventional World-class Regional Developer.
Our mission has three key elements:
- We make an impact on the success of the Region by making competent propositions and decisions concerning it.
- We plan regional structures, where built and unbuilt environments go well together.
- We improve the preconditions of business in a sustainable way.
We strive to be goal-oriented, innovative, engaging, resource-wise and foresightful. These are our core values.
Our Council’s vision, mission, and values are aligned with our regional vision to be ‘Well Ahead’ in 2030 in climate change mitigation, economic competitiveness and wellbeing.
Our Decision-Making is based on Local Self-Government
Our decision-making processes are based on how the Finnish government operates on a local level.
Our highest decision-making body is the Regional Assembly, consisting of 86 officials who meet two or three times a year. The responsibility for the implementation of the decisions lies with the Regional Board and its 16 officials, meeting every month.
All officials in the Assembly and the Board are politicians elected by the member municipalities for a mandate period of four years, representing the political will of the region according to the local election results.
The political parties in our Assembly during 2025–2029 are The National Coalition Party (23), The Social Democratic Party (21), The Greens (14), The Left Alliance (10), The Swedish People’s Party (7),The Finns Party (5), The Centre Party (4), The Christian Democrats (2).
Presidents of Regional Assembly and Board
Pentti Arajärvi
President of the Assembly
Social Democratic Party, City of Helsinki
E-mail: pentti@arajarvi.fi
Jarno Limnell
President of the Board
National Coalition Party, City of Espoo
Email: jarno.limnell@eduskunta.fi
Contact Us
The Office of the Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Council is led by Regional Mayor Tuija Telén. Regional Development, Regional Land Use Planning, Helsinki EU Office, Public Affairs and Administration are also represented in our Management Team.
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Helsinki-Uusimaa Region
The Helsinki-Uusimaa Region is at the heart of Northern Europe, on the south coast of Finland and at the Baltic Sea. Although only covering three percent of our national land area, our Region is home to around 1.8 million inhabitants, which is about a third of the country’s total population.
Current
News
4.11.2025
International Peer Review: Draft Regional Programme aligns with EU goals
The Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Council organised an international peer review at the beginning of October together with the Interreg Europe Policy Learning Platform. European regional development experts analysed the draft Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Programme for 2026–2029 and provided recommendations for its development and implementation.
News
3.11.2025
Director of Public Affairs Mikko Myllymäki aims to strengthen the region’s collective voice and influence, both in Finland and at the EU level
In September, Mikko Myllymäki started as Director of Public Affairs at the Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Council. He sees diversity, strong expertise and innovation as the region’s key strengths.
This page was last updated: 21.10.2025