Finland’s regional government of South Karelia is dangling a series of incentives including relocation help, childcare and a fast track to residency to attract green professionals to settle in the country. Professionals, investors and entrepreneurs involved in sustainable farming, LED lighting, solar panels, wind energy, composting, recycling and waste management are most sought after. Eligible applicants would receive a 90-day relocation package for the entire family, including help with documentation, housing, school or day care for children, work-from-home facilities, and support for their applications for permanent residency, according to the regional council of South Karelia. The programme aims to receive between five and up to seven applicants from Hong Kong and Japan, according to the Finnish Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. “We are aware that we have to attract more international talent to further develop our regional competitiveness,” said Ma Ding, senior adviser of Asian relations of South Karelia, in an emailed response to queries by the Post . “We chose talents from Hong Kong and Japan in line with our regional Asian strategy. The other reason is that passport holders of these target groups enjoy visa waiver in the European Union.” Finland was one of the member states of the European Union (EU) that suspended their extradition agreements with Hong Kong last year, after China’s legislature imposed a national security law (NSL) for the city. The move, seen as a curb on freedoms in the city, has led to a small exodus of Hong Kong residents , especially holders of the so-called British National (Overseas) passport to the UK. “We are also aware of the recent interest of Hongkongers to reach out lately and so this offering would certainly be an attractive option to be considered,” Ma said. The Nordic country, with a median monthly salary of €3,217 (US$3,624) last year, topped the global ranking of the happiest nation on Earth for the fourth consecutive year, according to the 2021 World Happiness Report . As Europe’s third-most sparsely populated country – 18 inhabitants for every square kilometre – Finland was also the world’s most literate out of 61 countries in 2016, and a mostly egalitarian society with a narrow wealth gap. South Karelia is located to the east of Helsinki, about two hours drive from the Finnish capital, with permanent snowfall from December to February, and typical winter temperature of between 5 and 20 degrees below zero. Its star attraction is Lake Saimaa, Europe’s fourth-largest lake and the country’s biggest catchment of freshwater. The regional council is offering a programme to “live like a Finn for 90 days by Lake Saimaa.” The programme, inspired by a similar plan in Helsinki, is open for applications until the end of February in 2022. Travel, housing and health insurance must be paid for by the applicants themselves, but the host will take care of the rest of the package to ensure smooth transition to life in Finland. “For 90 days, we offer the possibility of living and working in the happiest country in the world,” Ma said. “We do everything in order for the selected applicants to feel comfortable to settle down in ordinary life in southeastern Finland.”