EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region

✨Season's greetings from all of us to all of you!✨ In 2024, our eight member states have continued their work towards a green, prosperous and well-connected Baltic Sea Region. In addition to implementing the Strategy, we have used 2024 to update our Action Plan: ✨50 Policy Area Coordinators have consulted stakeholders all around the region to increase synergies and reduce overlaps. ✨15 Steering Groups have held meetings regularly to discuss relevant measures and ways forward. Altogether, there are 190 Steering Group members from over 100 organisations. ✨Nationally and on the EU level, our coordinators build and maintain strong relations with funding entities and projects to increase the positive impact of funds used. ✨Transnational cooperation has become more visible outside the circle of immediate stakeholders. For example, you have visited our website over 30,000 times, and our posts here on LinkedIn have appeared on your feed 58,000 times. We are ready to face 2025 together!

The EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region National Coordinators Group meeting took place in Warsaw, Poland, yesterday. Hosted by the Polish EUSBSR Presidency, this meeting brought together representatives from the eight member states and the European Commission. On the agenda: 🌍 Action Plan update and the ongoing consultations. 🌍 Reflection on the input provided by the regional stakeholders regarding the Action Plan update. 🌍 Discussion on embedding to better align the Strategy with the EU funds and programmes. The National Coordinators Group is the core decision-making body within the EUSBSR, acting as its executive board.

You've got mail! Our newsletter gives you an overview of transnational, multilevel and cross-sectorial cooperation in the #BalticSeaRegion. If you haven't subscribed yet, here's what to do: ➡️ Go to https://eusbsr.eu/ ➡️ scroll down ➡️ Subscribe ➡️ Thank you! December edition covers - EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region Action Plan update - New collaboration forum for land-based planners by VASAB - Latest news from Interreg Baltic Sea Region & Interreg Northern Periphery and Arctic - Info on Svenska institutet funding call - And more!

"The EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region can provide a valuable framework for policies that support preparedness, robustness and resilience in the bioeconomy sector" stated the Swedish Minister for Rural Affairs, Peter Kullgren, in his video greeting to the EUSBSR Annual Forum 2024. The volatile situation of the Baltic Sea Region, with extreme weather conditions and Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine, highlights the need for macro-regional cooperation. Together, we are better equipped to prevent and manage crises in a changing geopolitical landscape. This June, the The Nordic Council of Ministers and The Nordic Council adopted a declaration on Nordic cooperation for preparedness and robustness related to food supply and forestry. The EUSBSR is designed to ensure cooperation across the Baltic Sea Region.

Happy Independence Day, #Finland! Hyvää itsenäisyyspäivää, #Suomi! Today, we celebrate Finland - one of the eight EU Member States bordering the Baltic Sea and forming the core of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region. Transnational cooperation helps us find common solutions to joint challenges on a regional level. Thank you for making this cooperation possible! Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland

Did you know that #Kyiv has a #TwinTown in all member states of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region? Berlin, Copenhagen, Riga, Vilnius, Stockholm, Tallinn, Tampere, Warsaw just to name a few! The concept of twin towns in Europe was conceived after the Second World War to rebuild diplomatic relationships and reconcile citizens. To some towns, it was also the only possibility for international cooperation on the municipal level. In recent years, especially in the European Union, the role of twin towns as peace-promoting agents has somewhat faded although maybe it shouldn't? In a workshop organised by the City of Rostock at our Annual Forum, participants discussed strategies to reactivate town-twinning relationships and explored opportunities for twin towns between the Baltic Sea Region and Ukraine: https://lnkd.in/deNuchFP

Integrating #migrants and #refugees is high on the agenda in the Baltic Sea Region. In October, our coordinators facilitated a workshop to explore the potential of cultural activities in fostering social integration: https://lnkd.in/dBkCNxjq Discussions in the workshop highlighted the power of shared cultural experiences as a bridge to understanding, empathy, and unity in diverse communities. The outcomes shall be integrated into the EUSBSR Policy Area Education emerging collaboration platform "Baltic Sea Region Integrate Now", which invites actors across the Baltic Sea Region to join forces to promote #integration. Integration into a new place is only possible through mutual understanding and exchange. It is a two-way process that cannot rely solely on expectations for newcomers: Integration requires contact with local people, and there's a need for integration measures that also target the host society. EUSBSR Policy Area Culture Fundacja Ocalenie | Ocalenie Foundation Give Something Back to Berlin e.V.

The Baltic Sea Region needs you! If you’re all about cross-border cooperation and creating positive change, Interreg Central Baltic Programme would love to meet you. We work closely with EU funding programmes and look forward to having new driven colleagues in the stakeholder network.

At our Annual Forum 2024, EUSBSR Policy Area Innovation showcased how digital solutions can support a sustainable business environment: https://lnkd.in/dCbGV4JW Key highlights: 💡 Digital Logistics Transformation: By developing a fully digital data exchange model, cargo carriers can operate without paper documents, and processes like police or tax controls can be automated. 💡 Digital Policies: New initiatives can ensure secure business transactions by centralizing identification certificates, supported by the Digital Europe program. 💡 Sustainability Reporting: The SusTool project, funded by Interreg Baltic Sea Region, offers a tool to help SMEs start their sustainability reporting journey. It provides best practices, simplified Corporate Sustainability Reporting Standards, and an online self-assessment solution.

Coastal tourist towns in the Baltic Sea Region face water management challenges during the tourism season. They experience sharp fluctuations in tourist numbers and drought conditions, leading to significant water resource issues: https://lnkd.in/ebZZgHVc Representatives from the projects WaterMan, ReNutriWater, and NURSECOAST-II (all funded by the Interreg Baltic Sea Region) develop solutions to this emerging issue. Climate change has caused water shortages during the summer holiday season in many regions around the sea, creating new stress and even limitations to water usage, particularly for the region’s tourist destinations. Solutions to this problem can also offer win-win situations for nutrient pollution management and help keep the sea healthy. EUSBSR Policy Area Tourism and Policy Area Nutri, hosted by Varsinais-Suomen ELY-keskus foster Baltic Sea Region-wide cooperation on this join challenge.