Content

The EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region

In this section you will find information about the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region.

The Strategy

The EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) is the first Macro Region in Europe. The European Council adopted the Strategy in the end of October 2009 during the Swedish Presidency of the EU. The countries around the Baltic Sea are joining forces to save their shared inland sea and to strengthen the competitiveness of the region. Europe's largest inland sea is in a bad way - the Baltic countries together have major environmental problems to address.

However, it is not just problems that unite them. The countries also have a similar history, common features and already cooperate in a number of areas. To overcome environmental problems, but also to increase the region's competitiveness and prosperity, the Baltic countries have united on a common Baltic Sea Region Strategy. It started at the December 2007 EU summit, where the EU heads of state and government challenged the Commission to develop a strategy for the Baltic Sea Region.

The Baltic Sea Region Strategy has three main objectives: to save the sea, to connect the region and to increase prosperity. In order to achieve this, the Member States and the Commission have agreed on an Action Plan with 15 Priority Areas and about 80 different Flagship Projects.

The European Council has asked to call upon all relevant actors to act speedily and ensure full implementation of the Strategy, which could constitute an example of a Macro-regional Strategy.

INTERACT Support

INTERACT Point Turku has a special role to support the implementation of the EUSBSR. It includes e.g. organising of a Laboratory Group (active since February 2009), arranging meetings and workshops with stakeholders and developing communication and management structures together with the Commission.