BALTICNESS LIGHT

There is a lot happening this Spring - fresh off the back of the 17th Ministerial Session in February the CBSS celebrates 20 years since establishment. The CBSS Secretariat becomes a Lead Partner of a flagship project on Macro-regional risk, we prepare for a fête like atmosphere in Berlin in late April with the launch of the Baltic Sea Days and we plan to host the first ever Policy Forum under the BaltAdapt flagship project on Climate Change Adaption to name but a few initiatives.

CBSS Celebrating 20 years of

regional cooperation

 Some meteorologists say that Spring in the Baltic Sea Region comes about at the end of March. It may have also been the case two decades ago. But it is not climate conditions that we remember when we think of the Region in the early 90s. On 5-6 March, 1992 a new era of renewed political and social cross-border cooperation within the Region began. The Council of the Baltic Sea States, an overall political forum for regional inter-governmental cooperation, was established in Copenhagen, Denmark, upon the initiative of first and foremost Hans-Dietrich Genscher and Uffe Ellemann-Jensen, Foreign Affairs Ministers of respectively Germany and Denmark at that time. Thankful for their courage to follow through with vision and action, today we celebrate 20 years.

Declaration on Energy Security

The first political highlight of the second semester of the CBSS German Presidency was the 17th CBSS Extraordinary Ministerial Session in Plön, Germany (February 5, 2012). After two days of constructive debate, the Foreign Affairs Ministers and their representatives from 11 CBSS Member States, as well as a representative of the European Commission External Action Service adopted a Declaration on Energy Security in the Baltic Sea Region. Dr. Guido Westerwelle, Federal Foreign Affairs Minister of Germany and the current holder of the CBSS Presidency, emphasized the importance of building mutual trust and transparency cooperatively in the region on energy security.Click here to download the Declaration

Baltic Sea Days

While today we are celebrating the anniversary of the organisation, the German Presidency is inviting us all to celebrate the whole region in late April. The Baltic Sea Days in Berlin will be packed full of events from 23-25 April, 2012 and will be the second political highlight of the CBSS German Presidency. Three hopefully sunny days brimming with activities, gatherings and cultural reflections will bring the Baltic Sea name into the spotlight for anyone who comes to visit the German capital city. Keep your eyes open for its exciting and rich programme in the coming weeks!

EUSBSR Flagship projects -

Safety and Security

As any living person stepping into their third decade, our organization takes up new responsibilities. Since November 2011 the CBSS Secretariat signed a technical support agreement and started acting on behalf of the Priority Area Coordinator of the European Union Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) Priority Area 14. In combination with this since 1st of January, 2012 the CBSS Secretariat became Lead Partner of the EUSBSR Flagship project 14.3 on Macro-Regional Risk Scenarios and Gaps Identification. The Secretariat is responsible for the management and reporting to the European Commission as main beneficiary, assisted by the Swedish Institute. The Secretariat also functions as Lead Partner in coordination and communication. The first get-together of the project partners took place, under the framework of the BSR Civil Protection Senior Expert Meeting (1-2 February, 2012) in Stockholm. The project has four main task areas, the work on which has already started. Look forward to more news in the future from the project partners!Click here to read more

The case for cooperation:

a short clip about the

current maritime situation

One of the strengths of the CBSS is our close family of civil security networks - one of which consists of Baltic Sea Region Border Guards. Last year we worked together on a feasibility project to enhance their cooperation. Now it is time to present a short clip where some of the involved sides share their views on how cooperation models could be and already are being applied in the Baltic Sea Region as well as how their work could be improved in the future. Gdansk has never looked so sun drenched! Baltic Sea Maritime Functionalities (BSMF) is a flagship project of the EUSBSR priority area 13. It aims to develop information sharing environment for the maritime domain in the coastal countries of the Baltic Sea Region. The idea is to connect existing concepts and to harmonise them with already functioning operations of national entities. The project also presents some good practices in the management of the national surveillance entities and their work to address the need of further cooperation in increasing an awareness of safety, security and defence situation in the Baltic Sea Region. Watch the BSMF clip!

Creating a climate for change

The Baltic Sea Region has been experiencing increased effects of climate change since the middle of last century. In response, we need to work on both the reduction of emissions of greenhouse gases, and on strategies to adapt to climate change. The Baltic 21 Lighthouse Project Baltadapt is currently working on developing a Baltic Sea Region Climate Change Adaptation Strategy. On 24th April 2012 in Berlin, Germany, a high level Policy Forum on Climate Change Adaptation will be organised. The Forum will bring together policy makers and representatives from relevant national ministries, the European Commission, international and regional organizations and academic institutions in the field of climate change and adaptation from across the Baltic Sea Region. If you are interested to be part of shaping this strategy, please contact the CBSS Secretariat for more information. The event is part of Baltic Sea Days in Berlin. In conjunction with Policy Forum, CBSS Expert Group on Sustainable Development - Baltic 21 will meet on 23 April 2012 to address policy recommendations to the Baltic Sea State Summit, Rio+20, BASREC and BSSSC.Click here to read more about events within Environment & Sustainability area

SEBA moves forward!

 During the recent Ministerial Session at Plön, the Modernisation Partnership for the South Eastern Baltic Area (SEBA), a two-year framework project supported by the present German and incoming Russian Presidencies, was presented. SEBA is intended to facilitate modernization through regional cooperation in areas such as tourism, youth exchange, sustainable development, higher education and private-public partnerships (PPP). The idea of a CBSS Project Support fund in order to facilitate project financing for SEBA and other projects prioritized by the CBSS was discussed by the ministers. A SEBA Project Coordinator has already been employed in Kaliningrad in close cooperation with the Office of the Nordic Council of Ministers there. Click here to read more about SEBA

Forum for Social Dialogue in

the Baltic Sea Region

The Baltic Sea Labour Network (BSLN) concluded with its final conference in November 15-16, 2011. Among the Conclusions, was the shared understanding of the need for a structure that would host continued dialogue and discussion first introduced by BSLN. Thus, the permanent tripartite Forum of Social Dialogue in the Baltic Sea Region, the Baltic Sea Labour Forum BSLF was created. This new structure will require further facilitation, and we are happy that the CBSS Secretariat is an organisation in the region which can provide a basis for that. Starting in 2012, the function of the new BSLF Secretariat was taken up by the CBSS Secretariat. To read more on BSLF on the Baltic Sea Labour Network website, click here