Following the mandate stated in the European Council Conclusions of December 14th, 2007, Commissioner Danuta Hübner and Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt launched the debate on EU strategy for Baltic Sea Region at the stakeholder conference held in Stockholm on September 30th, which was attended by relevant representatives from Member States, NGOs, local authorities and financing institutions, with the aim of laying the foundations for a stronger and more coordinated Baltic Sea policy.

This stakeholder conference will be the first time that EU deals with challenges and opportunities at this macro-region level. It will trigger off a period of intense dialogue with the numerous partners in the Baltic Sea region namely the 8 Member States around the Baltic Sea, as well as the Russian Federation and Norway, the Regional and Local Authorities, the Inter-Governmental Bodies and NGOs who are very active in this part of Europe, representatives from the private sector which could bring a strong leverage effect to public policies and experts in their field like researchers or consultants.

Since the 2004 enlargement, eight of the nine countries bordering the Baltic Sea are members of the European Union (Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland). It has almost become an internal EU sea. These countries share a common cultural heritage as well as legislation. They also have common challenges to address.

Given the high number of EU programmes already operating in the Baltic Sea region, there is a need for more coordination. In 2007-2013, € 55 billion will be invested in the region by the EU through Cohesion policy programmes alone.

Main objectives of the Strategy

• To improve the environmental state of the Baltic Sea Region, which is the largest brackish water system in the world. Protection of the rich biodiversity and development of risk prevention will be among the priorities.
• To make the Baltic Sea Region more prosperous by supporting balanced economic development: promoting innovation through small and medium enterprises; helping the region to fully implement EU legislation, especially single market rules. These are just some possible ways forward.
• To make the region more accessible and attractive, for its inhabitants, for its labour force and for tourists. The region needs better transport links and to improve an energy security with interconnected electricity grids and gas pipelines.
• To make the region safer and more secure, for instance by reinforcing cooperation between Member States through EUROPOL, the European Police Office.

Attention will also be paid to the creation of a clearer Baltic Sea Region identity, following the example of the Mediterranean. The strategy will moreover be a practical way to cooperate with Russia, the only non-EU state bordering the Baltic Sea. Other non-EU countries have also expressed their interest in the strategy.

Within a broader scope, the Commission has already taken part in different events, such as the Baltic Sea States Summit held in Riga in June 2008, in order to shape the Baltic Sea region strategy and stablish a cooperation network with all relevant actors in the area.

The consultation process launched by this conference will lead to a proposal for an EU strategy for the Baltic Sea Region in the form of a Commission Communication in June 2009. This will be accompanied by an action plan identifying key actors, financial instruments to be used for implementation and a timeframe for completion. The adoption of the Strategy by the Member States will be one of the priorities of the Swedish Presidency in the second half of 2009.

The next Baltic Sea Region conferences/debates will take place in Gdansk (13 Nov), Copenhagen (1-2 Dec), Helsinki (9 Dec) and Rostock (5-6 Feb 2009).