Euroregion Baltic

Euroregion Baltic (ERB) was established in February 1998 and is a politically solid and well-anchored cooperation in the south-east of the Baltic Sea region, consisting of eight regions of Denmark, Lithuania, Poland, Russia and Sweden. It was the first Euroregion to have formally included a partner from the Russian Federation. Since its early days ERB has been pursuing the goals of improving life conditions for its inhabitants, promoting bonds and contacts among local communities, and providing measures for a more sustainable development within the region. These then proved challenging tasks for the organisation which included EU member states, acceding countries, and the Kaliningrad Oblast of the Russian Federation.

Comprising the regions from both old and new EU Member States, and the Russian Kaliningrad Oblast, Euroregion Baltic constitutes the operational network of substantial and effective links across the borders, facilitating the promotion of political dialogue and reform, as well as sustainable, economic, social and environmental development, and thus strengthening local democracy and fostering people-to-people contacts between civil societies. The co-operation actively involves both local and regional authorities, private and public sectors, and NGOs.

Within the framework of the INTERREG III B BSR financed Seagull Project, in 2005 ERB partners elaborated a long-term development strategy based on four strategic priorities, including economic and social development, implementation of the EU policies regarding environmental protection and promotion of renewable energy sources, as well as improving the infrastructures in order to provide better access to the Trans European transport networks, all corresponding with the revised Lisbon Strategy and the development of Four Common Spaces between the European Union and Russia.

EU Strategy for Baltic Sea Region

Euroregion Baltic welcomes the initiative to develop an EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region and efforts taken to invite all stakeholders in the Region to voice their expectations. A growing number of meetings, seminars and conferences demonstrates the level of expectations towards the strategy development process and the strategy itself.  We believe appropriate political instruments must be identified which will contribute to the quality of the strategy and to the development of the Baltic Sea Region. However, the strategy’s political dimension should be followed by concrete actions.