A Beginner's Guide to the Baltic Sea Region Strategy - Save the sea Connect the region Increase prosperity
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A Beginner’s Guide to
the Baltic Sea Region Strategy
Save the sea
Connect the region
Increase prosperity
Finland Latvia
Russia Germany Lithuania Belarus
Iceland Poland
Denmark
Estonia Norway
Sweden
© Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth Print run 1,000 copies, then print on demand Production: Ordförrådet Illustrations: Maimi Parik Photos: page 14–15 Ordförrådet, page 29 Lund University/Mikael Risedal, page 30 NordicPhotos/Westend, page 31 NordicPhotos/Mikael Andersson, page 32 Per-Erik Adamsson/Ports of Stockholm, page 33 Johnér/Conny Fridh Stockholm, March 2014 Printed by DanagårdLiTHO ISBN 978-91-86987-98-5 Info 0551 If you would like to order this brochure, please visit our website: www.tillvaxtverket.se/englishpages If you have any questions about this brochure, please contact: Maria.evertsson@tillvaxtverket.se
Are you curious about what
the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea
Region is and how cooperation
might benefit you? Then this is
the brochure for you!
3
The EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region in brief Why is it so important to cooperate with other Baltic Sea States? What is the difference between the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, Europe 2020 and the Baltic Sea Region Programme, and how do they all fit together? This brochure provides answers to these questions and more. You’ll learn more about the common objectives that the region is striving to achieve, and what to do if you want to work on a project. What is the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region? The European Union Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) is about joint problem-solving – and taking advantage of the opportunities that greater cooperation provides. The Strategy is an agreement between Mem- ber States of the EU and the European Commission to deepen cooperation between the Baltic Sea States in order to tackle joint challenges facing the countries in the region today, such as cleaning up a polluted sea, mitigation against the impacts of climate change, and fighting cross-border crime. 4
Baltic Sea Region Strategy
objectives and sub-objectives
Save the sea
• Clear water in the sea SAVE THE SEA
• Rich and healthy wildlife
• Clean and safe shipping
Connect the region
• Good transport conditions
• Reliable energy markets
• Connecting people in the region CONNECT THE REGION
• Better cooperation in fighting cross-border crime
Increase prosperity
• EUSBSR contributing to the implementation of Europe 2020
• Improved global competitiveness of the Baltic Sea Region
• Climate change adaptation, risk prevention and management
INCREASE PROSPERITY
Read more about the three objectives on pages 10–12!
5Is the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region a strategy only for the sea? No. The Strategy covers many other joint challenges and oppor- tunities that are specific to the EU countries on the Baltic Sea rim and are better solved together. The Strategy primarily affects the Member States of the EU in the region: Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Sweden and Den- mark. Non-EU countries are also participating actively in work with the Baltic Sea Region Cooperation. These include Norway, which is often involved the work, and Russia, an important partner country. In addition, Iceland and Belarus are sometimes involved. 6
Does the Baltic Sea Region
What use may the Baltic Sea Region Strategy concern all municipalities
and regions?
Strategy be to a municipality, region or Yes. Most of the questions taken up
by the Baltic Sea Region Strategy
organisation? concern, and may involve opportuni-
ties for, all municipalities and regions
in the countries in the Baltic Sea
Region. So it doesn't only concern
those with a shoreline to the Baltic
It allows you, for example, to: Sea, although the coastal regions
• Work with urban planning and sustainability issues from a broader perspective, may find it easier to see the
connection and are affected by more
• Solve important issues for the future that are fundamental to the develop of the Strategy's Priority Areas.
ment of tourism and other related industries for example,
• Collaborate on transport issues or maritime safety,
• Work with business development to assist enterprises to develop export
markets and international partnerships close by,
• Get ideas about working smart with Green Public Procurement,
• Cooperate on energy issues and other issues that bring together the
environment and the economy,
• Gain inspiration on how to help young people who have left before
completing their schooling
• Streamline work with emergency plans and crisis management,
• Help gaining support for important development projects from government
agencies and authorities at different levels … and much more.
7Seven reasons to increase cooperation
in the Baltic Sea Region
Well-prepared cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region has many advantages.
Here are seven examples of what you can gain from this kind of cooperation.
1. Smarter problem-solving 4. Bigger market
Better conditions for solving common problems that require A bigger market for the products and services of local enter-
actions from all involved, for example, the environmental prises, as well as better opportunities to push issues that
problems in the Baltic Sea, inadequate transport routes or facilitate export and import, for example, transport issues.
access to energy.
5. Increased knowledge and bigger networks
2. Smarter ways of working and methods Increased market knowledge and contacts that make enter-
Greater access to ways of working with, for instance, labour prises stronger on the global market.
supply and sustainability, which are relevant to all countries
covered by the Baltic Sea Region Strategy. 6. Safety and security
Cooperation within areas such as crisis management and
3. Better cooperation on environmental issues crime prevention.
More opportunities for cooperation on how to prevent
flooding and other issues to do with climate change 7. More resources
adaptation. By joint ventures you can pool knowledge and financial
resources.
In addition, there is the opportunity to become a model for Europe and the world when it comes to solving problems across borders!
8Working with the Baltic Sea Region Strategy
Why Baltic Sea Region cooperation? What advice would you give to others
– The County Council has identified demo- interested in starting some form of
graphics as an important issue for the future. cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region?
We have a high average age in Norrbotten • Don’t allow it to remain just an idea.
and saw the opportunity to analyse this issue Make it a reality!
together with others in the Baltic Sea Region in
Ewa Hedkvist a similar situation. We wanted to learn and from
• Look beyond the administrative obstacles.
Petersen
this develop methods so that we can become • Have the attitude that there is a lot to learn.
Project manager
Norrbotten forerunners. • Language is not a problem. Everyone speaks
County Council English, but no one has English as their first
Photo: PRO language.
What are the most rewarding
aspects of the cooperation?
– It is very rewarding: not only working with
different countries, but also with different skills.
You learn different ways to tackle a problem and
different ways of thinking. At the same time, we
have in common that we all want to improve
”our” region.What do the three objectives mean?
The EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region has three main
SAVE THE SEA
objectives: saving the sea, connecting the region and
increasing prosperity.
• Clear water in the sea
• Rich and healthy wildlife Save the sea
• Clean and safe shipping We can only save the Baltic Sea together – one of the world’s most polluted
seas, and greatly in need of remedial action. This objective concerns the
Baltic Sea’s vulnerability to eutrophication, pollution and over-fishing for
example, which place particularly high demands on cooperation within the
region. The objective Save the sea is about achieving a good environmental
status and biological diversity in the sea and making the Baltic Sea Region
a model region for clean shipping.
A clean Baltic Sea not only provides better conditions for the people who
live and work around it. It also provides opportunities to develop the
tourism and hospitality industry – an industry that is growing and thus
becoming increasingly important for the economy and employment.
10Connect the region
Large parts of the Baltic Sea Region are sparsely populated with long dis-
tances to other markets. For historical reasons, its transport systems and
energy markets have developed independently of each other and are not yet
sufficiently integrated to take the best advantage for the region’s potential in
CONNECT THE REGION
terms of competitiveness and its quality of life. Better cooperation is needed
to improve the region’s transport systems and to secure its energy supply.
Connecting the region is also about bringing people closer together to be • Good transport
able to take advantage of a larger critical mass when it comes to knowledge, conditions
ideas and enterprise. This can be achieved through student and research
exchanges and business contacts for instance, or by developing the region’s
• Reliable energy markets
potential as a tourist destination. • Connecting people
in the region
It might also be about concrete partnerships for fighting cross-border crime
such as human trafficking and the smuggling of contraband, etc.
• Better cooperation
in fighting cross-border
crime
11Increase prosperity
Develop the Baltic Sea Region – create a region of growth! With the enlar-
gement of the European Union in 2004, today eight of the nine Baltic Sea
States are also members of the EU and thus part of the EU’s single market.
This means greater opportunities for trade and exchanges of skills and
INCREASE PROSPERITY knowledge. Trade between the Baltic Sea States is already substantial, but
could increase.
• EUSBSR contributing to The Baltic Sea States can improve their competitiveness and increase pros-
the implementation of perity by cooperating more on R&D and deepening and fulfilling the single
Europe 2020 Strategy market in various ways.
• Improved global Strong sectors in the Baltic Sea Region include IT, environmental techno-
competitiveness of the logies, health, and the wood and forest products industry. Through better
Baltic Sea Region
partnerships including clusters in areas of common strength, the region can
• Climate change adapta- be developed into a stronger global player.
tion, risk prevention and
management
12The Action Plan for Good to know about the
Baltic Sea Region!
the Baltic Sea Region Strategy • The Baltic Sea Region is one
of the most competitive
regions in the world.
There is an Action Plan for the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region which • By 2020, it is anticipated
details the three objectives. Priority areas are identified for each of the ob- that almost EUR 10 billion
jectives with appointed responsible government agencies and ministries in will be converted into more
the different Baltic Sea Region States. than 1000 projects within
the EU’s territorial coopera-
The Action Plan, which is now available in all the languages of the region tion programmes.
and English, also describes Flagship projects which are intended to serve as
inspiration. One way of using this Action Plan is to search in it for words
that best correspond to your area of interest.
You can download the Action Plan from www.balticsea-region-strategy.eu
For example,
you could Culture
search for
the words … Transport
Business
13Our main trading partners
are in our neighbouring
area. We can stand
stronger globally by
working together.
Save the sea
Connect the region
Increase prosperity The Baltic Sea is a resource
for human health and
Finland Latvia well-being. But it also
Russia Germany Lithuania
provides great potential
Belarus
for job creation and
Iceland Poland
Denmark growth.
Estonia Norway
14
SwedenPartnership
gives us the
opportunity
to share
each other’s
knowledge,
ideas and
solutions.
15What do I do if I want to work
Could town twinning with a EUSBSR project?
provide an opening?
Many municipalities have
twin towns in another
Baltic Sea Region States. • Start from your own development needs.
These contacts can
provide an opening for • Get help from others who have experience of cooperation projects,
establishing partnerships. for example, those described in this brochure.
• Attend thematic conferences and make contacts.
• Ensure that you have all the stakeholders essential to achieving your
goals with you from the start.
You find contact information to key stakeholders in the
Baltic Sea Region at www.balticsea-region-strategy.eu
16How your work with the Baltic Sea
Strategy is promoted!
How is a municipality’s or region’s implementation of a project
The Baltic Sea Strategy
in line with the Baltic Sea Strategy promoted? is firmly established with
all Member State
There is great interest from the EU and stakeholders around the Baltic Sea governments.
Region in learning about projects that contribute to the Strategy.
It means that you are welcome to share information about your project to
others. At www.balticsea-region-strategy.eu you find tools to help you com-
municate your Baltic Sea Region project.
17Working with the Baltic Sea Region Strategy
Why Baltic Sea Region cooperation? What advice would you give to others who
– We want to help develop the whole Baltic Sea are interested in starting some form of
region into the ’domestic’ market for our mem- cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region?
ber enterprises. • Be persistent, patient and present.
– There is huge growth potential for environ- • Think from the customer’s perspectives.
mental technologies in the region, especially if
Håkan Knutsson
you include Russia, Belarus and even Ukraine.
• Approach markets and people with sincerity
CEO and respect. They are generally well-educat-
Sustainable Business
Hub, Malmö – The countries south of the Baltic are generally ed, serious and have outlooks that can enrich
very positive to our region. So we have advan- us, besides the purely commercial gains.
tages there that we shouldn’t neglect.
What is the most rewarding aspect
of the cooperation?
– There is a positive attitude to change and
improvement.
– Meeting with people and entrepreneurs from
neighbouring but nonetheless different cultures.
We have many similarities but there are also
stimulating differences. There will be interesting
work to do there for the foreseeable future.
18Working with the Baltic Sea Region Strategy
Why Baltic Sea Region cooperation? Port of Gävle developed a method for converting
– We’ve based our actions on our Vision 2025 and contaminated dredging spoil into building mate-
our municipal objectives, ’docking’ them from a rials. A further example is Bridging Baltic, a project
multi-level perspective to the Baltic Sea Strategy using culture to reach out to new target groups.
and Europe 2020. In areas that coincide, we look
for opportunities for cooperation with others.
What advice would you give to others who
Annika Lundqvist want to work with cooperation in the Baltic
Head of Unit Can you give an example of issues Sea Region?
International office
where working from a Baltic Sea Region
Gävle Municipality • Have faith that cooperation with others leads to
perspective adds value? development.
– We share many of the challenges we are facing
with cities and regions in other Baltic Sea Region • Start from your own objectives and plans, place
them in a wider context and find opportunities
States. In this programming period, we have par-
for cooperation.
ticipated in several projects with connections to
the Baltic Sea Region Strategy. These are projects • Utilise existing, developed contacts (for exam-
where cooperation with others has led to con- ple, town twinning and international networks
crete development and benefits, both locally and such as the Union of Baltic Cities) and seek out
transnationally. new contacts by participating in thematic con-
ferences.
– An example is the Baltic Climate project stud-
ying the impacts of climate change: on the one • Invest in your own project organisation – steer-
hand to provide input for changes in building ing group, project management, finance and
permit regulations for example, and on the other accounting. This is useful in running a project
hand to review potentials for developing new and positive for an effective implementation of
services and products. In the SMOCS project, the the project results in your own organisation.
19Working with the Baltic Sea Region Strategy
Why Baltic Sea Region cooperation? What are the most rewarding aspects of
– Trelleborg Municipality is dependent on a the cooperation?
living sea for its economy and good quality of – The new knowledge and new perspectives
life. We are seeing the clear impacts of eutrophi- that come from the cooperation.
cation in the form of changing ecosystems with
– Opportunities to seek joint funding from
more filamentous algae, for example. We also
Matilda Gradin the EU and thus gaining the opportunity to
have a large port with cargo and ferry services
Environmental implement bigger and better environmental
to Poland and Germany, which are important for
Strategist measures that there is no room for in a munici-
Trelleborg the municipality but, at the same time, impact
Municipality
pal budget.
the environment. Because we share a common
sea, it is obviously important to cooperate on
issues relating to discharges of effluent, coun- What advice would you give to others who
ter-measures, rules for shipping, etc. are interested in starting some form of
cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region?
• Be thorough in the application phase and
try to find good partners who have similar
objectives.
• Don’t get too stressed about the administra-
tion.
• Don’t be afraid to test things out, it’s fun and
often a boost for the organisation.
20Working with the Baltic Sea Region Strategy
Why Baltic Sea Region cooperation? can develop regions located in the shadow of
– As early as 1996, the East Sweden Regional large metropolitan areas. Here, we cooperated
Council pointed out the importance of coop- with partners in Finland, Lithuania and Poland.
eration in the Baltic Sea Region. This led to us
In the Baltic Eco Mussel project, we are cooper-
establishing a special function that provides
ating with Finland, Estonia and Latvia on how
support to the Regional Council’s areas of activi-
Hans Bjurbäck
mussel cultivation can be used to both create
ty and its members in monitoring issues related
East Sweden jobs in the archipelago and clean the water in
to the Baltic Sea Region. It’s about stimulating,
Regional Council the Baltic Sea.
developing and coordinating relationships;
about skills, information and collaborative pro-
jects (in particular from EU programmes) with What advice would you give to others who
partners from the Baltic Sea Region. are interested in starting some form of
cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region?
Can you give an example of issues where • Get yourself a good network of partners that
working from a Baltic Sea perspective adds you can rely on and keep your network alive.
value? Monitor how your own ideas for cooperation
– We use our well-developed networks in the match up with the EU programmes.
Baltic Sea Region to work with issues that are • Don’t hesitate to take advantage of oppor-
important to us, for example, regional develop- tunities for seed finance available to develop
ment planning. One project dealt with how we your project idea.
21Is there funding available in the Baltic
Sea Region Strategy?
The Baltic Sea Strategy comprises strategic guidance and assistance in
prioritising joint actions – there is no specific funding allocated to the
Strategy. However, there are programmes where you can apply for funding
Read more about to support cooperation actions among the Baltic Sea Region States.
funding sources at:
For the 2014–2020 programming period, you can apply for funding for
cross-border cooperation in most of the EU programmes, such as pro-
www.balticsea-region-strategy.eu grammes under the European Regional Development Fund and Social
Fund programmes, and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural
Development.
22How it all fits together!
Different strategies, plans and programmes affect work with development
issues locally and regionally. But this does not mean that there is any con-
flict between them. On the contrary. They build on each other. Working
with the Baltic Sea Strategy also means, for example, working towards the
objectives of Europe 2020.
1 Europe 2020 Cohesion
Policy
2 Macro
regional level
Macro regional
strategies
3 Member State
level
1. National plans
2. National programmes
4 Regional level
Structural Fund
programmes
23Why a common strategy
for the Baltic Sea Region
How does the Baltic Sea Strategy
in particular? relate to Europe 2020?
• Our main trading partners
are found in the Baltic Sea
Region. Europe 2020 is about smart, sustainable growth for all. It is an overall
• We have common strategy for the entire EU that is consistent with the ambitions of the
challenges related to EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region.
the environment, growth
and demographics. The Baltic Sea Region Strategy complements Europe 2020 by taking as its
starting point in what is specific to the Baltic Sea Region, and which can
• We have opportunities best be implemented jointly among these eight northern EU countries.
to position the region in
So there is no conflict between the two strategies. On the contrary, the
a global context.
Baltic Sea Strategy aims to make it easier for the Baltic Sea Region States
to achieve the Europe 2020 targets.
2020
0
Europe 202
tegy
a Stra
Baltic Se
24What is the difference between
the Baltic Sea Region Strategy and
the Baltic Sea Region Programme?
There is good general information
The Baltic Sea Region Strategy is a strategic document for issues that are of in English here:
www.balticsea-region-strategy.eu
particular importance for the region. The Baltic Sea Region Programme is
one of many EU programmes that actors can access for cross-border coop-
eration. The Baltic Sea Region Programme is the only one of these pro-
grammes that covers the entire Baltic Sea Region, and thus it is common
therefore to apply for funding for actions within the Baltic Sea Strategy
from this programme. But all EU programmes in the region are intended
to contribute to the Baltic Sea Region Strategy, for example the Europe-
an Agricultural Fund for Rural Development Programme, the European
Regional Development Fund Programmes and the European Social Fund’s
programmes. It is therefore important to point out other opportunities, and
to consider a combination of different EU programmes.
25Want to access more detailed information?
If you would like to access more detailed information about the
EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, you can look in the Action Plan
(the address is in the margin of this page). Below is a list of the 17
different priority areas in the Action Plan. Each point corresponds
There is good to a section that you can easily search for.
general information
in English here:
Save the sea
www.balticsea-region-strategy.eu Agri – Reinforcing sustainability of agriculture, forestry and fisheries
Bio – Preserving natural zones and biodiversity, including fisheries
Hazards – Reducing the use and impact of hazardous substances
Nutri – Reducing nutrient inputs to the sea to acceptable levels
Safe – To become a leading region in maritime safety and security
Secure – Protection from emergencies and accidents on land
Ship – Becoming a model region for clean shipping
Connect the region
Crime – Fighting cross-border crime
Energy – Improving the access to, and the efficiency and security of the energy
markets
Transport – Improving internal and external transport links
26Increase prosperity
Culture – Developing and promoting the common culture and cultural identity
Education – Developing innovative education and youth
Health – Improving and promoting people’s health, including its social aspects
Innovation – Exploiting the full potential of the region in research and innovation
Internal market – Removing hindrances to the internal market SAVE THE SEA
SME – Promote entrepreneurship and strengthen the growth of SMEs
Tourism – Reinforcing cohesiveness of the macro-region through tourism
Horizontal actions
Actions to bring the countries in the region closer together
and thus reinforce the cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region Strategy
CONNECT THE REGION
Strengthening multi-level governance including involving civil society,
INVOLVE
business and academia.
To increase the co-operation with neighbouring countries to tackle joint
NEIGHBOURS
challenges in the Baltic Sea region.
PROMO Boosting joint promotion and regional identity building actions.
SPATIAL Encouraging the use of Maritime and Land-based Spatial Planning in all Member States
PLANNING around the Baltic Sea and develop a common approach for cross-border cooperation.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Sustainable development with a focus on climate change. INCREASE PROSPERITY
AND BIO-ECONOMY
27Read about some
of the projects in
Working with the the Baltic Sea Region
Baltic Sea Region Strategy on the following
pages.
Why Baltic Sea Region cooperation?
– The Baltic Sea Region is an important market for
our enterprises and the contacts we have with indus-
try organisations can be of great help in commercial
Erika Hinz contexts. The Baltic Sea Region has great develop-
General Manager ment potential and we believe that partnerships
Teknikdalen strengthen both us and our enterprises in the global
Foundation
Borlänge market.
What are the most rewarding aspects
of the cooperation?
– Exchange of experience on incubators and financing.
What advice would you give to others who
are interested in starting some form of
cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region?
• Create networks with similar organisations.
• Be open to learning and being influenced by the
experiences of others.
28Best practise
Critical mass important for the “This has worked very well and has led to
development of nanotechnology many new, innovative products.”
–There is great potential for We have established good cooperation region, allowing them to be devel-
growth in the economy when mainly with Denmark, northern Ger- oped.
it comes to nanotechnology many and the Baltic States through a
and smart materials, says number of projects in recent years. An example is the University of Tartu,
Lars Montelius, professor at Estonia, which invites local enterprises
the University of Lund. Besides the research environments in in to be informed about the research.
the different countries, this coopera-
tion extends to municipalities, regions, –This has worked very well and has
and business and industry. Lars Mon- led to many new, innovative products,
telius stresses that above all the pro- says Lars Montelius. We have the same
jects give a legitimate reason to gather kind of cooperation with Swedish en-
together actors that do not normally terprises. We have built up a network
cooperate closely with each other. of more than 2000 names of individu-
als working in enterprises and organ-
– For example, the cooperation has isations in the greater Öresund area
contributed to us having opened up that have activities related to smart
research infrastructure to SMEs in the materials and nanotechnology.
If you would like more information, you can contact professor Lars Montelius at lars.montelius@ftf.lth.
29Best practise
Demonstration farms pave the way for
environment-friendly agriculture
The Baltic Deal project spreads
knowledge about concrete meas-
ures to mitigate the environmental
impacts of agriculture.
The project’s long-term objective is
to reduce emissions of the nutrients
nitrogen and phosphorus from
farms in the Baltic Sea Region in
order to reduce eutrophication.
Eutrophication leads to a string of
problems that destroy the environ-
ment for both humans and animals.
Sweden, through the Federation of
Swedish Farmers (LRF), is one of
the seven partners in the project.
30“The project’s long-term objective is to reduce emissions
of the nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus.”
Baltic Deal has built up a network But investments cost, and some
of 118 demonstration farms in the form of aid may be needed to pro-
Baltic Sea States in order to show vide farmers with opportunities to
how environmental impacts can be invest in new fertilizer spreaders,
reduced while farmers retain their new manure tanks, renovating their
profitability and competitiveness. stables or other things to make their
farms more environment-friendly.
– We have a good knowledge of
what needs to be done, says Stina
If you would like more information about Baltic
Bergström, LRF. Through Baltic Deal, go to the Federation of Swedish Farmers’
Deal, we’ve created important website. You can also contact Stina Bergström
knowledge transfer between farmer at stina.bergstrom@lrf.se
organisations, advisory organi-
sations and farmers both within
the countries and across national
borders.
31Best practise
Multi-level governance “We need to gain a better understanding of the
for more effective planning different planning cultures in the Baltic Sea Region.”
In order to achieve well-planned – In the worst case, planning done – We have received aid from all the
and efficient transport in the Baltic on one side of a border doesn’t con- transport ministries in the Baltic Sea
Sea Region, it’s not enough for one nect at all with what is happening on Region to develop more effective
region or municipality to identi- the other side, says Mathias Roos, working methods for the planning
fy the needs and be responsible responsible for the BSR TransGov- and implementation of transport
for the planning. The state level ernance project in Region Blekinge. infrastructure, says Mathias Roos.
generally also needs to contribute One of the objectives is to develop a
finance and expertise. – We need to gain a better under- common forum where we can raise
standing of our different planning cross-border planning issues. Today,
This is called multi-level govern- cultures in the Baltic Sea Region there is no such forum.
ance, and is about how the best and who does what in planning and
decisions are made through interac- implementation.
tion between different levels in the
community. Multi-level governance The project involves 23 partners
is a pathway to resource efficiency from all of the EU Baltic Sea States
in activities. We must also plan with and Norway.
other countries if the transport sys- Read more about the project at
www.transgovernance.eu or contact
tem as a whole is to function well. mathias.roos@regionblekinge.se
32Best practise
Easier car “We have increased the proportion of pedestrian passengers
free travel by 9 per cent thanks to this cooperation.”
Better information to passengers, – We’ve increased the proportion of
coordinated timetables and the pedestrian passengers by 9 per cent
expansion of connecting services thanks to this cooperation, says Leif
is making it easier to travel with- Petersson in Karlskrona munici-
out a car in the Baltic Sea Region. pality. Besides improved service for
passengers, because many are now
Previously, it was unusual to use the leaving their cars at home, we’ve
ferry services between Karlskrona been able to free up space on the
and Gdynia if you were not driving ferries for goods. All in all, it means
a car. But thanks to a cooperation we can utilise the ferry services
project, this has now become an op- more efficiently. This is important
tion, and the results are appreciable. because the volume of goods is
rising and we want to be able to
reduce our environmental impact.
Would you like more information? Visit www.interfaceproject.eu/
33Best practise
Joint solutions for an
ageing population structure
The demographic trend in the Bal- She views cooperation between the we can learn from. And Germany has
tic Sea Region of an ageing popu- countries as quite natural, because been working for a long time on the
lation with fewer younger people the problems are the same through- issue of age management in the work-
demands innovative thinking in all out the region. place, says Ewa Hedkvist Petersen.
the Baltic Sea States.
– We have the same challenges. In The Best Agers project has shown
– We can’t just hope that more peo- any case, outside the metropolitan that older people can contribute to
ple will move here. We must look areas. economic activities and innovation
after the people we have, otherwise processes not only by remaining in
we won’t be able to provide public According to Ewa Hedkvist Peters- the labour market, but also in many
services in our rural areas, says Ewa en, there is a lot of knowledge in other roles. For example, as men-
Hedkvist Petersen of the Norrbotten our neighbouring countries that we tors, senior advisers or contractors.
County Council, who worked with can benefit from.
the demographics issue in the Baltic – For this to work well demands a
– Finland is at the forefront of re- change in outlook and attitudes, in
Sea Region in one finished project, search on the elderly while Norway
with another in the pipeline. particular when it comes to man-
has a policy for senior citizens that agement.
34“We must look after the people
we have, otherwise we won’t be
able to provide public services
in our rural areas.”
This issue is the subject of the new
project, Best Agers Lighthouses,
where age management will be test-
ed in eight enterprises and public
institutions in the Baltic Sea Region.
The project is intended to result in
good examples of how, in order to
facilitate generation renewal, enter-
prises can retain older employees
and promote cooperation between
different age groups.
Would you like to read more
about the Best Agers project?
Go to www.best-agers-project.eu/
35Info 0551. Production: Ordförrådet. Printed by: DanagårdLiTHO. Print run 1,000 copies, March 2014. Then print on demand.
Tillväxtverket
Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth
Tel 08-681 91 00
www.tillvaxtverket.se
A Beginner’s Guide to
the Baltic Sea Region Strategy
Are you curious about what the EU Strategy for
the Baltic Sea Region is and how it might benefit you?
This brochure is for those who want a quick and easy overview
of the Baltic Sea Region Strategy. Why is it important to coop-
erate with others in the Baltic Sea Region in particular, and
why has the EU developed a strategy for the region? What is
the difference between the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea
Region, Europe 2020 and the Baltic Sea Region Programme,
and how do they all fit together?
You’ll find answers to these and many more questions in this
brochure. Above all, it describes what use stakeholders can
make of the Baltic Sea Region Strategy and what to do if you
want to work with a project.You can also read
