It is fair to say that over the years, the Strategy’s stakeholders have grown to know each other well and they have formed good relationships with each other. From this inner circle point of view, it is important that this year’s Annual Forum has chosen “connectivity” as its main theme, which highlights the importance of forming good relationships within the Baltic Sea Region but also with its neighbouring regions and countries.
It is stated in the EUSBSR Action Plan that many of the issues, which concern the Baltic Sea Region, can only be addressed in constructive cooperation with our non-EU neighbouring countries. The Strategy’s Horizontal Action Neighbours is executing the task of increasing the dialogue and concrete project cooperation with the neighbouring countries and regions.
“Cooperation between countries and regions will be, after all, the only option we have in Europe to tackle common challenges. In addition, in many areas, these challenges do not stop at EU external borders. The EUSBSR and our cooperation programmes in the Baltic Sea Region are important tools to achieve common solutions, also together with neighbours, and to improve the conditions for increased prosperity and quality of life of our citizens”, emphasizes Alexander Somoza, programme manager for North Sea and Baltic Sea Region cooperation from DG REGIO.
The theme, “connectivity” with neighbouring regions and countries, is present throughout the Annual Forum’s programme. During the Forum, there are seminars on cooperation with Northwest Russia (Tuesday at 15:15) and Belarus (Tuesday at 17:00), a seminar on building a dialogue between the macro-regional strategies (Wednesday at 13:45) and a seminar on Baltic-Arctic cooperation (Wednesday at 10:45).
“The development potential of North-West Russian regions needs to be uncovered and better utilised for the benefit of the whole Baltic Sea region”, says Susanne Scherrer from the Interreg BSR programme, who organizes a seminar together with the HA Neighbours on cooperation with Northwest Russian partners. The topics of all neighbours related seminars are current and raise important questions regardless of the subject field one works in.
Running parallel with the seminars, the Connectivity Lounge brings the people, countries and regions closer to each other. The Lounge offers a chance to form those border-crossing connections and long-lasting EUSBSR relationships!
Come and connect with all our neighbours in Berlin, 13-14 June 2017!
More about the Horizontal Action Neighbours here.
Find us on Twitter: @Neighbours