On 19 December 2022, the EUSBSR National Coordinators Group (NCG) met for the third time under the Swedish Presidency. The National Coordinators Group is the core decision-making body within the governance structure of the EUSBSR, acting as its executive board. 

On the agenda, among other things, were outcomes of the support event for Ukraine, held in Stockholm in December, rotation of the EUSBSR Annual Fora, and work plan of the Baltic Sea Strategy Point, which is a support unit for the Strategy management, development, and communication.

The support event for Ukraine was organised by the Swedish EUSBSR Presidency together with the Swedish Institute and gathered over 260 participants online and on-site. The event was met with appreciation from the Ukrainian side and the EU Strategy for The Danube Region (EUSDR) expressed their interest for more intense cross-sectoral cooperation in support of Ukraine. Discussion and development of cooperation formats continue.

The NCG discussed the input paper on EUSBSR Communications provided by the Baltic Sea Strategy Point, and the suggestion to create a long-term guiding document regarding EUSBSR communications. The content of such a document would follow the input and guidance of the NCG and other relevant stakeholders. The Strategy Point will provide further input on the document in the next meeting.

The feasibility of aligning the Annual Fora rotation with the EUSBSR Presidency was discussed. The Baltic Sea Strategy Point had prepared three options for aligning the organizing responsibility of the Annual Forum and the EUSBSR Presidency, all with potential added value and potential issues. The NCG shall continue the discussion in upcoming meetings. Meanwhile, The Annual Forum 2023 preparations are ongoing and will not be affected by this discussion. The proposed dates for the Forum are 4-5 October 2023 in Riga.

 

See the full minutes of the National Coordinators meeting here. 
The next NCG meeting takes place in February 2023 online.