Conference
EUSBSR Annual Forum 2024
October 30, 2024
Conference
EUSBSR Annual Forum 2024
Start date: October 30, 2024
End date: October 31, 2024
Time:
Place: Visby on the island of Gotland, Sweden
Address:
What is EUSBSR?
The European Union Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) is the first Macro-regional Strategy in Europe. The Strategy was approved by the European Council
in 2009 following a communication from the European Commission. The Strategy is divided into three objectives, which represent the three key challenges of the Strategy: saving the sea, connecting the region
and increasing prosperity.
Description
The Annual Forum is the yearly gathering for collaboration in the Baltic Sea Region within the framework of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, which has been held since 2009. This year, welcomed stakeholders to Visby on the island of Gotland, Sweden. The Forum took place over two days on 30 and 31 October, with an optional side event on 29 October. With the overall themes of Sustainability, Resilience, and Security, the Forum aimed to deepen our understanding and enhance collaborative efforts in these areas. This year’s Forum was structured around four elements.
- Engagement
The side event on 29 October was an opportunity for not-yet-engaged stakeholders to get acquainted with the Strategy and learn how the Strategy can support their strategic objectives. Participants were welcome to present their initiatives and to discuss them with 8 of the 14 policy area coordinators. The target groups for this day were civil society, youth organisations, the business sector, local authorities and Ukrainian stakeholders.
- Co-creation
Interactive workshops, panel discussions, and seminars invited participants to discuss challenges and to elaborate on solutions. These sessions emphasized cross-sectorial, transnational, and multilevel collaboration, designed to generate practical outcomes, and fostered ongoing cooperation. All activities were related to the Action Plan of the Strategy and ongoing processes or projects in the 14 Policy Areas.
- Policy Dialogues
Central to the Forum were policy dialogues addressing the strategic objectives of the EUSBSR. These discussions ranged from large plenary sessions to focused panels, each tackling key aspects of the Strategy and exploring solutions to enhance the Baltic Sea Region’s development.
- Networking Village
The Networking Village served as a social hub for informal exchanges and spontaneous connections. Located at the heart of the Forum, it was a place for the participants to meet between sessions, start new conversations, and spark collaborations. The 14 Policy Areas, Pan-Baltic organisations, the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme, the Swedish Institute, and other financial programmes were represented.
The Forum contributed to building relations with Ukraine following the initiative taken by the Swedish EUSBSR Presidency.
CCB participants in the event
- Mikhail Durkin, CCB Executive Secretary
- Andrea Cervantes, CCB Biodiversity Officer
- Natalia Cholovska, Ecoterra
- Estefania Cortez, CCB Legal Expert
Outcomes of the meeting
- The forum attracted 650 registered participants from 20 countries.
- The two days in EUSBSR provided a genuine and natural networking scenario for CCB to meet key contacts from contracting parties of HELCOM and beyond.
- The results from all plenaries and workshops provided CCB with specific insights to be further included and developed in projects (e.g PROTECT BALTIC or the Green Recovery Plan for Ukraine).
The two hosts for the Annual Forum were the Swedish Government together with the Nordic Council of Ministers. The organizers were the Gotland County Administrative Board in close collaboration with the secretariat of the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Government Offices of Sweden, the Norden Association Sweden, the Swedish Institute, Region Gotland and the Baltic Sea Strategy Point. The event was co-funded by the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme, the Swedish Government, the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Swedish Institute and Region Gotland.
CCB's participation was supported by
Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CINEA. Neither the European Union nor CINEA can be held responsible for them.
CCB's positions are not automatically transferred and do not reflect SI positions on these topics.
- Engagement
The side event on 29 October was an opportunity for not-yet-engaged stakeholders to get acquainted with the Strategy and learn how the Strategy can support their strategic objectives. Participants were welcome to present their initiatives and to discuss them with 8 of the 14 policy area coordinators. The target groups for this day were civil society, youth organisations, the business sector, local authorities and Ukrainian stakeholders.
- Co-creation
Interactive workshops, panel discussions, and seminars invited participants to discuss challenges and to elaborate on solutions. These sessions emphasized cross-sectorial, transnational, and multilevel collaboration, designed to generate practical outcomes, and fostered ongoing cooperation. All activities were related to the Action Plan of the Strategy and ongoing processes or projects in the 14 Policy Areas.
- Policy Dialogues
Central to the Forum were policy dialogues addressing the strategic objectives of the EUSBSR. These discussions ranged from large plenary sessions to focused panels, each tackling key aspects of the Strategy and exploring solutions to enhance the Baltic Sea Region’s development.
- Networking Village
The Networking Village served as a social hub for informal exchanges and spontaneous connections. Located at the heart of the Forum, it was a place for the participants to meet between sessions, start new conversations, and spark collaborations. The 14 Policy Areas, Pan-Baltic organisations, the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme, the Swedish Institute, and other financial programmes were represented.
The Forum contributed to building relations with Ukraine following the initiative taken by the Swedish EUSBSR Presidency.
CCB participants in the event
- Mikhail Durkin, CCB Executive Secretary
- Andrea Cervantes, CCB Biodiversity Officer
- Natalia Cholovska, Ecoterra
- Estefania Cortez, CCB Legal Expert
Outcomes of the meeting
- The forum attracted 650 registered participants from 20 countries.
- The two days in EUSBSR provided a genuine and natural networking scenario for CCB to meet key contacts from contracting parties of HELCOM and beyond.
- The results from all plenaries and workshops provided CCB with specific insights to be further included and developed in projects (e.g PROTECT BALTIC or the Green Recovery Plan for Ukraine).
The two hosts for the Annual Forum were the Swedish Government together with the Nordic Council of Ministers. The organizers were the Gotland County Administrative Board in close collaboration with the secretariat of the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Government Offices of Sweden, the Norden Association Sweden, the Swedish Institute, Region Gotland and the Baltic Sea Strategy Point. The event was co-funded by the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme, the Swedish Government, the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Swedish Institute and Region Gotland.
CCB's participation was supported by
Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CINEA. Neither the European Union nor CINEA can be held responsible for them.
CCB's positions are not automatically transferred and do not reflect SI positions on these topics.