Text: Anja Karppinen, Baltic Sea Strategy Point

 

The National Coordinators Group of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) discussed in detail leading to the updated Action Plan, which is planned to come into force in 2026. Policy Area Coordinators facilitate this planning process together with their Steering Group members from all eight EU countries bordering the Baltic Sea.

 

Important steps regarding the content of the future Action Plan will be taken during autumn 2024

The National Coordinators agreed on the timeline and activities related to the Action Plan update for the year 2024. The Action Plan for the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region is a central document for cross-sectoral and international cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region. The Strategy covers a wide variety of topics from protecting and preserving the Baltic Sea to increasing the wealth and cohesion of the region.

The update process will focus first and foremost on the Policy Areas and their actions and indicators for the upcoming years. Policy Area Coordinators lead this planning process together with their Steering Group members from all eight EU countries bordering the Baltic Sea. 

By the end of the year, each Policy Area Steering Group approves the draft Actions for their respective Policy Area after which the National Coordinators Group will evaluate these plans.

EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region is a framework for cooperation between the EU member states and the European Commission. There are eight member states in the strategy, which are all committed to this regional cooperation format: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden. Before the update now at hand, the Strategy has been updated four times, in 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2021.

 

Monitoring and evaluation guide the update. The next EU Council Conclusions in the making

The member states’ representatives in the Steering Groups, and the National Coordinators Group monitor the implementation of the Strategy based on annual reports provided by the Policy Area Coordinators. These reports, together with the EU , published every second year, build the way for informed decisions regarding the Action Plan.

In the meeting, a representative of the European Commission Directorate General of the Regional and Urban Policy (DG Regio) presented the process and timeline of the preparation of the upcoming report on the implementation of the four macro-regional strategies in the EU. The EU Council Conclusions build on this report. Data for the report is produced on all levels of the Strategy: Policy Area Coordinators, with the support and guidance of their Steering Groups, National Coordinators in the respective ministries, and the support unit of the Strategy, the Baltic Sea Strategy Point.

 

See the full minutes of the National Coordinators meeting here.