18 November 2010 EU Baltic Sea Strategy: One Year On
One year into the implementation phase of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, the Commission is able to note some real achievements and added value from the Strategy in many different areas. New projects addressing identified regional priorities are already making a contribution to reducing high levels of pollution in the sea, improving transport systems and energy networks, and reinforcing protection from major emergencies at sea and on land.
One year into the implementation phase of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, the Commission is able to note some real achievements and added value from the Strategy in many different areas. New projects addressing identified regional priorities are already making a contribution to reducing high levels of pollution in the sea, improving transport systems and energy networks, and reinforcing protection from major emergencies at sea and on land. For example, several new macro-regional initiatives are now in place to tackle challenges as diverse as the increase of algae in the Baltic Sea, illegal ship emissions and inadequate procurement practices in health care systems.
The Strategy is also giving momentum to existing projects, for instance, on energy cooperation - an extremely important issue for the region. A key goal for the region is energy security, which means proper supply and distribution. The close integration of the Strategy with the Baltic Energy Market Interconnection Plan (BEMIP) is helping to secure a speedy integration of the three Baltic States into the European energy market.
The Baltic Sea Strategy has marked the beginning of a new way of working and cooperating across borders. This can also be seen in the creation of new and more inclusive macro-regional policy discussions and networks. Notable examples include the Strategy's Priority Areas on Fisheries, where the new BaltFish network strengthens the cooperation of fisheries authorities in the Region, and on Transport, where a macro-regional response to the on-going revision of the EU's TEN-T network is now being prepared. At the first Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region in Tallinn on 14-15 October, more than 500 stakeholders from across the Region gathered to discuss the lessons learned, as well as the next steps for the implementation process. There was broad agreement that focus in 2011 should include efforts to further cross-cutting issues across the Strategy's Priority Areas, and to secure a closer alignment of existing funding in the Region with the Strategy.
The Annual Report can be found at: http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/cooperation/baltic/documents_en.htm