The European Commission adopted a Communication on the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) in June 2009. The European Council adopted the strategy in October 2009. This is the first time that a comprehensive strategy, covering several community policies, is targeted on a 'macro-region'. Around eighty flagship projects are listed in the accompanying Action Plan, which will be reviewed regularly (last update: December 2010). In June 2011, the European Commission adopted the 1st Report on the Implementation of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region. Download the above mentioned documents and read more on the strategy on the European Commission website here and about the Macro-Regional Strategies in the EU here.

How does the Central Baltic INTERREG IV A Programme support the implementation of the Strategy?

The programme's Monitoring Committee established in May 2009 an own EUSBSR Task Force consisting of representatives from the programme's Member States (Estonia, Finland including Åland, Latvia and Sweden) as well as from the MA and the JTS. This Task Force convened two times to discuss the programme’s role in the implementation of the EUSBSR. The findings of the Task Force were presented to the Monitoring Committee and the Monitoring Committee agreed to take the following steps.

Starting from the 4th call for applications (May 2010), the application form includes a new input field where all project applicants are asked to explain if and how they see their project supporting the EUSBSR. Project applicants which even see their project in the Central Baltic Programme (not the Southern Finland – Estonia or the Archipelago and Islands Sub-programme) as belonging to one of the EUSBSR Flagship Projects mentioned in the Action Plan will have additionally to provide a letter of recommendation by the respective Priority Area Coordinator. The information provided by the applicants in the EUSBSR input field (and, if applicable, the letter of recommendation) will be evaluated by the JTS in the assessment of the project applications and will become part of the assessment reports provided to the Steering Committees. Hereby, the Steering Committees will be enabled to take into account the relevance of the projects for the EUSBSR when taking funding decisions. Approved projects which support the implementation of the EUSBSR are also highlighted in the programme’s publicity measures as e.g. the Showcase Brochure if labelled as relevant for a certain priority area. Two projects co-financed by the Central Baltic INTERREG IV A Programme 2007-2013 are even mentioned as (part of) a so called Flagship Project in the EUSBSR Action Plan under priority area 12 (To maintain and reinforce attractiveness of the Baltic Sea Region in particular through education, ...) and priority area 14 (To reinforce maritime accident response capacity protection from major emergencies).

Additionally, the JTS established and keeps close contact with the EUSBSR Priority Area Coordinators both regarding project generation and the labelling exercise of the programme's 1st to 5th call approved projects. On an annual basis the programme is reporting its EUSBSR related activities to the European Commission as part of the overall annual reporting process. The respective 2010 report can be found below:

2010 Report EUSBSR implementation by the Central Baltic INTERREG IV A Programme 2007-2013 (238 kB).