First BSSSC Board Meeting of 2018

On March 6 in Stockholm, Sweden, BSSSC had their first Board Meeting of 2018. Cohesion policy post and the BSSSC application to co host the EUSBSR Annual Forum 2019 were on the agenda.

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In the premises of CBSS, the CBSS Director General of the Secretariat, Maira Mora, presented the priorities of the Swedish Chairmanship of the CBSS 2017-2018. The priorities are Sustainability, Continuity and Adaptability, which are all under the umbrella of the UN Agenda 2030. Martin Rümmelein, BSSSC Youth Board Member, who attended the CBSS Youth Vision Group a few week back, also presented their vision of how and what they want the CBSS to be post 2020. Read more about the CBSS Youth Vision Group here.

 

The future of EU cohesion policy

Mr Reiner Kneifel-Haverkamp, Head of Unit Brandenburg Ministry of Justice, for European Affairs and Consumer Protection, gave an update on the EU cohesion policy post 2020. The discussions of the future of the European Structural and Investment funds are a part of the discussion on the EUs Multiannual Financial Framework. This is a difficult discussion due to Brexit and new challenges such as migration. Brexit means losing a big net contributor to the budget resulting in a structural gap of 8 – 14 billion € a year. To compensate the share of the EU budget would have to increase from 1,0 to around  1,11 percent of GNE. If the gap is not covered by an increase in member countries’ share of EU budget, then the most obvious targets for reduction in the budget are the common agriculture and cohesion policy. Cohesion policy could loose some 15% according to moderate estimates.

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The BSSSC sent their input to the EU Commission's Consultation on the Cohesion Post 2020.

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BSSSC and Pomorskie Voivodeship hosts for the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) Annual Forum 2019

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The BSSSC and Pomorskie Voivodeship has recently handed in an application to host the 10th Annual Forum (10th AF) in Gdańsk in 2019. The Forum will be organised in cooperation between the Pomorskie Voivodeship (PV) and the Baltic Sea States Subregional Co-operation (BSSSC), and in close cooperation with the European Commission (EC) and The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Chairmanship and Secretariat of the BSSSC is hosted by Eastern Norway County Network, which will be the official application partner.

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The EUSBSR aims at reinforcing cooperation in the region to face shared challenges by working together as well as to promote more balanced development in the Baltic Sea Region (BSR). Since 2010, a yearly Forum to support EUSBSR has been organised.

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The 10th AF will be used to take stock on and communicate the achievements of the EUSBSR, its objectives and the added value of macro-regional cooperation in the BSR. The event will also mark the 10th anniversary of the EUSBSR. The Forum will also launch the discussion on the future challenges the region is facing. The Forum will set the circular and sharing economy in the focus. Having special focus on Links to the EUSBSR Objectives (sub-objectives) are the following: Save the Sea (Clear water in the sea), Connect the Region (Reliable energy markets) and Increase Prosperity (Improved global competitiveness of the BSR). The Forum will explore potentials presented by circular and sharing economy as an answer to demographic changes and environmental challenges in the BSR. There are also clear links to selected Priority Areas (PAs) and Horizontal Actions (HAs), incl.: Bioeconomy, Energy, Innovation, Transport, Climate.

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BSSSC input will be the SDGs, youth involvement and neighbourhood policy. The Norwegian Chairmanship of the BSSSC wants to involve the Norwegian MFA in the latter and also benefit from Oslo's award "The European Green Capital 2019". The BSSSC Secretariat naturally wants to involve the Board and rapporteurs in the organisation of workshops. BSSSC has also agreed to compile good practices examples on circular economy to be presented at the Annual Forum.

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