1. EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region
European Commission
DG Regional Policy, Territorial Cooperation

2. Agenda Two years into implementation phase.
Short update on how the process looks from our side, more specifically:
Background for the Strategy
Outline of the implementation process and the governance structure
Alignment of funding
Reporting issues

3. Why an EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region?
Requested by the European Council, inter alia help to address the urgent environmental challenges
A need to speed up implementation of important priorities
An integrated approach to identify needs, solutions and match them to available resources
Three objectives:
Save the Sea
Connect the Region
Increase Prosperity

4. Added value of an EU Strategy
It mobilises projects across borders and sectors
It serves as a catalyst for strengthening cooperation mechanisms within Member States and among countries in a Region
By involving all relevant policy areas and countries, it promotes balanced regional development
It contributes to channel existing funding instruments so their potential can be fully utilised

5. The approach An integrated approach: A rolling Action Plan:
Environment, Economy, Accessibility, Safety
A rolling Action Plan:
15 Priority Areas, 90+ Flagship Projects
Alignment of funding
Integrated Maritime Policy
Simple implementation system: better use of existing institutions, funding, and legislation

6. Implementation
Simple implementation system: making better use of existing institutions, funding and legislation – no new EU structures, EU laws, or EU money
Policy development: European Council and high-level group
Coordination, monitoring and follow-up: European Commission on the basis of a mandate from the Council in October 2009 and again in 2012
Implementation on the ground: Member State or equivalent coordinates Priority Area; Ministry, agency, or other body leads flagship projects

7. Examples of flagship projects
Remove phosphates in detergents – completed
Improve waste handling on board and in ports – completed
Fund innovation and research
Promote environmental technologies
Create marine protected areas
Connect the Baltic States to the energy networks
Improve transport infrastructures
Establish joint curricula in universities
Better cooperation in case of marine pollution

8. Alignment of funding Structural Funds and other funding sources
Lab Group
Conference in Riga in March 2010
Bilateral meetings in Member States
Issuance of Technical assistance grants courtesy of European Parliament funding
Exploring the potential for a seed money facility
Aim: to achieve better coordination and more focus
on the priorities of the Strategy
At the moment we are in the middle of a 7-year funding period. There are around 50 decentralised funding programmes within the Baltic Sea Region only with regard to the Structural funds, and numerous others within other policy fields.
The priorities of the Structural Fund programmes in the region are largely speaking compatible with the Action Plan, but there are new challenges in articulating existing programmes with the new strategy
AIM: (no new funding, but) to achieve better coordination and more focus on the priorities of the Strategy
(there is funding…)
Lab Group to help programmes and PACs.
Conference in Riga – issues: labelling, access to finance and selection criteria, better coordination with infrastructure projects. We will follow up on these themes with reference papers soon.
Bilateral meetings in Member States
Trust fund possibility

9. Reviews and reporting
Review of the Action Plan is ongoing, aiming for completion by end of 2012
Progress reports now issued bi-annually
The first review of the Strategy in Council took place during the PL presidency in 2011
DK presidency has followed up on PL decisions
Informal 30 June 2010 report – PAC + OP MA contributions
3rd Annual Forum 2012: June in Copenhagen
New Action Plan to be available in end April
Annual Forum: a good opportunity to take stock of events and get input from regional stakeholders. We want to organise a large, open and frank Forum to exchange views on progress, good practices and obstacles. We want to hear the views of those on the ground. In the development of the Strategy everyone should feel as part of a greater process. Everyone should feel encouraged to report ideas and/or possible obstacles

10. Present situation
Priority Areas are working, some more efficiently than others.
Importance of avoiding duplication. In PA11 the new steering committee has been found to be a better forum for discussion than existing fora. Back-to-back meetings, etc.
Domestic re-organisation
Results are continuing to show
Other macro-regions looking to follow…
Results: On clean shipping an application has been submitted to the International Maritime Organisation to designate the Baltic Sea as a control area for sewage discharges from passenger ships. On climate change, the work on developing a regional adaptation strategy is well under way. Regarding sustainable agriculture, the structures for Baltic-wide veterinary contingency planning have now been developed. These are some out of many examples of early progress

11. Conclusion
Very demanding process which aims at improving coherence and coordination between a large number of:
policies and priorities at the european, national, regional levels;
instruments and programmes;
Partners, including public, NGO, and private;
countries and regions - sometimes heterogeneous.
Macro-regional strategy requires combination of:
strong political committment,
preparedness for multilevel governance
knowledge management experience

12. Conclusion Importance of intensity and maturity of cooperation;
Need for a clear common vision on a limited number of key issues and of focused priorities
The development of new macro-regional strategies should be considered in the light of the first results from Baltic and Danube strategies

13. Review of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region

14. The review process Annual implementation report, June 2011
Polish EU Presidency, Council Conclusions, November 2011
Commission Communication, March 2012
Danish EU Presidency, Council Conclusions, June 2012
Update of the Action Plan, autumn 2012
=> Strategy 2.0

15. Outcomes: An overview Clearer objectives, indicators and targets
Clearer roles and responsibilities
Embedding the Strategy in financial instruments
Structured cooperation with neighbours
Better involvement of all stakeholder groups
Better communication
Sustained commitment

16. Objectives, indicators, targets
3 objectives for the Strategy
Save the Sea
Connect the Region
Increase Prosperity
…made concrete through indicators and targets
For example:
Objective: Save the Sea
Indicator: Good environmental status
Target: by 2021

17. Roles and responsibilities
Guidelines on what is expected from the main stakeholders are important to make the work transparent and effective
Lists setting out these key tasks have been developed by a task-force
To be endorsed by the Council and included in the updated Action Plan
A handbook will be published with extensive descriptions, explanations and examples

18. The future programming period
Macro-regional strategies included in the draft regulations, especially:
Common provisions, Art. 14(a)v: Partnership Contracts to take account, where appropriate, of macro-regional strategies
Common provisions, Art. 87(c)vi: Relevant Operational Programmes to set out their planned interventions to support the Strategy
ETC regulation, Art. 6(b) allowing transnational programmes to support implementation (TA)
Seed money facility to ensure the development of good, relevant projects

19. Involving neighbouring countries
To build on existing structures, such as the Northern Dimension, CBSS, NCM and HELCOM
On-going dialogue with the Russian Federation, agreement on projects of joint interest – expert groups to be established
Regional cooperation with Russian coastal regions: Turku-process involving St. Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast; CBSS SEBA involving Kaliningrad

20. Better Communication
Cooperation with Interact on new website, newsletter, visual identity.
Needs analysis in progress
Better involvement of stakeholders
Through multi-level governance, clearer roles…
Political commitment and policy alignment
Continuous visibility and relevance to ensure commitment at all levels
Strategy included in relevant Council agendas

21. Updating the Action Plan
Merging, adding or cutting Priority Areas? Time to clean up!
Making Strategy objectives operational
Indicators and targets at Priority Area level to streamline and focus the work
PAC/HAL/NCP input by May
Annual Forum discussion in June
Draft Action Plan over the summer
Stakeholders consultations in early autumn
Updated Action Plan by the end of 2012

22. Thank you for your attention!
EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region: an integrated framework to address the challenges and opportunities of the Baltic Sea Region