On 14 December 2007 the EU's decision-making body (the European Council) launched an initiative to develop the Baltic Sea Region strategy. The primary purpose is to improve the environment and increase economic growth while making the area more attractive and accessible as well as safe and secure. The fact that some 2000 ships transits the Baltic Sea daily underlines the need for continuing coordinated security-measures.
The plan is that the outlines for the new BSR-strategy shall be ready by June 2009. Moreover it will be adopted during the autumn, while Sweden has the chairman-ship of the Union.
The proposal for a BSR-strategy has not generated much public debate - at least not thus far though a few attempts have been made. The first BSR-strategy stakeholder meeting was held in Stock-holm in September 2008. Soon thereafter the Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter (11/10/08) tried to generate some interest by noting that, for the first time ever, the European Union would renounce the power to create so-called macro-regions. They continued by reporting that if the Baltic Sea Region proved a "success", this could help give the green light to the creation of more 'macros´. The Donau-delta and the Alps were most likely possibilities, according to newspaper.
Just ahead of the second BSR-strategy stakeholder meeting (Rostock, February 2009) German chancellor Angela Merkel and Swedish prime-minister Fredrik Reinfeldt tried to generate interest by publishing a joint chronicle in several newspapers (for example Svenska Dagbladet 04/02/09). They argued that a joint strategy could create "increased growth and more jobs by better use of existing resources" in the region. The launching of a new macro region was, however, hardly mentioned.
The fact that it was Sweden and Germany who jointly pursued such an attempt is perhaps not surprising given their geographical location. But why did Poland or for that matter Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia or Lithuania, who all are EU Member States, not participate in the initiative?
Could it be that they feel overawed by Brussels and by the two strongest economic and political states in the Baltic Sea region? Or is it that they see the whole BSR-strategy exercise as something of a sideshow - as there are already more than enough political forums and different types of organizations cooperating in and around the Baltic Sea? (For an overview, see for example pp 30-32 of this edition of the Journal)
Of course it could also be that there are more interesting things to discuss like climate change and the financial crisis. And by the way, Nordregio has in fact been involved in research on security, broadly defined, and the Baltic Sea for more than ten years.
In December 2008 Nordregio published the report Exploring the Baltic Sea Region - On territorial capital and spatial integration edited by Alexandre Dubois and Peter Schmitt. The report is remarkable for its breadth of coverage and is thoroughly illustrated with an abundant collection of maps throughout.
This issue of the Journal of Nordregio is in some ways a further continuation of the work of the report. One example of this is the article Alarming urban disparities in the BSR (p 6) Also the dramatic overall decline in population - of close to 15 % in Estonia and Latvia over the last 15 years is highlighted as is the fact that Lithuania, the BSR-part of Russia and to some extent Belarus also are witnessing similar trends.
These current eastern Baltic Sea Region population trends can be seen as being somewhat similar to the experiences of Northern Finland, Norway and Sweden, particularly in the aftermath of the Second World War. There is however a major difference and that is that these western countries had then, and still have, growing populations.
Turning again to the future of the BSR we should also highlight the articles on The missing railways links (pp 9-11) and the overview of the Potentials BSR-renewable energies (pp 15-17) as both tap into increasingly import debates over the need for better transportation links and cleaner energy which are vital to the region's future.
In May 2004, some 15 years after independence and the fall of the 'iron curtain', four Eastern BSR-countries became members of the European Union. Parallel to this, the transfer-policies of the Union changed. Particularly from 2007 onwards however increasing amounts of financing will be channeled from agricultural subsidies to regional develop-ment in the form of the Structural Funds.
What have the new Member States gained from this? To find out more we invite you to read the articles by Gulnara Roll from Estonia (pp 26-27), Juris Paiders from Latvia (pp 20-21 and Jacek Szlachta from Poland (p 22-23) while on (pp 24-25) Denis Sechkin forwards a Kaliningrad-perspective to this all.
Finally, Nordregio is looking for new staff. Three positions are vacant. Check out page 35 if you are interested.
This map reflects the road traffic loads of Northern Europe. It also gives a good impression of the existing road structure and population densities. For example the low population in the eastern Latvia and Estonia does not generate much traffic. Unfortuneately it has not been possible to get comparative figures for later than 2000. Map by Alexandre Dubois and Johanna Roto, Nordregio.
By Odd Iglebaek, Editor