NORWAY Nordland

DENMARK Central Denmark, Southern Denmark Region

In the Baltic area, reforms are being conducted on the national structure of governance. A result of this was that long standing member Riga, Latvia, was forced to leave the organisation in 2009 as they no longer exist as a region. Likewise Itä-Uusimaa will be merged with Uusimaa Region in 2011.

The BSC members make up a strategic important mix of welfare states and rapidly developing states around one of Europe’s most dynamic and innovative maritime basins – the Baltic Sea. The Baltic Sea Commission members share the belief that the Baltic Sea is a strategically important region. The experience from the consultation period of the Baltic Sea Strategy has reinforced the belief that regions should take an active part in the shaping of EU policies. Likewise the financial crises have given evidence of how frail economic- and social progress is in the small Baltic states and that the crisis have serious effects on Baltic Sea regions.

Sustainability is a key word in our work. The BSC goal is to ensure that the imprint of our member regions opinion is found in the EU policies that we, together, choose to act on during the consultation periods.