CBSS Engages in 2024 EUSBSR Annual Forum to Address Baltic Sea Region’s Sustainability and Security

The Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) joined key stakeholders in Visby, Gotland, for the 2024 Annual Forum of the European Union Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR), held from 29 to 31 October. Hosted by the Swedish Government and the Nordic Council of Ministers, the forum brought together over 500 participants to discuss sustainability, resilience and security.

The EUSBSR Annual Forum serves as a platform for cross-border cooperation, addressing shared challenges among Baltic Sea Region countries with an emphasis on collaboration across government levels and sectors.

The event in Visby featured three plenary dialogues on bioeconomy, transportation, and energy. These sessions highlighted the complexity of today’s societal issues, where sustainable development and security intersect with economic and environmental imperatives.

The CBSS, a coordinating body of regional policy and co-coordinator of the EUSBSR’s Policy Area Secure (PA Secure), actively participated in the forum and was notably engaged in several sessions:

• Wednesday, 30 October, 11:15-12:45: Food Security and Home Preparedness. This workshop examined the impact of recent geopolitical changes on food security and preparedness in the Baltic Sea Region.
• Thursday, 30 October, 16:45-18:15: Recipes for Resilience – Communities, Culture, and Comprehensive Security.Researchers, national civil protection agencies, local authorities, and Ukrainian stakeholders explored how diverse resilience narratives can shape a regional approach to security.
• Thursday, 31 October, 11:00-12:30: High-Level Dialogue on Resilience Through Cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region. Directors General of civil protection authorities and high-level decision-makers discussed cooperative efforts to ensure a resilient, safe, and secure Baltic Sea Region amidst an increasingly challenging security landscape.

The EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region was established as a framework for cooperative action among the eight EU member states bordering the Baltic Sea.

Looking ahead, the CBSS is set to organise the next EUSBSR Annual Forum in Gdańsk, Poland, in 2025, in collaboration with its Polish partners.

For more information about this year’s forum, please visit the official EUSBSR Annual Forum website.