A new horizontal action

Why EU strategy for the Baltic Sea region?

• New political conditions • More strategic use of EU funds • Baltic Sea vulnerability • Great potential for growth • EU wants to take advantage of regional differences • A new way of cooperation

Why EU strategy for the Baltic Sea region?

• Potential for further cooperation in the neighborhood - East-West division characterizes many sectors - Trade in the neighborhood • EU enlargement provides many opportunities - Common law, consistent enforcement - The regional dimension of EU legislation • New priorities - a new commitment - EU policy becomes regional - Many players can contribute and provide synergies

Macro regional strategies EU Macro-Regional level • Europe 2020, a strategy for sustainable growth, cohesion policy • • Macro-Regional strategies Territorial integration Member state level • • National plans National Framework Regional level / Local level • • • Regional development plans Structural programs Local development plans

Why macro-regions?

• • • • Possibility of a new transnational approach Common challenges and territorial assets base of joint priority actions Achieve a better quality through cooperation between several countries Provides a policy framework that can enhance regional integration in the EU's various parts

Strategy The Commission has identified four pillars...

• • • • An environmentally sustainable region A prosperous region An accessible and attractive region A safe and secure region … and horizontal actions.

Make the Baltic Sea Region environmentally sustainable • • • • • Reducing the supply of nutrients in the ocean to acceptable levels To preserve natural areas and biodiversity, including fisheries To reduce the use and impact of hazardous substances To become a model region for clean sea Limiting and adapting to climate change

Making the Baltic Sea a thriving region • Removing the barriers in the internal market and to improve cooperation in customs and tax • To exploit the full potential of the region in terms of research and innovation (Sweden coordinator along with Poland) • Implementing the Small Business Act to promote entrepreneurship, strengthen small and medium-sized businesses and using human resources more effectively • Making agriculture, forestry and fisheries more sustainable (Finland, Lithuania and Sweden co-ordinates)

Making the Baltic Sea area accessible and attractive • • Improve access to energy markets and make them more efficient and secure To improve internal and external transport links (Sweden and Lithuania coordinates) • To conserve and enhance the region's attractiveness, especially through education and youth affairs, tourism, culture, health care

Making the Baltic Sea area safe and secure • • • To be a leader in maritime safety and security To reinforce protection against major disasters by sea and land Reducing the extent of transnational crime and the damage it causes

Strategy - How?

• • • • • No new money Leverage existing funds Cooperation with the EIB and NIB No new structures No new regulations

Lisbon Treaty, European Parliament Resolution ” Applying multi-level governance: Parliament recalls that ‘multi-level governance’ means coordinated action by the Union, Member States and local and regional authorities, as well as socio-economic partners and NGOs, based on the principles of partnership and co-financing. In its view, this approach should be used in all Union policies for which responsibility is shared between the different tiers of government, including cohesion policy. It considers that multi-level governance is a precondition for achieving territorial cohesion in Europe. Parliament therefore calls for this principle to be made compulsory for Member States in policy areas with a strong territorial impact in order to ensure balanced territorial development in line with the subsidiarity principle”.

(INI/2009/2231)

Our mission • • • How can the concept of Multi-level Governance... ...in line with the principle of subsidiarity...

...be developed and concretized to give especially regional and local authorities stronger roles in the implementation of EU territorial policies, • in this case implementation of the EUSBSR?

A new horizontal action within the implementation of the EUSBSR Strengthening • • • multi - level governance place-based spatial planning sustainable development

The aim The action looks to establish dialogue amongst actors at all levels of governance in 2 the Baltic Sea Region (a Baltic Dialogue) in order to consolidate findings and disseminate good methods and experiences. A second component is to work with showcases building on the regions’ special field of expertise, spatial (strategic) planning and water management, and through this work establish good examples and methods that allow generalization. 1 The aim of this dialogue is to ensure the involvement of all levels of governance, including the European Commission, national ministries and authorities, local/regional authorities, macro-regional organisations, financial institutions, VASAB and HELCOM. 3 A third component is a "Local signal panel" enabling the Priority Areas and Flagship Projects the possibility to reach out and get input from all levels.

1

The initiative • • Broader mission and Interreg 4b project INVOLVE

Horizontal action 2012 - ”Strengthening multi-level governance, place-based spatial planning and sustainable development” Interreg-projekt INVOLVE 18

EUSBSR Horizontal Actions Horizontal Action Multi-level Governance Baltic Sea dialogue - Generalization, dissemination and learning - Local Signal Panel EUSBSR Priority Areas PA1 PA2 PA3 PA4 PA5 PA6 PA7 PA8 PA9 etc

Tentative Workpackages • Project preparations • Management • Communication • Base line studies, research and analyses • Show-cases that concretize the working method: Spatial planning and Water management • Other show-cases to be developed • Models/processes of multi level governance 20

The project will...

contribute to Priority 3 or 4 of the Interreg IV B programme: (3) Baltic Sea as a common resource (4) Attractive and competitive cities and regions

Tentative outputs Interreg BSR project INVOLVE • • • Guide-book – MLG concept Good examples/best practice of MLG Training programme – Erasmus for elected local and regional representatives of the BSR countries. Tests of the training programme • Proposal of a multi-level governance label to be launched in the Baltic Sea Region

Lead Applicant The Regional Council in Kalmar County in close cooperation with Region Västerbotten and Sida Baltic Sea Unit