In the context of the EU funded project “Improving Cooperation in South-East Europe by Actions for Strengthening the Regional Cooperation Council” a group of CEI and RCC representatives paid a visit to the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) in Stockholm on 3-4 September 2012.
The aim of the meeting was to deepen the knowledge about the procedural and structural aspects of work of the CBSS and the relations in the Baltic macro-region, as a possible input for enhancing cooperation in South-East Europe. The CBSS structure and priority sectors were presented, with special attention to CBSS inter-governmental cooperation between the EU and the non-EU Member States and its coherence with the EU policies towards the region. In this respect, the involvement of the CBSS in the European Strategy for the Baltic Region and its role in shaping the current and the future EU macro-region strategy was also highlighted.
Furthermore, some CBSS flagship initiatives were introduced, such as the Task Force against Trafficking in Human Beings and Children Protection, and the “Baltic 21”, a multi-stakeholder forum for sustainable development dealing with environment issues.
The study visit also included the presentation of the structure and activities of the Northern Dimension Partnership in Public Health and Social Well-Being.
Moreover, peer to peer meetings that were held enabled RCC and CBSS experts to exchange views and experiences in their respective areas of expertise.
The project “Improving Cooperation in South-East Europe by Actions for Strengthening the Regional Cooperation Council”, managed by the CEI, supports regional cohesion in South East Europe and the EU enlargement process, through strengthening the RCC Secretariat. The project is financed by the European Union through the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance – IPA Regional Programme 2010.
For information: birnbaum@cei.int