At the beginning of July 2024, Poland took over the Presidency of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) from Latvia. The Polish Presidency remains committed to ensuring efficient implementation of the three overall objectives of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region: “Save the Sea”, “Connect the Region” and “Increase Prosperity”. Taking into account the situation in the region, the questions related to strengthening security and resilience in the Baltic Sea region will be high on the agenda as well.
For the upcoming 12 months, Poland will lead the work on overall strategic guidance, facilitation of decision-making and coordination of the National Coordinators Group of the EUSBSR with support from the European Commission and the Baltic Sea Strategy Point.
The Polish presidency will also make every effort to increase Ukraine’s involvement in actions implemented under the Strategy, searching for various forms of support for this country. It is of high importance to ensure the smooth implementation of the EUSBSR Action Plan and to tailor the document to current challenges aced by the Baltic Sea region and the needs of the Strategy’s stakeholders.
During the presidency, important steps regarding the content of the future action plan will take place. The update process will focus first and foremost on the Policy Areas and their actions and indicators for the upcoming years. The National Coordinators Group have already discussed the updated action plan in detail, which is planned to come into force in 2026. In this line, by the end of this year, each Policy Area Steering Group of the EUSBSR approves the draft actions for their respective Policy Area after which the National Coordinators Group will evaluate these plans.
In particular, the Polish presidency would like to ensure the inclusive nature of cooperation within the Strategy, continue well-functioning governance and ensure measurability of the Strategy’s actions, as well as enhance external communication and visibility of the Strategy.
The Polish presidency will last until 30 June 2025, and several important EUSBSR events will take place during this time, such as the 32nd Baltic Sea States Subregional Co-operation (BSSSC) Annual Conference will take place on 19-20 September in Kiel, Germany and the EUSBSR Annual Forum and Engagement Day that will be held on 29-31 October 2024 in Visby, Sweden.
Furthermore, in the second half of the presidency, discussions about the post-2027 Cohesion Policy will most likely accelerate, which will also determine the future of macro-regional strategies. Therefore, under the auspices of the Polish Presidency, it may also be necessary for the EUSBSR to prepare a joint strategic document on the subject.
