Report - The implementation of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea region

The EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, endorsed by the European Council in October 2009, responds to the key challenges facing the Region, which no country can solve on its own. It provides a focused macro-regional framework for improving the environmental condition of the Baltic Sea. The Strategy addresses, among other concerns, transport bottlenecks at the external borders, insufficient energy interconnections and the challenges arising from increased oil transportation at sea. Through a detailed Action Plan, it sets out 15 Priority Areas and 80 concrete Flagship Projects across the four pillars ‘Environment’, ‘Prosperity’, ‘Accessibility’ and ‘Safety and Security’. The Northern Dimension, a common policy of the EU, Russia, Norway and Iceland, provides the basis for external cooperation on the Strategy.