Building a Resilient Future for Eastern EUSBSR Border Regions in EUSBR Annual Forum 2024
04 November 24 4 min read
EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) Annual Forum 2024, held in response to the growing pressures on EU regions bordering Russia and Belarus, brought together experts and leaders to discuss strategies for resilience.
The session, titled Building a Resilient Future for Eastern EUSBSR Border Regions gathered representatives from Eastern border regions, Interreg programs, EUSBSR policy area coordinators, and field experts to address the specific challenges Baltic Sea Region border areas face as a result of geopolitical changes and closed borders with Russia and Belarus. This session served as a continuation of the collaborative efforts among Interreg programmes aimed at supporting eastern border regions.
Moderated and organised by Marko Ruokangas and Monika Balode of Interact, the session featured notable speakers, including Jean-Pierre Halkin of the European Commission. Halkin opened the session and outlined the shift in EU funding priorities, with over €150 million reallocated to Interreg Cross-Border Cooperation (CBC) programs to strengthen these border regions following the suspension of cooperation with Russia and Belarus. Halkin emphasized the strategic importance of these regions in upholding European stability and economic competitiveness.
Regional Insights and National Initiatives
Witold Kielich described the major impacts on Poland’s Warmia-Masuria Voivodeship, such as disrupted cross-border transport, a drop in tourism, and depopulation caused by reduced economic activity. This region has been hit especially hard, as it was already lagging the national average in socio-economic indicators before the war. To address these issues, Warmia-Masuria turned to Interreg Europe’s policy learning platform for peer support, initiating a dedicated peer review project.
Thorsten Kohlisch from Interreg Europe shared early findings from this review, noting that the policy areas most affected from a regional perspective include economic development, security, energy, transport, and social policies. Regional (ERDF/ESF) and national policies were seen as essential tools for tackling these challenges, with cooperation programs playing a valuable supporting role. The peer review is set to be completed with the regions in the first half of 2025.
Anni Salmi discussed Finland’s response to the shifting security and socio-economic conditions along its 1,300-km border with Russia in eastern and northern Finland. The government has implemented targeted programs for these areas and launched a long-term strategy project, the Technical Support Instrument (TSI), in partnership with the OECD and funded by DG Reform. Both initiatives take a long-term view to support future policy planning for the border regions.
Julia Kirsima underscored the varied needs of these regions, advocating for a range of support mechanisms, from mainstream to Interreg and other cooperative programs. In terms of Interreg, Julia suggested that existing programs like Interreg Baltic Sea could be more effective in supporting border regions than entirely new programs. She emphasized the importance of continuing to offer cooperative opportunities for eastern border region beneficiaries.
Liina Luup introduced how the Interreg Central Baltic programme has actively worked to involve new regions and their beneficiaries. For these regions, joining the programme has opened opportunities for new partnerships and a fresh approach to collaboration and integration within the Central Baltic area. Central Baltic has made significant investments in supporting these new regions, including organizing a dedicated call for proposals specifically for them. Early results from this call indicate a strong level of interest from the new regions.
European-Level Support Initiatives
The session brought attention to several initiatives launched for supporting the eastern border regions:
· Interreg Europe Peer Review: A platform enabling all EU regions bordering Russia to exchange strategies on resilience and policy.
· ESPON “Chanebo” Project: A study focused on potential shifts in development for northeast EU border regions, covering Finland, Estonia, and Latvia.
· Catching-Up Initiative: A collaboration between the European Commission and the World Bank aimed at reinforcing resilience in the Baltic states.
This session underscored the importance of a coordinated, multi-level approach in addressing the unique challenges faced by EU’s eastern border regions. By aligning local, national, and EU-level policies, the EUSBSR Annual Forum 2024 reinforced Europe’s commitment to securing resilience and sustainable growth in its border regions among shifting geopolitical dynamics.
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