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The welcome addresses at the forum will be delivered by the Prime Minister of Latvia, Laimdota Straujuma; Ministry of Foreign Affairs Parliamentary State Secretary for EU Affairs Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica, Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, and the Mayor of Jūrmala City Gatis Truksnis. The Prime Minister of Lithuania, Algirdas Butkevičius, the European Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis and the Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, Carlos Moedas will also speak at the event.
With approximately 550 participants, this is going to be one of the largest events during Latvian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
The main themes of the forum are the future of the Strategy, the Baltic Sea Region’s competitiveness and improved e-connectivity. During the forum, a Networking Village will be held with participation of many organisations from the region. Ten parallel sessions will also be held, addressing the funding of projects, youth mobility, maritime and coastal tourism, social inclusiveness, the energy market, communications, culture, science, spatial planning and healthcare.
The annual forum will be a significant event for experts, public officials, business people, NGO members, students, university lecturers and other stakeholders from the Baltic Sea Region – Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, , Poland and Sweden. The annual forum will provide an excellent opportunity for discussing the shared challenges, analysing the achievements of the Strategy and planning its future implementation.
For information:
Following the Communication from the European Commission in 2009, the Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region was approved by the European Council. The Strategy offers a unified and coordinated structure for improving the environmental conditions of the sea, removing transportation bottlenecks, developing the interconnections of power networks, as well as promoting a competitive cross-border market and the development of a joint network for research and innovation.
The Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region is the EU’s first macro-regional strategy and involves 85 million people (17% from the total EU population) in eight Member States: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Sweden. It was an excellent model to follow when devising strategies for the Danube region and the Adriatic-Ionian Sea region. Currently a regional strategy is being developed for the Alps.
Notice to the media:
To participate in the forum, members of the media are invited to register on website of the Latvian Presidency of the EU Council - https://eu2015.lv/media-eu/accreditation
The opening, closing and plenary sessions will be broadcast live at the website of the Latvian Presidency
For any changes in the programme, please follow Twitter @EUSBSR
