On 6 December, the Government of Latvia and Baltic Development Forum signed a memorandum of understanding regarding the 15th Baltic Development Forum Summit to take place 29-30 May 2013 in Riga. The memorandum was signed by Minister of Economy, Mr. Pavluts, and Director of BDF, Mr. Brask. Today, we are signing a document that sends a clear signal – the…

2013 will be a busy year for BDF, having planned two major events: the 15th Annual BDF Summit will be held in Riga 29-30 May 2013 and an October Water Conference 2013. Therefore, we are seeking a dedicated intern for the duration of five to six months beginning February 2013. Internship description You will be working full-time at the Secretariat…

BDF and Chairman Hans Skov Christensen has visited most parts of the region and beyond during 2012: Hamburg, Lübeck, Pskov, Stockholm, Helsinki, Malmo, Oslo, Brussels, Strasbourg, Tallinn, Riga, Lilleström, Karlskrona, Kiel, Berlin, St. Petersburg, Turku, Malmo. During the most recent visits Hans Skov Christensen had meetings with State Secretary Wolfgang Schmidt, responsible for Federal, EU and International Affairs in the…

“In the continuing work for a cleaner Baltic Sea it is not enough that local, regional and national authorities act. Therefore I urge private players to take part by developing solutions and suggestions witch in the long run can lead to a cleaner Baltic Sea,” says Ida Auken, Danish Minister for the Environment as a call for a fruitful dialogue on the…

This week the Russian Federal Assembly hosted the 21st conference of the Baltic Sea region Parliamentarians at the regional assembly of St. Petersburg in the beautiful Mariinsky Palace. The topic of the meeting was energy, ecology, and social welfare: cooperation for a sustainable development of the Baltic Sea region. Baltic Development Forum’s Director Hans Brask was invited as a speaker…

The Russian Federation takes over of the chairmanship of CBSS (Council of the Baltic Sea States) 1 July 2012 which gives both the Baltic Sea Region and the EU a real opportunity to synchronize efforts for tighter co-operation regarding future projects and for creating visible reinforcement of the organization. An interim report from Center of cross-border Interregional Cooperation, Saint-Petersburg branch of…

Latvia´s Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis is a cautious optimist regarding the future economic growth in the Baltic States – especially Latvia. At a high-level roundtable discussion at the Baltic Development Forum´s  new premises Dombrovskis underlined that cooperation, business and trade in the Baltic Sea Region – plus a high ability to absorb EU regional funds – have made it possible for Latvia to…

The idea to build a brand for the Baltic Sea Region has been around for some time now. In this article, published in a special edition of KULTURHAUS BERLIN’s newsletter marking the 20-year celebration of the Council of Baltic Sea States, Hans Brask and Marcus Andersson discuss challenges and opportunities with regard to the branding of the region. After the…

With the adoption of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, the region is playing a new role within the EU. The Baltic Sea Region has become a testing ground for regional policies and strategies that can help bring about sustainable growth and a more dynamic integration process of the EU. Baltic Development Forum is at the forefront of…

On 24 November the final event of BaltMet Promo took place in Warsaw. The event, which was hosted by the City of Warsaw, summed up the results from the two-year EU-funded project, working to promote the Baltic Sea region to foreign markets in order to attract more investments, tourists and talents to the region. BDF is a project partner in…