The Rīga Conference is one of the leading foreign and security policy forums in Northern Europe for world renowned political, intellectual and business leaders to gather and debate on the most acute challenges of the current international agenda. This year the Conference will take place 16-17 September with the aim to provide another round of discussions on an international intellectual…

Exactly 20 years ago, the three Baltic States – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – regained their independence and resumed diplomatic relations with the international community. The anniversary is celebrated in the Baltic States, but also in most Baltic Sea Region countries as they played important and instrumental roles in helping the Baltic people strive for re-establishment of statehood and separation…

The Baltic Times, an independent weekly newspaper that covers latest political, economic, business, and cultural events in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, published an interview with Uffe Ellemann-Jensen about the Baltic Region and the Baltic Development Forum’s annual summit. From his stint as Danish foreign minister in the early 1990s, to his current position as head of the Baltic Development Forum,…

The chairman of BDF, former Danish foreign minister Uffe Ellemann-Jensen, has been presented with the highest national order of Macedonia, the order “September 8”. At a ceremony in Skopje on February 10th, the president of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, said that the order recognizes Uffe Ellemann-Jensen as Macedonia’s great friend, acknowledging his personal contribution in the establishment…

Uffe Ellemann-Jensen was key-note speaker at the informal meeting of the three Baltic Prime Ministers, Valdis Dombrovskis of Latvia (host), Andrus Ansip of Estonia and Andrius Kubilius of Lithuania in Mežotne Palace, Latvia, 21-22 January. The informal meeting was organized in relation to Latvia’s Presidency of the Baltic Council of Ministers and the purpose of the meeting was to discuss…

Uffe Ellemann-Jensen, Chairman of the Baltic Development Forum, participated as key-note speaker in the BSSSC Conference 2009. The BSSSC Annual Conference 2009 under the title “Regions taking the Challenge – Between the EU Baltic Sea Strategy and the UN Climate Summit” was held on 13-15 October in Ringsted, Denmark. In his welcoming speech at the conference Uffe Ellemann-Jensen mentioned that…

BDF Chairman Uffe Ellemann-Jensen today held a speech titled “Leadership for a Sustainable Baltic Sea Region”at the 7th Annual Baltic Management Development Association (BMDA) Conference at Copenhagen Business School. The theme of the Conference was “Leadership responsibility – global outlook and regional sustainability“. Read the speech: Leadership for a Sustainable Baltic Sea Region The global crisis has hit our Baltic…

On Sunday the 10th anniversary Baltic Development Forum will be opened by the Prime Minister of Denmark, Anders Fogh Rasmussen. It is symbolic that we are back where it once began, here in Copenhagen. Ten years ago, the BDF was founded to create a forum for informal exchange of ideas in order to address the challenges of the 1990’s –…

Governance structures in the Baltic Sea Region – a Curable Headache The question of governance and institutional capacity of the Baltic Sea Region’s organizations has become a key issue in the political debate about the future EU strategy for the Baltic Sea Region and implementation of its action plan. At the Baltic Development Forum 2008 Summit, this question will be…

Only a strong EU will give strong regions and a prosperous Baltic Sea Region, and the coming EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region will be a useful tool, said Baltic Development Chairman Uffe Ellemann-Jensen in his dinner address at the opening of the BSSSC Annual Conference 2008 in Kaunas, Lithuania 17 September. At the BSSC – Baltic Sea States…