After a turbulent period of rivalry, since the 1990s and in particular since the enlargement of the European Union in 2004, the Baltic Sea witnessed a dynamic development of international cooperation. Poland was actively involved from the start.

Citizens' security and civil protection; energy supply sources; sea, road and rail connections; the environment and climate change; research and development; innovation; engagement of young people in the region and for the region’s future; and the promotion of the region's tourist attractions — these are just a few of the regional challenges we are trying to tackle. They cannot be resolved by any single country on its own, which is why international collaboration is so important. Poland is exploiting the opportunities offered by classic bilateral diplomacy, but also multilateral cooperation tools, including innovative ones.

The added value of the regional cooperation at the Baltic Sea are the multiple connections of the partners – from the national and local governments as well as from the NGOs, which foster unique networks of experts and enable exchange of information and best practises and common, coordinated actions. The valuable project cooperation complement the intergovernmental political collaboration.     

On the one hand, the Baltic stands for very important partners like Germany and the Baltic and Nordic countries, with which we have been able to establish an extensive network of ties. On the other, it means numerous possibilities offered by several dozen multilateral cooperation structures, such as the Council of the Baltic Sea States, the Northern Dimension, the HELCOM Helsinki Commission, the Committee on Spatial Development of the Baltic Sea Region (VASAB), the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference, the Baltic Sea States Subregional Co-operation (BSSSC), and the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region.

New challenges in the international politics as well as the changing situation in the Baltic Sea region influence the shape and scope of the regional cooperation, which undergoes modifications. The reform of the Council of the Baltic Sea States, which ended in May 2020, is a good example. The goal of the reform was to increase its political relevance, efficiency and synergy with other organizations in the region. In the context of the Baltic Sea region, it is important for Poland, that a Polish diplomat, Ambassador Grzegorz Marek Poznański is as of 1st September 2020 Director General of the CBSS Secretariat in Stockholm.

The Russian aggression against Ukraine, which Russia started in February 2022, has serious implications for regional cooperation: Russia and Belarus, which supported Russian actions against Ukraine, have been suspended from all regional organisations. Most of them, as CBSS and BSPC, are determined to continue the cooperation. Other, as Northern Dimension or Arctic Council, will assess, which activities will be possible in the current situation without Russian and Belarussian partners. All organisations are faced with a challenge to define anew the scope of activity in new circumstances, but a common belief prevails, that both the results of foregoing cooperation, as well as common, trans-border challenges are strong arguments for continuing the regional cooperation in the Baltic Sea region and make further work for its development and integration possible.

Declaration by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland and Sweden and the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on the participation by the Russian Federation and Belarus in the work of the Council of the Baltic Sea States

 2015-2016 Poland chaired the CBSS. You can read more about the priorities of our Presidency and its achievements in a dedicated report.

Polish diplomacy wants to play a role in shaping the rich Baltic cooperation offering and to make the full use of it. We thus want to create a friendly environment for action not only by relevant ministries and state actors, but also local government authorities, local institutions, public benefit organisations, academia, and business.

This is why Poland hosted the 10th Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region. The event was organized on 12-13 June 2019 in Gdańsk and focused on circular and sharing economy in the context of demographic changes and environmental challenges. You can read more about the Forum in a dedicated report.

On the occasion of the EUSBSR jubilee, the Polish Ministry for Foreign Affairs prepared an anniversary publication “Better together. 10 years of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region”. It highlights the results achieved during the past 10 years to save the Baltic Sea and to make the region more prosperous, innovative and better connected.  

In 2015-2016 Poland also chaired the meetings of the EUSBSR National Coordinators. You can read more about the highlights of our Chairmanship in a concluding report.

Being Poland's immediate neighbourhood, cultural and natural wealth, and a place with a particularly rich history and enormous development potential, the Baltic deserves utmost attention and a permanent focus of Polish diplomacy and administration.