The Baltic 21 Eco Region Project

Programme 2007 - 2013 Baltic Sea Region

Date of latest update: 2021-04-06

Description

Description (EN):

The EcoRegion project was developed in the years 2007/2008 and finally implemented between 2009- 2011 in order to contribute to the aim of Baltic 21 to turn the Baltic Sea Region into the world’s first EcoRegion, where economic growth goes hand in hand with environmental integrity and social justice. The transnational project – co-financed by the ERDF BSR Programme 2007-2013 - was based on the unique multi-stakeholder network of Baltic 21, which was established for the realisation of the “Agenda 21 for the Baltic Sea Region” and has by now been integrated into the Council of Baltic Sea States (CBSS) as the “CBSS Expert Group for Sustainable Development – Baltic 21”.The EcoRegion project was led by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety of Germany, which holds the chair of CBSS – Baltic 21 in 2011/2012. The project is a Baltic 21 Lighthouse project which means that it is considered a highvisibility project with the clear aim of developing and testing practical solutions for sustainability in the Baltic Sea Region. In addition, EcoRegion built on the Aalborg Commitments which had been developed in 2004 by local governments throughout the EU in order to reinforce their Local Agenda 21 processes. By signing them, authorities agree to define clear targets and implement concrete actions in 10 different fields relevant for sustainable development. All project activities and resulting outputs were based on the combined expertise matching different sectoral perspectives with practical experience from regional actors both from urban as well as rural areas covering both the Western as well as Eastern Baltic Sea Region. The cooperation process was fostered by a series of structured transnational workshops, study visits and focus groups, where EcoRegion partners engaged in various forms of collaboration in order to develop EcoRegion outputs such as: a) Sustainability measures at regional level b) Publication of EcoRegion Perspectives c) Collection of EcoRegion Good Practices d) Development of the Baltic 21 mandate and the CBSS Strategy on Sustainable Development 2010-2015 e) EcoRegion policy recommendations

Achievements (EN):

Sustainability management and measures in selected BSR regions The technique of cyclical, integrated, regional sustainable development management is new and complex, with only little practical experience available. Thus, all 10 model EcoRegions participated in a capacity building programme designed to strengthen their sustainable development management on a regional level. In a sequential series of joint transnational workshops participants were introduced to the “Integrated Sustainability Management Cycle”, which is based on baseline review, target setting, political commitment and implementation. These workshops were supplemented by individual seminars within each model EcoRegion. Also each model EcoRegion started with the realisation of a selected set of priority sustainable development measures, in which they integrated experience and new ideas from the exchange process with their fellow model regions as well as from good practices collected and assessed by the sectoral experts. EcoRegion Good Practice Database EcoRegion partners have systematically collected, evaluated and documented information on existing good practices at the regional level and stored it in the EcoRegion Good Practice Database (www.baltic-ecoregion.eu). EcoRegion perspectives With the publication of the series of five “EcoRegion Perspectives”, EcoRegion presented selected sustainable development topics from various points of view, i.e. EU/BSR policy level, different sectors and differing regions (urban/rural; Western/Eastern). All Perspectives are available as freely accessible downloads on the EcoRegion website. Developing a Strategy for Sustainable Development – CBSS Baltic 21 In 2010, Baltic 21 became an integral part of CBSS. Within this context, EcoRegion contributed to defining the new Baltic 21 structure and actions. EcoRegion contributed to setting up these strategic areas of cooperation. Through studies – together with a stakeholder event organised in the framework of EcoRegion – a basis for the development of the CBSS Strategy on Sustainable Development 2010- 2015 was built, which was adopted by the CBSS Committee of Senior Officials (CSO) on 26 January 2011. EcoRegion policy recommendations The EcoRegion policy recommendations and the resulting “Gdynia Declaration” were prepared to give key input into the discussion on future priority areas, measures and actions within the Baltic Sea Region, especially in view of the realisation of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region. The recommendations indicate fields for future policy actions based on experience gained, gaps and needs encountered by project partners, while implementing project activities. The recommendations focus on the topics of: • Integrated management of natural resources • Access and mobility • Renewable energy • Sustainable food systems • Sustainability in tourism • Youth, democracy and culture.

Website (not verified): http://eu.baltic.net/

Thematic information

Sustainable management of natural resources Institutional cooperation and cooperation networks Regional planning and development

Partners (22)

Lead Partner: Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz und Reaktorsicherheit (BMU)

Address: Alexanderstrasse 3, 10178 Berlin, Germany

Legal status: n/a

Tallinn Linn

Name: Tallinn Linn

Address: Vabaduse Square 7, 15198 Tallinn, Estonia

Legal status: n/a

Lahden Seudun Ympäristöpalvelut

Name: Lahden Seudun Ympäristöpalvelut

Address: Vesijärvenkatu 27, 15140 Lahti, Finland

Legal status: n/a

Kronobergs län

Name: Kronobergs län

Address: Länstyrelsen i Kronobergs län, 35186 Växjö, Sweden

Legal status: n/a

CBSS Secretariat (Baltic 21 Secretariat)

Name: CBSS Secretariat (Baltic 21 Secretariat)

Address: P.O. Box 2010 , 103 11 Stockholm, Sweden

Legal status: n/a

Växjö kommun

Name: Växjö kommun

Address: Västra esplanaden 18, 35112 Växjö, Sweden

Legal status: n/a

Utdanningsdirektoratet

Name: Utdanningsdirektoratet

Address: Postboks 2924 Tøyen, 608 Oslo, Norway

Legal status: n/a

Fylke Akershus

Name: Fylke Akershus

Address: Postboks 1200 Sentrum, 107 Oslo, Norway

Legal status: n/a

Rīgas pilsēta

Name: Rīgas pilsēta

Address: Rātslaukums 1, 1050 Riga, Latvia

Legal status: n/a

Kauno miesto savivaldybė

Name: Kauno miesto savivaldybė

Address: L. Sapiegos str. 4, 44501 Kaunas, Lithuania

Legal status: n/a

Uniwersytet Gdański

Name: Uniwersytet Gdański

Address: Bazynskiego 1a, 80-952 Gdańsk, Poland

Legal status: n/a

Instytut Morski w Gdańsku

Name: Instytut Morski w Gdańsku

Address: Długi Targ 41/42, 80-830 Gdańsk, Poland

Legal status: n/a

Göteborgs Universitet, Institutet för globala studier

Name: Göteborgs Universitet, Institutet för globala studier

Address: Box 700, 40530 Göteborg, Sweden

Legal status: n/a

Östersjöuniversitetet, Uppsala Universitet

Name: Östersjöuniversitetet, Uppsala Universitet

Address: Villavägen 16, 75236 Uppsala, Sweden

Legal status: n/a

Region Sjælland

Name: Region Sjælland

Address: Alléen 15, 4180 Sorø, Denmark

Legal status: n/a

Landwirtschaftskammer Niedersachsen

Name: Landwirtschaftskammer Niedersachsen

Address: Mars-la-Tour-Straße 1-13, 26121 Oldenburg, Germany

Legal status: n/a

Landkreis Soltau-Fallingbostel

Name: Landkreis Soltau-Fallingbostel

Address: Winsener Straße 17, 29614 Soltau, Germany

Legal status: n/a

Julius Kühn-Institute (JKI)

Name: Julius Kühn-Institute (JKI)

Address: Bundesallee 50, 38116 Braunschweig, Germany

Legal status: n/a

Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Universität Greifswald

Name: Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Universität Greifswald

Address: Makarenkostr. 22, 17487 Greifswald, Germany

Legal status: n/a

Gemeinde Wieck/Darß

Name: Gemeinde Wieck/Darß

Address: Chausseestraße 68a, 18375 Born/Darß, Germany

Legal status: n/a

Landkreis Ludwigslust

Name: Landkreis Ludwigslust

Address: Garnisionsstraße 1, 19288 Ludwigslust, Germany

Legal status: n/a

Skogsstyrelsen

Name: Skogsstyrelsen

Address: Vallgatan 8, 55183 Jönköping, Sweden

Legal status: n/a

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The Baltic 21 Eco Region Project

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Partners (22)

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