European Union Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region Inputs from the Norden Association in Sweden

Introduction

The Norden Associations are NGOs with the aim to promote and develop the co-operation between the five countries and three autonomous regions that Norden consists of. These are Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Greenland, Faroe islands and the Aaland islands. The NGOs were founded in 1919 and are politically independent.

The co-operation within the Nordic region today takes place on all possible levels from the grass rot level with school classes and choirs to the well integrated business community with companies such as for example Nordea and Telia Sonera or the political co-operation in the Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers. Most of the co-operation we see today has been initiated by the Norden Associations.

Our experiences tells us that long lasting co-operation needs to be built from the grass rot level, involving the whole society and be a natural part in peoples daily life. This is where we are today in the Nordic region. The Baltic Sea region has the advantage of being a close neighbour to the Nordic region and with a lot of present and historical ties as prerequisites to a more integrated and closer co-operation.

Key issues to be addressed

What relation would we, in the Nordic countries like to have with our neighbours on the other side of the Baltic Sea? Should the aim be to have the same relations within the Baltic Sea region as within Norden today?

Today we have four different types of relations in the Baltic Sea region. The one within the Nordic countries, the one within EU, the one within NATO and the bilateral relations with Russia and between the other Baltic Sea countries.

Having a common history of closer relations between people around the Baltic Sea compared with today there is a hope for something more then what is offered by NATO and EU. To simplify NATO is focusing on security and EU on economic growth. What remains to do is more of daily connections between people in private life as well as in professional life.

What relations would the Russians like to have with its neighbours around the Baltic Sea?

This is a perspective very selldom brought up in the discussions on the future Baltic Sea cooperation. The Norden Association in Sweden have ten years of experiences working in Russia and our opinion is that people in particular in the northwest part of Russia in general would like to have a much more developed relation with its neighbours in the other parts of the Baltic Sea region compared with today, both on private as well as on business level.

What needs to be done

A Baltic Sea strategy needs to include Russia but also the Nordic countries not yet members of the European Union.

There is no relevance in a Baltic Sea strategy with just the EU members in the region. First of all Russia is a part of the Baltic Sea region and also a crusial partner for stability, economic growth environment etc. Secondly it would be a waste not using the long experience within the co-operation between the Nordic countries for the further development of the Baltic Sea co-operation. Thirdly the Baltic Sea Region is closely related to the Barents region and is in a natural way connected. Norway and Iceland are not members of EU but together with Sweden, Finland and Russia members of the Barents co-operation.

One of the focuses of the strategy needs to be the co-operation between the civil societies, people to people co-operation.

For the further development of the European Union there is a well known fact that there is a need of more involvment among its citizens. The cooperation between the Nordic countries is a very good example of a well functioning “bottom-up” co-operation. Make use of the experiences and let the Baltic Sea co-operation be an example for other regions within EU and between EU and neighboring countries.

Sincerely yours,

The Norden Association in Sweden