France and the Security Challenges in the Baltic Sea Region
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Accessibility of the Baltic Sea Region Past and Future Dynamics Research Report
Accessibility of the Baltic Sea Region Past and future dynamics Research report This report has been written by Spiekermann & Wegener Urban and Regional Research on the behalf of VASAB Secretariat at Latvian State Regional Development Agency Final Report, November 2018 Authors Tomasz Komornicki, Klaus Spiekermann Spiekermann & Wegener Urban and Regional Research Lindemannstraße 10 D-44137 Dortmund, Germany 2 Contents Page 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 3 2 Accessibility potential in the BSR 2006-2016 ........................................................................... 5 2.1 The context of past accessibility changes ........................................................................... 5 2.2 Accessibility potential by road ........................................................................................... 13 2.3 Accessibility potential by rail .............................................................................................. 17 2.4 Accessibility potential by air .............................................................................................. 21 2.5 Accessibility potential, multimodal ..................................................................................... 24 3. Accessibility to opportunities ................................................................................................... 28 3.1 Accessibility to regional centres ....................................................................................... -
Region Building and Identity Formation in the Baltic Sea Region
IJIS Volume 3 REGION BUILDING AND IDENTITY FORMATION IN THE BALTIC SEA REGION ∗ Imke Schäfer Abstract This paper examines the concept of “new region building” in the Baltic Sea region with emphasis on the construction of a collective “Baltic” identity. Possible implications of these processes on Russia as a non-EU member state are discussed. Region building around the Baltic Sea is conceptualised within the framework of social constructivism, and a connection between region building and identity formation is established. Furthermore, an attempt is made to shed light on the way in which a “Baltic identity” is promoted in the region. By means of a short discourse analysis, certain characteristics of the Baltic Sea region are discovered that are promoted as the basis for a regional identity by various regional actors. The impact of these characteristics on relations between Russia, the EU and the other Baltic Sea states are examined and conclusions are drawn in relation to the region building processes in the Baltic Sea area. INTRODUCTION Cooperation in the Baltic Sea region (BSR) has prospered since the independence of the Baltic States in the beginning of the 1990s. Several programmes and initiatives have been established, such as the Northern Dimension initiative (ND), the Council of Baltic Sea States (CBSS) or the Baltic Sea States Subregional Cooperation (BSSSC). The EU actively supports cooperation in this region. In 1997, at the Luxembourg European Council, Finland’s Northern Dimension initiative (ND) was recognized as part of the -
The Three Seas Initiative
Updated April 26, 2021 The Three Seas Initiative The Three Seas Initiative (3SI) is a regional effort in According to EU data, the 3SI region remains less well-off Europe to expand cross-border energy, transportation, and economically compared with the rest of the EU; the 3SI digital infrastructure and boost economic development in countries together comprise just under 30% of EU territory the area between the Adriatic Sea, Baltic Sea, and Black and 22% of its population but account for 10% of the EU’s Sea. Twelve countries (Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the gross domestic product (the EU data predate Brexit and so Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, include the United Kingdom). Infrastructure gaps are Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia), all of which are considered a factor behind regional economic disparities. members of the European Union (EU), participate in the According to EU data, road and rail travel in the 3SI region 3SI (see Figure 1). take, on average, roughly two to four times longer than comparable travel in the rest of the EU. The U.S. government, including some Members of Congress, have indicated strong backing for the 3SI. In Figure 1. Three Seas Initiative November 2020, the House of Representatives passed a bipartisan resolution “expressing support of the Three Seas Initiative in its efforts to increase energy independence and infrastructure connectivity thereby strengthening the United States and European national security” (H.Res. 672, 116th Congress). Officials from the Biden Administration and the Trump Administration have expressed diplomatic support for the 3SI, and high-level U.S. officials (including then- President Trump in 2017) have joined its annual summits. -
The Baltic Sea Region the Baltic Sea Region
TTHEHE BBALALTTICIC SSEAEA RREGIONEGION Cultures,Cultures, Politics,Politics, SocietiesSocieties EditorEditor WitoldWitold MaciejewskiMaciejewski A Baltic University Publication A chronology of the history 7 of the Baltic Sea region Kristian Gerner 800-1250 Vikings; Early state formation and Christianization 800s-1000s Nordic Vikings dominate the Baltic Region 919-1024 The Saxon German Empire 966 Poland becomes Christianized under Mieszko I 988 Kiev Rus adopts Christianity 990s-1000s Denmark Christianized 999 The oldest record on existence of Gdańsk Cities and towns During the Middle Ages cities were small but they grew in number between 1200-1400 with increased trade, often in close proximity to feudal lords and bishops. Lübeck had some 20,000 inhabitants in the 14th and 15th centuries. In many cities around the Baltic Sea, German merchants became very influential. In Swedish cities tensions between Germans and Swedes were common. 1000s Sweden Christianized 1000s-1100s Finland Christianized. Swedish domination established 1025 Boleslaw I crowned King of Poland 1103-1104 A Nordic archbishopric founded in Lund 1143 Lübeck founded (rebuilt 1159 after a fire) 1150s-1220s Denmark dominates the Baltic Region 1161 Visby becomes a “free port” and develops into an important trade center 1100s Copenhagen founded (town charter 1254) 1100s-1200s German movement to the East 1200s Livonia under domination of the Teutonic Order 1200s Estonia and Livonia Christianized 1201 Riga founded by German bishop Albert 1219 Reval/Tallinn founded by Danes ca 1250 -
Eastern Gulf of Finland-1
Template for Submission of Information, including Traditional Knowledge, to Describe Areas Meeting Scientific Criteria for Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas EASTERN GULF OF FINLAND Abstract The area is a shallow (mean 24 m, max 95 m deep) archipelago area in the northeastern Baltic Sea. It is characterized by hundreds of small islands and skerries, coastal lagoons and boreal narrow inlets, as well as a specific geomorphology, with clear signs from the last glaciation. Due to the low salinity (0- 5 permille), the species composition is a mixture of freshwater and marine organisms, and especially diversity of aquatic plants is high, Many marine species, including habitat forming key species such as bladderwrack (Fucus vesiculosus) and blue mussel (Mytilus trossulus), live on the edge of their geographical distribution limits, which makes them vulnerable to human disturbance and effects of climate change. The area has a rich birdlife and supports one of the most important populations of the ringed seal (Pusa hispida botnica), an endangered species. Introduction to the area The proposed area (Fig. 1 & 2) is situated on the north-eastern part of the Gulf of Finland, in the Baltic Sea, which is the largest brackish water area in the World. The proposed area is an archipelago with hundreds of small islands and skerries, coastal lagoons and boreal narrow inlets, as well as a specific geomorphology, with clear signs from the last glaciation (ca. 18.000 – 9.000 BP). Coastal areas freeze over still freeze over every winter for at least a few weeks. The scenery in the area ranges from sheltered inner archipelago with lagoons, shallow bays and boreal inlets, through middle archipelago, with few larger islands, to wave exposed outer archipelago with open sea, small islands and skerries. -
1. Introduction
UNCLASSIFIED/UNLIMITED 1. Introduction he coastal and shelf zones of the Black Sea are a mosaic of complex, interacting ecosystems with immense economic significance, rich natural resources and ecological communities, T and concentrated human activities. They contain biologically productive, diverse ecosystems that provide a vital habitat for many commercial and endangered species. Until recently, the Black Sea supported fisheries almost five times richer than those of the neighboring Mediterranean. The Black Sea is of global interest on several levels. First, it has experienced the worst envi- ronmental degradation of all of the world’s oceans. The situation has become so severe that it has affected the health, well being, and standard of living of the people in the immediate area. Second, most of the six coastal countries—Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine—have unstable or collapsed economies. About 160 million people live in the Black Sea catchment basin, including 80 million only in the Danube River basin. Although international agreements, strategic plans, and national environmental programs are in place, these severe economical problems have significantly slowed environmental monitoring, remediation, and restoration efforts. The maps in Figure 1 show the geographical location of the Black Sea region, its six coastal countries, and its catchment basin. The Black Sea’s surface area is 423,000 km2, one-fifth that of the Mediterranean, its total volume is 547,000 km3, and its maximum depth is around 2,200 m. The northwestern shelf, less than 200 m deep and occupying ~25% of the total area, receives discharges of Europe’s three largest rivers, the Danube, Dniepr, and Don, and also the Dniestr and Kuban rivers. -
Defence Policy and the Armed Forces During the Pandemic Herunterladen
1 2 3 2020, Toms Rostoks and Guna Gavrilko In cooperation with the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung With articles by: Thierry Tardy, Michael Jonsson, Dominic Vogel, Elisabeth Braw, Piotr Szyman- ski, Robin Allers, Paal Sigurd Hilde, Jeppe Trautner, Henri Vanhanen and Kalev Stoicesku Language editing: Uldis Brūns Cover design and layout: Ieva Stūre Printed by Jelgavas tipogrāfija Cover photo: Armīns Janiks All rights reserved © Toms Rostoks and Guna Gavrilko © Authors of the articles © Armīns Janiks © Ieva Stūre © Uldis Brūns ISBN 978-9984-9161-8-7 4 Contents Introduction 7 NATO 34 United Kingdom 49 Denmark 62 Germany 80 Poland 95 Latvia 112 Estonia 130 Finland 144 Sweden 160 Norway 173 5 Toms Rostoks is a senior researcher at the Centre for Security and Strategic Research at the National Defence Academy of Latvia. He is also associate professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Univer- sity of Latvia. 6 Introduction Toms Rostoks Defence spending was already on the increase in most NATO and EU member states by early 2020, when the coronavirus epi- demic arrived. Most European countries imposed harsh physical distancing measures to save lives, and an economic downturn then ensued. As the countries of Europe and North America were cau- tiously trying to open up their economies in May 2020, there were questions about the short-term and long-term impact of the coro- navirus pandemic, the most important being whether the spread of the virus would intensify after the summer. With the number of Covid-19 cases rapidly increasing in September and October and with no vaccine available yet, governments in Europe began to impose stricter regulations to slow the spread of the virus. -
Deterring Russian Aggression in the Baltic States Through Resilience and Resistance
Research Report C O R P O R A T I O N STEPHEN J. FLANAGAN, JAN OSBURG, ANIKA BINNENDIJK, MARTA KEPE, ANDREW RADIN Deterring Russian Aggression in the Baltic States Through Resilience and Resistance Introduction The governments and citizens of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania—the Baltic states—are subject to daily Russian strategic information operations and propaganda activities that are part of campaigns designed to undermine trust in their institutions, foment ethnic and social tensions, and erode confidence in North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) KEY FINDINGS collective defense commit- ■ Total Defense and Unconventional Warfare (TD/UW) techniques and ments. These three countries forces can support deterrence, early warning, de-escalation, defense are also vulnerable to low-level, against invading forces, and liberation from occupation during the hybrid, and full-scale attacks by course of a hybrid or conventional conflict. Russian special operations and ■ Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are committed to enhancing the size and regular military forces deployed capabilities of their national guards and reserve forces and increasing close to their borders. In light whole-of society resilience and resistance efforts. All three countries of these concerns, and given are improving and expanding their small special operations forces. the imbalance between Russian ■ The United States, other NATO allies and partners, and the European and NATO conventional forces Union could take further concrete steps to support the development deployed in the Baltic region, of Baltic TD/UW capabilities by strengthening cooperation on crisis these governments and others management, intelligence sharing, civilian resilience, and countering Russian information warfare and hybrid attacks. -
Renewables in Cities 2021 Global Status Report Renewables in Cities • 2021 Global Status Report
RENEWABLES IN CITIES 2021 GLOBAL STATUS REPORT RENEWABLES IN CITIES • 2021 GLOBAL STATUS REPORT REN21 MEMBERS INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS INTER-GOVERNMENTAL NGOS Africa Minigrid Developers Association Association Africaine pour (AMDA) ORGANISATIONS l'Electrification Rurale (Club-ER) Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE) Asia Pacific Energy Research Centre CLASP (APERC) American Council on Renewable Clean Cooking Alliance (CCA) Asian Development Bank (ADB) Energy (ACORE) Climate Action Network International Associação Portuguesa de Energias ECOWAS Centre for Renewable (CAN-I) Renováveis (APREN) Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) Coalition de Ciudades Capitales Association for Renewable Energy of de las Americas (CC35) European Commission (EC) Lusophone Countries (ALER) Energy Cities Global Environment Facility (GEF) Chinese Renewable Energy Industries Euroheat & Power (EHP) Association (CREIA) International Energy Agency (IEA) Fundación Energías Renovables (FER) Clean Energy Council (CEC) International Renewable Energy Global 100% Renewable Energy European Renewable Energies Agency (IRENA) Federation (EREF) Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Global Forum on Sustainable Energy (GFSE) Global Off-Grid Lighting Association Regional Center for Renewable Energy (GOGLA) and Energy Efficiency (RCREEE) Global Women's Network for the Energy Transition (GWNET) Global Solar Council (GSC) United Nations Development Greenpeace International Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) Programme (UNDP) United Nations Environment ICLEI – Local Governments for Indian -
North Atlantic and Nordic Defense Situation
North European and North Atlantic Defense: The Challenges Return 10/31/17 Shaping a Way Ahead for Deterrence in Depth This report is based on interviews in the UK, Canada, Norway and Denmark with regard to the evolving North Atlantic and Nordic defense situation. The report highlights the impact of Russian strategy and actions on the region and the challenges to shaping an effective deterrent strategy. North European and North Atlantic Defense: The Challenges Return North European and North Atlantic Defense: The Challenges Return SHAPING A WAY AHEAD FOR DETERRENCE IN DEPTH Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 5 Nordic Perspectives ............................................................................................................................... 7 Defining the Challenges and Shaping a Way Ahead ...................................................................................... 7 The Perspective of the Norwegian Defense Minister ..................................................................................... 10 The Norwegian Deputy Defense Minister on Reshaping Norwegian Defense: Meeting 21st Century Challenges ..................................................................................................................................................... 15 Norway, National Defense and Allied Collaboration: The Next Phase ......................................................... 17 A Norwegian Perspective -
Revised Sequence Stratigraphy of the Ordovician of Baltoscandia …………………………………………… 20 Druzhinina, O
Baltic Stratigraphical Association Department of Geology, Faculty of Geography and Earth Sciences, University of Latvia Natural History Museum of Latvia THE EIGHTH BALTIC STRATIGRAPHICAL CONFERENCE ABSTRACTS Edited by E. Lukševičs, Ģ. Stinkulis and J. Vasiļkova Rīga, 2011 The Eigth Baltic Stratigraphical Conference 28 August – 1 September 2011, Latvia Abstracts Edited by E. Lukševičs, Ģ. Stinkulis and J. Vasiļkova Scientific Committee: Organisers: Prof. Algimantas Grigelis (Vilnius) Baltic Stratigraphical Association Dr. Olle Hints (Tallinn) Department of Geology, University of Latvia Dr. Alexander Ivanov (St. Petersburg) Natural History Museum of Latvia Prof. Leszek Marks (Warsaw) Northern Vidzeme Geopark Prof. Tõnu Meidla (Tartu) Dr. Jonas Satkūnas (Vilnius) Prof. Valdis Segliņš (Riga) Prof. Vitālijs Zelčs (Chairman, Riga) Recommended reference to this publication Ceriņa, A. 2011. Plant macrofossil assemblages from the Eemian-Weichselian deposits of Latvia and problems of their interpretation. In: Lukševičs, E., Stinkulis, Ģ. and Vasiļkova, J. (eds). The Eighth Baltic Stratigraphical Conference. Abstracts. University of Latvia, Riga. P. 18. The Conference has special sessions of IGCP Project No 591 “The Early to Middle Palaeozoic Revolution” and IGCP Project No 596 “Climate change and biodiversity patterns in the Mid-Palaeozoic (Early Devonian to Late Carboniferous)”. See more information at http://igcl591.org. Electronic version can be downloaded at www.geo.lu.lv/8bsc Hard copies can be obtained from: Department of Geology, Faculty of Geography and Earth Sciences, University of Latvia Raiņa Boulevard 19, Riga LV-1586, Latvia E-mail: [email protected] ISBN 978-9984-45-383-5 Riga, 2011 2 Preface Baltic co-operation in regional stratigraphy is active since the foundation of the Baltic Regional Stratigraphical Commission (BRSC) in 1969 (Grigelis, this volume). -
Eu Baltic Sea Strategy
EU BALTIC SEA STRATEGY REPORT FOR THE KONRAD-ADENAUER-STIFTUNG LONDON OFFICE www.kas.de This paper includes résumés and experts views from conferences and seminars facilitated and organised by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung London and Centrum Balticum. Impressum © Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung 2009 All rights reserved. No part of this report may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronical or mechanical, without permission in writing from Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, London office, 63D Eccleston Square, London SW1V 1PH. ABBREVIATIONS AC Arctic Council AEPS Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy ALDE Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe BaltMet Baltic Metropoles BCCA Baltic Sea Chambers of Commerce Association BDF Baltic Development Forum BEAC Barents Euro-Arctic Council BEAR Council of the Barents Euro-Arctic Region BENELUX Economic Union of Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg BFTA The Baltic Free Trade Area BSCE Black Sea Economic Cooperation Pact BSPC The Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference BSR Baltic Sea Region BSSSC Baltic Sea States Subregional Cooperation CBSS The Council for Baltic Sea States CFSP Common Foreign and Security Policy CEFTA Central European Free Trade Agreement CIS The Commonwealth of Independent States COMECON Council for Mutual Economic Assistance CPMR Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions of Europe EBRD European Bank for Reconstruction and Development EEA European Economic Area EEC European Economic Community EFTA European Free Trade Agreement EGP European Green Party ENP European