News

On July 1 Lithuania commences the next presidency for the Baltic Sea States Council taking it over from Denmark. During its presidency, Lithuania will focus on sustainable development, particularly in the areas of green economy, ecological and maritime tourism, civil protection, fight against human trafficking for labour exploitation, as well as prevention of violence against children. 

“The CBSS was established with an aim of fostering integration of the Baltic Sea region. Our first step was a success. The regional cooperation among the Baltic Sea states is widely acknowledged as exemplary within the European Union. Our next step is the involvement of the youth” - underlined minister Linas Linkevičius when presenting the priorities of the Lithuanian presidency of the Baltic Sea States Council.

The minister also stressed that this is a complicated time when our societies confront the challenges presented by COVID-19, which relate to the social safety and security in the region and ask for the united and transparent response of its societies. At the same time, this situation give our people a unique opportunity to help the region resurrect after this crisis and stand up ever greener, safer, and stronger.

At the request of  Lithuania “Reflection Paper on the Vilnius Declaration – A Vision for the Baltic Sea Region by 2020” was prepared and will be available to the wider public on the www.cbss.org. Based on this evaluation, a new Vilnius Declaration “The Baltic Sea Vision up to 2030” will be prepared and adopted together with other Member states by the end of the Lithuanian Presidency.

The CBSS encompasses all multilateral intergovernmental regional cooperation in areas agreed by its Members and serves as a forum for political dialogue. CBSS constitutes of 11 member states: Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Poland, Lithuania, Norway, the Russian Federation, Finland, Sweden, and Germany, with EU having a special status.