Bilkent University Department of Political Science & Public Administration
Jean Monnet Talk Series announces:
Seminar:
“The European Union and the Baltic Sea Region: Prospects of Regional
Cooperation”
Thursday, 13 March 2014, 12:30-14:30
A-130 (Seminar Room)
by
Dr. Heiko Pääbo
Head, Centre for Baltic Studies
University of Tartu
heiko.paabo@ut.ee
Abstract: The EU and the Baltic Sea region – today the Baltic Sea region exists almost
as the EU internal sea, except few Russian coastal areas (Kaliningrad oblast
and surroundings of St Petersburg). The regional cooperation started here
already in early 1990s by establishing the Council of the Baltic Sea States.
Also the EU enlargement included gradually more and more countries from the
region, in 1995 Sweden and Finland, in 2004 Poland, Estonia, Latvia and
Lithuania. The Baltic Sea region is considered as one of the most dynamic
and fastest developing regions in the EU. In 2009 European Council adopted
the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region as the first EU macro-regional
strategy. It aims to ‘ to increase the levels of environmental
sustainability, prosperity, accessibility and attractiveness and safety and
security’ of the Baltic Sea region. The lecture will give brief overview of
the development of the region and also to discuss the particular interest of
different countries in the context of regional cooperation as well in the
context of the EU.