Introduction 5 Chapter 1: a description of the organisational structure set up for the implementation of the Strategy 6
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Horizontal ActionsActions:
The Strategy is not in itself a funding instrument: proposed actions should be funded, to the extent necessary, from existing sources. These may include Structural and Cohesion Funds, other EU funding (e.g. rural development funds, fisheries, external action, research, environment, etc.), national, regional and local funds, banks and International Financial Institutions (in particular the European Investment Bank (EIB)), NGOs and other private sources. These funding opportunities should be made more transparent for stakeholders and project participants. While many projects will have readily available funding, others may need assistance in identifying sources. Cooperation between Member States is crucial to achieve the desired result. The Member States, Regional and Local Authorities and private bodies could identify a body to act as the central point of reference for reconciling the availability of different sources of financing to the needs of the actions and projects. In a global sense, policies in general should also be better aligned. (Deadline for progress review: 31 December 2010) Report: Please refer to the relevant sections in the Communication for a summary of the work on aligning funding with the Strategy. A separate document on the contribution of Structural Funds programmes to the Strategy will also be made available on the Strategy's website.
In many areas – Single Market, environment, transport interoperability, procurement, labour and social security – European legislation is implemented at national level and the discretion allowed by the directives may lead to the creation of unintended barriers and blockages. Groups of relevant officials within the Baltic Sea Region should coordinate their work to ensure that the Region’s governments align implementation to avoid such blockages. This will remove barriers, or avoid building new barriers, to trade, labour mobility, transport links and enhanced environmental protection. All such coordination would be completely voluntary and would remain entirely within EU legislation. Report: [This Action has not yet been initiated]
The implementation of a large number of the maritime actions detailed in pillars 1 to 4 will require strengthened internal coordination within Member States in the Baltic Sea Region, as well as cross-border networks between these integrated maritime functions. Based on the Communication on Maritime Governance of June 2008, the European Commission would recommend that Member States develop such mechanisms, including appropriate stakeholder consultation frameworks. (Deadline for progress review: 31 December 2010) Report: Since the adoption of the Commission's Communication "Guidelines on an Integrated Approach to Maritime Policy: Towards Best Practices in Integrated Maritime Governance and Stakeholder Consultation" in 2008, all Baltic countries have taken significant steps to strengthen the internal coordination of sectoral policies, and to develop integrated maritime governance structures; they have developed, or are in the process of developing, maritime strategies. The Baltic Member States share the latest developments of maritime governance structures in the CBSS Working Group on Maritime Policy that was established in June 2009. The Commission also invites Member States to share their approach to maritime governance on the internet (http://ec.europa.eu/maritimeaffairs/memberstates_en.html). In addition, the Baltic Sea States Sub-Regional Cooperation (BSSSC) and the Baltic Sea Parliamentary conference (BSPC) have also established structures for cooperation on the development and implementation of the IMP in the Baltic Sea Region.
The Marine Strategy Framework Directive47 includes the option for a region to be a pilot project, subject to some eligibility conditions, when the status of a marine region is so critical as to necessitate urgent action. This entails that the European Commission provides supportive action. The recognition of the environmental degradation of the Baltic Sea led to the adoption of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP)48, which is coherent with the concept of an early programme of measures required for a pilot project. Therefore, the consideration of supportive action by the Commission should be urgently addressed in the framework of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region. With a view to progress towards the establishment of a pilot project in the Baltic Sea, an important form of "supportive action" already at this stage could be to optimise the use of EU funds having regard to the critical status of the Baltic Sea, thereby securing effective integration of environmental concerns in the real application of sectoral policies, to better address the urgent environmental challenges related to the Baltic Sea, as agreed by the European Council. (Deadline for progress review: 31 December 2010) Report: This action is not expected to be taken forward unless all Member States of the Baltic Sea region would agree to informing the Commission of a revised timetable for an early implementation of the Directive. There was no agreement to do so in 2010.
Increased activities in the Baltic Sea lead to competition for limited marine space between sectoral interests, such as shipping and maritime transport, offshore energy, ports development, fisheries and aquaculture in addition to environmental concerns. Maritime Spatial Planning is a key tool for improved decision-making that balances sectoral interests that compete for marine space, and contributes to achieving sustainable use of marine areas to benefit economic development as well as the marine environment. The development of a Maritime Planning System for the Baltic Sea, based on the ecosystem approach, is encouraged at national level as well as common cross-border cooperation for the implementation of the Maritime Spatial Planning in the Baltic Sea following the key common principles set out in the recently adopted Commission's Roadmap for Maritime Spatial Planning. The European Community and the HELCOM Contracting States have agreed in the context of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan to develop such an integrated tool, and relevant initiatives are also in process with VASAB, the Baltic Regional Advisory Council49 and relevant stakeholders. The Commission will also launch preparatory actions in the Baltic Sea to test the implementation of Maritime Spatial Planning in a cross-border context in close cooperation with the Baltic Member States. The transnational INTERREG project BaltSeaPlan and the DG MARE project Plan Bothnia are the first key projects in that respect. (Deadline for progress review: to be confirmed) Report: Increased activities in the Baltic Sea have led to competition for limited marine space between sectoral interests, such as shipping and maritime transport, offshore energy, ports development, fisheries and aquaculture in addition to environmental concerns. Maritime Spatial Planning is a key tool for improved decision-making that balances sectoral interests that compete for marine space, and contributes to achieving sustainable use of marine areas to benefit economic development as well as the marine environment. Since the launch of the Commission's Roadmap for Maritime Spatial Planning in 2008, setting out the key principles for MSP, there has been much progress at the EU level and in Baltic Member States, which has been reported in the Commission Communication "Maritime Spatial Planning in the EU – Achievements and Future Development"50. The level at which MSP is applied in the Baltic Region is varied and ranges from legally binding MSP in the territorial sea as well as the EEZ to application of MSP in the territorial sea by regional councils or municipalities or no MSP at all. Some Baltic Countries have fully applied MSP; others are taking first steps in developing MSP at national level. The challenge is to ensure a common approach and cooperation between Member States on MSP. To test the implementation of MSP in a cross-border context and to make further progress, a study on cross-border cooperation is ongoing with HELCOM as lead partner and partners from other MS institutions involved. This "Plan Bothnia" study is supported by the European Commission as a preparatory action in the Baltic Sea. Cross-border cooperation is encouraged through the HELCOM and VASAB activities and relevant INTERREG projects. In 2007, HELCOM agreed on a recommendation for the development of broad-scale marine spatial planning principles in the Baltic Sea area, including among others the joint development of common principles and consultation of jointly concerning actions. In a VASAB ministers conference (Oct. 2009) MSP guidelines were agreed. They acknowledged that Maritime Spatial Planning is a joint priority of all the cooperating countries around the Baltic Sea, together with urban development, aimed at establishing territorial cohesion of all the Baltic Sea Region and Europe. As mentioned above, HELCOM and VASAB are working together to establish a joint MSP platform and common, shared principles for MSP. HELCOM and VASAB are taking a prominent role in promoting MSP in the Region together with other stakeholders, by forming a joint working group on MSP. The group has agreed on a joint set of MSP principles for the Baltic Sea. INTERREG projects help BSR countries to develop good know-how of MSP in the Region. The ongoing BaltSeaPlan project brings together the key MSP players throughout the Baltic Sea Region and offers the chance to create a joint understanding of the necessary instruments and processes for a successful MSP. BaltSeaPlan builds on the results of projects like BaltCoast, Balance, Coastman, EWW and PlanCoast. The spatial data describing the marine environment and sea-use has improved considerably due to these projects but the principles for harmonising spatial data and the systems for managing this data are still missing.
This action is of key importance in ensuring coherence between actions and maintaining an integrated approach. Without a clear picture of the Region, and an awareness of sensitive areas, population and economic pressures and other factors, sustainable development is not feasible. Land-based spatial planning is already underway, led by VASAB51, and this initiative should be strengthened, in coordination with maritime spatial planning, and completed. The VASAB Long-Term Perspective for the Territorial Development of the Baltic Sea Region52 is a first contribution to that and should be taken into account by other priority coordinators with regard to spatial objectives, conditions and impacts of their actions (VASAB; Deadline for progress review: to be confirmed) Report: The major contribution to the development of land-based spatial planning was the elaboration of the “Long-Term Perspective for the Territorial Development of the Baltic Sea Region” (LTP). The LTP was adopted by the VASAB 7th Conference of Ministers responsible for Spatial Planning and Development of the Baltic Sea Region in October 2009 in Vilnius. The LTP is in line with the Territorial Agenda of the EU and it complements the EU BSR Strategy with regard to more detailed objectives and actions concerning territorial cohesion and development of the Baltic Sea Region. The LTP concentrates on issues which require transnational solutions such as urban networking across borders and urban-rural cooperation, improving external and internal accessibility as well as development of maritime spatial planning. As part of the implementation process of the EU BSR Strategy, the LTP is currently being implemented through a number of short-medium and long-term actions together with other stakeholders of the Region. Examples of actions are:
The action looks to establish dialogue amongst actors at all levels of governance in the Baltic Sea Region (a Baltic Dialogue) in order to consolidate findings and disseminate good methods and experiences. The aim of this dialogue is to ensure the involvement of all levels of governance, including the European Commission, national ministries and authorities, local/regional authorities, macro-regional organisations, financial institutions, VASAB and HELCOM. A second component is to work with showcases building on the Regions’ special field of expertise, spatial (strategic) planning and water management, and through this work establish good examples and methods that allow generalisation. A third component is a "Local signal panel" enabling the Priority Areas and Flagship Projects the possibility to reach all levels of governance. This local panel would make it possible for all actors involved in the Strategy to easily and rapidly ask a question or put forward a suggestion and get a "signal" back from the local/regional level (Deadline for progress review: to be confirmed). Report: An application has been made to the Baltic Sea Programme to address three of our goals, i.e. to present two showcases, to build a dialogue forum also involving local and regional actors and to create a local signal panel. Cooperation has been established with PA 1 and an outline of regional and local perspectives for that area has been presented. The next step is to approach all Priority Areas to have a discussion on how a multi-level governance approach can be included in the PA and which of the Flagship Projects are most relevant. Presentations have been made to HELCOM (at the idea stage), CBSS, VASAB, the Union of Baltic Cities and the Baltic Sea Commission. At the end of 2010, an agreement was signed between the Regional Councils in Västerbotten and Kalmar and the Sida Baltic Sea Unit was signed. Support for the multi-level governance approach is given by the Swedish Government and relevant national authorities. To simplify the communication, INVOLVE has been introduced as a short name for this horizontal action about multi-level governance, place-based spatial planning and sustainable development. It’s about involving local/regional levels together with national and EU levels in the process, but also about involving local and regional aspects at all EUSBSR levels. The work with Baltic Dialogue will be developed. Examples of important actors to contact are the European Commission, ministries, national authorities, associations of local/regional authorities, macro-regional organisations, financial institutions, VASAB, HELCOM and other relevant pan-Baltic or European organisations. To fulfil the EUSBSR objectives, a strong political commitment is important. To reach this on local/regional levels, there are two important components – willingness and ability. Willingness is built on an understanding of the EUSBSR concept and a belief that this is of benefit for my municipality/region. Ability is dependent on resources, tools, the regulatory framework, etc. This is an important task not only for this horizontal action, but also for all involved – to spread such an understanding and belief, and to support the local/regional ability. In the longer run, the vision is to define one multi-level showcase within each and every Priority Area. Other objectives include:
This knowledge has been gained through projects financed by EU, national, regional funds or private funds. For example, such projects have been / are being implemented under the umbrella of HELCOM, Baltic 21, the Nordic Council of Ministers, partnerships in the framework of the Northern Dimension etc. Under the ‘Baltic Sea Region’ transnational programme which is part of the ‘territorial cooperation’ objective of the ERDF, some projects are also supported. The potential of this transnational programme, which already covers the Baltic macro-region, should be maximised. (Deadline for progress review: to be determined) Report: This Action has not yet been initiated.
To achieve the objectives of the Strategy (including restoring the Baltic Sea environment, adapting to climate change, developing sustainable fisheries, agriculture and tourism or establishing common spatial planning), there is a need for actions and measures by all countries in many different sectors. Often these are very expensive, and it is necessary to prioritise. Applied (or policy-linked) research with participations from all countries in the Baltic Sea Region can provide the necessary data for such decisions to be made. The Baltic Nest decision support system53 and the BONUS Joint Baltic Sea Research and Development Programme are among the most important, together with the planned research programme on costs for no actions (a Baltic “Stern” report54). In particular, the network of funding organisations established through BONUS could be expanded and used also for other common research activities, such as those supported by the Nordic Council of Ministers. (Deadline: to be determined) Report: DG RTD: BONUS was adopted by the European Parliament and Council on 22 September 2010 (Decision 862/2010/EU). It will be implemented under Article 185 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (formerly Article 169 of the TEC), which provides for the participation of the Union in research and development programmes undertaken by several Member States. Based on previous work undertaken within the framework of the BONUS ERA-Net and BONUS ERA-Net Plus initiatives (2003-10), BONUS brings together all eight Baltic Sea Member States in a joint research effort to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Baltic Sea Region's environmental research programming. By implementing a policy-driven, fully-integrated joint research programme, based on extensive stakeholder consultations, BONUS will provide concrete scientific outputs facilitating the implementation of ecosystem-based management of environmental issues in the Baltic Sea area while contributing to the establishment and structuring of the ERA in the Baltic. In 2010 BONUS intensified its links with the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR), and opened a dialogue with the DG REGIO and Interact Programme (Turku) in regards to building further on the existing synergies. Broadening of the BONUS Programme’s funding base was a key priority in 2010 and initial steps were taken towards involving innovation funding agencies, and in particular the EUSBSR Flagship Project BSR Stars; this dialogue is continuing in 2011.
This action should be combined with initiatives to support internet use, for example free access at official buildings or free internet support for basic services. Support for internet use should include assistance to less advantaged social groups with low income and low education, with actions aimed at supporting digital literacy and ICT training, including fiscal or other incentives aimed at favouring PC ownership, including the enterprise replacement of PCs with portable devices with the aim being to adopt different work patterns that would favour a better integration of work and family life. (Deadline: to be determined) Report: Digital technologies have a key role to play in improving people's daily lives, for example, in increasing consumer choice and providing better access to information, entertainment and other services. Although Europe has the highest average levels of broadband penetration worldwide (24.8%), it has far from the best networks, and take-up varies considerably. Only 1-2% of Europeans have a fast fibre-based internet, compared to 12% in Japan and 15% in South Korea. EU consumers also pay higher prices for those high-speed connections compared to Japanese or Koreans. With the aim of closing the gap, the Commission presented an ambitious Digital Agenda for Europe focusing on the 21st century technologies and online services that will enable Europe to boost job creation, promote economic prosperity and improve the daily lives of EU citizens and businesses in a wide variety of ways. The Digital Agenda has set the following targets for broadband: by 2013, broadband coverage for all EU citizens and, by 2020, fast broadband coverage at 30 Megabits per second for all EU citizens, with at least half of European households subscribing to broadband access at 100 Megabits per second. Fast and ultra-fast internet access will play a central role in economic recovery and in providing a platform to support innovation throughout the economy, as electricity and transport did in the past. In order to further boost the growth of innovative wireless broadband services, there is a need for a better coordination of the radio spectrum management. Meeting the targets set by the Europe 2020 strategy and the Digital Agenda, including the 100% broadband coverage objective, can only be done by a mix of technologies – fixed and wireless. Efficient and coordinated use of the wireless spectrum will be key to ensuring the 100% coverage target by extending broadband to remote and sparsely populated areas. It is necessary to develop a comprehensive policy, based on a mix of technologies focusing on two parallel goals: on the one hand, to guarantee universal broadband coverage, both fixed and wireless, and over time to foster the deployment and take-up of ultra-fast broadband. To this end, the Commission adopted the broadband package on 20 September 2010 (the Broadband Communication, the NGA Recommendation and Spectrum Policy Programme), which will provide a common framework for the deployment of ultra-fast broadband internet in the European Union and meet the Europe 2020 and the Digital Agenda targets. These three documents along with the revised framework for e-Communications and the Community Guidelines for the Application of State Aid Rules in Relation to Rapid Deployment of Broadband Networks make up the Community level contribution to ensuring Europe has a world-class internet infrastructure to compete in the world economy. Member States are vital when it comes to the implementation of the Europe 2020 and the Digital Agenda targets. Thus all Member States should have operational broadband plans/strategies, which should take a long-term and balanced view of the cost and benefits of early investment in and roll-out of ultra-fast internet, spectrum allocation and licensing agreements. The plans should also give clear guidance on the uptake of EU broadband funds and EIB instruments, which should aim to unlock the financing for the higher-risk infrastructure projects.
Marine data – geological, physical, chemical and biological – collected largely by public institutions, are still fragmented, of uncertain quality and difficult to assemble into coherent pictures of the entire Baltic Sea basin. The Commission has proposed a European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODNET). As a preparatory action of this initiative, a first version of sea basin-scale map layers of Baltic geology (sediments, geohazards, mineral resources) and broad-scale marine habitats (building on the work of the BALANCE project) was to be ready by 2010. The Commission has also developed a database on data for maritime sectors and coastal regions that constitute a first step towards developing Baltic Sea basin-wide socio-economic indicators. (Lead: Poland tbc. Deadline: to be determined) Report: Marine data – geological, physical, chemical and biological – collected largely by public institutions, are still fragmented, of uncertain quality and difficult to assemble into coherent pictures of the entire Baltic Sea basin. In order to (1) increase the efficiency of all those who work with marine data – industry, public authorities and research bodies, (2) stimulate innovation and growth, and (3) reduce uncertainties in the past, present and future behaviour of the sea, the "marine knowledge 2020" initiative was launched in the autumn of 2010. As a preparatory action of this initiative, a first version of sea basin-scale map layers of Baltic geology (sediments, coastline, sedimentation rates, geohazards, mineral resources) is being finalised. Input data preparation is largely complete, threshold testing is well underway and draft models are being worked out now. The portal providing access to these layers is now on-line. EMODNET Geology’s substrate and sediment maps are crucial inputs to the physical habitat model that is also being developed under the marine knowledge initiative. Other inputs include seabed salinity, energy (both oceanographic wave and tidal models, as well as a high resolution fetch-based wave model), stratification and oxygenation levels. All of these layers are available through the EUSeaMap portal. In addition, HELCOM has agreed to adopt the physical classes mapped for EUSeaMap as the high-level structure for the EUNIS habitat classification, which will be a substantial improvement to the way Baltic habitats are organised within EUNIS. This contribution from EUSeaMap will be a critical part of HELCOM's update of the Red List, which is now underway and due to be completed in 2014. The HELCOM will add detailed, biologically-distinct habitats to the high-level structure defined by EUSeaMap’s modelling of physical variables. The Commission has also developed a database on data for maritime sectors and coastal regions that constitute a first step towards developing Baltic Sea-basin-wide socio-economic indicators.
This would involve opinion surveys and marketing campaigns, awareness and visibility-raising exercises, promotion of cultural heritage linked to the shared Baltic Sea and the preparation of a common history book. Possibilities could include creating annual prizes for the best projects promoting the Region or otherwise supporting the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, or applying jointly (as the Baltic Sea Region) for the organisation of a major world or European-level sporting event. The drafting of a common history book could be considered as there is already a strong interest by the ‘Academia Baltica’, an institution for research and adult education based in Kiel (Germany). (Lead: BaltMet; Deadline: to be determined) Report: Naturally it is difficult to measure or assess the “level” of regional identity existing. Policy roundtables arranged by the horizontal action leader and discussions at the EUSBSR annual forum with various stakeholders have nevertheless helped identify the key issues to be tackled. The first Policy Roundtable was organised in Vilnius on 31 May, 2010 in parallel with the Baltic Development Forum's Annual Summit. The second Policy Roundtable of BaltMet Promo was on 14 October, 2010 in Tallinn, back-to-back with the First Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region. The following Policy Roundtable was scheduled for May 30th 2011 in Berlin. The fourth Policy Roundtable will be parallel with the Baltic Development Forum’s Summit in Gdansk on 24-27 October, 2011. A basic lesson learned is that there are at least two basic approaches to the question of regional identity – identity as a brand and identity as a feeling of belonging. Both can be developed, but have to be based on existing common goods of the BSR and cannot be imposed from above. A common understanding is that both are long-term tasks that have no particular deadline, as identities are ever-evolving. Finding common definitions of a regional identity and its prerequisites is important work in order to achieve a common vision that is anchored among as many stakeholders as possible, as called for in the EUSBSR Action Plan. This work will continue in through policy roundtables. Understandably, discussions are more focused in terms of branding than a feeling of belonging. Developing and finding clear ownership for the discussions on feelings of belonging is the greatest challenge of the HAL. List of concrete outputs/results The BaltMet Promo project (INTERREG IVB funded) has advanced in identifying existing common goods from a branding point of view, and a first result of this process is the Baltic Sea Region Investors Guide. As a complement to the situation analysis of place branding and place promotion efforts in the Baltic Sea Region conducted by the HAL last year, the HAL has also collected information on existing transnational projects in the Region with relevance for regional branding and identity. These are listed at http://www.baltmetpromo.net/public/branding.html#horizontal. Discussions on how to translate these project results into policy and lessons learned for the good of all stakeholders have started, and without the existence of the Horizontal Action this would not have taken place, as the projects are dispersed throughout different funding programmes and sectoral initiatives.
The HAL has established a database of actors with relevance for regional branding in order to be able to request more coordinated reporting on this issue. Within the strategy structures, HAL invites PA 7, PA 8 and PA 13 to policy roundtables, and vice-versa HAL is invited to discussions within concerned PAs. Notably, branding is included as an element in the starting innovation Flagship Project StarDust, developing towards the BSR Stars Programme, and this provides a long-term perspective for developing branding as a support tool for transnational innovation cooperation. In terms of cooperation with NCPs, the HAL points out that it could be worthwhile considering asking them to identify key stakeholders in national ministries and agencies. Help with identifying relevant contacts in DGs would also be welcomed, e.g. from DG COMM and DG EAC. In view of the deepened and more coherent analysis available on the issue of regional identity, as a result of EUSBSR efforts, the HAL would suggest an all-round modification of the wording of the Horizontal Action Regional Identity so that it better reflects the identified tasks necessary.
The HAL points out that the very valuable process started within the BaltMet Promo project concerning the identification of BSR common goods from a branding point of view, risks being cut short because of the discrepancy between the necessary long-term approach of identity building and the relatively short-term approach of project financing. While the ultimate goal of developing a BSR branding approach is to establish it as an independent element of profitable commercial activities, it is clear that this cannot be done within just a couple of years and thus needs sustained project financing for some time to come (see next steps). Concerning the process of advancing a feeling of belonging, an established forum is still at the stage of emerging. European technical assistance financing for establishing such a forum would be very useful.
The HAL engages in coordination between and evaluation of branding and identity projects in the Region through inter alia joint meetings, seminars, a common web space, and project development advice for projects contributing to the Horizontal Action. The HAL will continue to advance discussions on both regional identity in terms of branding as well as a feeling of belonging. The HAL will continue efforts to bring together outputs from relevant transnational projects for learning for all stakeholders. For regional branding this will take place within the established policy roundtables. In order to ensure their continuation, as well as concrete output in terms of identifying common goods for regional branding and starting to develop the brand, the HAL is submitting a new project proposal to the Baltic Sea Programme 4th Call called Baltmet Brand-Id. The project will have a strong branding and identity approach including a Regional Branding Strategy and Branding Platform and an inclusive stakeholder approach bringing together all the other EUSBSR projects that have identity and branding aspects on their agenda. To solidify the approach to regional identity in terms of a feeling of belonging, the HAL will explore the opportunities of technical assistance.
This is expected to assist in improving the quality of life of the Baltic coastal communities by promoting the protection of the environment, regenerating and developing coastal hamlets and villages with fisheries activities, and protecting and enhancing the natural and architectural heritage. These programmes should also contribute to favourable conditions for the development of sustainable tourism of the Baltic Sea coastal areas, in particular by promoting eco-tourism. It is estimated that ca. 60-70 local fisheries groups will be created in the Baltic Sea Region which could potentially implement the action during the 2007-13 period. (Lead: each Member State network for fisheries areas, in cooperation with the Community FAR-NET network; Deadline for progress review: to be determined) Report: DG MARE: The new Priority Axis 4 of the European Fisheries Fund provides support for the sustainable development of fisheries areas. In particular, it supports measures to promote economic diversification (tourism, food, renewable energy, etc.) and an improved quality of life in areas affected by a decline in fishing activities. An important innovation in the implementation of Axis 4 is the emphasis on the territorial approach, which encourages a focus on specific areas and seeks to mobilise local actors from all sectors: public, private and civil society, to work together as “groups” to design and implement integrated local development strategies. The European Commission established the European Network for Fisheries Areas (FARNET) to assist in the implementation of Axis 4 of the EFF. The FARNET Support Unit supports and guides Fisheries Local Action Groups (FLAGs) in devising and implementing their local development strategies and acts as a platform for networking between fisheries areas. It is estimated that around 125 FLAGs will be created in the Baltic Sea Region. These groups are also encouraged to engage in interregional and transnational cooperation. The total public investment by Baltic Member States under Axis 4 (EFF + other public contributions) for the period 2007-13 amounts to €452 million, which is almost half of the total EU public investment under Axis 4 (this figure also includes some inland FLAGs and the North Sea FLAGs for the MS that cover both the Baltic and the North Sea). All FLAGs around the Baltic are expected to be selected by the 2nd half of 2011. In seven Baltic countries, 116 FLAGs have already been selected and approved by the Managing Authority of the EFF Operational Programme. In Poland, 26 FLAGs have been selected and another 12 FLAGs are expected to be approved in a second selection round. In Lithuania, the process of selecting the FLAGs is currently being finalised. Groups in DK, FIN, DE, SE, EE and LV have already started implementing projects. In some Scandinavian countries, where the rural and the fisheries areas overlap, LEADER local action groups have taken on direct responsibility for the management and delivery of Axis 4 funds (with clear demarcation between the funds). Some delays in implementing Axis 4 have occurred due to the novelty of the approach and the lack of experience in many MS at the level of both the MAs and stakeholders. Support and resources are needed at all levels (EU, national and local) to put in place a system so radically different from past programmes. A Baltic Sea Network of EFF Managing Authorities and the FLAGs is being created with the support of DG MARE. The main objective will be to foster transnational cooperation under Axis 4 of the EFF (sustainable development of fisheries areas) among the FLAGs in fisheries-dependent areas of the Baltic Sea Region. This cooperation is expected to result in joint projects contributing to the implementation of the EUSBSR.
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