Russia’s role in regional cooperation and the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR)

2017 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 465-479 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrey Makarychev ◽  
Alexander Sergunin
Author(s):  
Rikard Bengtsson

Swedish policy towards the Baltic Sea region in the post-Cold-War period reflects an internationalist approach aimed at institutionalizing regional cooperative mechanisms, along with a generic interest in managing relations with Russia. The Baltic region is of significant strategic interest to Sweden. From a strategic foreign policy perspective, the institutions-based approach to regional cooperation can be viewed as a formula for Sweden to multilateralize relations with Russia while simultaneously reaping economic and security benefits that stem from regional and European-level interdependencies. The roles that follow from this approach—as regional integrator and as normative critic of Russia—are increasingly enacted through European channels, primarily the EU.


2019 ◽  
pp. 393-404
Author(s):  
Bertil Paulsson ◽  
William Hogland

The Baltic Sea region with population exceeding 100 million which in the future will constitute about one quarter of the population in the European Union if Estonia, Latvia Lithuania and Poland are accepted as members. These countries in the eastern part of the Baltic Sea region are foreseen a rapid economic and technical development. Technologies and industries from different parts of the world are invading and the generation of waste will probably increase drastically if measures for avoidance are not taken.Applying the EU Directive 75/442 EEC on waste, witch current amendments, on the presumptive new members will imply drastic changes for the countries concerned, environmentally as well as economically. In addition an EU Directive 1999/31/EC on the landfilling of waste is decided April 26 1999. The new Directive indicates a substantial reduction of the amount of waste ending up at landfill sites. Member countries of the union have started to prepare them selves for the new situation. Countries interested in becoming members might however not be aware of the cost of the new requirements. Investigations of the situation in these countries indicates that upgrading of their waste management to EU standard will require huge economic resources. Implementation of a new landfill system and development of close down programme for existing old dumps including post closure environmental control will demand economic resources and import of technology and technical education. According to the landfill Directive as little landfilling as possible should be carried out which means that the waste must be handled with other methods that are not commonly used in all countries. Those new technologies will probably to high extent be imported from the EU - countries rather then developed and manufactured locally. The new technologies introduced must be adopted to the local situation.


2012 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 263-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Metzger ◽  
Peter Schmitt

Baltic Region ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 138-152
Author(s):  
Tadeusz Palmowski

The sea and inland hinterland of Baltic Europe form a unique macro-regional unit. Strong collaboration links, and competition in the Baltic Sea region, are an inherent feature of the region from the beginning of its civilization development. Since 2004, the Baltic Sea has become an internal sea of the European Union. This fact no doubt strengthened the cooperation of the countries in the region. In many spheres, these ties take the form of networking. The EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region is an important stimulus for further integrations. The objective of the article is to identify changing trends and the structural transformation in the Baltic integration process instigated by the implementation of this strategy. The document contains common goals, which strengthen cooperation and draw on the Baltic Sea potential. Three main pillars are outlined in the Strategy: marine protection, better interconnection of the region and growing prosperity. The essence of cooperation involves joint development plans on various levels: governmental, regional and local with the participation of research institutions, regional cooperation infrastructure, operational programmes, as well as the private sector. Political stabilisation and economic development may transform, in a longer time span, the emerging transnational Baltic Europe into a new economic and cultural European centre. The choice of research methodology applied in the study derives from the nature of collected data, i.e. literature regarding scientific accomplishments in the Baltic cooperation, analysis of working documents and reports drawn up by public institutions, the European Commission, and EU national and regional strategic documents.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 33-56
Author(s):  
Alexander Sergunin

This study examines Russia’s policies towards and within the Councilof the Baltic Sea States in the aftermath of the Ukrainian and other internationalcrises. More specifically, this paper analyses Russia’s interest in andexpectations from the CBSS, as well as Moscow’s institutional behaviour in theCouncil. The CBSS is viewed by Russia as both a centrepiece and cornerstoneof the regional governance system. Moscow also sees the CBSS as an importanttool for overcoming the politico-diplomatic isolation where Russia founditself with the start of the Ukrainian crisis. With the help of the CBSS, it retainsits ability to influence socioeconomic, political, environmental, and humanitariandevelopments in the Baltic Sea region. Russia supported the Council’sthree long-term priority areas: a regional identity, a sustainable and prosperousregion, and a safe and secure region. Russia favoured further the Council’sinstitutionalization and strengthening of its role in the regional governancesystem. Despite the fact that Russia’s relations with other CBSS member-statesremain tense and that Moscow does not always manage to use the Councilto promote its interests in the region, the CBSS is still seen by Russia as animportant platform for regional cooperation.


2005 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-42
Author(s):  
Antanas Makštutis

The paper analyzes the global economic factors of security cooperation in the Baltic Sea region that have an effect on the present and future development of national markets in separate states of this region within the development of the common market of the European Union (EU). It is noted that the EU principal market factors of today: the free movement of people, goods and capital destabilizes the development of a separate state market in the Baltic Sea region, and the tasks of a national state in the future will become still more complicated. The work provides the research results of the factors of a specific geopolitical environment in the Baltic Sea region; the ways and methods are foreseen for solving the future political, economic and social problems in this region under the conditions of globalization.


2013 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 5-6
Author(s):  
Silviu-Marian Miloiu

A large part of the articles published in the current issue of Revista Română de Studii Baltice şi Nordice / The Romanian Journal for Baltic and Nordic Studies have been initially presented at the Fourth International Conference on Baltic and Nordic Studies in Romania: Empire-Building and Region-Building in the Baltic, North and Black Sea areas held at Ovidius University Of Constanța in May 2013. The conference approached the North in the wider perspective of regional cooperation intra- and extra-Nordic muros. The North is regarded as a springboard of regional cooperation which has a strong though faltering historical and cultural background and an obvious European dimension. The downfall of the Communist regimes in Eastern Europe and the process of European integration (whether some of the Nordic countries belong to the EU or not, they are all part and parcel of the process and deeply affected by it) have encouraged the development of regional cooperation in Northern Europe. Belonging to the Northern dimension of the EU meant not only maintaining a regional identity with deep roots in history and culture and making the others acknowledge it, but also strengthening the influence of Nordic countries within and outside the EU and fostering other regional cooperation initiatives in the Baltic Sea area and outside it. Patterned on the Nordic regional cooperation, the Baltic States of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia strengthened their regional cooperation and envisaged deepening their ties to surrounding areas, especially with the Nordic countries. Alongside the Nordic countries, they also gradually turned into a model for the Danubian and Black Sea countries. In this respect, the conference addressed themes such as: the empire building, region-building, national/nationalist, cultural construction discourses present in these regions; the historic development of these regional initiatives and/or organizations and the relations between them; political, cultural and diplomatic relations between Baltic and/or Nordic states, on the one hand, and the Black Sea countries, on the other hand; the relations between the EU integration and different Baltic, North and Black Sea regional structures; education and leadership in the context of regionalization in the Baltic Sea and Black Sea areas; linguistic unity and diversity in Scandinavia and the Baltic states; Nordic and Baltic identity through cultural diversity; water protection in the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea Region and the role of agriculture; inter- and intra-regional comparisons.


2012 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 5-17
Author(s):  
Michael North

The political changes of 1989 stimulated a new perception and perspective of the Baltic Sea Region. And this gained momentum with the Eastern Enlargement of the EU. The new situation encouraged research as well. In this context the “Baltic Sea” is not an unchangeable physical setting, but also a construction of different actors or protagonists. People and powers continuously reinvent the Baltic Sea Region. That is why; the following paper focuses on the different notions of the Baltic Sea Region from the Middle Ages up to now and also examines the recent EU-Strategy of this region.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document