About VASAB Secretariat 

A conference of ministers responsible for spatial planning and development of 11 Baltic Sea Region countries is to be held in Vilnius, Lithuania on 16 October 2009 in order to examine level of territorial cohesion in the Baltic Sea region and future co-operation between the Vision and Strategies around the Baltic Sea (VASAB) member states. 

Ministerial conference in Vilnius will define new tasks and targets to be achieved in territorial development of the Baltic Sea Region by 2030. These tasks will promote urban networking and urban-rural cooperation, improve internal and external accessibility of the Region, and enhance maritime spatial planning and management. The overall goal remains unchanged – create Baltic Sea Region as attractive living space promoting creativity and initiative of its citizens. Thus space will provide a positive impact on joint economic achievements of the Region also enhancing its competitiveness and increasing its role on the global scale.

The new strategy VASAB 2030 will born in mind that overcoming of macroeconomic disparities among the countries of the Region is still a vital objective. It is important to shape the Baltic Sea Region into a place attracting investors from all around the world. It is especially crucial now when each region and each country are struggling to attract financial resources. The issue regarding development of peripheral cities of the countries of the Baltic Sea Region and their connection with rural territories is still topical. Many cities of the Region have a potential of becoming development hubs of European significance providing knowledge intensive services.

Environmental issues are still important. Therefore, it is important to promote the use of environmentally friendly modes of transport in the Region. It is essential to use renewable resources as much as possible for energy production, and to diversify types of energy generation to reduce dependence not only on fossil fuels, but also on one type of energy generation. It is also essential to ensure the creation of an energy supply system in order to reduce energy losses.

High level expert and stakeholder workshop on maritime spatial planning challenges in the Baltic Sea will take place back to back with the ministerial meeting in Vilnius on 15 October. The policy proposals worked out during the workshop will be reported to the ministers. The increased transport flow and fishing, EU requirements concerning protection of nature territories, as well as new economic activities in the sea (e.g. construction of gas pipelines, installation of electricity and data transmission cables, oil extraction, wind parks) have created several potential conflict areas over the past decade. In order to solve the conflicts and to prevent the emergence of new conflicts in the future, the countries of the Region should carry out a mutually coordinated spatial planning of the sea. Moreover, this work should be commenced as soon as possible, as traffic intensity in the sea will increase simultaneously with economic recovery.