BackCities and regions opened the EUSBSR Annual Forum week 2026
The EUSBSR Annual Forum 2026 started with two back-to-back events. The BSSSC Day of Cities and Regions and the UBC Executive Board Meeting gathered officials and politicians to discuss the role and the relevance of substate-level governance and communities in the context of preparedness and resilience.
BSSSC Day of Regions and Cities
“Cities are the first to react and adapt when the crisis hits”, stated Peeter Raudsepp, Mayor of Tallinn, in his opening remarks for the BSSSC Day of Cities and Regions. This message summarised the sentiments of the day: one should not undermine the role of engaged, active citizens, sub-state administration and politicians in building a resilient Baltic Sea Region.
“Cities are the first to react and adapt when the crisis hits” – Peeter Raudsepp, Mayor of Tallinn.
The fact that there is already so much cooperation happening in the Baltic Sea Region is a good starting point for the three inseparable steps Inese Suija-Markova, Chairwoman of Vidzeme Planning Region Development Council, listed in her intervention: To remain resilient and prepared for potential disruptions in the future, the Baltic Sea Region would need to build trust during the good times, not when the crisis hits. Form a shared understanding of the threats to be able to work meaningfully together. And to be ready to take action. The Baltic Sea Region is not short of knowledge and research. According to Suija-Markova, the macro-region needs to find the joint momentum and to intensify the connections and cooperation that already exist.
The Baltic Sea Region is a forerunner in many cases in the EU. Based on the findings of the CIVICUS Annual Report 2025, the Baltic Sea can be described as a Sea of Democracy, as it is surrounded by countries with open civic space and an active civil society. Inese Vaivare, a representative of the NGO network BSR-NOVA, highlighted in her keynote speech that this cannot be taken for granted and requires continuous protection: Participating in the local discussions is an important part of building trust and resilience, and the aim should be to decrease the gap between the state-level approach and the everyday life of the citizens.
Closing the Day if the Cities and Regions, BSSSC Chair Inese Suija-Markova, Chairwoman of Vidzeme Planning Region Development Council, announced the BSSSC Resolution to the EUSBSR Annual Forum, national, regional and local authorities in the Baltic Sea Region, Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference, and the European Union institutions.
Resolution of the Baltic Sea States Subregional Cooperation (BSSSC).
96th UBC Executive Board Meeting
Union of the Baltic Cities (UBC) is the leading network of cities in the Baltic Sea Region with member cities from Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland and Sweden.
Read more about the 96th Executive Board meeting here.
