BackGreen, smart and secure transport for a future-proof Baltic Sea Region
Overview of Current and Emerging Challenges
The transport sector in the Baltic Sea Region is undergoing a profound transformation, shaped by global trends such as digitalisation, climate change, energy transition, hybrid threats, demographic shifts, and the drive for deeper regional integration.
Sustainable transport solutions – such as green corridors, electrified railways, low-emission shipping, and improved airspace coordination – are increasingly promoted through cross-border projects and policy frameworks. Increasing digitalisation in transport enhances efficiency, yet introduces hybrid threats that can disrupt regional security and economic stability. Meanwhile, climate hazards undermine the resilience of the entire supply chain. In line with the EU Green Deal, the Fit-for-55 package, and the International Maritime Organisation’s Greenhouse Gas Strategy, the Baltic Sea Region is expected to significantly reduce transport-related emissions. Besides decarbonisation, for instance, aviation faces specific challenges, such as volatile passenger demand and fragmented airspace. While the updated Single European Sky Framework aims to improve airspace efficiency, harmonised implementation across nations remains a work in progress. Geopolitical tensions have also reshaped flight routes and regional connectivity.
Demographic changes such as an aging population, urban-rural mobility gaps, and patterns of migration are creating a demand for inclusive and flexible transport. Ensuring accessibility in shrinking or remote areas calls for pilot projects on Mobility as a Service. These initiatives play a key role in engaging local authorities. Overall, cooperation across the BSR has steadily improved, particularly through initiatives like the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region. However, cooperation remains uneven. Communication between national authorities is often incompatible, and differences in legal frameworks, operational procedures, and languages continue to impede coordinated responses, especially during emergencies.
Best Practice and Success Stories
The Baltic Sea Region sees increasing focus on harmonisation, inclusivity, real-time preparedness, and strategic integration. A coordinated shift from fossil fuels to alternative energy sources requires synchronised infrastructure planning among Baltic Sea Region countries.
An example from the railway industry is the project Rail Baltica – a major EU-supported initiative linking Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and potentially Finland via ferry connection to the European rail network. Rail Baltica enhances interoperability and mobility as well as reinforces transport resilience by reducing dependence on vulnerable east–west corridors and supporting dual-use civil-military logistics.
Maritime transport is attracted by green shipping corridors that support decarbonisation and advance sustainable supply chains, while strengthening the resilience of coastal communities. For example, the Green Ports / Blue Supply Chain project supports cleaner maritime logistics and port operations. Attention is also increasing on the multifunctionality of maritime infrastructure, including winter navigation and the deployment of multipurpose vessels and ports.
In the northern part of the region, the New North – Transport, Logistics and Security of Supply project, involving Norway, Sweden, and Finland, is focused on developing green transport corridors to enhance connectivity and supply security in remote and climate-affected areas. Similarly, the HY Trucks initiative is establishing a transnational network of hydrogen refuelling stations for trucks, including integration with port infrastructure, further contributing to the decarbonisation of freight transport.
One example of digital innovation and operational efficiency in the aviation sector is Estonia’s Air Navigation Services, which has implemented digital remote towers, improving flexibility and cost-effectiveness at regional aerodromes. Lithuania’s Oro Navigacija invests in digitalisation and remote tower technologies. In Estonia, a U-space sandbox has been developed to support the safe integration of unmanned aerial vehicles into controlled airspace. These advancements are closely aligned with the goals of the CITYAM – Preparing Cities for Sustainable Urban Air Mobility project.
Vision for the future
By 2030, the Baltic Sea Region aims to be a secure and resilient space where cross-border coordination is routine, infrastructure is smart and adaptable, and communities are equipped to withstand disruptions. To realize the vision, the EUSBSR Policy Area Transport is advancing three strategic action areas beyond 2027, aligned with the EU’s TEN-T network and the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation.
The first action area focuses on building resilient and sustainable North-South transport corridors by mobilising funding to support both soft and hard infrastructure develop-ment and extending these corridors to EU neighbouring countries, particularly Ukraine, through initiatives like the Solidarity Lanes. It also emphasizes knowledge-sharing across the region on green and smart transport technologies and coordinated implementation of cross-border infrastructure projects. The second area concentrates on accelerating the transition to climate-neutral and zero-pollution transport systems in alignment with the EU Green Deal and global sustainability goals. The third area prioritizes innovation and digital transformation by digitalising transport services to improve supply chain efficiency and transparency, developing and pilot systems for electronic freight transport information, and mainstreaming digital tools to measure and mitigate emissions. These interlinked efforts ensure that the Baltic Sea Region remains at the forefront of integrated, future-proof transport development – anchored in strategic cooperation and resilience.
Policy Area Transport Coordinators
Securing the Future – Views from the Policy Area Coordinators
This text is originally published in the “Securing the Future – Views from the Policy Area Coordinators” publication. The publication consists of thematically focused articles that are aligned with the Strategy objectives. The texts support informed discussion on topics relevant across the Baltic Sea Region.
Download the full publication here.
