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Last changed: 11/02/11
Agenda 21 for the Baltic Sea Region (”Baltic 21” for short) was adopted at the 22-23 June 1998 session of the Council of the Baltic Sea States by signature of the foreign ministers of all Baltic Sea States, including Germany. The Agenda commits the Baltic Sea States to cooperate towards sustainable regional development in the Baltic Sea region.
The scope of Baltic 21 integrates economic and social aspects in environmental protection. A Senior Officials Group, set up by the Council of the Baltic Sea States and supported by a Stockholm-based secretariat, is responsible for the implementation of these activities.
Agenda Baltic 21 actions are grouped into eight sectors:
Two states or participating organisations act as Lead Party of a given sector. Germany is one of the Lead Parties for Agriculture and Tourism.
This first global regional agenda marked its tenth anniversary at the Baltic Sea States Summit held in Riga in June 2008, and hosted a jubilee seminar and an exhibition. Members of Baltic 21 include-- in addition to those represented in the Council of the Baltic Sea States- the European Commission, international financial institutions such as the European Investment Bank, intergovernmental, semi-governmental, and non-governmental organisations. Since 2004, Baltic 21 has implemented a new strategy of so-called ”Lighthouse projects” which aim to exercise measures that demonstrate sustainable development and environmental protection in the Baltic Sea region. The German Federal Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt) initiated a Baltic Sea project which was carried out by the city of Lübeck and completed in 2004 (see Final report and the Appendix to final report including emissions quantifications).
This project lay the way for one of the first lighthouse projects, the ”New Hansa of Sustainable Ports and Cities” Interreg III B- Project.
More information on ”Baltic 21” is available online at http://www.baltic21.org