28 February 2022

In cooperation and peace we believe

Written by the team of the Managing Authority/Joint Secretariat

‘Peace is not everything but without peace, everything is nothing,’ said Willy Brandt, the Nobel Peace Prize winner and an advocate of cooperation. As we are witnessing military aggression of the Russian President and the Government against Ukraine, we can clearly see what failures in cooperation bring. We stand for peace and cooperation. We stand with Ukraine.

Our Programme has been funding transnational cooperation projects for almost 25 years. But Interreg Baltic Sea Region is more than money; it is an environment for cooperation of people from all countries around the Baltic Sea. It is a community of people who believe that cooperation beyond borders is the only way forward to shape a peaceful region, a peaceful Europe and a peaceful future for all.

Thanks to working together beyond borders, a lot of good ideas have been brought to life, by partners from the eight EU Members States, Norway, Russia and Belarus. This work on the ground, with citizens and organisations, is something we value and cherish. It creates friendships for years, mutual support and trust. It is about good neighbourhood for the benefit of all people in the region.

At this very moment, all these values have been threatened by military aggression of the Russian government against Ukraine. Our thoughts and actions are with those who suffer most: with the citizens of Ukraine.

Still, we do hope that peace will return. We will be in a different world. We hope this world has sufficient space for cooperation and trust again. We believe in people.