Baltic PlaNet at the EUSBSR Annual Forum 2026

This May, Baltic PlaNet team travelled to Tallinn to participate in the EUSBSR Annual Forum 2026 — the flagship event of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region. Under the theme of resilience, the Forum brought together around 500 policymakers, planners and practitioners from across the region.

On the first day of the Forum (12 May), we had fruitful discussions with stakeholders from different countries and governance levels at the Networking Village EUSBSR Policy area ‘Spatial Planning’ stand. All stand visitors completed a Baltic Sea Region climate resilience quiz and showed strong interest in Baltic PlaNet project. Many participants highlighted that climate change adaptation and preparedness for extreme weather events are still relatively new topics in their organisations. Understand existing and potential impacts of the climate change could help them to plan their territories in a more sustainable way. Also, all stand visitors filled Baltic PlaNet stakeholder survey, so we obtained new contacts from all around the region.

In addition to plenary sessions and engagement with stakeholders, Baltic PlaNet project team participated in two important breakout sessions that provided valuable practical insights for the project’s future activities.

When disaster strikes – who steps up? A real-time flood simulation with citizens and stakeholders

This session was jointly organised by three Baltic PlaNet sister projects — BALTFLOODS, ClimaResponse and CREWS. These three projects share a similar goal like Baltic PlaNet – strengthening climate and disaster resilience in the Baltic Sea Region by improving public authorities’ capacities, cross-sector cooperation, and community engagement in preparing for and responding to climate-related and environmental risks.

This session reminded that municipalities and their communities are on the front line of the impacts of climate change and other disruptive events. The simulation exercise demonstrated, how clear roles, coordination and local capacity are essential to respond effectively and protect communities from climate change related crises.

Shifting tides, resilient territories – advancing spatial resilience in the Baltic Sea region

This session was organised by the VASAB Secretariat and EUSBSR Policy Area Spatial Planning. The session demonstrated that resilience is becoming an increasingly important guiding principle for spatial planning in the Baltic Sea Region. Spatial planning is a critical framework for shaping territories that are adaptable, connected, and capable of thriving amid uncertainty.

As the Baltic PlaNet aims to build a more resilient region, capable of withstanding climate impacts, this session helped our team to better understand how to apply this concept in our project.

The key takeaway from the presentation was a quote from Mr. Tiit Oidjärv:

When spacemaking, wear your resilience glasses. When thinking resilience, don’t forget to think spatial.

This quote reminded, that climate adaptation should not be treated only as an environmental issue, but as a spatial planning challenge that influences where and how future development takes place. Climate resilience must become a standard design criterion, and every planning decision should consider future climate risks. And vice versa – every climate adaptation measure should consider spatial implications.

The quiz results, stakeholder discussions and insights from plenary and breakout sessions will help Baltic PlaNet develop a knowledge-sharing programme that responds to the real needs of planners and decision-makers across the Baltic Sea Region. Participation in the EUSBSR Annual Forum 2026 also reinforced the importance of cross-border cooperation and continuous learning in building more climate-resilient territories for the future.

If you are interested in climate change, spatial planning and coastal issues, you are welcome to join our network, by filling this survey.

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