From priorities to practical action: Interreg Baltic Sea Region and the EUSBSR

For over 15 years, Interreg Baltic Sea Region has worked side by side with the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR). Together, we turn agreed priorities into practical results, from cleaner coasts and safer shipping to greener energy and circular economy innovations.

Fifteen Years of Cooperation, and Counting

When the EUSBSR was adopted in 2009, it marked a new way of working together across our region, or macro-region, in EU policy jargon. Fifteen years later, it remains the agreed framework through which eight EU Member States coordinate efforts to address shared challenges, from water quality and safe shipping to innovation and connectivity. Norway is also engaged in EUSBSR cooperation, contributing expertise and partnerships that strengthen collaboration across the whole Baltic Sea region.

Over time, Interreg Baltic Sea Region has helped turn this framework into practice. Today, our projects not only deliver tangible results but also connect directly to the priorities set by these countries’ line ministries.

Turning Policy Areas into Cooperation Results

The EUSBSR Action Plan is organised into 14 thematic policy areas, each coordinated by one or more countries. We fund projects that address challenges requiring cooperation across borders and that contribute directly to the Strategy’s wider goals.

According to the latest Commission report on macro-regional strategies, Interreg programmes play a “key role in supporting them.” The report highlights that Interreg BSR, along with the Danube, Alpine Space and ADRION programmes, provides “a unique framework for advancing these strategies by integrating their objectives into programme thematic priorities.”

In the current 2021–2027 period, more than 100 projects, supported by over EUR 200 million ERDF, are tackling shared issues ranging from nutrient reduction and clean energy to safer seas and circular economies.

EUSBSR Action Plan Support in Practice

•  Water Quality – PA Nutri

CiNURGi develops safe standards and business models for nutrient recycling in agriculture, while Supported by Nature demonstrates nature-based solutions in coastal areas. Together, they support Action 1 of PA Nutri: Cutting nutrient emissions from agriculture and diffuse sources.

• Societal Resilience – PA Innovation

Projects such as We Make Transition! (piloting transition arenas to co-create eco-social sustainability solutions with authorities and civil society) and BSI_4Women (empowering refugee women through tailored entrepreneurial support) strengthen regional innovation ecosystems. By addressing societal challenges through inclusive, co-creative methods, both projects contribute directly to Action 1 of PA Innovation: Challenge-driven innovation.

• Contamination Risks – PA Hazards

The MUNIMAP project tackles the legacy of dumped munitions in the Baltic Sea by developing policy guidance, digital mapping tools and safe remediation methods. This contributes to Action 2 of PA Hazards: Mitigate new and remediate historic contamination.

• Alternative Fuels – PA Energy

Projects such as BEST ACE (promoting biomethane for transport) and BOWE2H (mapping pathways for offshore wind-powered green hydrogen) are advancing alternative fuel solutions across the region. They support Action 4 of PA Energy: Increase the share of renewable energy, including marine sources.

• Emergency Preparedness – PA Secure

Projects including CREWS (enhancing crisis communication), BALTFLOODS (improving flood risk coordination), and ClimaResponse (developing joint strategies for climate emergencies) are strengthening regional readiness for climate-linked risks. Each contributes to Action 1 of PA Secure: Build capacities for prevention, preparedness, response and recovery in emergency and crisis management.

Not Just Projects – Platforms in Action

To give results more weight, we fund project platforms – cooperation hubs that connect related projects, consolidate results, and present them in ways useful to decision-makers, including those working with the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region.

• HAZGONE targets a blind spot in chemicals policy: too much focus on cleaning up pollution and too little on stopping it at the source. By pushing upstream measures into the EUSBSR PA Hazard agenda, from PFAS to pharmaceuticals, and funnelling recommendations into HELCOM and national ministries, it helps shift the Baltic Sea region towards prevention rather than cure.
• Baltic PlaNet tackles a familiar dilemma in spatial planning: how to prepare for climate change on land and at sea without fragmenting policies. By feeding lessons from projects into VASAB, HELCOM and the EUSBSR PA Spatial Planning, it pushes for more coherent coastal and marine planning, from flood-ready cities to climate-smart maritime zones, in line with the MSP Roadmap 2021–2030.
• BSR Urban Mobility addresses a gap in the EUSBSR PA Transport: while corridors and fuels dominate, cities often fall off the map. The platform brings urban mobility and logistics into the Strategy by pooling project results, promoting sustainable urban mobility planning, and linking with PA Transport and VASAB to cut CO₂ from transport and make regional corridors connect more effectively with city streets.

Looking Ahead

With an updated EUSBSR Action Plan expected in spring 2026, we look forward to a framework that builds on achievements so far and responds to the region’s future challenges.

The EUSBSR remains a collective cooperation framework, and Interreg Baltic Sea Region works to ensure it is fuelled by practical, transnational action that makes a real difference.

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