This year UBC celebrates its 20th anniversary. Much has happened since UBC foundation in 1991. The Baltic Sea Region has been an arena of spectacular changes. From the region divided by the iron curtain, it transformed into an area of vast cooperation, finally becoming the EU model of macro-region. The end of the Cold War was a major breakthrough not only in relations between the countries in the BSR, but also between the cities. It turned out that the cooperation and exchange of experiences were the best ways to diminish the existing gaps. The UBC was a response to the needs of cities eager to share and get the knowledge. The diversity was not an obstacle any more, but an asset.

The next Baltic Cities Bulletin will be entitled:

Building on the past, heading for the future

This edition of the Bulletin is intended to bring the outlook on what has happened during these 20 years. The Editorial Board invites you to write articles on your cities’ projects and initiatives which had a substantial input to the regional cooperation. A strong belief that the development of the whole region depends on the cities has been one of the foundations of the UBC. Much has been achieved since 1991 and it can be measured by the sum of the cities’ accomplishments.  You are invited to present your cities’ success stories. Either environmental, infrastructural, or social and cultural, either local, cross-border or international, all are welcome to be described.

It would be interesting to see how 20 years of cooperation is evaluated from the cities’ perspective. How did the cities change? How did the Baltic Sea Region change? What are the challenges and expectations for the future?

Last, but not least, this issue of the Bulletin would be an opportunity to remind people who have significantly contributed to what UBC is today.

As usual, apart from the main theme, we are looking forward to receiving stories on interesting events and daily life news from our member cities. Those articles are published in the chapter "News from Member Cities". The UBC Commissions are welcome to inform about their events, meetings and projects in the chapter "UBC Today".

Please follow these guidelines when submitting your story:

•    Deliver the story by e-mail to: anna.dargiewicz@gdansk.gda.pl in MS WORD format. Please remember to kill the viruses before sending it. Please expect confirmation of reception. Lack of confirmation means that the message is not delivered.

•    Each member city may submit two articles - one related to the cover theme and one to the chapter "News from Member Cities". All stories shall be sent in English.

•    Each article may have max 400 words, no more than 1 page A4, font TimesNewRoman 12pt. The editorial board sometimes needs to shorten the stories in order to include more stories into the Bulletin. It is also important to include the author's name and contact details for any follow-up questions related to the story.

•    Please make all efforts to include a smashing photo or a digital picture to illustrate the article (JPG format, min. 300 ppi, one e-mail - one picture, the file should not exceed 3 MB). Remember to send us also the coat of arms of your city, if you have not sent it earlier.

•    The deadline for stories to the Bulletin is 29 April 2011. Please respect this timetable as we are unable to print out stories received after this deadline.

All the material should be sent directly to the UBC Secretariat in Gdansk. If you have interesting issues to report, please do not hesitate to send them.

The bulletin is distributed in 6000 copies all around the Baltic Sea Region to over 200 Baltic cities and numerous key organizations and institutions, including the EU.

Looking forward to your reply, 
 
Paweł Żaboklicki
UBC Secretary General

• Call for stories (268.81 KB)