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Baltic Metropoles - ready to implement the EU Strategy
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The Baltic Metropoles network (BaltMet)
welcomes the development of the EU Strategy and Action Plan
for the BSR, supports the alignment of policies and funding
under a joint strategic document and involvement of non-EU
countries around the Baltic Sea, especially the city-region
of St.Petersburg. It underlines the importance of working
together in transnational projects contributing to the increased
competitiveness and cohesion of the region. BaltMet represents
11 capitals and metropolitan cities around the Baltic Sea:
Berlin, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Malmo, Oslo, Riga, Stockholm,
St. Petersburg, Tallinn, Vilnius and Warsaw. The members
of BaltMet strongly believe that cities play an important
role in ensuring that the BSR Strategy reaches its aims
of making the region a more prosperous, sustainable, accessible,
attractive and secure place. A successful EU Strategy and
Action Plan must take full account of the role of the cities
as local authorities implementing policies and as regional
drivers in terms of growth, employment, competitiveness,
innovation and change. A number of the proposed actions
have already been taken up by the cities and regions in
different cooperation initiatives. Following initiatives
are under preparation or ongoing by BaltMet and they support
the implementation of the strategic priorities of the BSR
strategy:
- Prosperous region: In order to create synergies, BaltMet
encourages co-operation with universities and science
parks, local and regional level development agencies and
the private sector in order to work for a more coherent
innovation policy in the region.
- Environmentally sustainable region: The poor state of
the Baltic Sea is weakening the living environment and
competitiveness of the entire Region. Clean Baltic Sea
is crucial to the quality of life and attractiveness particularly
in coastal cities. Therefore, BaltMet urges for environmental
action against the pollution of the sea and the climate
change.
- Attractive region: There have been a number of efforts
to develop a shared identity and a recognized image for
the BSR but so far the marketing of the region as a whole
has remained rather haphazard. The metropolises of the
region support the promotion of the BSR both internally
and externally.
- Accessible region: Political priorities have been made
at the local and regional level regarding improved accessibility.
The BaltMet Mayors' Resolution from 2006, highlighted
26 focal infrastructural projects seen as crucial to integrating
the BSR in terms of transport networks and logistics.
These 26 projects are parts of three main corridors for
example "Rail Baltica" extended to Berlin and
St. Petersburg, and including permanent rail link Tallinn-Helsinki;
"Via Baltica' with the aim to develop a "Baltic
Main Street" connecting the urban nodes; The "Nordic
Triangle' including the Fehmern Belt Bridge.
- Safe and secure region: City administrations are concerned
about the security risks linked to climate change and
pollution as well as those inflicted by social and cultural
tension. Successful social integration policies, is one
key to a safe and secure region.
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