Baltic Sea Business

Local and regional business development agencies in the Baltic Sea area have established an informal information network called the Hanse Business Network. The aim of this connection is to assist small and medium-sized enterprises in exploring new markets around the Baltic Sea.

The Baltic Sea Region has always been of great importance to the economic development in Northern Europe. Considering the close co-operation between the EU and the countries of Eastern Europe, the Baltic Sea area will become even more important in the future. An informal Network very often can help enterprises to find new export markets and create business contacts.

The Hanse Business Network traces its roots back to the project datalink LS, a contact and information network between local and regional business develop ment agencies in the Baltic Sea area that was founded in 1995.

The contacts and experiences we have gathered in the past jne Hanseatic Kogge eight years are valuable in our - a sign for tradition present work.

The Hanse Business Network as an informal co-operation can help companies in the participating regions to find business contacts, provide information and get access to common networks and infrastructures. Our services are not restricted to the use of databases and address lists. We also arrange on a project work basis visit's and business meetings, where companies from different countries can exchange information and find new business partners.

The Hanse Business Network has arranged business-networking events for different business sectors in the recent years. Some four hundred small and medium-sized businesses from the region have already benefited from these events. Before each event an extensive catalogue of company profiles has been published. From this catalogue participants selected their discussion partners. Over two days of networking sessions, a scheduled program of individual meetings were constructed for each participant to help them build personal contacts.

Previous networking activities have concentrated on printing, graphics, paper; ecological building industry and healthcare industry. The business meetings were successfully accomplished in 1997, 1998 and 2000. The industries that have participated in these events and came from more than six countries met to discuss business opportunities.

In Denmark, Finland, Germany and Sweden the companies have access to all services of the Business Development Corporations. In Latvia, Lithuania and Russia informal contact points are able to organise business meetings and visits in different markets.