The VASAB Committee on Spatial Planning and Development of the Baltic Sea Region (VASAB CSPD/BSR) is chaired by Finland from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024.

Ms. Anna-Leena Seppälä from the Finnish Ministry of the Environment will chair the VASAB CSPD/BSR meetings.

Finnish Chairmanship of the VASAB CSPD/BSR will continue VASAB efforts on putting the recently endorsed VASAB Vision 2040 into the practice. During the Finnish Chairmanship the guidance and concrete steps for VASAB and other stakeholders implementing the VASAB Vision 2040 will be discussed. Particularly further linkages with other Policy areas within the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region and further promotion of VASAB Vision at relevant networks and events will be considered. Additionally possibilities in testing cooperation mechanism for land-based spatial planners – so called ‘VASAB Planners Forum’ will be explored.

Thematic focus of the VASAB Finnish Chairmanship will be spatial resilience and what role the spatial planning has in it. Particularly, a webinar on spatial resilience and spatial planning will be organised on 29 February 2024 where experts from the Baltic Sea Region countries will be invited to share their experience.

Finland has taken over the Chairmanship from Germany. The next chairing country after Finland will be Estonia from 2024-2025.