From 1 July 2018 to 30 June 2019, Latvia presided over the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS). Latvia also chaired VASAB Committee on Spatial Planning and Development of the Baltic Sea Region (CSPD/BSR) – a steering body of this cooperation.

Smart governance of cities is something that unites the interests of urban planners in the countries of the Region with very different background and approaches. The VASAB Latvian Chairmanship addressed gaps in the development of various types of urban areas. In particular, it paid attention to challenges of small and medium cities. VASAB organised a number of workshops devoted to the identification of best practices and providing relevant solutions to policy makers.

Mr Gunārs Ansiņš, Liepaja City Council Vice Chairman on Development and Cooperation chaired the VASAB CSPD/BSR. He has a Master’s Degree on Environmental Science and Management and has served as a Chairman of the VASAB CSPD/BSR also during previous round of Latvian Chairmanship in 2008.

Latvia took over chairmanship from Sweden, the next chairing country after Latvia is Denmark.