Technical Assistance to the EUSBSR Horizontal Action „Spatial Planning”

Project’s lifetime: Jan 2013 – Jan 2014
Budget: € 66 667

The overall objective of the Project: to strengthen implementation of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, in particular its Horizontal Action “Spatial Planning”.
VASAB is co-leader of the Horizontal Action.
The project had two specific objectives: enhancing policy development and preparation for future projects within Horizontal Action.

The Progress Report on the Implementation of the VASAB Long-Term Perspective for the Territorial Development of the Baltic Sea Region was prepared by external consultant Wiktor Szydarowski. More information is available here: Progress Review Report on the Implementation of the VASAB Long-Term Perspective for the Territorial Development of the Baltic Sea Region

VASAB stakeholder meeting “Creating synergies for well-integrated and coherent Baltic Sea Region” was organized on 12 December 2013 in Helsinki. The three interactive sessions were conducted introducing and discussing (1) the Draft Progress Report, (2) the work of several pan-Baltic organisations dealing with the thematic aspects addressed in the LTP, (3) outcomes of the relevant territorial cooperation initiatives, and (4) results of the ESPON, PartiSEApate and other projects addressing territorial development processes in the Baltic Sea Region.

Development of the project ideas for new activities as well as potential flagship projects in the HA Spatial Planning was facilitated in the VASAB workshop “Cultivating new ideas for the territorial development of the Baltic Sea Region” on 28 November 2013 in Riga. 37 project ideas were collected during the workshop about (1) urban-rural interlinkage, (2) urban-rural transport initiatives, (3) accessibility, (4) maritime spatial planning. It was noted that some of them could potentially materialize into new Flagship Projects.

A leaflet was produced about HA Spatial Planning, its activities, tasks, targets, steering bodies, flagship project and other project examples.

The project has resulted in increased stakeholder awareness of and involvement in the EUSBSR HA “Spatial Planning”, its achievements and projects.