Coastal communities across the Baltic Sea Region face a set of shared challenges—including climate change impacts, sea-level rise, demographic shifts, an unsettled security situation, and growing pressures on local economies and fragile ecosystems. These communities, often at the forefront of environmental and socio-economic change, are navigating complex transitions while striving to preserve their cultural identities, natural resources, and quality of life.

Despite these challenges, the Baltic Sea Region also presents strong opportunities for cooperation, innovation, and integrated development. With a long history of regional collaboration and well-established policy frameworks such as VASAB Vision 2040 and the VASAB and HELCOM Common Recommendations for Spatial Planning of the Coastal Zone in the Baltic Sea Region (currently under development), coastal communities are increasingly engaging in joint efforts to build resilience and enhance liveability. By aligning local action with macro-regional policy framework, coastal communities are able to develop more adaptive governance models that prioritize both environmental sustainability and community well-being—laying the groundwork for vibrant, future-ready coastal areas.

The VASAB Secretariat initiated session “Resilient and Liveable Coastal Communities” at 5th Baltic MSP Forum will explore how coastal communities can enhance their resilience and liveability through coordinated responses, drawing on both local innovation and transnational cooperation. With presentations from VASAB Secretariat, European Commission (DG MARE) and a coastal community (NGO) this session will not only highlight the challenges, but also seek practical solutions and policies that address these challenges, emphasizing the importance of integrated planning and community engagement.

A central part of the session will be a panel discussion bringing together experts from various levels of governance—macro-regional, national, regional, and local—to examine the evolving realities and opportunities for coastal communities in the Baltic Sea Region. Through this multi-level dialogue, the panel will explore key questions around current challenges faced by coastal areas, from environmental stress to socio-economic pressures, and identify practical, scalable solutions to improve both resilience and liveability. Special attention will be given to how the strategic frameworks can support sustainable development at the local and regional levels. The discussion will also delve into how better alignment between EU and national policies and local action can foster more effective and inclusive coastal governance. Drawing from real-world examples and successful cross-border initiatives, the panel aims to inspire future cooperation and implementation across the Baltic Sea Region.

The 5th Baltic MSP Forum will take place on 11-12 November 2025 fully on-site in Riga, Latvia. More information and registration for this event: www.BalticMSPforum.eu.

The 5th Baltic MSP Forum is organised by the VASAB Secretariat together with the Ministry of Smart Administration and Regional Development of the Republic of Latvia, as the Lead Partner of the Interreg Baltic Sea Region project Baltic Sea2Land, and in cooperation with the partners of the project’s consortium. The 5th Baltic MSP Forum is supported by the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme 2021-2027 – through the Subsidy contract for the project #C018 Baltic Sea2Land of Interreg Baltic Sea Region.