Vibrant, Resilient, Well-connected – The Baltic Sea Region in 2040

Expert’s Conference on the updated VASAB Vision

• How do we imagine the desired development of the Baltic Sea Region over the next two decades?
• What will urban networks and rural settlements look like, how will they be connected physically and digitally?
• How can we secure our energy supply in the face of climate change and political instability?
• What will make our most precious commons, the livelihoods of millions in this region, its waters, lands and cultures more vibrant, resilient and well-connected?

The VASAB Vision 2040 will guide us in answering these questions. We invite you to SAVE THE DATE for this conference to celebrate the completion of the VASAB Vision 2040 and to discuss its themes.

Experts in the field of spatial planning and regional development will come together to discuss what the VASAB Vision means for the Baltic Sea Region and how each of us can contribute to making it a reality.

Background

Looking back at more than three decades of macro-regional cooperation in spatial planning within the Baltic Sea Region, a first common vision was drafted and agreed by the Ministers for Spatial Planning and Development in 1994 in Tallinn. This vision was further developed into the VASAB Long-Term Perspective for the Territorial Development of the Baltic Sea Region (LTP), adopted in Vilnius in 2009.

Now, a new VASAB Vision for 2040 has been developed under the slogan “Bridging the old with the new” in a participatory process involving public, academic and civil society actors. The new vision aims to respond to the major challenges facing the Baltic Sea Region today.

Conference

The Expert’s Conference will take place back-to-back with the adoption of the Vision 2040 by the Ministers responsible for spatial planning and development in the VASAB countries of the Baltic Sea Region on 2 June 2023.

It will complement the Ministerial Conference by providing different practical and research perspectives and by highlighting what is needed for its implementation. Participants will discuss past and present projects and initiatives in thematic groups and will have the opportunity to network and reflect on future initiatives for a vibrant, resilient and well-connected Baltic Sea Region.

The Conference is organised jointly by the VASAB Secretariat and the Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development and Building of Germany (Chair of the VASAB CSPD/BSR in 2022/23).

More information will be provided soon. In the meantime, please save the date and take note of the conference details below!

Time: Thursday, 1 June 2023, 11:00-16:00 CET

Place: Rathaus Wismar (Town hall Wismar), Am Markt 1, D-23966 Wismar

Please register for the event here!

We are looking forward to welcoming you in the Hanseatic City of Wismar in June!