Connect Europe’s 1st ever meeting! (Copenhagen, 21-22.02.2019)

The first ever meeting signaling the start of the “ Connect Europe “ project took place in Copenhagen from 21-22 February 2019!
The “Connect Europe” project aims to engage citizens from 7 different European countries in a constructive dialogue about the future of Europe and to support the various EU agendas and values. The project is co-funded by the Europe for Citizens Programme of the European Union and designed to increase transnational cooperation within the EU. This will be accomplished with local talks, national conferences, pan-European campaigns and a final event. Its duration will be 15 months starting on January 1st 2019 and closing on 30th June 2020. It is led by Nyt Europa from Denmark with the joint efforts of Aktiivinen Eurooppalainen Kansalainen Suomi Ry – AEKS (Finland), Democracy International e.V (Germany), Stichting Netwerk Democratie (Netherlands), Stowarzyszenie Gmin RP Euroregion Baltyk (Poland), Plataforma Portuguesa para os direitos das Mulheres (Portugal) and the European Civic Forum.
In its kickoff meeting the participants met to agree on the details and to compile shared topics and materials for local discussions and national conferences. Nyt Europe was represented by Ms Julie Rosenkilde, Mr Jacob Bjelskov Jorgensen and Mr Troels Knudsen, AEKS was represented by Ms Marita Modenius, Democracy International by Ms Daniela Vancic and Ms Anne Hardt, Netwerk Democratie by Ms Anne de Zeeuw, Euroregion Baltic by Ms Agata Ludwiczak, Plataforma Muheres by Ms Ana Sofia Fernandes and the European Civic Forum by Mr Vladimir Sestovic.
On 20th February 2019, the participants met and visited MP Mogens Lykketoft at the Danish Parliament. Mr Mogens Lukketoft is an MP from the Social Democratic Party, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Finance and former President of the UN General Assembly. Mr Lukketoft spoke about subjects like the decreasing popularity of the EU especially in Southern Europe, the EU referendums and the Brexit crisis, the results of austerity as a policy, sustainable development and EU’s potential. Later, several European Parliament activities for citizens were organized consisting of local talks and campaigns.
On 21st February, the partners discussed about the conference themes and project management. Each organization committed to organize an event on one of the 7 Chapters of the European Charter of Fundamental Rights- dignity, freedoms, equality, solidarity, citizens’ rights, justice and general provisions. ERB is covering the topic of solidarity by boosting democratic discussion and bringing as example our cooperation for the achievement of Cohesion Policy thanks to the Interreg projects we have worked on. The participants also discussed about the European Solidarity Corps and closed with the budget, partner agreement and reporting.

This November Euroregion Baltic will organize a conference on solidarity in Poland! Details will be published on our site!

Theodora Chatzipanteli
IVY Euroregion Baltic

Only a few months are left until the Baltic Sea Youth Camp, which will take place in Hotel Orle in Gdansk, Poland from 8-11 June 2019! The Baltic Sea Youth Camp is a three-day festival which promotes friendship, culture and political awareness among its young participants aged 18-25 from the 11 countries of the Baltic Sea Region and Iceland!
The partnering organizations who are making it happen decided to meet, inspect the hotel’s possibilities and form plans for the Baltic Sea Youth Camp. The meeting took place on 30th and 31st January in Gdansk, Poland. With Akershus Fylkeskommune, representing Baltic Sea States Sub-regional Cooperation (BSSSC), from Norway as the lead partner, and several co-partners; namely Euroregion Baltic (Poland), Union of Baltic Cities (Denmark) and Baltic Sea Cultural Centre (Poland), the meeting brought together professionals from several Euroregion Baltic countries.
On 30th January, the participants visited the island Wyspa Sobieszewska where the Hotel Orle, Gdansk is situated. The hotel which will accommodate the Baltic Sea Youth Camp is only 15 km from the center of Gdansk and is easily accessible by public transport and car. Furthermore, it is a large complex so, it is difficult to miss! Surrounded by a pine forest and only several meters away from the beach, the hotel offers many opportunities for various activities (especially sports) as well as every possible facility and comfort that a young person might wish for. There is internet and TV in the rooms and saunas, spa and massage in the first floors.
On 31st January, the main organizational meeting for the Baltic Sea Youth Camp took place. The attendees discussed subjects like participation, inclusivity, selection criteria and the daily schedule which will follow the Camp’s main themes and goals. There was an abundance of proposals for activities and workshops that could take place during the Youth Camp, so selecting the best was quite a challenge! The focus was kept around secular economy, sustainability, ecology and culture. There was a special emphasis on activities that will directly involve the youth and boost international communication and cooperation among the participants of the Camp. Finally, a draft of the schedule was made and the responsibility for each workshop was distributed among the various organizations from each Baltic country.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the organizations involved held a productive meeting which helped map a clear plan for the Baltic Sea Youth Camp. The working process and overall atmosphere were effective, open and cordial and while there is more to be revised, it can be said that this meeting was of crucial importance for the planning of this exciting, international Youth Camp.
Please feel free to find out more about the Baltic Sea Youth Camp 2019 and what it has to offer on its page “ www.balticyouthcamp.org “ as well as its Facebook page “Baltic Sea Youth Camp 2019”!

– Applications for the Baltic Sea Youth Camp 2019 open soon!

Theodora Chatzipanteli
Euroregion Baltic, IVY

The Agenda of our event is now available: Agenda SIA4Y- 6-7 March 2019

“Right of access to public information from the youth perspective” is a Workshop for young girls and boys between 18-25 years old. Organized by the Association of Polish Communes of Euroregion Baltic, this will be the first of a series of mirroring events in the frame of  the SIA4Y project- Strengthening civil society rights by information access for European youth.

This will be a good occasion for us to share and discuss the best practices we gained through projects like CaSYPoT and YCGN. But we will count also on the participation of Transparency International Lithuania, that will provide a session on participatory budgeting.

Don’t miss this opportunity!

If you are interested in participating, please contact Valentina Scandola at valentina.scandola@euroregionbaltic.eu
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The Baltic Youth Camp is a three-day festival open to all youth within the age group 18-29 years from one of the 11 countries in the Baltic Sea Region or from Iceland.

Why should you participate?

This festival is an occasion for youth representatives from the Baltic Sea Region to gather and explore friendship, cultural identity and politics through workshops, small seminars and social activities related to art, technology, human rights, ecology, sustainability and heritage and enjoy excursions, sports and music.

Learn more on our website: https://www.balticyouthcamp.org/ and follow the Facebook page @Baltic Youth Camp !

Registration will open in February! Stay tuned =)

The Association of Polish Communes of Euroregion Baltic, IPS, is currently part of Europe for Citizens project SIA4Y- Strengthening civil society rights by Information Access for European Youth (http://civicyouth.eu/2018/12/19/sia4y-project-kick-off-meeting-in-gdansk-european-debate/).

The project, led by the Polish Economic Society (Gdansk, Poland), foresees a series of mirroring events “Access to public information from the youth perspective” in each partner country (Poland, Estonia, Finnland and Belgium), and we’re about to start the organization of ours that will take place in Elblag (Poland), on 7th March 2019 (1-day event).

Our event will count 80-100 participants from our ERB network (Sweden, Denmark, Lithuania, and Poland) and from our SIA4Y partner countries, especially from Finnland and Estonia. We still have to define the details but I think that our target group will be mainly young people aging between 18 and 25 years old.

The main objective of the event will be to inform and train the participants in the use of the right of access to public information, including practical training on socially responsible relationships and participatory budgeting knowledge for youth. Our idea would be to dedicate half of the time on right of access, and the second part on participatory budgeting through a role game.

We are currently looking for speakers that would be able to give a significant contribution to our event, with experience in the topics described above, and used to work with youth.
If you are interested in participating as speaker, please contact Valentina Scandola at valentina.scandola@euroregionbaltic.eu

The organizers of the 10th EUSBSR Annual Forum- that will take place in Gdansk on 12-13 June 2019- invite strategic stakeholders to propose relevant seminars for the event.
Seminars are the core of the Forum, devolved to the exchange of angles, ideas and initiatives, and they are expected to relate to at least one of the three main themes of this year:

1. “Going circular- a pathway to well-being in the Baltic Sea Region”
2. “Business-driven approach to circular economy in the Baltic Sea Region”
3. “Demography and circularity in the Baltic Sea Region: interdependent or disconnected?”

Guidelines for staging a seminar are available here

Deadline for proposals submission: 15th February 2019 to 10thAnnualForum@pomorskie.eu

Are you a young girl/ boy between 18-25 years old?

Would you like to know more about your right of access to public information?

Then our Youth Workshop is the right occasion for you to gain practical knowledge in this field, besides socially responsible relationships and participatory budgeting.

The workshop will be organized in the frame of SIA4Y project– Strengthening civil society rights by information access for European youth, led by the Polish Economic Society in Gdansk (PL).

If you are eager to know about our project and next activities, and if you would like to leave your comments, you can visit the website civicyouth.eu.

Stay tuned and save the date 7th March 2019!

The event venue will be Ratusz Staromiejski (Town hall)

Stary Rynek 25, Elbląg (PL).

N.B. Agenda and link for registration will be available in January.

Circular and sharing economy as an answer to demographic changes and environmental challenges in the Baltic Sea Region

This is the main topic of the 10th Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region that will take place in Gdańsk on June 12-13, 2019.

The Forum will create the opportunity to participate in 18 thematic panels/workshops and Networking Village within three main thematic sessions:

•  ‘Going circular – a pathway to well-being in the Baltic Sea Region’
• ‘Business-driven approach to circular economy in the Baltic Sea Region’
• ‘Demography and circularity in the Baltic Sea Region: interdependent or disconnected?’

The Forum will be hosted by the Pomorskie Region, together with the Baltic Sea States Subregional Co-operation (BSSSC) under the Norwegian chairmanship, in close cooperation with the European Commission, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland and other partners.

About 800 participants from governments, international organisations, NGOs, universities, local and regional administrations and businesses will gather to debate on trends and opportunities in the Baltic Sea Region.

More information on the official website

The Regional Council in Kalmar County (future Association on Municipalities in Kalmar County) has the pleasure to invite all Project Partners, Associated Partners and other relevant stakeholders to the CaSYPoT project final conference in Kalmar, Sweden on 13-14.05.2019.

Get to know project results, how the CaSYPoT survey and activities influenced the situation in partner municipalities and share good examples on how to improve youth participation!

More details, agenda and registration will follow in 2019.

Are you currently studying political or social sciences or have recently graduated?
Or are you a member of a political party or engaged in a Baltic Sea Region organisation?
Are you interested in regional cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region?
Are you ready to learn and discuss interesting topics, meet new people having similar interest from the region?

Then, you should take part in the “Baltic Sea Youth Dialogue 2018”, a seminar for students and young people dealing with Baltic Sea cooperation, from many EU countries but also Iceland, Norway, Russian Federation and even USA!

Apply by 31st October HERE!

The event will take place in Oeversee (Germany) between 16th and 21st November.

For more details: BSYDcall2018updated