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ERB at the BSSSC Board meeting

On 10th June 2020, Ms Magda Leszczyna-Rzucidło, Head of the ERB IPS, took part in the BSSSC online Board meeting. She presented shortly the latest ERB policy paper on the Future of the South Baltic Programme with the special attention to the capacity building initiatives for the small and local actors. She also introduced the BSSSSC Board members to the series of Umbrella project webinars being organized on ZOOM platform.

BSSSC Chairman, Mr Mieczysław Struk, Marshal of Pomorskie Region and BSSSC Secretary-General, Ms Krystyna Wróblewska

BSSSC Board meeting Draft Agenda

1. Opening of the Board meeting

1.1. Opening of the meeting – Mr. Mieczysław Struk, BSSSC Chairman

1.3. Adoption of the agenda

1.4. Adoption of the minutes from the Board Meeting in Brussels, February 18th, 2020

2. BSSSC Annual Conference

3.1. Digital BSSSC AC 2020 – Information from the hosts

3.2. Discussion on the shape of the conference in relation to Covid-19 pandemic

3.3. Discussion on experts to be involved

3. Covid-19 pandemic – status in BSSSC regions

4. Youth involvement and empowerment

4.1. Report from Youth Coordinator – Mr. Christopher Lucht

4.2. Status regarding the Baltic Sea Youth Platform BSYP

4.3. Baltic Youth Camp 2020 – online edition

4.4. Report from the BSSSC Spring Youth Event – Ms. Krystyna Wróblewska

4.5. Other EU youth-oriented initiatives

5. Interreg BSR 2021-2027 programming

Report from Mr. Matti Lipsanen, Häme

6. MFF and Cohesion Policy

Update from Rapporteur – Mr. Reiner Kneifel-Haverkamp, Brandenburg

7. EUSBSR revision of the Action Plan

7.1 Information on state of affairs – Ms. Marta Czarnecka-Gallas, Pomorskie

7.2. EUSBSR Annual Forum in Turku – BSSSC workshop

8. Transport

Information from Rapporteur – Mr. Jon Halvard Eide, Adger

9. Culture

Update from Rapporteur – Mr. Stefan Musiolik, Schleswig-Holstein

10. Report from Brussels Antenna Ms. Anna Drążek, Director of the Pomorskie Regional EU Office

10.1 How the EU reacts to Coronavirus pandemic

11. BSSSC communication activities report

12. Reports from other BSR organizations

12.1. Euroregion Baltic – Ms. Magda Magda Leszczyna-Rzucidło, Head of ERB International Permanent Secretariat

12.2. Union of Baltic Cities – Mr. Paweł Żaboklicki, Secretary General, Union of the Baltic Cities Secretariat

13. Next Board meeting:

14. Upcoming events

14.1. The Online edition of the Baltic Sea youth Camp – June 12-13, 2020

15. Any other business

END OF MEETING

On 19th May the ERB Executive Board met on-line and unanimously adopted the ERB Policy Paper titled “Arguments supporting the early introduction of a capacity building initiative”.

With reference to:

• the Position Paper of Euroregion Baltic on the Future of Cohesion Policy after 2020, adopted on 18th September 2017

• the Position Paper of Euroregion Baltic on the Future of the Interreg South Baltic Programme after 2020, adopted on 26th September 2018

• The Position Paper of Euroregion Baltic on the Future of the Interreg South Baltic Programme – arguments supporting, adopted 16th October 2019,

Euroregion Baltic (ERB) takes the following position:

➢ To attract newcomers and smaller actors, and to ensure people-to-people and smallscale projects in the future South Baltic Programme, ERB wishes to advocate the continuation of programme’s capacity building measures at the earliest possible stage in the programme lifetime.

Arguments

➢ ERB believes it is still crucial to enhance involvement of smaller organisations – local communities, non-governmental organisations, civil organisations, associations and clubs from the South Baltic Sea area in active international cooperation through projects supported under future South Baltic Programme.

➢ The challenge of reaching newcomers and smaller actors in the programme area has been recognised (also) in the South Baltic Programme, leading to the South Baltic Capacity Building project (2010-2011) and the UMBRELLA project (2018- 2020), UMBRELLA led by the Euroregion Baltic.

➢ Competencies and experiences of targeting, involving and supporting newcomers and smaller actors are thus available within the programme area (detailed and up-to date knowledge on the local level).

➢ By offering tailormade support such as mentorship, training, rent-an-expert, training of trainers and targeted microactivities, capacity building initiatives can help newcomers and smaller actors, including NGO’s, overcome barriers related to language, capacity and competencies, bureaucracy, networking and knowledge exchange, as well as help them better understand benefits and the added value of cross-border cooperation.

➢ Reaching newcomers and smaller project beneficiaries would bring the added value of yet more intensive cooperation and new networks and clusters, bringing Europe closer to its citizens.

➢ Involvement of small, local actors would build up trust between citizens and institutions, thereby helping to diminish cross-border obstacles we still face in the Region.

➢ ERB considers capacity building initiatives, like the example “Umbrella” project, success and believes that they should be replicated at the early stage of the programme period 2021 – 2027 so that their results could be of use in the same programme period.

➢ Capacity building initiatives will be complementary to the work of the regional Programme Contact Points. They will be able to support and strengthen the Contact Points’ role, as they will involve the beneficiaries in concrete projects and trustbased partnerships.

Download the document signed by the ERB President, Mr Witold Wróblewski, Mator of Elbląg, here:

The content of this website is the sole responsibility of the author and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union, the Managing Authority or the Joint Secretariat of the South Baltic Cross-border Cooperation Programme 2014-2020. The project UMBRELLA is partly financed from the Interreg South Baltic Programme 2014-2020 through the European Regional Development Fund.