The Standing Committee of the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC) convened at the European Parliament in Brussels for its spring session.
The meeting was preceded by a breakfast exchange with Members of the European Parliament and a security briefing by Martin Schäfer, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Political and Security Committee (PSC). The discussion addressed current EU security priorities and their implications for the Baltic Sea Region.
The Standing Committee session at the European Parliament was opened by Roberts Zīle, Vice-President of the European Parliament, who underlined the importance of sustained parliamentary engagement in strengthening resilience and cohesion across Europe.
The political debate focused on geopolitical developments in the Arctic and Greenland as well as the negotiations on the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). Sabrina Repp, Member of the European Parliament and Member of the BSPC Standing Committee, outlined key elements of the ongoing MFF negotiations and highlighted their relevance for cohesion policy, security investments and regional programmes in the Baltic Sea Region.
An exchange of views with Gustav Lindström, Director General of the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS), focused on the current strategic orientation of the CBSS and opportunities for closer cooperation between governmental and parliamentary frameworks in the region.
Further agenda items included youth participation and structured youth dialogue, reports from the BSPC Working Groups and Rapporteurs, financial matters, preparations for the 35th BSPC Annual Conference and the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Youth Forum in Lübeck 2026, as well as continued discussions on the organisational and legal framework of the BSPC.
Concluding the meeting, Kristina Herbst, President of the BSPC, stated:
“The Baltic Sea Region must remain politically coherent and strategically visible in Europe. Today’s exchanges have demonstrated that parliamentary cooperation strengthens our capacity to act collectively. I look forward to continuing our work at the next meeting of the Standing Committee in May in Neustadt in Holstein.”
The meeting reaffirmed the BSPC’s role as a parliamentary platform linking national and regional parliaments of the Baltic Sea Region with European institutions.