Bergstroem at 30 BSPC

30TH BSPC: FOURTH SESSIONAddresses and reportsSpeaker: Mr Anders Bergström, Baltic Sea NGO NetworkYour excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, dear friends of the Baltic Sea Region,Congratulation on the 30th anniversary of the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference!This is a truly sustainable cooperation between Parliaments and Parliamentarians. Animportant foundation for successfully addressing our common societal challenges.In fact, with today’s complex societal challenges, we need each other more than everbefore, in Europe and in our Baltic Sea Region.I’m not just talking about the most obvious challenges, the climate ones but also socialchallenges related to integration of migrants, trafficking, young people unable to enterthe labour market, ageing population - just to give you some examples.There is also another reason why we need each other. The opportunities are betteraddressed jointly. Instead of competing internally we can join forces, develop productsand services that we can compete with on the global markets.Our great asset in the Baltic Sea Region is the skills and competences of our citizens.Another asset is the entrepreneurial mindsets and ability to adjust to change. Togetherwe can develop targeted solutions to the challenges. Instead of struggling on our own,in one country, region or city, together we can make better use of our resources.Now you might say: this sounds good but how do we do it in practice? How do weboost collaboration?One answer exists already today, the macroregional strategies, with the EU Strategyfor the Baltic Sea Region. An integrated framework for collaboration and a laboratorywhere new collaborative approaches are developed and practiced. Wherestakeholders are invited to cross-sectorial, transnational, and multilevel formats – toco-create solutions to our challenges and make best use of our opportunities. Thestrategies involve stakeholders both from the EU members and neighbouringcountries.These Strategies, now four in Europe have proved to work - but more needs to be doneto further develop them and to make them sustainable. Collaboration needs to beinvested in. Not the least in building institutional capacity for international collaboration.Financial resources are also important. Transnational collaboration doesn’t need to beexpensive but today far too little of our budgets are used for something so importantwhen addressing our challenges and making best use of our opportunities.Where are the civil society organisations in this Baltic Sea landscape of transnationalcollaboration? Some are already part of the collaboration since many years. Somewant to take part but can’t find the entrance. Most of them lack the needed financialsupport. Today’s funding is mostly tailor-made for the public sector. The Baltic SeaNGO Network has for 20 years offered support to non-governmental organizations,with contacts, with capacity building and as a platform for dialogue between civil societyorganisations and decision makers.After 20-years it’s high time we reformed the Baltic Sea NGO Network and this reformprocess is now taking place. Focus is on providing tailor-made support to those civilsociety organisations that want to be part of co-creating targeted solutions to oursocietal challenges. Offering capacity building, guidance when searching for suitableframeworks for them to contribute and jointly to push for more financial support to non-governmental organisations that want to contribute with their competences to societaldevelopment. Widened participation in transnational cooperation is important and theBaltic Sea NGO Network is here to help. We aim at presenting the reformed Baltic SeaNGO Network towards the end of the year.Finally, what can you as Parliamentarians do more to support transnationalcollaboration and civil society involvement? The political support is needed on alllevels, national, regional, and locally. To push for more of transnational collaboration,helping to change mindsets increasing the awareness of that we need each other’sacross boarders and that we today have excellent possibilities for collaboration withour neighbours. What we need is to make better use of the opportunities includinginvesting in Baltic Sea Region collaboration. To make transnational collaboration anintegrated part of strategic development, in cities, in regions and in countries. Includingvaluable contributions from civil society organisations.The Baltic Sea NGO Network with its members are looking forward to continuingworking with you in the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference.Thank you for the opportunity to address you today.