Norway announced on Monday (18 May), that it has officially joined the European Union's Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR), the transnational cooperation effort approaching joint challenges and security issues in the Baltic Sea region.
Norway will join current members of the EUSBSR, Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. As a non-EU country, Norway’s addition reflects a commitment to cooperation beyond the EU, toward the macro-regional level.
European Commission Executive Vice-President for Cohesion and Reforms, Raffaele Fitto, said: “Norway’s full membership of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region will further enhance our collective capacity to address shared challenges - from security and resilience to innovation and territorial cohesion.”
The Baltic Sea region has been watchful of downstream consequences of Russia invasion of Ukraine since 2022, and disruptions to energy and communication networks, including power cable, telecom link, and gas pipeline outages, have heightened vigilance on these issues.
Espen Barth Eide, Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs, said that joining the group will promote new collaborations in maritime cooperation, surveillance, and security.
"Membership will strengthen Norway's cooperation with the EU in a region that has become central to European and Norwegian security," Barth Eide added.
EUSBSR was formed in 2009 to enhance cooperation between Baltic states around areas of sustainability, competition, and regional resilience. The group continues to compile wide ranges of policies and initiatives surrounding their three core objectives of saving the sea, connecting the region, and increasing prosperity.
Source: commonspace.eu with Reuters and European Commission
