Baltic Development Forum is supported by a broad variety of members that contribute and enable the work and activities carried out by Baltic Development Forum. Members are both public and private actors with an profound interest in contributing to the Baltic Sea Regional Agenda.
City of Turku
City of Turku is a powerhouse of Baltic Sea cooperation. It is the oldest city and former capital of Finland, serving as the European capital of culture in 2011. Turku is the centre of Finland´s maritime cluster, where the biggest and most luxurious cruise ships in the world are built. Turku, with its top class universities, cutting edge research institutions, vibrant and versatile businesses and thriving cultural life is the natural growth centre in Southwest Finland, next to the most beautiful archipelago in the world. Turku has since centuries served as Finland´s gateway to Scandinavia and the world – logistically, culturally and spiritually. It has systematically promoted cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region, through twin city relations, multilateral networks like UBC and practical projects. The Turku process promotes European cooperation especially with St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region, together with Hamburg and the European Commission. The newly launched Development and Growth Corridor (Stockholm-Turku – Helsinki – St.Petersburg) is an ambitious initiative, bringing together key stakeholders in the Northern Baltic The Centrum Balticum Foundation is Finland´s policy think tank on Baltic Sea issues, pooling together vast expertise in various fields and coordinating BSR-related activities. Turku is a natural partner for anyone interested in Baltic Sea cooperation!
DONG Energy
DONG Energy is one of Northern Europe ’s leading energy groups. We are headquartered in Denmark. Our business is based on procuring, producing, distributing, trading and selling energy and related products in Northern Europe.
The company delivered revenue of DKK 41.6 billion in 2007 (approx. EUR 5.6 billion or USD 8.3 billion). DONG Energy has more than 5,000 employees. For further information, see our website.
The NASDAQ OMX Group
The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. is the world’s largest exchange company. It delivers trading, exchange technology and public company services across six continents, with more than 3,600 listed companies.
NASDAQ OMX offers multiple capital raising solutions to companies around the globe, including its U.S. listings market, NASDAQ OMX Nordic, NASDAQ OMX Baltic, NASDAQ OMX First North.
The company offers trading across multiple asset classes including equities, derivatives, debt, commodities, structured products and exchange-traded funds. NASDAQ OMX Group technology supports the operations of over 70 exchanges, clearing organizations and central securities depositories in more than 50 countries. NASDAQ OMX Nordic and NASDAQ OMX Baltic are not legal entities but describe the common offering from NASDAQ OMX Group exchanges in Helsinki, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Iceland, Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius.
Copenhagen Airports
Copenhagen Airports A/S is the listed company that owns and operates the airports at Kastrup and Roskilde. We are 1350 committed employees entrusted with everything from planning the airports’ future and the services they offer to the daily cleaning and maintenance of the airport.
Copenhagen Airports makes its infrastructure, buildings and service facilities available to the many companies that have business operations at the airport. We share a common goal: to ensure that our passengers have a pleasant stay at the airport.
Grundfos
With its continuous development of trend-setting pumps and pump systems, Grundfos is one of the world’s leading pump manufacturers.
Grundfos has sales companies in 40 countries all around the world and supplies pumps for a wide variety of purposes such as building services, industry, dosing, water supply, and wastewater along with motors and electronics.
We offer a total approach that gives the optimal, most cost-effective system over the complete life cycle. We see the pump as a part of a complex hydraulic system – not just focusing on the pump alone but optimising the whole system. Well-defined and deeply rooted company values are the core of everything that Grundfos does. Expressed in their shortest form they amount to: Being responsible – Thinking ahead – Innovation.
European Investment Bank
The European Investment Bank is one of the world’s largest multilateral financing institutions. As the bank of the European Union, it uses its special expertise and resources to make a difference to the future of Europe and its partners by supporting sound investments underpinning EU policy objectives. Set up in 1958 under the Treaty of Rome establishing the European Community, the EIB operates as a bank and raises the majority of its resources on the capital markets on favourable terms, which it passes on to its borrowers. The EIB’s shareholders are the Member States of the European Union. The Bank is financially autonomous and does not come under the EU budget. EIB lending is channelled primarily to projects in the EU Member States. Outside the Union, the Bank contributes to the implementation of EU development aid and cooperation policies under specific regional mandates covering EU Candidate and Potential Candidate Countries in the Enlargement Region; Mediterranean countries, Russia and the Eastern Neighbours; African, Pacific and Caribbean (ACP) countries, and the Republic of South Africa; Asia and Latin America. The EIB supports the Baltic Sea Region’s long tradition of cross-border cooperation by financing long-term projects in transport, energy, the environment, research, development and innovation (RDI), climate action and SMEs.
Scandlines
Scandlines is one of Europe’s largest ferry companies. Our business is the rapid, reliable and comfortable transportation of both passengers and freight on international routes in Danish, German and Swedish coastal waters as well as to the Baltic countries and Finland.
Our core area is the triangle between Denmark, Germany and Sweden, where we have the densest route network of any ferry company. Furthermore Scandlines activities include catering service, retail sales of goods in restaurants and shops on board and in shore-based shops.
Scandlines operates 18 ferries on 8 routes between 11 ports in the Baltic Sea. The company transports more then 17 million passengers, 3.5 million cars, one million lorries, 90,000 railway wagons and 65,000 coaches every year.
Grontmij
Grontmij is one of the leading engineering consultancy companies in Europe.
We deliver solutions within water, energy, environment, transportation, building and industry. At the core of our business is the principle of sustainability by design which is a leading value proposition for our customers and society as a whole.
Grontmij has some 350 offices and employ nearly 11,000 professionals around the world. Our services stretch from major renewable water and energy infrastructure through designing efficient and environmentally-sensitive mobility and transportation networks to shaping our urban and green living spaces.
By applying sustainability considerations to all our consultancy services we create lasting solutions that plan for, connect and respect the future.
Latvenergo
The public limited company Latvenergo AS is an energy power supply enterprise engaged in the generation of electricity and thermal energy, electricity trade, as well as the provision of IT and telecommunication services.
Latvenergo AS is one of the largest corporate entities in Latvia. From the total volume of electricity generated in Latvia, 90% are generated by Latvenergo AS.
Latvenergo AS is heading a corporate group that includes six subsidiaries: Augstsprieguma tīkls AS (TSO), Latvijas elektriskie tīkli AS (Latvian electrical network), Sadales tīkls AS (DSO), Latvenergo Kaubandus OÜ, Latvenergo Prekyba UAB and Liepājas enerģija SIA.
Latvenergo AS is one of environmentally most friendly energy companies in Europe. About 70% of the total Latvenergo AS electricity volume is generated from hydro resources.
In 2010, the consolidated revenue of Latvenergo Group reached EUR 818 million and net profit was EUR 63 million.
In 2010, the Group’s aggregate electricity sales amounted to 7,620 GWh and thermal energy sales 3,000 GWh.
Magnusson
Magnusson – The Baltic Sea Region Law Firm.
Magnusson is a full-service independent law firm with offices in Copenhagen, Gothenburg, Helsinki, Minsk, Moscow, Stockholm and Warsaw. Our ambition is to offer top-flight legal advice to clients operating in the Baltic Sea Region, including local and international companies, as well as public authorities. We believe that our detailed knowledge of local markets across the region , the extensive experience of the firm’s lawyers and a strong sense of a commercial “can do” approach to business helps us contribute effectively to our clients’ success. We provide seamless services cross the Baltic Sea Region.
The Capital Region of Denmark
The Capital Region of Denmark is one of five administrative units in Denmark. The region provides healthcare, mental healthcare, regional development and research for 1,6 mio. people – approx. 30% of the population. The region consists of 29 municipalities from the island of Bornholm in the east to Hundested in the west.
The administrative headquaters of The Capital Region of Denmark is situated in Hillerød, 40 kilometres north of Copenhagen. The region employs 36.000 people – mainly health care professionals – making it one of the largest employers in Denmark.
City of Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital of Finland. The Helsinki metropolitan area, with a population of about one million people, generates one third of the GDP of the country and is one of the most rapidly growing urban regions in Europe. Helsinki has been repeatedly placed at the spearhead of business criteria surveys.
According to the latest indicators of the EU, the Helsinki metropolitan area ranks among Europe’s top ten urban regions in terms of innovation creation. It is a centre for expertise of a very high standard, with its universities and research institutes providing cutting edge competence on an international scale.
There are six industrial clusters in the Helsinki metropolitan area with especially interesting areas of know-how: telecommunications and information technology, environmental technology and biotechnologies, food and processing technologies, the manufacture of electrical equipment and automation, and logistics. Helsinki is ideally placed to serve especially the Russian and Baltic markets.
Northern Netherlands Provinces
Since 1992, the three provinces of the Northern Netherlands (Fryslân, Groningen, Drenthe) have combined their administrative resources in the Northern Netherlands Provinces (in Dutch: Samenwerkingsverband Noord-Nederland–abbreviated to SNN). The core task is to strengthen the economic structure of the Northern Netherlands, within both a national and an international framework.
Within the international framework, the Northern Netherlands Provinces has earmarked Northeast Europe as a prime region for cooperation and partnership. This approach is called the Northeast Corridor, a Trans-European corridor linking the metropolitan Nordic and Baltic regions between Saint Petersburg and the Randstad region. Nordconnect is a project organisation set up and financed by the Northern Netherlands Provinces with the purpose to stimulate and improve collaboration between the Northern Netherlands and the Northern European regions.
Region Zealand
Region Zealand’s vision is to become a bridge builder which creates a healthcare system of the highest standard, great development potential for the users, as well as a good business environment.
Region Zealand plays a central role in a network of cooperating partners, who work for a dynamic and coordinated development throughout the region, i.a. for business, education, urban development, public transport and certain environmental areas.
Thus, Region Zealand must make an over all outline for all the services, as well as securing that they are of the highest quality.
City of Oslo
The Oslo region is a fast-growing knowledge region in the southeast of Norway. More than one million people live in the Oslo region, which consists of Oslo and the surrounding county of Akershus. Almost half of Norway’s R&D activity is located in the Oslo region. The region has the most highly educated labour force in Europe – a key advantage for innovative businesses operating in the region. There are many business sectors flourishing in the Oslo region. Advanced technology and expertise are found within fields such as finance, shipping and maritime services, information and communication technologies, energy and environmental technologies, life sciences and creative industries. Norway stands out as a modern welfare society with a high quality of life, and tops the United Nations’ Human Development Index. The Oslo region offers a unique blend of vibrant city life and scenic natural surroundings. Oslo is in the process of great growth and is packed with cultural offerings in music, cuisine, design and art. Justly famous for its clean air, stable climate and spectacular scenery, the region is a haven for all outdoor pursuits.
The Swedish Institute (SI)
The Swedish Institute (SI) is a public agency that promotes interest in Sweden abroad. SI seeks to establish cooperation and lasting relations with other countries through active communication and cultural, educational and scientific exchanges.The SI’s operations are carried out in close cooperation with Swedish and foreign partners, as well as with Swedish embassies and consulates around the world.
Relationships depend on communication
The Swedish Institute’s work with Sweden’s image and its activities in international development cooperation go hand in hand. The institute’s overarching goal is to create mutual relationships with other countries around the world, whether the issue is culture, politics, trade, or development cooperation. However, in order to achieve this goal, awareness of and interest in Sweden must first increase.
Relationships and exchanges contribute to development
Both in Sweden and in our collaborative partners around the world. Through increased contacts and new networks, knowledge and innovative ideas can be shared and applied in the future to all areas, not least to trade, culture and politics. The SI’s collaboration with developing countries is an important part of this work. We can offer Swedish expertise and skills at the same time that incentives, networks and opportunities in our partner countries benefit Sweden.
Swedish Institute in the Baltic Sea Region
The Baltic region plays an important role for Sweden’s growth and our commitment is long-term in the region. At the moment we are running two major programs.
The Visby Program – Swedish Institute’s Baltic Sea Region Exchange Program – is a mobility program that comprises Sweden and its closest neighbors in the east: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. The aim of the program is to create more extensive joint collaboration between Sweden and the other program countries on education and research.
The Swedish Institute Management Program exists in the same countries as the Visby Program and it aims at bringing together individuals of remarkable accomplishments in their mid-career to challenge their approaches, reinforce professional skills, deepen cross-cultural perspectives and unite them in a long lasting and active network. The training is designed to make the most of common strengths, future potential and the challenges that the participating countries are experiencing – with corporate social responsibility as the overall theme.
City of Malmo
Malmö is the commercial centre of southern Sweden and an international city. This is expressed, not least, by the fact that Malmö has nearly 300.000 residents who speak some 100 languages and belong to about 170 different nationalities.
Heavy investments in new technology and training programmes of high calibre have made Malmö a city of knowledge. Malmö University is Sweden’s latest venture in the field of higher education, accommodating some 20.000 students.
The strongest sectors in Malmö are logistics, retail and wholesale trade, construction, and property. There are also a number of well-known companies within biotechnology and medical technology, environmental technology, IT, and digital media fields. Co-operation between colleges, science parks, and companies provides a sound basis for entrepreneurs and creative development in Malmö. The City of Malmö is enhancing an attractive business environment and a dynamic business community in Malmö.
Malmö has during several years focused on creating an urban sustainable development. The Western harbour area in Malmö is an internationally leading example of environmental adaptation of a densely built urban environment. It is also a driving force in Malmö’s development towards environmental sustainability. A fundamental ecological approach to planning, building and construction is a key tool in the creation of the district. Innovative ideas and new techniques enhance the environmental standard of the area.
An exceptionally well developed infrastructure makes Malmö very easy to reach, whatever means of transport you use to get here: boat, plane, train or car. Malmö has an international harbour and Copenhagen Airport and Malmö Airport are only half an hour’s journey from the centre of Malmö.
City of Hamburg
Hamburg has grown beyond its role as Germany’s gateway to the world; today it forms the world’s gateway to mainland Europe, and above all to Central and Southeastern Europe, Scandinavia, and the Baltic region. Conversely, Hamburg is now a unique logistics crossroads serving two seas: the North Sea, and, via Lübeck, the Baltic.
The city is easy to reach by train, plane, car and ferry. Hamburg’s significance as an international center for trade, commerce and business is best expressed in one of the many records it holds: nowhere in the world is there a city with as many consulates as Hamburg. Currently some 97 nations are represented here. Hamburg is a haven for high-tech industries and young companies. Its high-flying aviation sector boasts global players, with medicine and biotechnology fast forming a new, future-oriented focus. The Free and Hanseatic City remains the market leader in the print media: 50% of all German newspapers and magazines hail from its publishing houses.
Germany’s top news programs are produced here. The new HafenCity port project brings new life to the riverfront of the Elbe River. A broad range of cultural highlights and recreational facilities in the city caters to residents and visitors alike. The city’s throbbing nightlife draws people out from homes and hotels at all hours. It’s this wonderful mix of business and atmosphere that makes Hamburg one of the most likable and exciting cities in the world.
Skåne Region
Region Skåne, or Skåne Regional Council, is the self-governing authority of Skåne, the southernmost county of Sweden. Region Skåne’s competences include health and medical services, regional growth and development, public transport, culture and cross-border and interregional cooperation. Region Skåne is governed by a Regional Assembly of 149 members. The Regional Assembly is directly elected by all inhabitants of Skåne every four years. The Regional Assembly appoints members to the committees, makes decisions on strategic issues regarding the areas of responsibility and decides on the level of regional income tax, which is currently 10.39%. Region Skåne employs 34,000 people and its turnover amounts to 33 billion Swedish kronor (2010).
The County Administrative Board
The County Administrative Board is a government body responsible for overseeing that the national goals, laid down by the Swedish parliament and government, are realized in the County of Stockholm.
Our work comprises everything from care of the elderly, equal opportunities, integration to emergency services, cultural heritage and protection of the environment.
- We supervise the observance of laws and regulations.
- We try appeals against local government decisions.
- We decide about licenses and economic support in many fields.
- We provide information and advice.
The County Administrative Board co-ordinates various interests in orderto promote the development of the Stockholm region. Our goals are growth, a goodenvironment, quality of life and equal opportunities for all.
The wide scope of our responsibilities demands competence and experience fromall fields of society. Among our 500 employees are lawyers, architects,agronomists, biologists, engineers, archeologists, veterinarians, sociologists,and economists to mention a few.
Hamburg Chamber of Commerce
As the representative organisation of Hamburg’s enterprises the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce is the political lobbyist, mediator and advocate for the local business community of 140.000 enterprises.
As a customer-focussed provider of services to the business community, we furnish pre-market services to new and established firms. Our goal is to help others to help themselves. As political lobbyist, we are strong advocates for a market-based legislative and regulatory environment that is conducive to small and medium-size enterprises. We are opposed to policies that favour a single industry and are committed to the common good of the business community. Though politically active, we are not affiliated with a political party.
As independent arbitrators, we support fair business practices by offering a range of alternative dispute resolution and prevention services. This reduces court caseloads and helps to ensure that the wheels of commerce turn smoothly. Hamburg’s business sector is the engine that drives our economic prosperity, which, in turn, benefits the city’s social programmes and cultural institutions. The Hamburg Chamber of Commerce aims to represent all Hamburg firms and to function like a turbocharger to boost this engine’s performance.
City of Stockholm
Stockholm is one of the most beautiful capitals in the world. That´s no news. What´s new is that the region has evolved into one of Europe´s most dynamic hubs for business, creativity and innovation, transforming itself from a big small town into a small Big City – a region that has most of the advantages but few of the disadvantages of a major international metropolis.
The Stockholm region is widely acknowledged as an exceptionally quick, receptive and sophisticated market, frequently utilized by major global brands and corporations as a test market for a wide variety of new technologies, products and services.
The region´s business and industry is characterized by high-tech, innovation and creativity, operating in close collaboration with the many prominent universities and science institutes. The main fields of business development and science can be divided into four “clusters”: IT & Telecom, Life Science, Environ Tech, and Banking & Finance. In all these fields, the Stockholm region claims a leading position in Northern Europe.
Region Västra Götaland
With 1.6 million inhabitants, Västra Götaland in the heart of Scandinavia is one of Sweden’s biggest regions. It is a transport hub, thanks to Scandinavia’s major port in Gothenburg. It is an innovative industrial centre, with special strength in the automotive, life science, IT, textile, food and maritime sectors, and with R&D investment per capita in the absolute European top. It is also a leading international conference venue, now preparing for European Maritime Day in May 2012.
Region Västra Götaland is the democratically elected organisation charged with promoting growth and sustainable development and offering the inhabitants good healthcare. In cooperation with the 49 municipalities, trade and industry, the education sector, authorities and organisations, Region Västra Götaland supports and drives development for a good life in Västra Götaland. With 50,000 employees it is also one of Sweden’s biggest employers.
Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software, services, and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential. Microsoft develops, manufactures, licenses and support a wide range of products and services related to computing – from the operation system Windows, to servers, to the gaming console Xbox. In the fiscal year 2012 Microsoft had 94,290 employees worldwide and a net revenue of US$74.30B.
Femern
Femern A/S is tasked with designing and planing of a fixed link between Denmark and Germany across the Fehmarmbelt. The aim is to open this direct link between Scandinavia and Central Europe in 2021. Femern A/S is subsidiary of the Danish state-owned Sund & Bælt holding A/S, which has experience from the construction of the fixed links across the Great Belt and Øresund.
DSV is a global supplier of transport and logistics services. DSV has offices in more than 70 countries all over the wolrd and an international network of partners and agents, which makes DSV a truly global player offering services worldwide. By our professional and advantageous overall solutions, the approx. 22,000 DSV employees recorded worldwide annual revenue of 6 billion euro for 2011.
