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BSI Core Group Meeting, 26 January 2006, Helsinki

All members of the group were represented in the meeting. Members started by expressing their support to the BSI idea and structure, but at the same time the need for adding momentum and prestige to the initiative.

Different ideas for how to ad momentum and prestige to the initiative were presented:
o Patrons: The idea would be to invite high-level public persons to be protectors of the initiative in order to give it more prestige. The group supported the idea, but stressed the need for a balanced group of persons.

  • Letter to VIP’s of the region:
    It was suggested to send letters to VIP’s of the region introducing the BSI, making them aware of the possibility to become an active stakeholder, as well as to listen to the BSI as a voice of the region. 
  • Input to communiqué of the CBSS prime ministers summit in Reykavik (7.-8. June 2006):
    In order to get a formal “blessing” of the initiative, which could be referred to afterwards and used to give the BSI stronger legitimacy.
  • Working for a cross border research start up facility using the §169 of the European Charter in order to pool national and EU resources and open up national programmes between the countries of the Baltic Sea Region.
  • Common text on BSI on the webpages of the stakeholders:
    To increase the knowledge and visibility of the BSI, stakeholders could publish a short common text on the BSI on their webpages, link to other BSI projects, and brand their projects with reference to the BSI. The necessity to tell “the good stories” about the potential of the region was stressed.

The role and future of the State of the Region report was discussed. The report will once again be published in 2006, focusing both on the same factors as the previous ones in order to show the developments, but also taking in new approaches. It was agreed that a report was a good tool for making the agenda of the region visible.

Calendar:

  • Next Core Group meeting in planned to be held on 28. April at 10.30 at NCM, Copenhagen, focusing on policy recommendations and conclusions presented in the State of the Region Report 2005.
  • A Core Group meeting is forseen in connection to Scanbalt Forum in Tartu 21.-23. September.
  • A Stakeholders meeting in Helsinki in connection to BDF summit 29-31. October in Helsinki, was suggested.
  • Krynica Economic Forum, 6.-9. September 2006 (interim summit 22.-24. March 2006)
  • St. Petersburg Economic Forum (12.-15. June. 2006)