For five days, Kaunas will become a center for disseminating the topics of environmentalism and the green economy. The 12th Annual Forum of the Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region starts in Kaunas on September 27. The event will focus on green cities, regional sustainability and partnerships between communities, cities and countries that enable it. As many as forty discussions and seminars will invite everyone to talk about topics relevant to the entire Baltic Sea Region during remote broadcasts of the international event that will continue until October 1.

According to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Lithuania Ingrida Šimonytė, who opened the event and welcomed the participants, “The goal of the EUSBSR Annual Forum 2021 is to promote green recovery in the Baltic Sea Region through closer cooperation and participation of various stakeholders and civil society, especially young people and local communities.”

Cities have a huge role to play

The EU Baltic Sea Region Forum reminds us of the significance of the Baltic Sea to this region, which is home to some 85 million people. Cities in the region have an important role to play in implementing sustainable solutions and directly contributing to a cleaner environment and a cleaner sea. After all, we can all contribute to a cleaner sea, because a sustainable environment is created by sustainable choices: recycling, the spread of environmentally friendly household cleaning products and forms of farming, and reduced consumption.

The significance of the forum to Kaunas city

As Kaunas Mayor Visvaldas Matijošaitis noted during the opening of the forum, this week Kaunas will not only become a platform for more active cooperation between the cities of the Baltic Sea Region, bilateral or multilateral meetings, and networking, but will also share its best practice. “At the same time, it is a unique opportunity to strengthen cooperation between countries, cities, non-governmental organizations and local communities. We are happy to be a part of this process, because only together can we promote positive changes in the region and a sustainable direction of urban development,” the mayor of Kaunas city municipality V. Matijošaitis says.

Sessions for the introduction of participating cities, discussions and networking are scheduled for September 29 and 30. The first session will be about the role of the cities in social transformation, and the second one will be about urban leadership in the green recovery process.

Attention to the region’s post-pandemic recovery and the involvement of youth, cities and local communities

Of course, another important topic of the forum is the discussion on the problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants will discuss the social challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic on the young people. The plenary session on September 28 will feature a discussion about overcoming social issues that young people faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to that, the participants will discuss the impact of EU macro-regional strategies on the EU agenda and the 2021-2027 Interreg Baltic Sea Strategy Program will be presented.

This year’s forum focuses on young people and local communities. All the events on October 1 will take place and will be broadcast live from Klaipėda, which has been declared the European Youth Capital this year.

Revitalize, Recover, Recharge

The motto of this year’s Forum is, Revitalize. Recover. Recharge. It encompasses three strategic directions: to protect the Baltic Sea, which is extremely significant for the whole region, to connect countries and cities into an effective cooperation network, and to contribute to the prosperity of the region.

The Forum’s discussions on strategic projects that will promote a sustainable economy, environmentally friendly direction of the cities and a country, the application of new technologies and close cooperation with the public will be dedicated to these key objectives.

Another important topic will be presented at the closing events of the forum on October 1: The initiative of Kaunas – European Capital of Culture 2022.

The forum is organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Kaunas and Klaipėda city municipalities, Union of the Baltic Cities, and Kaunas IN.

The location of the opening events of the forum in Kaunas: business center BLC and the cluster of information technology companies Blaster. Specifically for this event, BLC and Blaster have opened their unique spaces so that the viewers of the remote event from all over Europe could enjoy the breathtaking panoramas of Kaunas and Vienybės Square.

You can get acquainted with the detailed program of the 12th Annual Forum of the Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region and join remote discussions and seminars on the event’s website: https://eusbsr2021.eu/