Original announcement: regierung-mv.de

At its meeting today, the state cabinet decided to establish the “MV Cooperation Council for a Democratic Baltic Sea Region.” The council will advise the state government in developing a Baltic Sea strategy, with the goal of presenting a concept within one year. The Cooperation Council includes experts from Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania as well as from beyond the state. Among its 29 members are researchers working on Baltic Sea–related topics at universities, cultural practitioners, a youth representative, representatives of chambers of commerce, and digitalization experts. The council is chaired by the Minister for Science, Culture, Federal and European Affairs, Bettina Martin. The members are appointed by the Minister President and serve on an honorary basis.

“We want to further strengthen the already good relations with Poland, the Scandinavian countries, and the Baltic states,” said Minister President Manuela Schwesig following the cabinet meeting. “There are many areas in which we can work even more closely together. This applies in particular to the economy, for example in the field of renewable energies or digitalization. But we also want to intensify exchange in science and culture. Putin’s war of aggression marks a turning point. The best response is even closer cooperation among the democratic states in the Baltic Sea region,” Schwesig stated.

“The Baltic Sea region at the heart of Europe holds enormous opportunities and potential for the development of the entire region. We want to harness these together,” said European State Secretary Susanne Bowen, speaking on behalf of Europe Minister Bettina Martin. “That is why we have established the MV Cooperation Council for a Democratic Baltic Sea Region, to discuss the necessary realignment and, within one year, to develop a sustainable ‘Baltic Sea Strategy.’”

In the field of science in particular, there are already many well-functioning cooperations. “The state’s universities work closely with partners in the Baltic Sea region in both research and teaching. Within the ScanBalt network, health science expertise is bundled. In marine aquaculture research, both state universities cooperate with all Baltic Sea littoral states. The University of Greifswald also places a strong emphasis on the humanities, for example through the Interdisciplinary Research Center for the Baltic Sea Region. One outstanding initiative is the international graduate school ‘Baltic Peripeties,’ in cooperation with the universities of Tartu and Trondheim, which examines narrative constructions of the Baltic Sea region as a cultural space. In Rostock, the graduate school ‘Baltic Transcoast’ maintains close cooperation with institutions at the University of Helsinki and the Leibniz ScienceCampus Phosphorus Research together with the University of Copenhagen.”