Eleven countries around the Baltic Sea have joined forces to deal with regional problems in the Baltic Sea Program, an initiative that includes 120 projects ranging from environmental and infrastructural themes to tourism and cultural issues. The program was initiated by Interreg, an initiative partly financed by the EU, which offers grants to projects within the Baltic Sea region. The project ideas will be presented to stakeholders and a wider audience during an international conference, "Setting Regions in Motion," in Malmo, Sweden on May 16-17. At this conference, a number of exemplary projects will be presented and the Interreg program will be evaluated. Representatives from every Balic Sea country will participate in the summit.
During her recent visit to Finland, Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga proposed the possibility of creating a network of innovation parks in Riga and Helsinki. The president said such a development "could lead to a mutually beneficial cooperation triangle involving our researchers, entrepreneurs and municipalities." Riga and Helsinki are similar in that they both are major ports on the Baltic Sea, among other features, said Vike-Freiberga. She added that tourism offered a great deal of economic potential for both capitals, pointing out that Riga and Helsinki are now cooperating in the Cruise Baltic Project to attract cruise ships to the Baltic Sea region. The Riga and Helsinki city councils are also working together on environmental and energy issues, including a successful project between the utility companies Helsingin Energia and Rigas Siltums, said Vike-Freiberga.
Sandor Liive, board chairman of the Eesti Energia (Estonian Energy) power utility, said Europe's opening of electricity markets was a "great opportunity" for Eesti Energia.Liive said that, in addition to the 350 megawatt submerged cable between Estonia and Finland, a second cable would be necessary, bringing the total capacity of power cables linking Estonia with its Nordic neighbors to 1,000 megawatts. In order to fully integrate the Baltic states with the European electricity market, the aggregate capacity of all the links could be as high as 3,000 megawatts. Eesti Energia has set itself the target of selling electricity to two million clients in the Baltic Sea region in 2015. Estonia has been granted the special right of keeping its electricity market closed until the beginning of 2013.
MacAndrews, the short sea carrier controlled by CMA CGM, the world's fifth largest container shipping company, has launched talks with Kursiu Linija, the leading Klaipeda container liner operator, to find new means to strengthen the Baltic region. "We are considering various forms of cooperation, from setting up a joint venture the purchasing a stake in Kursiu Linija," said David Halliday, MacAndrews executive director. "We are holding constructive talks with MacAndrews and hope to agree on a mutually beneficial form of cooperation. MacAndrews is only one prospective partner, but we cannot name the others yet," said Arijus Ramonas, CEO of Kursiu Linija, which is part of Arijus Group. Kursiu Linija, the leader of short sea shipping in the Baltic Sea, shipped some 200,000 containers last year.
