• Regional Youth Council Schleswig-Holstein
• Baltic Youth Office
• Baltic Times
• Norden

• Partner

• 
• Union of the Baltic Cities
• 
• Commission on Youth Issues
• 
• BSSSC
• 
• Baltic Sea Net

• Council of the
  Baltic Sea States

Welcome to the Baltic Sea

Meeting of the Baltic Sea Expert Group on Youth Affairs (EGYA) in Vilnius, October 2009

The Baltic Sea Expert Group on Youth Affairs (EGYA) met in Vilnius, Lithuania in October 2009. The ministries responsible for youth policy from the CBSS member states came together to discuss the implementation of their Work Plan 2009-2011 and further actions. The Baltic Sea Secretariat for Youth Affairs reported on its work on the same occasion.

Within the last decade, co-operation in the field of youth has become an integral part of the general Baltic Sea regional co-operation initiatives.

Already in the mid-90ies, the Presidency Declaration of the Baltic Sea States Summit in Visby and the Action Programmes of the Ministerial Session of the CBSS in Kalmar underlined the priority for the promotion of people-to-people partnerships in general and the "promotion of contacts between young people in the Baltic Sea region" in particular.
In 1996 "Youth Co-operation in the Baltic Sea Region" was for the first time put on the agenda of the 4th Conference on Baltic Sea States Subregional Co-operation (BSSSC) in Vaasa. The Union of the Baltic Cities (UBC) build up a Commission on Youth Issues just a little bit later.
Today we can look back to 10 years of intense co-operation between all the CBSS countries in the fields of youth policy, youth work and youth exchange.
The aim of the Baltic Sea cooperation in the field of youth policy is to promote an active participation of young people, encourage youth exchange in order to promote a better understanding and knowledge of the Baltic Sea countries. The Danish Chair of the CBSS - Baltic Sea Expert Group on Youth Affairs (EGYA) leads the group through the period of June 2008 - July 2009, which has already brought multiple results for youth and youth policy in the region.

Meeting of the CBSS- Baltic Sea Expert Group on Youth Affairs in Copenhagen, November 2008

The Baltic Sea Expert Group on Youth Affairs (former Working Group on Youth Affairs) met in Copenhagen to agree on the Terms of Reference 2009-2011, the Agreement on the Baltic Sea Secretariat for Youth Affairs 2009-2011 and the Work Plan 2009. The Terms of Reference and Annexes can be downloaded as PDF file here:

Parliamentary Forum Southern Baltic Sea

Organised by the Baltic Sea Secretariat for Youth Affairs in cooperation with regional parliaments from Germany, Poland, Russia and Sweden and with financial support from the EU a parliamentary hospitation programme was developed. In 2005 and 2006 young people from the region had the chance to get to know the daily work of a parliamentarian in their home and in a partner region. The youths were also invited to a meeting in Szczecin, Poland to discuss their experiences with other young people from the region. They presented their experiences and results at the IV. Southern Baltic Sea Parliamentary Forum in Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein.

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Evaluation of Baltic Sea Youth Cooperation

In 2004 an evaluation of the Baltic Sea Youth Cooperation was conducted by the Finnish Youth Research Network. The results showed a high interest in the information and coordination activities of the Baltic Sea Secretariat and a need for ongoing cooperation among governmental and non-governmental actors in the region. However, a low visibility of some actors was critised. The national ministries responsible for youth affairs of the Baltic Sea countries have afterwards been assessing the results and recommendations of the evaluation. The result of the discussions was used as basis for defining a new mandate for the Baltic Sea Secretariat and frame for the cooperation 2006-2008. For more information please get in contact with us.

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Information Brochure

In June 2003 the Secretariat published a brochure on: Work and Study in the Baltic Sea Region a pdf-version can be ordered by eMail at the Baltic Sea Secretariat for Youth Affairs

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