Small and medium sized enterprises largely fall behind other players in innovation and investments in research & development (R&D). Thanks to the Interreg project GoSmart BSR, enterprises in seven countries around the Baltic Sea learned how to use smart specialisation to improve competitiveness jointly and gain access to new markets.

More than 540 volunteers aged 18-30 have joined the Interreg Volunteer Youth (IVY) initiative since March 2017 to experience and learn about cross-border, transnational or interregional programmes and projects. One of them is Luca Arfini, a young Italian passionate about communication. Read what it meant for him working as an Interreg Reporter at the Managing Authority/Joint Secretariat (MA/JS) of Interreg Baltic Sea Region.

Delara Burkhardt, a young politician from the Baltic Sea region, shares her views on future Interreg programmes and the impacts of the pandemic on cooperation. As a Member of Parliament, she pushes environmental and migration policies for the benefit of Schleswig-Holstein she comes from, and the whole Baltic Sea region.

The seventh meeting of the Joint Programming Committee, held on 16-17 June 2021, advanced the preparations for building an environment for cooperation across borders on innovative, water-smart and climate-neutral topics for years 2021-2027.