Despite the progressing age of communities in the Baltic Sea region, needs of the elderly are not being sufficiently addressed by producers of furniture and home equipment. In the project BaltSe@nior, by developing prototypes of intelligent furniture and upgrading design trends, companies are offered thriving opportunities to develop more suitable products for the elderly. Transnational cooperation that increases the comfort of life of seniors and at the same time fosters a more competitive Europe drew the attention of EU Commissioner Corina Crețu, who recently paid a visit to the project.

Red algae growing in the Baltic Sea are the special feature of facial creams in the Estonian cosmetics line Berrichi. But what’s more, it is the first product developed with the support of the Interreg-funded expert network ALLIANCE. The ALLIANCE is a European cooperation project and a flagship of the EU Strategy of the Baltic Sea Region. It brings together blue biotechnology actors from around the Baltic Sea to create new products and services.

Establishing more sustainable and competitive energy systems that have a less harmful impact on the environment are among the core challenges for the Baltic Sea region. Two Interreg projects, AREA 21 and LowTEMP, unlock energy efficiency potential by triggering public and private strategic partnerships for energy production and management and by offering low temperature district heating technology for more efficient heating systems.

Interreg Baltic Sea Region launched the debate with its stakeholders about funding after 2020. More than 100 participants of the 9th Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) joined a seminar about how to distribute Interreg funds for 2021-2027 for the benefit of the EUSBSR. The workshop mapped out the most pressing needs of different stakeholders as a basis for future programme development.