At any moment in the Baltic marine area, about 2,000 ships are transporting people, goods, but also stowaways: marine organisms from distant places, like Harris mud crabs, that colonise the Baltic Sea waters. The Interreg project COMPLETE brought together people with smart ideas how to translate the existing regulations into a working system to prevent alien species from invading the Baltic Sea.

A common challenge for the countries in the Baltic Sea region is how to produce green and climate-neutral energy. In fact, as much as 75% of the EU greenhouse gas emissions still come from energy use and production. Cooperation and sharing good practices in Interreg projects, such as LowTEMP, Baltic Integrid and Area 21, can be a game-changer in accelerating the energy transition in the region.

Shaping a funding programme like Interreg Baltic Sea Region 2021-2027 requires a full dedication of all Joint Programming Committee (JPC) members. In another meeting held on 24-25 March 2021, the JPC members focused on the division of the expected Programme budget to the Programme priorities, steps to simplify funding procedures and planning of the calls for project applications.

One of our Interreg Baltic Sea Region projects, EcoDesign Circle, reached the finals of the RegioStars Awards last year in the category of circular economy. What did the process look like? What did the project like most? And, most importantly, what was the gain for the project? Read the interview below.