BALTIC DEVELOPMENT FORUM sustainable growth innovation competitiveness
OUR VISION FOR THE BALTIC SEA Lene Espersen, Chairman of Baltic Development Forum
It is our vision to see the Baltic Sea Region develop into one of the most dynamic, innovative and competitive regions in the EU and in the world. The Baltic Sea Region has a potential to be world leader in key growth sectors. To reach this goal, we need regional cooperation. Through regional cooperation we can stimulate investment, innovation and entrepreneurship across the Baltic Sea. Together we can achieve more for the benefit of the whole region. For more than 15 years, it has been BDF´s core mission to promote regional public-private partnership through our strong network among business, academia, governments and local authorities. In BDF, we are working every day to realize our vision for the Baltic Sea Region.
NEW STEPS FOR GROWTH AND COMPETITIVENESS Flemming Stender, Director of Baltic Development Forum
BDF has firmly established itself as a key player for regional cooperation around the Baltic Sea. A leading cooperation partner in areas such as energy, ICT, transport, water management, branding and competitiveness. A strong networking organization bringing together key stakeholders in business, governments and academia. And an important think-tank for the latest thinking on the region´s economic climate and potential for business collaboration.
This initiative clearly underlines BDF´s role as an internationally recognized think-tank and as a serious cooperation partner for leading global business actors. It also reflects BDF’s strong commitment to promote sustainable growth, innovation and competitiveness in the region.
With a new director as well as a new chairman of the Board in place, BDF will take new steps to promote growth and competitiveness in the region. As an example, over the last few years BDF has increasingly been engaged in the ICT and digital economy. BDF will now expand further its engagement in this growth sector. Together with key global actors in the ICT business, we are launching a new thinktank “Top of Digital Europe” on ICT and the digital economy. This is one of our biggest and most ambitious initiatives ever.
We are launching a new think-tank “Top of Digital Europe” on ICT and the digital economy
Partners
STRATEGIC PARTNERS
OUR PARTNERS BDF is supported financially by a diverse group of partners. BDF highly values the participation and expertise we receive from our members and partners to make difference in regional and European Affairs. With their steady support, BDF and its network is able to be up-to-date and know the thinking and analysis both within the private and public sector. BDF sponsors actively participate in setting the agenda, having access to research and current and emerging regional economic and political trends. Our partners are guided to the right people in our network of decision-makers cross-border /cross-sector from business, politics and leading academia for knowledge, inspiration, influence, and business and cooperation opportunities.
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I congratulate Baltic Development Forum on its anniversary. I personally enjoy participating in the Forum and the effort of building mutual beneficial relations and connections across the various countries in the region. It is important and I do hope that the Forum will continue the good work for many years ahead. Jukka Pertola, CEO of Siemens Denmark
Support
PARTNERS
SUPPORT THE WORK OF BALTIC DEVELOPMENT FORUM BDF has specially tailored programmes depending on the strategic interest, focus and level of financial engagement of a company or an organisation. Partners work together with BDF in different ways and levels reflecting the intensity of the cooperation - all programmes are contingent upon individual agreements that provide different types of advantages in terms of profiling, accessibility and influence.
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Platforms
BDF provides platforms that bring together actors from diverse sectors and from across the Baltic Sea Region, ensuring better cooperation, coordination and coherence. The annual BDF Summits highlight the potential and the challenges of the Baltic Sea Region as an integrated, prosperous and globally competitive growth region, and provides a forum for increased regional collaboration, policy formulation and business opportunities. Through conferences, seminars and round table discussions on specialized issues, BDF builds regional capacity on current matters throughout the year, and brings relevant stakeholders together to formulate joint approaches.
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H.R.H. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden with BDF Honorary Chairman Uffe Ellemann-Jensen, BDF Summit 2009 Stockholm
H.R.H. Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark with Fmr. BDF Chairman Hans Skov Christensen, BDF Summit & EC Annual Forum 2012 Copenhagen
BDF facilitates private sector cooperation and innovation through enhancing business opportunities.
BDF helps its international network acquire new insights, develop ideas and find common solutions. Prime Ministers of the Baltic States, BDF Summit 2013 Riga
BDF Summit 2010 Vilnius
Networking Village BDF Summit 2010 Vilnius
PLATFORMS
Jukka Pertola, CEO of Siemens Denmark, BDF Summit 2013 Riga Networking Village
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BDF ACTIVITIES in the Baltic Sea Region COPENHAGEN BDF Summit 1999, 2002, 2008 BDF Summit & EC’s Annual Forum 2012 Danish seminars on the EUSBSR 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 Baltic Sea Conference 2013 Big Data Conference 2013 4 One BSR IPA Meeting 2013
Dear Baltic Development Forum members and team I have been co-operating with Baltic Development Forum for the last eight years while I have served as Prime Minister of Estonia and I am confident that our co-operation will also continue in the future. BDF unites politics and entrepreneurship, provides high-value analyses and data and stays up to date or is a little ahead of its time – I wish that it would continue in this way and please accept my warmest congratulations on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of Baltic Development Forum! Andrus Ansip, Fmr. Prime Minister of Estonia
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MALMÖ BDF Summit 2000, 2008
HAMBURG BDF Summit 2004 2 One BSR IPA meeting 2013
ST. PETERSBURG
FINLAND
BDF Summit 2001 XII All-Russian Forum 2013
TURKU
HELSINKI
BDF Summit & EC’s Annual Forum 2014
ESTONIA
TALLINN SWEDEN
BDF Summit 2006 HA Promo Kick-Off 2013 Baltic Sea Action Summit 2010
BDF Summit 2007 2 BaltMet Promo Policy Roundtable 2010
STOCKHOLM BDF Summit 2005, 2009 EUSBSR and Europe 2020 Conf. 1 One BSR IPA meeting 2012 Nordic ICT Powerhouse Conf. 2013
LATVIA
LITHUANIA DENMARK
RUSSIA
PSKOV VII International Conf. 2012
RIGA BDF Summit 2003, 2013 Green Growth Conf. 2011
RUSSIA
VILNIUS BDF Summit 2010 1 BaltMet Promo Policy Roundtable 2010
KALININGRAD SOPOT
GDANSK
3 BaltMet Promo Policy Roundtable 2010
BDF Summit 2011
POLAND
GERMANY
BERLIN 3 BaltMet Promo Policy Roundtable 2010
Energy Conference 2010 Roundtable Financing Energy Solutions 2013
WARSAW 5 One BSR IPA Meeting 2014 4 BaltMet Promo Policy Roundtable 2010
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DIALOGUE AND OUTREACH Congratulations to the Baltic Development Forum on its 15th anniversary! I was delighted that earlier this year Riga could again be the host of BDF - a platform created by the remarkable Uffe Ellemann-Jensen and still going strong as the largest networking forum in the region. Valdis Dombrovskis, Fmr. Prime Minister of Latvia
Dialogue and outreach
BDF’s network comprises more than 8000 individuals from private/public sectors, academia and media from and outside the Baltic Sea Region. European Commissioner for Transport Siim Kallas meeting with representatives from the Danish private and public sector at BDF Summit & EC’s Annual Forum 2012 Copenhagen
BDF influences regional policy and facilitates collaboration across regions, sectors and levels of decision making in order to enhance regional coordination and coherence.
Baltic Sea Region Ministers and Fmr. BDF Chairman Hans Skov Christensen, BDF Summit 2010 Vilnius
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Dialogue and outreach Stakeholder meeting with Fmr. Estonian Prime Minister Ansip 4 BSR Investment Promotion Agencies meeting 2013
BDF’s Honorary and Advisory Boards consist of people from all parts of the Baltic Sea Region that possess strong competences, experience and knowledge on the re-building of the Region.
Stakeholder meeting with fmr. Lithunian Prime Minister Kubilius
In an informal atmosphere, BDF brings together business and political players of the Baltic Sea Region to address issues that seldom appear on the official political agenda.
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BDF’s Advisory Board ARMINTA SALADŽIENĖ Vice President, Head of Baltic Markets at NASDAQ OMX, Chairman of the Executive Committee, Baltic Institute of Corporate Governance
ŽANETA OZOLIŅA
Director of Demos Europe, Poland
Professor at University of Latvia, Head of Department of Political Science, Latvia
DR. CHRISTIAN KETELS
PROF. DR. BERND HENNINGSEN
Principal Associate, Harvard Business School, President at TCI, the global network of practitioners in clusters, competitiveness, and innovation, Germany
Founding Director and Honorary Professor at the Department for Northern European Studies, Berlin Humboldt-Universität
HENRIK HOLOLEI
IGOR YURGENS
JOHNNY ÅKERHOLM
Deputy Secretary-General, European Commission DG Enlargement
Chair of the Board of the Institute of Contemporary Development; Chair of the Board of Renaissance Capital, Russia
Former president and CEO, Nordic Investment bank
ANNE CHRISTINE BRUSENDORFF
RENÉ NYBERG
ANDRZEJ OLECHOWSKI
CEO, East Office of Finnish Industries
Chairman of the Central European Trust Fund, Former Minister, Poland
General Secretary at International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, Copenhagen, Denmark
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PAWEŁ ŚWIEBODA
Sincere congratulations on the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the Baltic Development Forum! Poland appreciates the active role that the BDF plays in the region and fully shares the values expressed in its mission. Competitiveness, innovation and economic growth of the Baltic Sea area are something we all strive for. All hands on deck then – let’s do even more to spur on our region. Radoslaw Sikorski, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland
KNOWLEDGE AND INSIGHTS BDF’s annual State of the Region Report, which is written by leading researchers from Harvard Business School and Stockholm School of Economics, explores the competitiveness, economic performance and prosperity of the Region.
Knowledge and insights
As an agenda setting Baltic Sea Region thinktank, BDF connects expertise and researchers on current global and strategic affairs by identifying and engaging key stakeholders, publishing the latest thinking, and facilitating regional wide knowledge dissemination.
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Since 2011, BDF aids the virtual think-tank Deep Water in publishing a Political State of the Region Report that analyses the current state of affairs in the Baltic Sea Region countries, identifies the potential political hinders and developments of the Region’s wellbeing. Prof. Dr. Bernd Henningsen, Germany, is BDF’s Academic Advisor and the work is sponsored by strong international organisations.
Over the years, BDF’s papers and publications have covered strategic areas of importance such as competitiveness, economic performance and prosperity, political development and current affairs, women’s entrepreneurship, the digital market, investment promotion, energy sustainability and efficiency, Blue Growth, and sustainable water management.
NETWORKS, SUB-REGIONS AND EU STRATEGY European Commissioner for Regional Policy Johannes Hahn (center) at BDF Summit & European Commission’s Annual Forum 2011 Gdansk
Networks, regions, strategy
BDF supports the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, which provides a unique framework and a vital opportunity for the Region. BDF is working closely with the European Commission and regional partners as well as is fulfilling its role as project partner implementing concrete cross border activities. 16
Est. in 2007, BDF’s Baltic Sea Award brings prominence to individuals or organizations that have contributed to the improvement of the Baltic Sea Region. 2009 Award Winner Arminta Saladziene, NASDAQ OMX.
Carl Bildt
Radoslaw Sikorski
The 2013 Baltic Sea Award was given to Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt and Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski.
Networks, regions, strategy In the 15 years since BDF was founded we have come far in facilitating developments – the clearest symbol of this being the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region. This Europe’s first macro-regional strategy has strengthened BDF’s role as a platform for regional dialogue, working closely with the European Commission, EU Presidencies in the region, European Parliament and other European Institutions. Let us maintain the high regional and European ambitions, and continue to inspire the decision-makers in Brussels. Uffe Ellemann-Jensen, Honorary Chairman of BDF, and Patron of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region News website NewsWave was launched in February 2013 and currently has more than 15,000 unique visitors.
BDF works closely with some of the strong sub-regions such as the Oresund Region and the Fehmarn Belt Region. By working closely with metropolises and the capital cities of the Region, BDF accommodates a wider discussion on branding, attractiveness, sustainability and international investments in the Baltic Sea Region. BDF is also promoting the smart city concept as a way to strengthen sustainability through the Union of Baltic Cities. BDF is editor-in-chief of the (partly EU financed) news website
NewsWave. By providing independent, journalistic reporting to citizens, policy-makers, business, stakeholders, experts and the creative community, NewsWave seeks to improve the exchange of information and cross-border communication between countries in the Region. Visit www.newswave.eu Russia is a key partner in the Baltic Sea Region and BDF works closely with Russian regions. In recent years BDF has been working with many different partners in St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad and has established a strong network.
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KEY AREAS
Key Areas
ICT BDF is increasingly engaged in strategic issues within ICT and the digital economy as the Baltic Sea Region is one of the most advanced and successful regions within this sector, hosting leading clusters, innovative web entrepreneurs and frontrunners within e-government, e-commerce, etc. Together with key partners in the public and private sector, BDF provides a high-level platform for exchange of experience and recommendations as to how BSR can maintain and further develop its competitive strongholds. This is based on a strong policy dialogue with EU and governments, as well as close co-operations with leading ICT companies and other digital stakeholders.
Water
Top of Digital Europe is a neutral, non-profit think-tank that promotes the Baltic Sea Region as a leader in the ICT sector. Established in 2014 on the initiative of Microsoft and BDF
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BDF promotes intelligent and holistic water management from source to sea in order to create a sustainable Baltic Sea and a prosperous Region. BDF is currently engaged in a number of activities that seek to share knowledge and create cross-sectorial dialogue on issues spanning from sustainable water management within the private sector and in coastal cities, to matters related to blue growth including maritime transport and offshore wind energy.
Key Areas
Transport BDF is part of the Baltic Sea Region Transgovernance project, which aims to increase the commitment of public and private stakeholders to achieve greener and more efficient transport in the Baltic Sea Region. Main objective is to demonstrate how multi-level governance models, tools and approaches can contribute to a better alignment of transport policies in the BSR at various administrative levels and better incorporation of the business perspective.
Energy BDF is a major supporter of the creation of an integrated energy sector in the Baltic Sea Region. BDF has furthered and inspired key Green Growth initiatives and currently is Lead Partner of RENSOL Project that aims to implement best practice within energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions in the Kaliningrad Oblast.
Promotion and Investment BDF is engaged in cross-border cooperation initiatives where through a more systematic and structured way of promoting and marketing the number of foreign investments in the Baltic Sea Region can be increased, influencing its competitiveness on a global scale. This includes a closer cooperation between the Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs) on national and metropolises levels, where BDF is actively coordinating and providing a neutral platform for the BSR IPAs dialogue.
Visit www.rensol.eu for more information
European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries participating at the Baltic Sea Conference 2013 Copenhagen
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Our vision is to make the Baltic Sea Region the most dynamic, innovative and economic growth centre in the World.
The energetic, dynamic and innovative Baltic Sea Region aims to become a leader in business, science and innovation. In order for this vision to come to fruition, the Baltic Development Forum for the past 15 years has been tirelessly working to build bridges connecting the region to achieve this goal. Therefore, I would like to thank you for the many years of contribution in strengthening the Region‘s sustainable development and cooperation, to which I myself had the pleasure to contribute through participating in the BDF annual summits. I would also like to wish you continued persistence in further strengthening the Region‘s competitiveness.
Our mission is to position the Baltic Sea Region in the EU and on the global map by advancing the growth and competitive potential through partnership between business, government and academia. Read more about BDF’s priorities on our website www.bdforum.org
Baltic Development Forum is the leading think-tank and network for high level decision-makers from business, politics, academia and media in the Baltic Sea Region.
VISION, MISSION
Andrius Kubilius, fmr. Prime Minister of Lithuania
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BDF Secretariat
FLEMMING STENDER
TORBEN AABERG
DAN AXÉL
Head of Public Affairs
Head of Communication and Media
VIKTORIA NILSSON
KATARZYNA DYGUL
Director of Baltic Development Forum
LOVISA SELANDER
Project Manager
Head of Water and Environmental Affairs
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Project Manager
ZANE RAZĀNE
MARTIN SKAU
New Media Communications Manager
IT Consultant
EGLE GINTAUTAITE Project Assistant