From 4 to 5 April, Tampere Peace Research Institute, Head of the Anna Lindh Finnish Network, will co-organize in Espoo, Finland, an international seminar on the theme "Baltic-Mediterranean Axis: A New Framework for Cooperation?".

The seminar will bring together representatives of civil society, ministries and private sector as well as other experts on regional cooperation from the Baltic Sea and Mediterranean regions. The objective is to find new synergies by linking actors across institutional and disciplinary boundaries, and thus to generate fresh ideas and concrete project proposals that can contribute to the development of Baltic-Mediterranean cooperation. Particular emphasis is placed on the importance of active civil society cooperation as an innovative force that has the capacity to cross thematic and regional boundaries.

The seminar is organized by the Finnish NGDO Platform to the EU, Kehys, together with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and the Finnish Anna Lindh National Network / Tampere Peace Research Institute TAPRI. It is part of the ongoing project Facilitating Political Dialogue in the Baltico-Mediterranean Axis, which is funded by the Anna Lindh Foundation.

Sustainable solutions to common challenges

The themes of the seminar - environmental problems, climate change, migration and cultural diversity - are linked to some of the most pressing issues in international policy. By bringing different actors together to discuss these subjects in the context of Baltic-Mediterranean cooperation, the seminar contributes to the ongoing political debates in different international arenas. The aim is to find sustainable solutions to common challenges by emphasizing the importance of inter-regional cooperation as well as the interdependence of the economic, ecological, social and cultural spheres.

Recent developments in the Middle East and North Africa and the future framework for cooperation

The seminar stresses the importance of the recent and ongoing developments in the Middle East and North Africa for the future cooperation in the Euro-Mediterranean region. The new situation, which is still in formation, poses challenges as well as creates new opportunities for cooperation also in the Baltic-Mediterranean framework. The events in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries will be discussed in the seminar both in the wider framework of interregional cooperation and political dialogue as well as in the context of the specific themes of the working groups.

The results and recommendations of the seminar will be published during spring 2011, and the publication will be disseminated among the different target groups in the Baltic Sea and Mediterranean regions. The event will also aim both to generate concrete project ideas and policy recommendations, as well as to strengthen the basis for the development of more extensive Baltic- Mediterranean cooperation in the future.

Background of the seminar

The seminar "Baltic-Mediterranean Axis: A New Framework for Cooperation?" is an inter-regional and cross-disciplinary forum, which aims to find different ways to develop Baltic-Mediterranean cooperation with the help of the experiences and ideas of the group of expert participants. The seminar is also part of the ongoing project "Facilitating Political Dialogue in the Baltico- Mediterranean Axis", and serves as a forum for presenting and developing further the results and ideas generated during the project.

The project "Facilitating Political Dialogue in the Baltico-Mediterranean Axis" is coordinated by the Finnish NGDO Platform to the EU, Kehys, and funded by the Anna Lindh Foundation. It aims to improve networking of civil societies in the Baltic Sea and Mediterranean regions and to provide an opportunity for civil society actors to present policy recommendations for decision makers. The dialogue develops through round table discussions, which bring together representatives of civil society, researchers and other experts to discuss issues connected to mobility, culture and environment, which are relevant both in the Baltic Sea and Mediterranean regions. The discussions take place in virtual space in the form of video conferences.

For more information, please contact

Rilli Lappalainen

Secretary General Project coordinator

Finnish NGDO Platform to the EU, Kehys

Tel. + 358 9 2315 0560

rilli.lappalainen@kehys.fi

www.kehys.fi