Nowadays, the Baltic Sea States, namely Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Russia and Sweden, form the core of the European Union. In addition, the Baltic Sea States have very dynamic economies. Herein, the CBSS, an intergovernmental organization in the Baltic Sea region, pursues to the further and severely reinforce cooperation among its member states as to continue being successful.

What has been done by the Baltic Sea States and what is yet to achieve? The Baltic Sea Region has contributed much for establishing the security, stability and prosperity in Europe during and after the Cold War period. The CBSS, the "advocate" of this region, has focused on its special Cold War situation, concentrated on challenges and problems of all member Baltic Sea States. A number of significant missions have been accomplished, aimed at enhancing the education, promoting human rights, creating sound opportunities for trade, and building democracy.

Since May 2004, eight of eleven Baltic Sea States are members of the European Union. The cooperation of the Baltic Sea States and European Union is based on the "acquis communitaire". The special attention is paid to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the EU and Russia, which actually opens a wide range of opportunities for EU-Russia relations. The relations of Russia and the European Union are planned to be strengthened through the more flexible and active cooperation in all fields of common interest. The European Union, in its turn, is interested in cross-boarder and transnational cooperation with its Eastern neighbors and Russia in particular, as this provision is a part of its "Neighborhood Policy".

What are the fields of common interest, on which the EU and Baltic Sea States are to cooperate? The Baltic Sea is one of the most polluted seas in the world, while North-West Russia greatly suffers from the impacts of its chemical industry.

What concerns the economic cooperation, there is still much work to do in continuing the removal of trade and investment barriers. The membership with the European Union does not refer to the immediate start of a foreign investment boom. This is a area that needs hard work, continuous negotiations and subsequent accords.

The cooperation among the Baltic Sea States and the EU is to be reinforced on the matters of illegal migration, organized crime, trafficking and communicable diseases, such as the bird flue. These are core problems that the Baltic Sea States face today and should solve collectively.

The enhanced cooperation in education should approach the education in the Baltic Sea States to the best European standards. The European Faculties, introduced by the CBSS into three major universities of the Baltic Sea region, have accelerated the process of integration in the European higher education environment, but the higher education is still an open field for improvement.

The last, but not the least, area of the reinforced cooperation among the Baltic Sea States is a cultural exchange. There will be more space created for cultural programs, ranging from small exhibitions to large international festivals.