Hauptinhalt
The Council of the Baltic Sea States
The Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) has a membership encompassing the states actually on the Baltic Sea – Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Russia and Germany – as well as Norway, Iceland and the European Commission.
The Council of the Baltic Sea States was established in 1992 on the initiative of the then German and Danish Foreign Ministers, Hans-Dietrich Genscher and Uffe Ellemann-Jensen. The founding Declaration of the CBSS created a regional forum to develop new forms of cooperation in the Baltic Sea region after the Iron Curtain disintegrated.
German Presidency of the Council of the Baltic Sea States 2011/2012
Baltic Sea
© picture alliance / dpa
Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
© picture alliance / dpa
On 1 July 2011 the Federal Republic of Germany has taken over the rotating CBSS Presidency from Norway. To mark the opening event on 27 June, Minister of State Werner Hoyer invited high-ranking representatives of the CBSS countries and members of civil society to a panel discussion in the Federal Foreign Office.
Tasks and objectives
After the fall of the Wall and the accession of Poland and the Baltic countries to the European Union, there have been fundamental changes in the CBSS environment.
How the Council operates
The CBSS meets every other year at Foreign Minister level, most recently in Oslo, Norway, in June 2011. At their ministerial sessions, the Foreign Ministers determine the priorities for the following two years.
