Develop the Baltic Sea Region into the world's first EcoRegion (EcoRegion)

EcoRegion aimed at developing the Baltic Sea Region into the world's first EcoRegion, where economical growth goes hand in hand with environmental integrity and social justice. The development in the Baltic Sea Region is far from sustainable. Excessive use of land, growing demand for energy and pollution are just a few of today's challenges. Nevertheless, good practices on how to achieve sustainable development exist and by building on these the Baltic Sea Region has the potential of becoming the world's first EcoRegion. The Baltic 21 multi-stakeholder network has a strong track record in fostering sustainable solutions in the Baltic Sea Region. Initiated by the Prime Ministers of the Baltic Sea countries in 1996, it is a regional expression of the global Agenda 21 adopted by the United Nations Earth Summit. Baltic 21 brings together people who are active in a variety of different to carry out joint actions and cross-sectoral activities. In addition, local governments throughout the EU have started in 2004 to reinforce their Local Agenda 21 processes. Authorities who sign the Aalborg Commitments agree to define clear targets and to implement concrete actions in 10 different fields relevant for sustainable development. The EcoRegion project built on the experience of these independent but interlinked processes to promote sustainable development.