Poland is strategically located in the centre of Europe. In the past this geographical position was the cause of many hardships, in particular of political nature. Nevertheless, after the accession to the European Union, it is becoming one of Poland’s main assets. It is of great significance to international transport services rendered between the Baltic Sea Region and Southern Europe. The aim of this article is to elaborate on the importance of Pan-European Transport Corridors running via Poland for international transport service in Poland. In the Baltic Sea Region (BSR) the sea transport represents over the half of the overall trade in the region. In the case of Poland the figure amounts to one third, however, it is estimated that the Polish share in the trading activity with the BSR states will be systematically increasing until 2020. The Polish maritime transport faces the increasing competition from the other transport modes – road and railway. It is more favourable for Poland building highways connecting the North and the South than the East and the West, since it will create conditions for cargo sent from Polish ports to bypass German harbours.
The first meeting of the Baltic Sea Region Working Group concerning historical parks and gardens was held in Vilnius on 5 and 6 November 2008. The event was organised upon the initiative of Alfredas Jomantas, a representative of the Department of Cultural Heritage at the Lithuanian Ministry of Culture. The speakers included Piret Palm (Estonia), Maunu Häyrynen (Finland), Indre Kacinskaite (Lithuania), Kristine Veinberga and Gundega Linaare (Lativia) and Magdalena Lisowska (Poland), who presented the situation of historical parks, gardens and residences in particular countries. Their statements led to the conclusion that the cultivation of gardening and concern for valuable historical parks and gardens are not among the priority undertakings of the countries represented at the meeting. Moreover, the countries in question lack landscape architects specialising in the history of gardens and participating in re-valorisation, from the initial phase, studies, projects, and execution to continuous cultivation. The objective formulated by the working group involved the establishment of cooperation with the Baltic Sea region specialists concerning, i. a. an exchange of legislation experiences, work methods, endeavours aiming at the creation of a universal model of revalorisation, and a list of qualifications permitting work in historical gardens and parks. It was decided to inaugurate cooperation with a "TOP 10” list of gardens, parks and residences, accompanied by source information about the monuments in question. The participants of the meeting toured the historical gardens of Vilnius and its environs, including the Baroque garden adjoining the Sapieha residence and the Zatrocze and Landwarów parks designed by Edouard André, the celebrated European landscapist.
The study highlights how higher education institutions could be proactive leaders in promoting societal change for sustainable development. In total, 30 researchers and teachers of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) from universities in the Baltic Sea Region participated in the development of a model on learning for sustainable development by introducing educational cases and developing the important factors of ESD, based on these cases, their own experience and theoretical knowledge. The critical factors of ESD were re-developed and categorised into contextual (integrative approach, time perspective and spatiality), mental (value clarification, systemic thinking, critical reflection and motivation building) and activity (partnership, cooperation, communication and participation) related aspects. By using these critical factors in higher education, teachers can more likely ensure that the outcome of the learning process will increase competences for sustainability. The development of the model was based on a constructive research approach rarely used in pedagogical research. Therefore, the study increased the understanding of participants about this qualitative research tradition.
WSPÓŁPRACA REGIONALNA W EUROPIE. OD KONWENCJI MADRYCKIEJDO PODEJŚCIA MAKROREGIONALNEGO W Europie współpraca organów regionalnych jest możliwa w oparciu o Konwencje międzynarodowe oraz dokumenty wewnętrzne Unii Europejskiej. Obserwując losy współpracy regionalnej od konwencji madryckiej do stworzenia podejścia makroregionalnego, można zaobserwować znaczny rozwój koncepcji stosunków międzyregionalnych. Stosunki te ewoluowały od popierania i wspierania współpracy transgranicznej przez Państwa do całościowych koncepcji makroregionalnych UE opracowanych z udziałem regionów i organizacji na ich rzecz działających. W ciągu najbliższych lat okaże się, czy całościowe koncepcje spełniły swoją funkcję i usprawniły współpracę wewnętrzną UE.
EN
The cooperation of regional authorities in Europe is made possible via the existing international conventions and internal documents of the European Union. Studying the vicissitudes of the European regional cooperation from the Madrid Convention to the creation of a macro-regional approach, one cannot but notice the significant development of the concept of interregional relations. These relations have been evolving from the promotion and support cross-border cooperation by the Member States to its completion as the EU macro-regional concept elaborated with the participation of the regions and organisations acting on their behalf. Within the next few years it will turn out whether these concepts have in their entirety fulfilled their function and enhanced the internal EU cooperation.
Sustainable development is a challenge worldwide. The nine states located in the Baltic Sea Region, with different political systems, have developed different ways of coping with environmental issues and incorporating them in the national education systems. Early joint efforts to minimize these differences undertaken by the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) and the Baltic University Programme (BUP) to bridge these differences are impressive. Still, we need to continue learning about environmental history, policy formulation and current state of affairs in order to get ready for future challenges. With respect to contemporary discussions on improving educational processes, the aim of this paper is to present a good practice example of teaching at a BUP member university, in the light of ESD principles. A specific course, Environmental Politics, focusing on capacity-building for national environmental policies, is scrutinized in order to find out how to engage students on this topic. The findings suggest that structured discussions of environmental cases in small seminar groups are conducive to teaching ESD at a BUP member university.
The Baltic Sea Region (BSR) is a specific area lying between the areas of conflicting political interests of the East and West, making it an object of particular interest of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and the Russian Federation. The current situation is characterized by the high militarization of the region, mainly related to the use of the Russian power sector, with the anti-access capabilities in the Kaliningrad District in particular. Changes in the security environment in this area have resulted in the increased capabilities to deter and the collective defence capabilities of all NATO members, as part of strengthening the Alliance’s eastern flank.
Baltic integration studies, though dispersed and involving researchers of various disciplines, generally fit well in the field of economic geography research. This article attempts to review the study results of research conducted in Poland in the last four decades. It identifies eleven leading issues, including: the Baltic wide cooperation (conditions and factors, progress and collaboration perspectives), the development of the maritime economy, international legislation, environmental protection, spatial planning and cross-border cooperation. The research focus evolved reflecting the major milestones in geopolitical transformations. In Baltic Europe we can identify three evolutionary phases: identification of cooperation paths and conditions in the competitive environment of two political and military blocks, a recast of options in the period of political transformation and European integration, studies of EU enlargement consequences.
Baltic integration studies, though dispersed and involving researchers of various disciplines, generally fit well in the field of economic geography research. This article attempts to review the study results of research conducted in Poland in the last four decades. It identifies eleven leading issues, including: the Baltic wide cooperation (conditions and factors, progress and collaboration perspectives), the development of the maritime economy, international legislation, environmental protection, spatial planning and cross-border cooperation. The research focus evolved reflecting the major milestones in geopolitical transformations. In Baltic Europe we can identify three evolutionary phases: identification of cooperation paths and conditions in the competitive environment of two political and military blocks, a recast of options in the period of political transformation and European integration, studies of EU enlargement consequences.
The world is increasing in complexity and challenged by serious problems such as climate change, which have no easy solutions and involve stakeholders with competing values. Higher education has an integral role to play in navigating society through these daunting challenges. Educating the next generation of scholars and change agents through the framework of sustainable development clears a path for balancing environmental, societal and economic realities. Education for sustainable development must equip students with critical and “out of the box” thinking skills to develop innovative solutions to these problems. Whilst it is recognized that there is a need to develop pedagogical approaches for sustainability in education, there is a gap in the literature on pedagogical practices that promote education for sustainable development in the classroom. This study aims to bridge this gap by examining active learning as a means of promoting education for sustainable development. More specifically, it examines the use of active learning techniques in the course “Multilevel Governance” as a means of promoting education for sustainable development in the classroom. This article recommends that active learning techniques, such as group discussions, group assignments, Technology, Entertainment and Design (TED) talks, are critical to engaging students in the classroom on sustainability issues.
According to the “Vilnius Declaration”, the Baltic Sea Region should become one of the most prosperous, innovative and competitive regions in the world by 2020. Achieving this goal is a challenge, because the Baltic Sea Region consists of countries that considerably differ in size and economic development. As Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Audronius Azubalis said: “The Baltic Sea Region continues to be amongst the most competitive and innovative areas in the world. However, there are still significant disparities in a competitive advantage in different parts of the region”. The Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, which are in focus of this research, are characterized with limited economic power and country size, what could make providing successful national brand more difficult. But strengthening such an umbrella brand could have highly beneficial effects for Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, because the development of an own successful nation brand associated with quality and competence usually takes a long time. The research aim of this paper is to evaluate whether the “umbrella” brand of the Baltic Sea Region is associated with positive economic connotations and can benefit Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. To this aim, content analysis is used. Articles in themes of economics, business and finance from the independent weekly newspaper “The Baltic Times”, covering all three Baltic countries are analyzed and screened for the key word “Baltic Sea Region”. Standard techniques are used to evaluate whether the key word is mentioned in a positive or negative context. The findings imply that the Baltic Sea Region is often mentioned within a positive context. The mentions relate e.g. to the region’s economic potential and the possible benefits of a stronger cooperation among the individual countries. However, the research results do not indicate that there are already substantial positive spillover effects (benefits from “umbrella brand”) from one country to another.
According to the “Vilnius Declaration”, the Baltic Sea Region should become one of the most prosperous, innovative and competitive regions in the world by 2020. Achieving this goal is a challenge, because the Baltic Sea Region consists of countries that considerably differ in size and economic development. As Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Audronius Azubalis said: “The Baltic Sea Region continues to be amongst the most competitive and innovative areas in the world. However, there are still significant disparities in a competitive advantage in different parts of the region”. The Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, which are in focus of this research, are characterized with limited economic power and country size, what could make providing successful national brand more difficult. But strengthening such an umbrella brand could have highly beneficial effects for Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, because the development of an own successful nation brand associated with quality and competence usually takes a long time. The research aim of this paper is to evaluate whether the “umbrella” brand of the Baltic Sea Region is associated with positive economic connotations and can benefit Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. To this aim, content analysis is used. Articles in themes of economics, business and finance from the independent weekly newspaper “The Baltic Times”, covering all three Baltic countries are analyzed and screened for the key word “Baltic Sea Region”. Standard techniques are used to evaluate whether the key word is mentioned in a positive or negative context. The findings imply that the Baltic Sea Region is often mentioned within a positive context. The mentions relate e.g. to the region’s economic potential and the possible benefits of a stronger cooperation among the individual countries. However, the research results do not indicate that there are already substantial positive spillover effects (benefits from “umbrella brand”) from one country to another.
All countries form the Baltic Sea Region are strongly economically connected with each other. International trade inbound the Region is usually realized by shipping lines, especially ro-ro and ferry lines. Ferry traffic on the BSR shows specific features, which draw distinctions between other regions. In this article was tried to analyzed quantity and directions of maritime traffic in the BSR in years 2006 – 2008. That period was excellent time for market growing for all owners. And more over – the analysis was made for main directions in the Baltic Sea Region – between Norway, Sweden and Finland – versus Polish and German Baltic sea ports.
The aim of the article is to propose a simple Taxonomic Measure of Sustainable Development and to measure its relation with the time allocation. The research follows the scheme: i) the construction of the TMSD; ii) the regression analysis of the TMSD and time allocation variables; iii) the comparative analysis of the TMSD in 2004 and 2012 followed by the interpretation of the results. The authors formulated the thesis about the relation between the level of sustainable development and the time allocation. The research shows that the more equal time allocation between men and women, the more sustainably developed the economy. This is probably because women live in a more sustainable way than men1. Also, the measure illustrates well how strongly differentiated the BSR countries are in terms of sustainable development. The most favourable situation was observed in Scandinavian countries and Norway. In most of the countries the level of sustainable development rose over the time of observation.
The article considers the Kaliningrad region from the perspective of the development of medical and health tourism in the region. The main objective and problematic of the research is to study the potential of the Kaliningrad region in the development of health tourism and definitione the place of the Kaliningrad region’s health tourism in the Baltic Sea region. In the course of the study, methods of reviewing the literature on topics were applied, the experience of both Russian and foreign researchers was analyzed; For visualization of the results, the cartographic method was used, and the results of the analysis are presented in the form of graphs and tables. The article considers the natural and geographical prerequisites for the development of health tourism in the Baltic region, analyzes the sanatorium-resort base of the Kaliningrad region, shows the dynamics of attendance at sanatorium-resort institutions in the region from 2012 to 2016. The potential of each municipality of the Kaliningrad region in the development of medical and sanatorium-resort tourism is shown. As a result of the study, it was found out that the Kaliningrad region has significant potential for the development of therapeutic, health and medical tourism in the Baltic region: a developed sanatorium-resort network, natural resources (mineral water, therapeutic mud, etc.), an advantageous geographical position, affordable prices for spa treatment). However, it is necessary to expand the range of sanatorium-resort services of the institutions of the Kaliningrad region in order to be able to compete with similar institutions in the Baltic countries and neighboring Poland; improvement of medical infrastructure and level of medical services in the region to expand their range.
Współpraca międzynarodowa w regionie Morza Bałtyckiego, a w szczególności państw skandynawskich, ma bardzo długą tradycję i wpłynęła na instytucjonalizację regionalnych stosunków międzynarodowych. Obecna Strategia Unii Europejskiej dla regionu jest pierwszą makroregionalną strategią UE, opartą na wcześniejszych doświadczeniach. Jej głównym celem jest wzmacnianie współpracy w regionie i promowanie zrównoważonego rozwoju, aby sprostać wspólnym wyzwaniom. Strategia przyniosła lepszą koordynację i efektywność istniejącej współpracy. Do wiosny 2014 r. region Morza Bałtyckiego był postrzegany jako region modelowy dla uwieńczonej sukcesem transformacji, bliskiej współpracy regionalnej, wymiany handlowej i bezpieczeństwa. Jednak obecnie staje on w obliczu nowych wyzwań związanych ze zmieniającą sie sytuacją polityczną (relacje UE–Rosja, brexit, migracje itp.). Zasady i formy zarządzania w regionie Morza Bałtyckiego okazały się być efektywne i wystarczające, aby sprostać problemom ekonomiczno-społeczno-politycznym. Jest to też odpowiedź na pytanie, czy jest jakiś dowód na istnienie modelowych reguł, form i sposobów współpracy, które mogłyby być powielane. Rezultatem tego jest wprowadzenie kolejnych trzech unijnych strategii makro-regionalnych.
EN
The international cooperation in the Baltic Sea region, especially between Scandinavian countries, has a very long tradition that has impacted significantly on institutionalization of regional international relations. The current European Union Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region is the first macro-regional strategy within the EU, based on the earlier regional experience. Its main goal is strengthening cooperation in this region and promoting sustainable development in order to meet common challenges. The Strategy has brought better coordination and effectiveness of the existing cooperation and turned out to be a very efficient and successful tool. Until spring 2014 the Baltic Sea Region was perceived as a model region for successful transformation, close regional cooperation, trade and inclusive security. However, it is now facing new challenges connected with changing political situation (EU-Russia relations, Brexit, migrations, etc.). The rules and forms of the governance in the Baltic Sea Region have appeared to be effective and sufficient in successfully addressing economic, social and political challenges. This is the answer to the question if there is any evidence to acknowledge the rules, forms and ways of cooperation as a model which possibly could be followed elsewhere. As a result, the EU has introduced three more macro-regional strategies.
: The article refers to research on the industrialisation of ports. Nowadays, apart from the offshore industry, this topic was not discussed in more detail in the literature. The aim of the study was to check the structure of production plants not closely related to maritime economy which operate in seaports of the Baltic Sea Region and to evaluate the role of maritime transport in servicing individual plants. The analysis excluded maritime construction and shipbuilding (production and repair yards), as well as fishing ports due to their specificity in production. The research area covered the Baltic Sea Region understood as 9 countries: Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark.We can distinguish industrial ports that are part of commercial ports or independent ports that are an important link in the industrial production chain. There were about 270 transhipment ports in the study area, two fifths of which were of industrial importance. The types of industry appearing in the surveyed port centres, as well as the conditions of using ports for the needs of industrial plants located in them were characterised. In the structure of the identified plants, the largest group was the wood and paper industry, a significant number of plants also represented the following industries: energy, mineral and metallurgy. Access to maritime transport is crucial for the fuel and energy sector – it was the only or main route for the supply of raw materials for production for a part of refineries and power plants.
PL
Artykuł nawiązuje do badań nad uprzemysłowieniem portów. Współcześnie poza branżą offshore temat ten nie był szerzej poruszany w literaturze. Celem badań było sprawdzenie, jaka jest struktura branżowa zakładów produkcyjnych niezwiązanych ściśle z gospodarką morską, działających w portach morskich regionu Morza Bałtyckiego oraz próba oceny roli transportu morskiego w obsłudze poszczególnych zakładów. Z analizy wyłączono budownictwo morskie i okrętowe, w tym stocznie produkcyjne i remontowe oraz porty rybackie ze względu na ich specyfikę produkcyjną. Obszar badań to region Morza Bałtyckiego rozumiany jako dziewięć państw: Niemcy, Polska, Litwa, Łotwa, Estonia, Rosja, Finlandia, Szwecja, Dania.Wyróżnić można porty przemysłowe, które stanowią części portów handlowych lub samodzielne porty stanowiące ważne ogniwo w przemysłowym łańcuchu produkcyjnym. Na badanym obszarze funkcjonowało około 270 portów przeładunkowych, z czego 2/5 miało znaczenie przemysłowe. Scharakteryzowano rodzaje przemysłu występujące w badanych ośrodkach portowych oraz uwarunkowania wykorzystania portów na potrzeby zlokalizowanych w nich zakładów przemysłowych. W strukturze zidentyfikowanych zakładów największą grupę stanowił przemysł drzewno-papierniczy, znaczna liczba zakładów reprezentowała także branże energetyczną, mineralną i metalurgiczną. Dostęp do transportu morskiego ma kluczowe znaczenie dla sektora paliwowo-energetycznego – stanowił on jedyną lub główną drogę dostaw surowców do produkcji dla części rafinerii i elektrowni.
Przyczynek dotyczy ekonomicznych i socjalnych skutków reformacji. Należała do nich sekularyzacja, to znaczy przemiana kościelnych posiadłości ziemskich i tworzenie nowych latyfundiów (Territorien), podobnie jak rozszerzanie dominiów władców oraz szlacheckich gospodarstw wiejskich. W miastach myśl reformatorska padła na podatny grunt i przyniosła ze sobą rewolty socjalne oraz żądania politycznego prawa głosu. Migracja przede wszystkim holenderskich menonitów i kalwinistów przyniosła skok innowacyjny w obszarze rolnictwa, rzemiosła, handlu i sztuki. Rozwijała się ponadnarodowa kultura, którą można określić jaki „niderlandyzację strefy Bałtyku”.
EN
The article deals with economic and social effects of the Reformation. One of them was secularisation, i.e. the transformation of the ecclesiastical estates into new latifundia (German: Territorien), and similarly enlarging rulers’ domains and landed estates of the gentry. In towns the ideas of the Reformation were well received and provoked social revolts and demands for the right to vote. Migrations, especially of the Dutch Mennonites and Calvinists, brought about an innovation jump in the sphere of agriculture, crafts, trade and art. The supranational culture that started to flourish may be called ‘Netherlandisation of the Baltic Sea Region’.
Настоящая статья посвящена явлению конвергенции и предпринимает попытку оценки влияния экономической трансформации 90-ых годов XX века на процесс конвергенции среди государств региона Балтийского моря. Главной целью статьи является определение, приблизились ли друг к другу показатели ВВП экономик стран Балтийского региона на душу населения или все-таки произошло совершенно иначе. В статье подвержены были анализу важнейшие макроэкономические показатели, с целью определения их соотношения между государствами балтийского региона.
EN
This paper analyses the issue of convergence in the Baltic Sea Region countries and tries to assess the effect of economic transformation during the period of 90s in 20th century on the process of convergence. In other words it will consider whether the integration process in the European Union pulled the economies of the organization together or pushed them apart. It will analyse the most important macroeconomic data to establish the relationships between counties in the Baltic Sea Region.
W artykule omówiono działania prowadzone przez Federację Rosyjską zmierzające do destabilizacji bezpieczeństwa euroatlantyckiego w regionie Morza Bałtyckiego. Szczególną uwagę zwrócono na strategię wojny nowej generacji, która charakteryzuje się aktywnością państwa na wielu frontach z wykorzystaniem metod politycznych, społecznych, militarnych oraz gospodarczych. W przypadku Rosji jest realizowana w celu odzyskania geopolitycznej kontroli nad państwami bałtyckimi oraz odbudowania strefy wpływów z czasów Związku Radzieckiego. Konsekwencją jest wzrost poczucia zagrożenia na Litwie, Łotwie i w Estonii. Celem artykułu jest przedstawienie rosyjskiej presji na system bezpieczeństwa narodowego państw regionu Morza Bałtyckiego.
EN
The article discusses the activities carried out by the Russian Federation to destabilize Euro-Atlantic security in the Baltic Sea region. Particular attention was paid to the strategy of the war of the new generation, characterized by the state’s activity on many fronts, with the use of political, social, military, and economic methods. In the case of Russia, the purpose of these methods is to regain geopolitical control over the Baltic States and to rebuild the sphere of influence from the times of the Soviet Union. The consequence of this is the increased sense of threat among the countries: Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. The aim of the article is to present Russian pressure on the national security systems of the countries of the Baltic Sea region.
Modern political thinkers have ushered in the theoretical concepts of modern alliances and collective security/defense. Before these political theories were turned into modern organizations, many radical changes had to take place in how international relations were perceived in Europe and the world. These dynamic changes started at the end of the Thirty Years War, with the signing of the Westphalia treaties in 1648, and came to fruition with the forming of the League of Nations in 1920. This article explores this 272 year historical process including its impact on the population of the Baltic Sea countries.
JavaScript is turned off in your web browser. Turn it on to take full advantage of this site, then refresh the page.