On 28–29 April 2026, Chairwoman of the Baltic Sea States Sub regional Co operation (BSSSC) and Chair of the Vidzeme Planning Region, Inese Suija Markova, took part in the EU Local Dialogue in Olsztyn, Poland, where she delivered a keynote address on behalf of BSSSC at the Interreg Europe REGIO SILIENCE conference.
Reflecting on two intensive days of discussions, she emphasised the need to fundamentally change how Europe views and supports its Eastern Border regions. In her speech, Inese Suija‑Markova highlighted that it is time to abandon the long‑standing narrative portraying these regions as lagging, poor or incapable peripheries.
“We must stop cultivating the image of Eastern Border regions as weak or backward. In today’s geopolitical reality, it is far more important to unite efforts and resources so that these regions can become examples of how to attract investment and build resilience,” she stressed.
Speaking from Latvia’s experience, she noted that the country has two regions — Vidzeme Planning Region and Latgale Planning Region – that share a direct border with aggressive neighbouring regimes. However, the challenges faced by border regions go far beyond Latvia and are shared across Europe’s Eastern flank, from Northern Norway and Finland to the Polish border regions.
In her address, the BSSSC Chairwoman underlined that resilience cannot be achieved through security measures alone. Instead, it requires a comprehensive approach combining security and development. She called for targeted, place‑based investment to support existing businesses, attract new economic activity, strengthen mobility and strategic infrastructure, improve the quality of education, develop and retain talent, and ensure dignified and secure living conditions for local communities.
“There is a great deal of work ahead of us — not only in Latvia, but across all Eastern Border regions. We face the same challenges, and only coordinated, long‑term solutions will allow these territories to thrive,” she noted.
Inese Suija‑Markova also emphasised the importance of listening to regional voices and learning from partners facing similar realities. She stressed that future solutions must be more tailored to territorial needs and that regions must play a stronger role in decision‑making, both at national and European levels. She concluded by thanking colleagues from across the Baltic Sea Region for the open discussions, exchange of ideas and the shared commitment to move forward together in strengthening Europe’s Eastern Border regions.
In addition to the keynote address, BSSSC was also represented in the panel discussions by Marcin Skwierawski, Deputy Marshal of the Pomorskie Voivodeship, who contributed to the exchange of regional perspectives on resilience, cooperation and policy adaptation in Europe’s Eastern Border regions.
The EU Local Dialogue in Olsztyn builds on the Regio‑Silience project, implemented in 2024–2025 under the Interreg Europe 2021–2027 programme at the initiative of the Warmińsko‑Mazurskie Voivodeship. The success of the project provided the impetus to establish an annual forum in the Warmia and Mazury Region for international dialogue on the future of the EU’s Eastern Border regions.
The 2026 event, organised by Marcin Kuchciński (PL/EPP), Marshal of the Warmińsko‑Mazurskie Voivodeship, brought together more than 130 participants, including political leaders and representatives of local and regional authorities from Poland, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Norway, as well as stakeholders from the European Commission, the World Bank, TESIM and Interact. During the conference, political leaders endorsed a joint commitment to strengthen cooperation, resilience and security across Europe’s Eastern Border regions, marking an important step from dialogue towards more coordinated and concrete action, supported by Interreg Europe.
About BSSSC
The Baltic Sea States Subregional Cooperation (BSSSC) is a political network representing regions, cities, and sub‑regional authorities around the Baltic Sea. It strengthens the voice of local and regional authorities in Baltic Sea cooperation and at the European level. For the next two years – 2026 and 2027 – the network is chaired by the Vidzeme Planning Region. More information: https://www.bsssc.com/
