Union of the Baltic Cities

Formation 1991
Headquarters Gdańsk
President
Per Bødker Andersen
Honorary President
Anders Engström
Main organ
General Conference, Executive Board
Website http://www.ubc.net/

Union of the Baltic Cities (UBC) is a voluntary, proactive network mobilizing the shared potential of over 100 member cities for democratic, economic, social, cultural and environmentally sustainable development of the Baltic Sea region.

Origins

The Union of the Baltic Cities was founded in Gdańsk, Poland in September 1991, by 32 cities, with the aim of developing cooperation and exchange between its member cities. Inspired in part by the historic example of the Hanseatic League[1] and supported by the European Union's Interreg programs to stimulate regional cooperation within the EU, it was one of the first formal institutions established to bolster the Baltic as a cohesive region within Europe. The city of Kalmar in Sweden took the initiative in founding the organization, but Gdańsk was chosen as the organization's headquarters to emphasize the desire to break down historic barriers between Western and Eastern Europe.[2][3][4] Anders Engström, who was in office from 1999 to 2001, was the first President of the UBC.[5] Since 2001 the office has been held by Per Bødker Andersen.[6]

Aims

The Union states its aims are to:

Status

In 2014 the Union comprised over 100 cities from ten countries: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Russia and Sweden.[8]

References

  1. Leif Beck Fallesen, "Urban Ambassadors", The WorldPaper, July 22, 1998   via HighBeam Research (subscription required) .
  2. Tassilo Herrschel and Peter Newman, Governance of Europe's City Regions: Planning, Policy, and Politics (Routledge, 2013), ISBN 978-1134661053, p. 111. Excerpts available at Google Books.
  3. Robert Clifford Ostergren, Mathias Le Boss, The Europeans: A Geography of People, Culture, and Environment (Guilford Press, 2011), ISBN 978-1609181406, p. 256. Excerpts available at Google Books.
  4. Rydén, Lars (2002). "The Baltic Sea Region and the relevance of regional approaches". In Maciejewski, Witold. The Baltic Sea Region - Cultures, Politics, Societies. Poznań: Baltic University Press, Uppsala. p. 18. ISBN 91-973579-8-7.
  5. "Founding Conference, Gdańsk, 19-20 September 1991". Union of Baltic Cities. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
  6. "Presidium". Union of Baltic Cities. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
  7. "Statute Of The Union Of The Baltic Cities". Union of Baltic Cities. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
  8. "Member Cities". Union of Baltic Cities. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
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