Overview
Being a platform scaling the whole Baltic Sea Region and connecting all transport modes, the cluster cooperation will lay out the formula for a green Baltic Sea Region transport network. Eight projects join forces and will – by combining their vast knowledge – cover all aspects of sustainable transport development.
In formal terms, the transport cluster initiative is composed of partners representing three BSR countries (Finland, Germany and Sweden) as determined by the location of the leading organisations of the 8 partner projects. In addition to that, the transport cluster initiative is supported by other transport projects in the BSR that will contribute to selected activities. The cluster will also reach outside the BSR by host discussions with projects representing other transnational spaces or cross-border programmes, which can offer substantial value to the cluster work. By packaging business solutions, recommendations on investments, management plans, identification of key stakeholders, analysis of future freight flows and environmental & health impacts into one coherent concept, the BSR Transport Cluster partners will take joint standpoints on future EU and macroregional transport and regional growth policies.
Funding
Results
At the last cluster meeting in Helsinki (17 September 2013), all pending reports were presented and approved. The Rail Baltica Growth Corridor and Scandria representatives developed a new policy action proposal to the Macroregional Transport Action Plan that will be included in the MTAP 2013 edition.
The cluster partnership agreed to promote the cooperation results at the TEN-T Days (16-18 October) and the EU Baltic Sea Strategy Annual Summit (11-12 November). The cluster work was also featured in an exhibition stand of the Swedish Transport Administration.
At the dedicated meeting with the European Commission during the TEN-T Days in Tallinn, the legacy of the cluster cooperation was presented and possible next steps discussed in collaboration on implementing the TEN-T core network corridors in the Baltic Sea Region.
In summary, the cluster cooperation has been found instrumental in providing a streamlined regional level contribution to the strategic transport planning in the Baltic Sea Region. The cluster has created a neutral meeting place for projects to jointly work on green transport solutions, harmonise outputs and to communicate outcomes to the target audience in a consistent manner.
The cluster partnership has become a serious partner for the European Commission and the EUSBSR Transport Priority Area Coordinators in a dialogue on transport and regional growth policy developments.
There is a clear benefit to promote the cluster initiative in the BSR Programme 2014-2020 and we postulate to launch it from the very outset, in order to offer better opportunities for the projects from all application rounds to synergise and minimise overlaps Outlook for 2014 The BSR TransGovernance project volunteered to offer a platform for the cluster projects to continue exchanging of experience throughout 2014 after the termination of the cluster activities.
The cluster partnership is also invited to attend the final conference of the Bothnian Green Logistics project (Umeå, Sweden, 6-7 March 2014).