As of 18 May 2026, Norway became a full member of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR). The expansion reflects the broader EU commitment to strengthening cooperation with non-EU partners in macro-regional strategies. As the coordinator of Policy Area Health within the EUSBSR, the NDPHS Secretariat welcomes Norway’s full membership, which will further strengthen regional cooperation and joint efforts to improve public health, resilience, and the well-being of people across the region.

The dialogue between Norway and the EU states bordering the Baltic Sea intensified and gained new momentum starting from 2025. In October 2025, Norway’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Espen Barth Eide, officially sought membership in the cooperation framework.

“The Norwegian strategic perspective is that the Baltic Sea Region has become increasingly important for Norway in recent years not least due to the challenging security situation as a result of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and its use of hybrid measures.” – Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide.

The formalised cooperation underlines Norway’s role as a like-minded partner in addressing shared territorial questions not only in the field of civil security and resilience, but also health-related issues, innovation ecosystems, and social cohesion.

“The Baltic Sea Strategy provides a political and strategic framework for cooperation between the countries in the region. Norway has more than 28 years of experience from Interreg cooperation in the region and I believe membership in the Strategy will strengthen cooperation on regional development and help build more resilient regions from north to south.” – Norwegian Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Bjørnar Selnes Skjæran.

Estonia, as the Presidency of the National Coordinators Group, has had a vital role in promoting and finalizing the newly established membership:

“Estonia warmly welcomes Norway as the ninth member state of the Strategy. Norway’s membership is an important step to further strengthen the Strategy and intensify cooperation between likeminded Baltic Sea Region countries. We look forward to close, strong and productive cooperation built on shared values and ambitions.“ – Estonian Foreign Minister, Margus Tsahkna.

Macro-regional strategies are embedded in the current EU funding rules

The founding idea behind the territorial strategy is that thematically focused cooperation is the resource-wise way to face joint challenges. In the Strategy’s Action Plan, the member states have identified areas where transnational cooperation is a necessity and brings considerable added value to the region. The Action Plan is co-created by national ministries, agencies and pan-Baltic organisations and approved by the National Coordinators Group with representatives from all member states.

EU Cohesion Policy and Interreg regulations recognise macro-regional strategies as frameworks for cooperation, programming and implementation and encourages alignment of funding priorities with the Action Plan. For example, the Interreg transnational programmes must allocate minimum of 80% of the programme funds to the implementation of the macro-regional strategies.

In the Baltic Sea Region, there are already long traditions of joint priority setting and working together. Norway has been active in several Policy Areas within the Strategy since it was created, and both sides have expressed a shared ambition to deepen and expand practical cooperation. Norway is also a full member of the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme and has been so since the very beginning of the programme. Further unifying the geographical scope of the two smoothens the way for effective transnational collaboration also in the future.

As a first practical step, Norway will start appointing members in all of the Strategy’s 14 Steering Groups, ensuring that the planned activities cover the views and the needs of the whole region. The work is overseen by the Norwegian National Coordinator, Jens Erik Grøndahl from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway.