Few words after the project final conference

Three years have passed since Umbrella was approved by INTERREG South Baltic Programme and launched by the partnership. This project was needed since research showed that the South Baltic Programme was still poorly available to small organizations because of insufficient institutional and financial capacities, communication barriers, lack of English language skills, lack of competencies and capacities for project development and implementation. What observed in the frame of the South Baltic Programme could be generalized also for other European grants and other local cross-border cooperation opportunities in the South Baltic Sea area. The overall objective of the project was to initiate a process of the capacity building involving small municipalities, NGOs and other local/ regional organizations in order to transfer the knowledge and capacities and to include them in the current cross-border cooperation networks. Today we can finally state that we’ve achieved over expected results.

On 2^nd December the final conference of the project was held online as an engaging webinar. Short videos alternated to partners’ introduction and presentation of the results with a look to the future and Umbrella 2.0 that will be launched in 2021. This conference aimed to be also a moment of awareness-raising on the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, Sustainable Development Goals and their achievements in the Baltic Sea Region, and the EU Green Deal- a roadmap for the upcoming years.

To conclude, some hints about the future South Baltic Programme and EU programming period were provided. With the fantastic moderation of Mr Maciej Kautz, we can say that we eventually concluded a great project that, as stated many times, is just the beginning. The seeds have been planted, the process has been started and we are confident that with our contribution cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region will be strengthened. Umbrella aimed at becoming a brand in the region, recognized for its replicable toolbox of tailor-made solutions. Well, we have done a great job.

So, what to expect for the near future? For sure an awareness-raising event, “Meet-your-flagship” activities to connect with the EUSBSR, webinars on project management, training on SDG, EUSBSR and EU Green Deal to really engage local actors and connect them with the strategic levels of cooperation. We look forward to getting started and have you all on board!