Download The North Sea Commission

Organisation of the NSC
The North Sea Commission is a politically led
organisation. It is headed by an Executive
Committee consisting of the President, two
Vice-presidents and one representative from
each member country. The Executive
Committee is responsible for setting the
agenda and for giving direction to the NSC
work within five thematic focus areas: marine
resources, transport, energy and climate
change, economic development and culture
and tourism.
The Interreg North Sea Region Programme
The North Sea Commission is an important and
active partner in relation to the Interreg
programme, which offers financial support to
development projects in the North Sea region.
The NSC is a useful platform for developing
projects and many Interreg projects have been
initiated in the NSC thematic groups.
Each year in June the North Sea Commission
and the Interreg North Sea Region Programme
organise a joint conference, which brings
together active stakeholders and politicians
from around the North Sea and offers them a
unique opportunity to meet colleagues from
other countries, to exchange experience and
develop projects.
NSC and other co-operation partners
The North Sea Commission works together
with a number of organisations and partners at
local, regional, national and international level,
which can help promote and support regional
development in the North Sea region.
President of the NSC
Cllr. Tom Christer Nilsen
Hordaland fylkeskommune
PB 7900
5020 Bergen
Norway
Further information:
[email protected]
www.northsea.org
The North Sea Commission
- growth through partnership
The North Sea Commission
Founded in 1989, the North Sea Commission
(NSC) is a co-operation platform for regions
around the North Sea. Member regions may
come from Scotland, England, France, Belgium,
the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden
and Norway.
North Sea Region 2020
The North Sea region has the potential to act
as an engine for growth in Europe and as a
centre of excellence for wider EU issues. There
is, however, a need and a potential for
developing existing cooperation efforts,
improving policy efficiency and better value for
public money.
Main objectives of the NSC
The North Sea Commission has published a
strategy paper, North Sea Region 2020, which
regards the North Sea region as a territorial cooperation area. Its strategic focus is on the
major challenges and common characteristics
where transnational action and collaborative
working are considered to give added value.
The main objectives are:

to promote and create awareness of
the North Sea Region as a major
economic entity within Europe

to be a platform for developing and
obtaining funding for joint projects.

to lobby for a better North Sea region
The CPMR
The North Sea Commission is one of six
geographical commissions under the CPMR
(Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions).
The CPMR brings together some 160 European
regions from 28 states from the European
Union and beyond. Representing almost 200
million people, the CPMR campaigns in favour
of a more balanced development of the
European territory. It operates both as a think
tank and as a lobby for regions. The NSC works
closely with the CPMR on improving the
conditions for member regions.
The strategy paper identifies five strategic
priorities that are closely linked to the EU2020
objectives and contributes to the
implementation of several – if not all – of the
EU2020 flagships initiatives:

Managing maritime space

Increasing accessibility and clean
transport

Tackling climate change

Attractive and sustainable
communities

Promoting innovation and excellence
The scope of the North Sea Region 2020
The strategy will:

help the North Sea region remain and
improve the performance as a
competitive, attractive and
sustainable area of Europe

more efficiently address common,
transnational challenges and exploit
opportunities related to sustainable
economic growth, climate, energy,
accessibility and management of the
maritime space

ensure a better governed region
through cross-sectoral coordination
and multi-level governance