Baltic Sea Business Day, #BSBD26
Connecting Business, Innovation and Cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region
"If the Baltic Sea region were a state, it would be the third largest economy in the world", said Viesturs Kleinbergs, Mayor of Riga.
Press release from Ocean Technology Campus Rostock:
(...where various research disciplines and industry develop and test high-tech maritime solutions in close collaboration)
"If the Baltic Sea region were a state, it would be the third largest economy in the world."
That line came from Viesturs Kleinbergs, Mayor of Riga, at yesterday's Baltic Sea Business Day in Rostock.
It landed in the room the way a good opening line should: it reframes everything that follows.
Because the point is not just the size of the number.
It is that this economy is shared across nine countries, depends on a sea that is under growing ecological and geopolitical pressure, and has no single government to steer it.
What it has instead are networks, agreements, joint exercises, and conversations like the one that happened yesterday.
With a record number of participants, the 3rd Baltic Sea Business Day made one thing visible: the appetite for Baltic Sea cooperation is growing, not shrinking.
Entrepreneurs, researchers, ministers, and city leaders from across the region came to Rostock because they understand that the challenges ahead cannot be solved within national borders.
And the challenges are concrete. The security of critical infrastructure, undersea cables, offshore energy platforms, and ports is no longer a specialist topic.
Neither is the question of how to sustainably use a sea that is both an economic backbone and one of Europe's most fragile ecosystems. Both were on the table yesterday, across sessions and conversations throughout the day.
The Ocean Technology Campus Rostock co-organized and moderated Session 2 together with Germany Trade & Invest: "Innovations for the Sustainable Use of the Baltic Sea."
Five speakers from three countries tackled three of the sea's most urgent challenges: underwater noise, legacy ammunition on the seabed, and seawater desalination as a model for sustainable resource use.
The conversation brought together science, industry, and policy in one room, which is exactly where it needs to happen.
The Baltic Sea Business Day reminded us why Rostock is the right place for this work.
Not because of geography alone, but because the people and organizations here have chosen to show up for it.
Thank you to all speakers, participants, and partners who made on day possible.
hashtag: Rüdiger Strempel Angela Schultz-Zehden Anne Kleyböcker Hasse Milter Michael Fengler Franziska Schmacka Dr. Verena Schüren Uta Hermes Uwe von Lukas Mariella I. Gräff
Ocean Technology Campus Rostock: oceantechnologycampus.com
Press release from Germany Trade & Invest:
(Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI) is the investment promotion agency of the Federal Republic of Germany)
The Baltic Sea region is one of Europe’s most closely integrated economic areas and far more than a regional market. It is a strategic hub for intra‑European trade and supply chains, increasingly relevant for security, water management, and long‑term investment opportunities. BSBD26
At last week’s Baltic Sea Business Day, these realities were front and center.
Following the opening by Manuela Schwesig, our CEO Julia Braune discussed with Minister of Economics, Infrastructure, Tourism and Labour Wolfgang Blank, Klaus-Jürgen Strupp Präsident IHK zu Rostock and other panelists why strong cross‑border collaboration is essential for unlocking the region’s full potential. These discussions were taken further during a high-level lunch with Minister President Schwesig, Minister of Local and Regional Government Anna-Kaisa Ikonen from Finland, Minister Blank, Head of the State Chancellery Patrick Dahlemann, as well as during a dedicated meeting with Thomas Einsfelder, CEO of Invest in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
-The Baltic Sea region combines complementary industrial strengths, from manufacturing and maritime industries to digital innovation and GreenTech.
-Shared trends such as the energy transition, green technologies and large‑scale infrastructure projects are emerging as powerful joint growth drivers.
-Dense trade routes, ports and multimodal connections reinforce the region’s role as a central node for European value chains.
One topic gained particular urgency across discussions: the protection of critical infrastructure, both physical and digital. Economic resilience, energy security and connectivity can not be separated from security considerations.
A key takeaway from a workshop led by our Taskforce Transformation on site:
-Water is becoming a strategic industrial resource. Without reliable water availability, scaling electrolysis, cooling systems or core industrial processes will not be possible.
-Water must be treated as economic infrastructure, not only as an environmental issue.
The Baltic Sea region shows what is possible when economic integration, innovation and strategic foresight come together. Now it’s about turning this potential into execution.
hashtag: Ministerium für Wirtschaft, Infrastruktur, Tourismus und Arbeit Mecklenburg-Vorpommern IHK zu Rostock
Germany Trade & Invest: gtai.de/en/meta/legal-notice
Press release from Julia Braune, CEO bei Germany Trade & Invest:
Baltic Sea Business Day 2026
Security is no longer a side issue, but a key economic and location factor – for Germany, the Baltic Sea region and investment decisions worldwide. This development and the potential for an even closer cooperation among the democratic countries in the Baltic Sea region was the center of discussions at the 3. Baltic Sea Business Day in Rostock.
Three factors are decisive: interoperability, speed of innovation, and scalability. Security can only be achieved if data, control systems, and processes function seamlessly across borders. At the same time, the path from prototype to industrial application must become significantly shorter. Today, speed of innovation is a key factor in security policy.
We are currently seeing new European companies such as STARK that are responding precisely to these requirements: technology-driven, closely aligned with dual-use applications and quick to implement – particularly in the Nordic-Baltic region. At the same time, policymakers are sending out important signals: with the National Security and Defence Industry Strategy, clearer industrial policy frameworks, and a doubling of defence spending to €160 billion by 2029.
The Baltic Sea region can position itself strategically in this area. The protection of critical underwater infrastructure is a highly relevant issue. The focus is on unmanned systems in the air, at sea and underwater, networked sensor technology, AI-supported situational awareness, maritime and underwater technologies, and secure IT and communication systems. In Mecklenburg Vorpommern, we are already seeing an exciting ecosystem of start-ups, international technology providers and research in this field.
Many thanks for providing the platform for these important discussions with the Baltic Sea Business Day for the third time especially to Minister President Manuela Schwesig as well as to my fellow panelists Minister Wolfgang Blank, Klaus-Jürgen Strupp Präsident IHK zu Rostock, Dr. Julian Pawlak, Eyk-Uwe Pap, Wolf Muenchmeyer, and moderator Karolin Kandler.
hashtag: #BSBD26 IHK zu Rostock Invest in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Baltic Sea Business Day (web): balticsea-business-day.de/en
Photo: © Staatskanzlei MV
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Baltic Sea Business Day, #BSBD26 - Organization owner & Team on organizing
Ocean Technology Campus Rostock
Germany Trade & Invest