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This working paper presents a part of the work in 'Nordic regions and the demographic challenge' initiative by the Nordic working group for the exchange of experience and knowledge developments (urban policies). One issue that has gained political recognition in recent years is the consequences for, and challenges faced by, regions marked by significant demographic change. In order to highlight the various territorial development patterns currently prevalent in the Nordic Countries, and the differences that occur across similar types of regions, this paper outlines the various possibilities for analytic comparisons at two levels. Firstly, local labour markets can be used to highlight the key development trends in functional areas of various sizes. Secondly the 'Nordic urban typology' can be used as a spatial analytical tool to map regional development trends while distinguishing between different urban types of Nordic labour markets in a comparable manner. In addition to introducing new material this report also includes follow-up analyses to a 2006 study, 'The role of urban areas in regional development – a European and Nordic perspective" with the intent of tracking the changes to the functional local labour markets that have occurred in the interim.

The Faroe Islands (Faroes) is an archipelago consisting of 18 islands about halfway between Norway and Iceland, 320 kilometres north-northwest of Scotland (62°00′N 06°47′W). The islands cover a land area of 1,400 km². The maritime economic zone is approximately 274,000 km².

Policy recommendations from the project "Coastal societies and demography" Many rural areas are exposed to situations where schools are being closed due to the declining number of children, local shops are disappearing in the smaller towns, while local governments are struggling with pressure on the local public budgets. Parallel to this new residential areas are shooting up in the urban areas. This is just a small glimpse of the visible consequences of the on-going global urbanisation trend. In the Nordic coastal societies the urbanisation is also visible and the consequences are often even more pronounced.

This paper which was commissioned by the Swedish Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and Communications during the current Swedish EU presidency aims to identify and discuss some of the most important territorial potentials in the European Union. According to the EU Green Paper on Territorial Cohesion, the territorial diversity of European regions is a vital asset in economic development and competitiveness. The purpose of EU Cohesion Policy at the European level is to contribute to the Lisbon and Gothenburg objectives for growth, jobs and sustainable development. More specifically, the Cohesion Policy should promote the cohesion of the EU-territory by improving the use of all available resources in Europe's regions. The concept of territorial potential relates to numerous factors. These factors can be divided into tangible assets, such as natural and human resources, and intangible assets, like organisation, culture, social issues and governance. Un-mobilised territorial assets constitute territorial potentials that may be realised through policies and actions at various administrative levels. Seen against the backdrop of the deepest global economic slowdown in generations the identification of regional potentials and, furthermore, the elaboration of strategies and policies that might enable and facilitate the European regions to fully exploit these potentials, is more important than ever. To strengthen competitiveness one of the main challenges facing policy-makers and other concerned actors across the regions of Europe is to identify and mobilise the territorial potentials necessary for the creation of new jobs and sustainable economic growth. Understanding the nature of territorial potentials requires a process of analysing access to different types of resources in order to gain a more detailed knowledge of the economic base of the region. However, it also requires a regional process for prioritising and coordinating relevant stakeholders and policy-fields in order to implement the necessary policy initiatives.

The report studies cross-border labour mobility in the Central Baltic region together with the policies and measures related to that. It provides background information on the current migration flows between Latvia, Estonia, Finland and Sweden as well as information on the national labour markets and current labour demand in each of the countries. This report is the final report of the INTERREG IVA project "CentralBaltic JobFerry". Based on statistical data and stakeholder interviews conducted in the Latvia, Estonia, South West Finland and Östergötland/Sweden, the report notes that countries in the Central Baltic region are facing labour shortage in the health care, social services, ICT and construction sectors. There is an increased need for specialised and skilled labour force in those sectors. The EU has identified cross-border labour mobility as a way to increase the matching of labour demand and supply. However the actual intra-EU cross-border labour mobility remains low. The report identifies the main obstacles to labour mobility based on stakeholder interviews and policy reviews. Lack of language skills, lack of cooperation between relevant labour market actors and authorities, lack of easily available information as well as problems with the portability of pension rights and social benefits are the main factors that impede the mobility of workers in the Central Baltic region. To tackle these issues, increased cooperation is needed both within countries and regions and across borders. The CentralBaltic JobFerry project has published a separate policy brief presenting several policy recommendations targeted at regional, national and EU level actors. The policy brief can be downloaded at http://cbjobferry.eu/publications/.

The findings contained in this report and developed within the East-West Window project, financed under the umbrella of the BSR INTERREG IIIB-Neighbourhood programme (TACIS strand), provide valuable insights into the search for evidence-based information on the Baltic Sea Region's territorial capital and its potentials for spatial integration, which can be meaningful for the current elaboration of two transnational strategic policy papers for the Baltic Sea Region (BSR), namely, the Long Term Perspective (LTP) for the BSR, on the one hand, and the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, on the other. The first is tasked with identifying the most important challenges currently hampering spatial integration within the region and between the region and its surroundings as well as with pinpointing the most important elements for a spatial strategy or vision with a time horizon up to the year 2030. The intention here is to approve the Long Term Perspective (LTP) at the VASAB Ministerial Conference in September 2009. The second policy paper with DG Regio in the lead has as its aim to coordinate the efforts of various actors in the Baltic Sea Region so that by working together they promote a more balanced development of the region. The Strategy will be presented to the European Council in June 2009 and will feature as one of the main priorities of the Swedish EU Presidency during the second half of 2009. The ongoing EU level debate, launched by the European Commission's Green Paper (October 2008) on Territorial Cohesion is also connected to this process. The goal of this debate is to come to a better and shared understanding of territorial cohesion and its implications for policy-making and territorial cooperation. The current report contains multifaceted analytical findings regarding the BSR's territorial capital. Issues such as population development, labour market dynamics (specifically in small and medium-sized cities and towns), he international functions of metropolitan areas, transport networks, mobility, accessibility, ICT and finally, energy production and distribution are explored. The report concludes with an extended discussion of current strategic issues in respect of spatial planning, policy-making and programming with a view to further contributing to territorial cohesion and spatial integration in the BSR.

Internal differences within the Nordic countries flit around the extremes of the pendulum. On the one hand, the capital and other metropolitan areas of the Nordic countries are amongst the fastest growing on the whole continent. On the other hand peripheral areas are, when placed in their national contexts, lagging behind and in dire need of active support. This is the traditional picture of the Nordic dichotomy. In the first years after the turn of the millennium small indications suggest that the overly excessive concentration to a few metropolitan areas has partially and at least currently reached the end of its path. Regardless whether these new patterns are a mere breather in the time line of peripheral decline or if they will prove to be more permanent trends, it is currently nonetheless one of the most important tasks for policy makers to try to strike a balance between the development trends in different parts of the Nordic countries. The task is further challenged by the shifting focus of the new EU Structural Funds 2007-2013 programming period away from the Nordic countries. The 2007 handbook in the series 'Regional Development in the Nordic Countries' provides a comprehensive picture of the current state of play of regional development challenges and the policies and tools utilised to tackle the problems now and in the years to come. This also includes an overview on the processes of administrative structural reforms of government in the Nordic countries. In addition Nordic relevant aspects of EU regional policy support and possibilities of territorial co-operation for the period 2007-2013 are covered. The report comes with 29 detailed maps, an A3 poster pin-up and numerous graphical illustrations, all of which featuring EU27 standards and the new Danish territorial divisions. In the statistical annex, comparable demographic and economic key indicators are given for all 1 366 Nordic municipalities and their corresponding regions, including each of the autonomous territories. All graphical material is ready-to-hand available for download at the Maps & Figures section of this website and can be used free of charge.

The purpose of IPBES assessments is to depict how the natural world and human societies interact with each other on a conceptual level. Habitat degradataion, eutrophication, fishing and climate change are examples of drivers of change that affect Nordic coastal habitats. Policy and governance are principal indirect drivers that both could lead to decline and deteriorations, as well as improvements and recoveries environments. Climate change will affect Nordic marine biodiversity profoundly in the future by changes in, for example, bio-chemical cycles and in the distribution of biodiversity. Such changes might lead to increased oxygen depletion in many areas, leakage of nutrients, changed thropic structures and spread of pathogens. It is therefore of paramount importance that effective governance is developed to mitigate impacts on nature's contributions to people (NCP) and to build sustainability and strategies for sustainability. Less overfishing, less euthropication, fewer pollutants and better land-use and nature protection are measures that will improve the overall resilience of Nordic coastal environments.

In all parts of the world the sea is a source of life, of energy, of food, of commerce, of fun. Its water, wind, and waves are all in demand – as a playground for pleasure-seekers and nature-lovers, as a highway for international commerce, as a home for unique communities of wildlife and people. All this is also true for the Bothnian Sea, a part of the northern European Baltic Sea between Finland and Sweden. The Bothnian Sea is used by two neighbouring highly developed societies. There are many demands on its resources, and its open spaces are highly coveted areas for developments such as wind power farms. This relatively sparsely habitated corner of the world is also, at least at times, a place of wild seas and ancient heritage. Like planning on land, maritime spatial planning is a process that has to incorporate ideals of the public good and the various politically-anchored ways to define this, taking in to account private development interests as well as the physical realities of limited natural resources and fragile ecosystems. This book provides an introduction to the Bothnian Sea and the ideas around maritime spatial planning for its offshore areas. We have tried to present a balance between the perspectives of competing interests. As this has been a pilot initiative, we have not aimed to give you ready answers, but instead try to provoke further debate. The Bothnian Sea and its future are in your hands. The editor