Finland assumes the chairmanship of the Baltic Sea Region Border Control Cooperation (BSRBCC)
Finland holds the chairmanship of the Baltic Sea Region Border Control Cooperation, BSRBCC, in 2024. Baltic Sea Region Border Control Cooperation, more commonly known as BSRBCC, is a cooperation forum established in 1997, and in 2024 Finland is holding the chairmanship for the fourth time. Led by the Finnish Border Guard, the objective during the chairmanship is to strengthen operational cooperation among border and coast guard authorities in the Baltic Sea region and support Finland's presidency of the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS), led by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
Events during the chairmanship
Finland received the chairmanship from Poland at the end of 2023, following Poland's leadership in the previous year. Building on Poland's strong contribution, Finland is well-positioned to continue developing international cooperation in the Baltic Sea region in 2024.
Throughout its chairmanship, the Finnish Border Guard will organize various international expert meetings in Finland. These include a seminar for document investigators, an expert meeting on Baltic Sea region air operations, and international meetings on operational risk analysis in the Baltic Sea region. Additionally, during Finland's chairmanship, discussions will take place twice on issues related to border checks for cruise ship passengers arriving in the EU, known as Cruise Ship Meetings. The Finnish chairmanship culminates in November 2024 with the BSRBCC Heads Conference in Helsinki, where achievements during the chairmanship will be discussed, and future directions for BSRBCC cooperation will be defined. At the end of the meeting, the chairmanship will be handed over to Estonia, Finland's southern neighbour, which will lead the regional cooperation of authorities in 2025.
Operational cooperation at the core of BSRBCC collaboration
Operational cooperation is a central component of BSRBCC. Internationally coordinated surveillance operations allow the capabilities of the Finnish Border Guard and other Baltic Sea region border and coast guard authorities to be used extensively in operational surveillance tasks in the Baltic Sea area. BSRBCC's risk analysis work guides the planning of operational cooperation based on its observations.
External funding supporting Finland's BSRBCC chairmanship
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has granted €135,000 in funding to the Finnish Border Guard for the implementation of the project Development of Baltic Sea Region Coast Guard Cooperation. The project, funded through the Baltic, Barents, and Arctic Area Financing (IBA) from January 2024 to February 2025, aims to support Finland's BSRBCC chairmanship actions. During the project, the Finnish Border Guard organises international courses and training exchanges, focusing on the specific characteristics of the Northern Baltic Sea region's operating environment.
The main event of the project is a four-day seminar on underwater capabilities scheduled for June 2024. This seminar will bring together diving experts from Baltic Sea region coast guard authorities to discuss current themes related to underwater operations. The Finnish Border Guard aims to make this inaugural seminar on underwater capabilities a central and permanent part of Baltic Sea region authorities' cooperation in the future.
Furthermore, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, Frontex, contributes financially to events organized under Finland's BSRBCC chairmanship, and Frontex also provides high-quality expertise to support the activities led by the Finnish Border Guard.
