An Overview of Approaches towards Sustainable Waste Management in Baltic Sea Region Countries

The article presents an analysis of contemporary British military-political strategy in the Baltic region. Since 2014, there has been a notable increase in British presence in the area, leading to multiple security risks for Russia, particularly since 2022. This is due to the fact that the UK has increasingly linked its national security threats to Russia’s policy towards Ukraine, as well as in the Black Sea and Baltic regions. By focusing on Russia’s positions in the Baltic and Black Sea regions, the UK has defined its security priorities, explicitly connecting them to countering “threats from Russia and preventing Russia from gaining strategic advantages as a result of the situation in Ukraine,” as clearly stated in the 2023 Security Review. It is no coincidence that British military strategists have started emphasizing the interconnectedness of the Baltic and Black Sea regions, as well as the Baltic and Arctic regions, highlighting the necessity of ensuring security in one part by addressing security challenges in others —primarily by limiting Russia’s influence. Through an analysis of key British security documents within the framework of the regional security complex theory, the author demonstrates how the Baltic Sea region has become a crucial link for British military strategists, connecting the Far North and Eastern Europe. The aim of the article is to determine how the UK’s security interests are connected to and pursued through its interactions with the Baltic Sea region countries. To achieve this, the following research objectives have been set: to analyse the conceptual and strategic goals of the UK in the field of security and the implementation of its national interests; to outline the role and significance of the Baltic Sea region within the UK’s broader international security strategy; and to identify specific tactical approaches employed by the UK to advance its national interests through cooperation with NATO countries in the region.

The global energy crisis of 2021—2022 significantly impacted the financial markets of many countries. The shock of price volatility in the oil and gas market triggered the transmission of crisis processes across various European countries, including those in the Baltic Sea region. This article analyses the effects of the energy crisis on these countries using the financial contagion methodology. The study aimed to estimate the financial contagion that spread through stock market channels in the Baltic Sea region during 2021—2022, as well as to systematize measures aimed at mitigating the consequences of the energy crisis and countering financial contagion. Using statistical analysis methods, the current state of the energy market in the Baltic region and its response to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine were examined. By reviewing a range of publications on the Baltic countries, evidence of financial contagion that emerged in different years under the influence of various shocks was identified. The financial contagion methodology was implemented by constructing DCC-GARCH models and estimating contagion effects using specialized test statistics. The calculations revealed that the energy crisis led to financial contagion in the markets of most Baltic Sea region countries. The study identified the causes of these countries’ vulnerability to financial contagion and provided additional estimates of contagion from a sectoral perspective. This allowed for conclusions to be drawn regarding the resilience of individual economic sectors to the crisis. The varying degrees of exposure to financial contagion were explained by differences in dependence on external energy supplies and the nature of anti-crisis policies. The paper systematized a set of specific anti-crisis measures for households and businesses in the Baltic Sea region and outlined strategies for countering financial contagion.

Agricultural nature management is one of the most ancient though dynamic branches of economy The author considers the development of the agricultural nature management systems of the Baltic Sea countries through the methods of historical and geographical studies and calculates the rates of change in the areas of cultivated land and the intensity of their use. The balanced regional model of nature management is based on the conjugate analysis of an array of statistical data for the period from 1909–13 to 2014–16. The method of process modeling for agricultural production development made it possible to identify key factors affecting the dynamics of the nature use of the Baltic sea region as a whole and its particular countries. The general dynamics tendency of agricultural nature management is seen as simultaneous compression of the areas of cultivated land and the growth of crop yields, while each of the Baltic sea countries has individual patterns of these processes. In accordance with the trajectories of agricultural development, the countries of the Baltic region are divided into three subregions. In the northern subregion, which includes Finland Sweden, and the Leningrad Region, agriculture has played an additional role in the nature management system over the past hundred years. In the southern subregion (Poland, Denmark, and Germany), agriculture is the leading type of nature management, but its role has been steadily falling throughout the period of research. In the southeastern part of the Baltic region (the Baltic countries and the Kaliningrad region) the agricultural nature management is gradually recovering after the 90s crisis and its role in the environmental management system of the subregion is increasing.

Part 1 General perspectives: security on the great power fringe - dilemmas old and new, Olav F. Knudsen the historical structure of conflicts in the Baltic area and the long-term national interests of Russia, Viktor M. Sergeyev Soviet legacy and Baltic security - the case of Kaliningrad, Jakub M. Godzimirski international security structures and the Baltic region - the implications of alternative worldwiews, Martin O. Heiler, George Quester worldframes and cultural perspectives with specific focus on Scandinavia and Russia, Christopher A. Leeds. Part 2 Regional policies of key actors: Russian policy in the Baltic region, Arkady Moshes Germany's security policy in the Baltic Sea region, Axel Krohn Polish perspectives on the Baltic security, Antoni Kaminski Sweden and the Baltic Sea region - activism on a new arena or the end of free-riding? estonia and Russia - interethnic relations and regional security, Peeter Vares. Part 3 Intergovernmental cooperation: the security policies and concepts of the Baltic States - learning from their Nordic neighbours? Clive Archer, Christopher Jones bridging the Nordic-Baltic gap or - the Nordic predicament in the Baltic, Grethe Vaerno the security of the Baltic countries - cooperation and defection, Raimo Vayrynen the Baltic States and Europe - identity and institutions, Peter van Ham. Part 4 Concluding section: the European Union, the Baltic States and post-Soviet Russia - theoretical problems and possibilities for developing partnership relations in the north-eastern Baltic Sea region, Helmut Hobble.

This article identifies the objective conditions of the conflict between the interests of development and those of environmental security. The latter are given added urgency when, within the same ecological unit, one country needs to develop and another to protect its environmental interests. The borders of the countries and regions, the economies of which affect the safety of Russia’s interests in the Baltic, do not coincide with the boundaries of the ecosystems. This calls for a study of the legal protection of Russia’s environmental interests in the Baltic Sea region. There is no legal mechanism for ensuring a balance between the interests of development and those of environmental security of the countries that have shorelines along the Baltic Sea. Thus, it is necessary to give a functional description of the regional model for the legal protection of the environmental interests of the Russian Federation in the Baltic region. To this end, we identify the juridical content of the environmental interests of the Russian Federation. We consider the possibilities of the legal protection of the environmental interests in the national and international jurisdiction. The interests are divided into two groups respectively. We reveal the essence of the environmental interests of the Russian Federation in the Baltic Sea region. We analyse the case of the Russian regions located within the Baltic Sea catchment area to test an approach to identifying the region’s boundaries. This approach may be used in modelling the regional level of the legal protection of Russia’s environmental interests in the Baltic region. We identify the environmental interests of the Russian Federation in the Baltic Sea region, as well as the forms of legal protection of the country’s interests in this territory. We describe the elements of the system of the legal protection of Russia’s interests in the Baltic region and examine the functions of these elements. The result of this study is a functional description of the model of legal protection of the environmental interests of the Russian Federation in the Baltic region. This model may be used to strengthen the links between the elements of the protection of the legitimate interests of the Russian Federation in the Baltic region.

There is a large theoretical capacity to store CO2 in the Palaeozoic sedimentary succession of the Baltic Basin (BB). The most prospective areas for CO2 storage within the BB border several countries such as Sweden, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Russia, and include large saline aquifers and oil and gas fields. In recent years, a significant amount of research has been completed in fields related to CCUS in some of the Baltic Sea Region (BSR) countries. The main drivers for implementation of CCUS technology in the BSR are (1) a need to decrease the high CO2 emissions of the region; (2) obligations taken under the Paris Climate Agreement and national strategies up to 2050; (3) European requirements for low-carbon and circular economy; (4) the fact that the BSR has a large potential storage capacity; (5) London Protocol (LP) Parties in October 2019 adopted a resolution to allow provisional application of an amendment to article 6 of the LP to allow sub-seabed geological formations for CO2 storage projects to be shared across national borders; (6) offshore CO2 storage is demonstrated under the North Sea; (7) a well developed natural gas pipeline system exists that can be combined with the a potential CO2 transportation network; (8) good research capacity demonstrated by institutions within the BSR; (9) CO2 injection has been already evaluated experimentally for EOR by oil companies in Lithuania and Russia with positive results. The main barriers for implementation of CCS technology in the BSR are: (1) limitations and bans within the national CCS regulations; (2) not all BSR countries are parties of the LP; (3) amendment to Article 6 of the London Protocol is implemented only by four BSR countries; (4) absence of a CO2 storage atlas of the BSR; (5) public communication and acceptance of CO2 storage options are low in most of the BSR countries; (6) relatively high costs of CCS projects; (7) low or absent national support of CCS research and pilot projects; (8) low public awareness and limited education options for CCS; (9) onshore CO2 storage in saline aquifers is not well established in Europe and not permitted in the BSR. Among positive developments in the BSR are 1) Fortum's plans to develop pilot CO2 capture plants in Sweden, Lithuania and Poland; 2) Willingness has been expressed by the government of Denmark to ratify an amendment to article 6 of the LP and to implement CCS offshore; 3) Several pilot CGS projects have been proposed in the report produced by the CGS Baltic seed project [1]. Among negative developments is a misunderstanding of the role of the EEAP (CO2 tax) in reaching carbon-free targets and banning of any CO2 injection in Lithuania since 2020.

It is widely accepted that solid waste management is a global problem. This problem is even more pronounced in developing countries such as Nigeria where solid waste management is a major concern. In recent times, however, there has been a concerted effort towards engaging members of the public in solving the waste management crisis. This effort is centred on public participation in sustainable waste management practice across the country. Nevertheless, in Abuja there seems to be low public participation in sustainable wastes and environmental management practice. This paper therefore seeks to investigate the rate of participation in sustainable waste and environmental management activities in Abuja. In order to achieve the aim of the study, the paper relied on a sample of 57 participants to obtain some primary data. The paper employed a mixed method approach with the aid of a questionnaire. The questions were designed to gather data on demographics of the participants, their awareness and attitude to sustainable waste management, the barriers preventing public participation in a sustainable solid waste management and measures that can encourage public participation in sustainable waste management in Abuja. The study revealed that increase funding, provision of recycling collection points, enforcement of laws and policies, the development of effective policies and regulatory framework amongst others are some of the measures that can encourage public participation in sustainable waste management programs in Abuja.

The article uses the methodology of geopolitics analysis to identify the basic characteristics of NATO’s current policy towards Latvia and the rest of the Baltic Sea countries. This region with the collapse of the former Soviet Union seemed to be one of the most stable in terms of military security. However, at present, especially after the Revolution of Dignity in Ukraine and the subsequent Russian aggression against our country, there is a noticeable increase in general tensions in the Baltics between NATO states and the Russian Federation and its allies. A study on the example of Latvia, devoted to the development of the military-political situation in the region, gives grounds to conclude that the current increase in the military presence in the Baltics is due to the need to strengthen the protection of the Baltic States from the Russian threat. The latter does not rule out the possibility of further NATO expansion not only to the East but also to the North at the expense of Sweden and Finland. Modern events in the Baltic region can be characterized as part of the next stage of the positional game on the world “chessboard”, where today the winning situation for the Anglo-Saxon strategy is obvious. At the same time, Russia’s geopolitical interests in the Baltic area, including Latvia, have remained virtually unchanged. The western vector of the republic’s development only strengthened Moscow’s attention through deeper and timely monitoring and analysis of the situation in its western neighbors in order to prevent the final and irreversible exit of the Baltic countries from the sphere of Russian influence. The article is intended to help Ukraine to understand and study the unique experience of the transition of a certain post-Soviet country from one political state to another, which is needed not so much for history, but for the purpose of developing modern political and diplomatic methods of cooperation with the leadership of Latvia, as well as the practical application of its experience in its activities on the path of Euro-Atlantic integration. The focus of NATO and, first of all, the United States, on strengthening its presence in the Baltic Sea region is capable of influencing the relations between the Baltic countries that have developed as a result of many years of cooperation. The emphasis on the military component clearly outlines the differences in approaches between NATO member states (Denmark, Poland, Germany, the Baltic countries and Norway), neutral states (Sweden, Finland) and the CSTO allies (Russia and Belarus).

At present, the Baltic Sea region (BSR) possesses great disparities in the methods used to handle and process waste. While some countries recover most of the waste they produce, a number of other nations are lagging behind. Such disparity needs to be addressed to accommodate a more sustainable solution to waste management issues. The paper discusses how universities together with other research institutions find their prominent role here. A regional project 'RECO Baltic 21-Tech' (partly funded by Baltic Sea Region Program 2007-2013) serves as an example of mutual benefits: universities via professional research and education contribute to a sustainable waste management in the region, at the same time gaining interesting topics for research, possibilities for capacity building and curricula enrichment for students.

Lithuanian health protection system in comparison with countries of Baltic Sea Region

Residents’ waste management practices in a developing country: A social practice theory analysis

This article considers the research and technological potential and the innovative activity in a specific region of Russia — the Kaliningrad region. The authors assess its research and technological potential, and the achieved level of innovative activity in the Kaliningrad region as prerequisites necessary for the implementation of an innovative model of economy. This work identifies the problems of the research and technological potential development of the region, as well as a low level of development of the innovative activity in the Kaliningrad region in general and compared to the Baltic Sea region states. The authors also focus on the prerequisites for the development of research and technological cooperation between the Kaliningrad region and the Baltic Sea region countries. Special attention is paid to the opportunities for the creation of innovative clusters in the Baltic region states.

The challenges of sustainable development require that everybody, every institution and every nation work towards long-term strategies in order to move away from unsustainable practices. The same line of thinking applies to all nations around the Baltic Sea. A general challenge for the Baltic Sea region is to broaden the interest of people in discussions of national approaches supporting sustainability. Finding effective instruments to support the process of sustainable development in countries in transition with an emerging and largely inexperienced entrepreneur community and economically fragile, is as important as the promotion of long-term integrated sustainability strategies in countries which have well established democracies. The knowledge of the ongoing changes and the driving social, economic and ecological factors essential for the implementation of sustainable development in countries in transition must be broadened. A special need seen in the three Baltic countries - Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia - as elsewhere in the Baltic region, is the need to avoid development patterns of « business as usual and to gain access to information and to advancements in sustainable development both in Europe and worldwide. The Baltic countries now joining the EU have to build capacity, for example by establishing teams of young researches to draw up sustainable development strategies at the national level, which are consistent with European strategies. A bottom-up flow from the grass-root level is required to change the pattern of development strategies in the Baltic countries. The Conference « Integrative Approaches Towards Sustainability, whose experiences are documented inthis book, was held on 26-29 March, 2003.

Further Development of Information Technology Transfer Concept for Adaptation and Exploitation of European Research Results in the Baltic Sea Region CountriesThis paper describes further development of information technology transfer concept for adaptation and exploitation of European research results in the Baltic Sea Region (BSR) countries. Riga Technical University (RTU) and Vilnius University (VU) as the partners of BSR Interreg Programme project BONITA (Baltic Organisation and Network of Innovation Transfer Associations) participate in the research which aims to develop a generic innovation & technology transfer concept (ITTC) to improve the collaboration between academia and industry. Particular attention in the paper is paid to the successfully proven concept of small and specialized exhibitions (the so-called "showrooms") run by technology suppliers and technology transfer facilitators. The creation of the distributed multi-organisational showroom-network environment in the framework of BONITA project for the purpose of technology & innovation transfer improvement is described.

The Baltic region faces increasing challenges in managing industrial byproducts and wastes due to growing industrial activity and stringent environmental regulations. At the same time, the construction industry is under significant pressure to adopt sustainable practices and reduce its carbon footprint. It is therefore essential to identify and summarize opportunities for the use of industrial by-products and waste in the Baltic Sea region in order to develop sustainable building materials that are in line with circular economy principles and carbon neutrality objectives. In the Baltic Sea region, 63 % waste is coming from mining and quarrying, manufacturing, energy production, and construction and demolition. These wastes can contain compounds containing Si, Ca or Al, which are essential for the production of building materials, thus giving these wastes a chance to be recycled again. In additional, the Baltic Sea region has a wide range of industrial residues and by-products, such as glass-based, clay-based and cement-based residues and by-products. By carefully identifying the current situation and studying the characteristics of waste and by-products, it is possible to identify innovation opportunities, including the development of region-specific formulations and the optimization of processing methods, to improve the economic and environmental benefits of waste valorization. It is possible to significantly reduce industrial waste, thereby saving resources and providing cost-effective alternatives to traditional raw materials. Summarizing the current research and practical achievements, a roadmap for the development of sustainable construction practices in the Baltic region has been developed. Also, future directions for research, policy initiatives and industrial cooperation to unlock the full potential of industrial by-products for sustainable construction has been proposed.