ABSTRACT
The paper sets out to determine the extent and nature of engagement of some of these
actor coalitions or territorial knowledge communities in the Baltic States with some of the
key arenas of ESP, including the Vision and Strategies around the Baltic Sea (VASAB),
Interreg and the European Observation Network for Territorial Development and Cohe-
sion (ESPON). However, the main focus of the paper is based on an analysis of the
State-level responses from the Baltic States and the responses of selected interest
groups with a Baltic focus, to the Green Paper on Territorial Cohesion (CEC, 2008).
The documentary analysis was supplemented by a series of face-to-face and telephone
interviews with selected key stakeholders in the field of regional development and
spatial planning in each of the three countries.1
