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Jari Leathernen, member of the Regional Executive of the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia, was elected President of the Baltic Sea Commission at the General Assembly on Wednesday, 21 October 2020. Leathernen won her opponent Annika Sandström from Stockholm. Tomas Mörtsell from Västerbotten, Sweden, was elected Vice-Chair.  He has been running the organization for two years. His two-year extension began at the General Assembly.

Jari Leathernen considers his re-election a success during the previous Presidency. It's great that North Ostrobothnian expertise is valued in an international network of regions," says Leathernen.

Significant advocacy work for the Baltic Sea regions continues towards the European Union on transport, energy, climate and maritime issues. In addition, I would like to shift more focus to smart specialisation, the bioeconomy and the Arctic dimension. These are the key areas of influence for my next Presidency, stresses Leathernen.

The Baltic Sea Commission is one of the six commissions of the European Federation of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR).

CPMR is an international cooperation organisation for 150 regions in 24 countries. The objective of the Baltic Sea Commission and its parent organisation is to increase the participation of regions in the debate on EU integration and to reduce competitiveness gaps between key EU regions and peripheral regions. The organisation collects proactive information about the EU and Influencings its policy decisions. It writes and publishes analyses for the benefit of its members.