Baltic Sea Region Energy Cooperation, BASREC, is the cooperation forum established in 1998 for the Baltic Sea region. It is a forum for cooperation between energy ministers and the European Commission. BASREC is part of the Baltic Sea region cooperation.
This cooperation includes the five Nordic and the three Baltic countries, Poland, Russia and Germany, as well as the European Commission. The purpose of the energy cooperation between the countries of the Baltic Sea, is to contribute to the stability, growth and development of the region by promoting a market-based, secure, competitive and sustainable energy system. In the period 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009, Denmark held the presidency of the Council of the Baltic Sea States and therefore of BASREC. The presidency rotates among the Member States on an annual basis.
Within energy cooperation, ministerial meetings are held every three years and are hosted by the presidency. During the Danish presidency, a BASREC ministerial conference was held in Copenhagen on 17 - 18 February 2009.
BASREC has helped create a network among the Member States’ authorities, energy companies, research environments etc., in which the European Commission also takes a part. Furthermore, cooperation efforts have resulted in a formal agreement on Joint Implementation Projects under the Kyoto Protocol and on a financing mechanism for completion of these projects.
BASREC is a well-functioning network and forum for dialogue between the EU/EEA countries and Russia, and it carries out various studies, seminars, workshops etc., often together with the region’s energy-sector partners. Cooperation efforts contribute to an improved common understanding of the region’s problems and opportunities and they help pave the way for more efficient implementation of EU policies or for the development of energy policies in the region.