In 2000, David has been hired to support the B7 as a project facilitator.

In the past 12 years David has helped the B7 in everyday organizational work, has supported Board and Steering Committee work, has shown commitment for the implementation of the EU Baltic Sea Strategy and the cooperation with other Baltic Sea organizations.

His next - non-B7 - project will be a tourism project with an emphasis on his Pyttegården tourist apartments. We wish success and loads of tourists from the B7 islands and around the world!

Thank you, David, and good luck with the challenges ahead.

The following short report was sent out to the Regional Development Unit of the Regional Municipality of Bornholm from Board Member Henrik Eybye Nielsen:

"B7 has held its first meeting under the Åland Chairmanship 2013  here on Bornholm, where besides visiting and briefing about the Bright Green Island, discussed the future of B7 cooperation (www.b7.org).
The discussion on the future of B7 was based on the fact that virtually all of the 7 islands have financial problems combined with a lack of human resources, so that the word FOCUS was the starting point for a fruitful discussion, first at official level and later with our politicians on how and in what form B7 should continue.

B7 must continue to exist, in a leaner and more focused version. It set up a task force officials from each of the 7 islands. Over the spring they should prepare a proposal for a consolidated strategy paper "B7 version 2.0" for subsequent final political decision / confirmation in the fall at the annual meeting of the Åland Islands. The strategy work will be based on a  SWOT analysis wsupported by a review of the tasks, procedures, technology, and stakeholders in the continued cooperation.

The contours of a future B7 will probably look like this: Two meetings a year, thematically oriented, with a primary focus on the knowledge and experience of the topics of "island and eye level". This means that the other two and the current pillars of cooperation lobbying and projects will be more in the background while the two existing working groups on environment and culture / youth will probably survive after 2013.

It was a constructive meeting. There is much history and "memory lane" in B7 cooperation including from the undersigned, who has been with B7 for a lifetime, but to retain its legitimacy it must either shut down or be revitalized. It is the last we are trying now.

So in the future we will hopefully get a more vital B7 with output and outcome that can defend both membership fees and administrative resources used.

Finally, it was big thank you to David Hunt for his many yearsworking with B7."

On Friday 14 February, Henrik Eybye Nielsen and David Hunt visited the Åland Chairmanship to discuss the Åland 2013 programme.

Among the topics discussed were:
  - Bright Green Island Study Tour, Board & SC meetings
  - Administration and budget issues
  - Website
  - New B7 Strategy

While their David met with the Culture Delegation of Åland lead by Chairman Robert Llewendahl and Yvonne Törnroos who are busy planning a study visit to Bornholm on 27 may 2013. They have expressed an interest in visiting:

The Åland Cultural Delegation (see http://www.kultur.ax/alands-kulturdelegation) of around 7 including 2 youth representatives plan to visit Bornholm at the end of May. The delegation would like to visit and learn from the following:

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B7 welcomes the 2013 Åland Chairmanship year.

Jessica Josefsson has been appointed to manage the B7 Secretariat for this year.

She is a student studying anthropology at Stockholm University. (Which is why she is not available Mondays and Fridays).

B7 wishes Jessica all the best and hopes she can use her experiences with B7 in the development of her career. (Or maybe she is doing a secreat anthropological study of the B7)

This year, from 15-21 of September, Hiiumaa LEADER LAG took a study tour to Gotland, to one of the most interesting places of Sweden. The aim was to learn about LEADER experience and see sucess projects in situ. There were 23 members of the LAG, manager and bus driver (who is also the member of Hiiumaa LAG) in the team who went to a long journey that included altogether nine ferry crossings during seven days of the trip.

(see http://www.kogu.hiiumaa.ee/?lang=english&page=news for more articles and info from LAG Hiiumaa)

LAG Hiiumaa Cooperation Network supported the early music ensemble of the Käina Music School at the Gotland Medieval Heritage Festival.
This culture exchange study trip took place from 3rd to 10th of August lasting four days full of music and old customs. “We performed on 5th of August at the opening day of the Medieval Week in Visby, and on 8th of August at Dalhem Gammelgarna Railway Museum and at the medieval fairs” commented the music teacher Malle Mürgimäe. “We are very satisfied with the trip that gave young musicians so many new experiences”.

(See LAG Hiiummaa Website: http://www.kogu.hiiumaa.ee/?lang=english&page=news)

Riho Rahuoja is appointed the new Governor of Hiiumaa from 1 August 2012.

He was born in 1957 in Laekvere parish, Virumaa, in 1957, is married to Tiina and has two daughters, Kertu and Riinu. He has previously worked as a teacher on Hiiumaa and from 1990-1999 he worked in Hiiumaa County Government as a Head of Department of Social Affairs and Health and as Deputy Governor. Before becoming Governor he was Undersecretary at the Ministry of Social Affairs in Tallinn.
He takes over from Acting Governor Piret Sedrik, who returns to her position as Hiiu County Secretary.

Welcome to the B7!

Entrance to Forum Östersjön at the old Vicarage in Valmingbo and inside the exhibition

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Ulla Pettersson signing the co-operation agreement between the Committee of the Regions (CoR) and B7, BSSSC, UBC, EuroRegion Baltic

Dear B7 friends,
I am back from a fascinating trip to three of B7 islands: this time Åland, Bornholm and Gotland. 2-3 days on each. As always, our B7 islands were very different in how they open to the outsider. Åland was very empty. I hardly could find any living creature. In my photography I concentrated on Mariehamn and its Sjökvarteret, including restoration of the sailing ship Hoppet. I also tried to look at Åland as a modern shipping island. Emma suggested me the topic of Green island, but it was too sudden to get a good coverage. On Bornholm, there was also sea heritage. Launching of two wooden boats and a big party in the harbour. 

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