The annual summit of the Baltic Assembly and the Nordic Council will be held on 17-18 February 2010 in Vilnius, Lithuania.

The summit will focus on three overarching priorities for the Baltic and Nordic parliamentary cooperation this year. First, Strategic Cooperation between the Baltic and Nordic Countries, second, Economic Stabilisation of the Baltic and Nordic Counctries, and third, Promoting Relations with EU's New Neighbours.

Six years after the EU's enlargement and after the economic recession that has heightened the need for strong cooperation between the neighbouring countries it is now vital to look at strategic cooperation between the Baltic and Nordic countries in a new light. It means that regional competitiveness, closer integration and partnersgip must be promoted. Furtheron, the new EU Eastern Partnership may open new possibilities in achieving better relations with the neighbours in the East. Such cooperation with the EU's new neighbours can also be seen within the context of wider concept of international security in which threats against society and its integrity consist of a complex compound of military, political, economic, social, environmental and other components. Consideration of a suitable format for addressing the issue of comprehensive international security concept by also taking into account the Stoltenberg Report on Nordic Cooperation on Foreign and Security Policy should be given.

The aim of these thematic discussions is to find ways for promoting efficient cooperation between the Baltic and Nordic countries in an effort to strengthen the Baltic and Nordic countries in a global context. During the summit the review on cooperation activities in 2009 will be discussed and the Joint Baltic Assembly and Nordic Council Action Plan 2010 and the Joint Statement will be adopted.