The Security of the Baltic Sea and the Region in the Face of New Challenges – this was the topic of a panel discussion organized by the Youth Board of the Euroregion Baltic on 14 April 2025 during the Local Trends Self-government Financial Congress in Sopot.
The debate was moderated by Jakub Hamanowicz, Chair of the Youth Board of the Euroregion Baltic, and Youth Board member Amelia Łaszewska.
The panel welcomed:
- prof. Piotr Mickiewicz, PhD, Head of the Department of Public Policies and Administration at the Institute of Political Science, University of Gdańsk, and Chair of the Discipline Council for Political Science and Administration.
- dr Wiesław Topolski, Navy Commander (ret.), former lecturer at the Polish Naval Academy. He served in top-level roles within the Ministry of Defense. From 1990 to 1996, he was Deputy Defense, Military, Naval and Air Attaché at the Polish Embassy in Moscow, and from 2001 to 2024, he served as Defense Attaché at the Polish Embassy in Kyiv.
The discussion touched on key issues such as defense, ecology, and diplomacy.
Critical Infrastructure
Panelists emphasized the importance of protecting critical infrastructure, which is especially vulnerable in the current context of hybrid warfare. Sites such as refineries and storage facilities need to be secured. They also pointed to the under-discussed threat of specially trained Russian units capable of sabotage.
Development of Poland’s Fleet
In response to a question about the future of Poland’s naval forces, Professor Mickiewicz highlighted the importance of NATO’s role. He stressed that maritime cooperation between member states is essential and that Poland must not act in isolation, but rather work closely with its allies.
(From left: dr Wiesław Topolski, prof. Piotr Mickiewicz)
Ecology
A highly visible topic in the media is the effort to clear the Baltic seabed of dumped munitions from WWI and WWII. Both the Doctor and the Professor noted the difficulty and limited effectiveness of such operations. They emphasized that Polish agriculture poses a far greater threat: fertilizers and chemicals used in farming flow into rivers and eventually into the Baltic Sea. In their view, agriculture is a more serious ecological threat than the sea-dumped munitions.
Diplomacy
The final topic addressed was the potential for renewed cooperation between Russia and Western countries after the war in Ukraine. The experts noted that this cooperation has never completely ceased — trade in gas, oil, and coal continues.
(Jakub Hamanowicz, Chair of the ERB Youth Board)
A First of Its Kind
This was the first initiative of its kind organized by the Youth Board of the Euroregion Baltic during Pomorskie Presidency. Pomorskie Region currently holds the Presidency of the Euroregion, and youth engagement is one of its top priorities. The event was made possible thanks to the kind support of the organizers and the Youth City Council of Sopot.
(Amelia Łaszewska, ERB Youth Board member)