EN[...] In this book the author makes use of the data acquired by different scholars in the framework of the Russian Scientific Foundation for the Humanities and the Russian Foundation of Fundamental Research, as well as in the framework of research financed by the Ministry of Education and Science and a number of international projects. The book aims to show the role and benefits of international cooperation in the Baltic region for all the participating countries and especially for their coastal regions, to identify perspective areas of cross border cooperation and provide recommendations for the future. Chapter One describes development peculiarities of the Baltic Sea region countries since the 1990s, as well as shows differences between them, taking the years 2011-2012 as an example. The author describes Russia's role in the Baltic macro region with a special emphasis on Russia's relations with the EU and NATO as a key factor in the development of political, economic and trade links in the Baltic Sea region. The characteristic features of such forms of cooperation as attracting international investments, facilitating economic activity of transnational corporations and, especially, promoting foreign trade between the Baltic Sea countries are being considered.In the second chapter of the book the author gives the definition of the Baltic macro(region) and analyses the current relations between regions of different countries of the Baltic Sea region. The author describes various forms of cross-border cooperation and their impact on the formation of internal links providing for the integrity of the Baltic macro(region). Special attention is paid to new forms of cross-border cooperation (euroregions, growth triangles, etc). The author delineates new ways of developing links between regions of the Russian Federation and their counterparts in other countries. Chapter three is devoted to the Kaliningrad region, challenges and successful examples of dynamically developing cross border cooperation between Russian regions and those of the EU. Chapter three is devoted to the Kaliningrad region, challenges and successful examples of dynamically developing cross border cooperation between Russian regions and those of the EU.