"Miękkie bezpieczeństwo" w regionie morza Bałtyckiego
ENThe Baltic Sea region is not a homogeneous area. The latter has a direct impact on the quality and achievements in the field of "soft security". One of the things worth keeping in mind is that the region is diverse in many ways; states occupy different size areas of which population density ranges from a few to several thousand people per km2; located in different climatic zones, have different natural resources, are characterized by uneven degree of economic development (of the various branches of industry and agriculture); hence, a major barrier to its development are visible disparities, which were, and still determine the potential economic and living standards in a region. This can be seen both in the amount of the gross national income per capita, as well as number of turnovers in international trade. These differences become even more apparent when taking into consideration the global economic crisis in 2008. On the other hand, it should be emphasized that the greatest limitations and differences in RMB are the following: very unfavorable demographic trends (aging population), pollution of the Baltic Sea (oil tanker accidents, agricultural fertilizers, urban wastewater), insufficiently developed network of communications, tourism and telecommunications, and low absorption of innovation, especially in the countries of the former socialist bloc. The status of ports and airports leaves much to desire, making it difficult to access some parts of the RMB; moreover, many states should improve the technical infrastructure: roads, railways, ferries and flights. However, undoubtedly the most essential factor that will determine the future of the so-called "soft security" in the RMB, as well as its development and attractiveness – is its rate of innovations, competitiveness and cohesion on all the mentioned levels of cooperation.
