The Baltic Sea connects the countries surrounding it - not only geographically speaking, but also economically. The example of the Port of Hamburg illustrates this phenomenon very well: while the harbour has played a major role as one of the most productive ports in the world since its hour of birth in 1189, it also binds together the seaborne transport in the whole Baltic Sea Region. The majority of Russia’s foreign trade goods is transported via Hamburg. In 2006, seaborne container transport between this old Hanseatic city and Russia increased by 42 percent, ranking the country third on the list of the harbour’s most important trade partners.

The importance of intra-region relations is not only demonstrated by this northern German hub, it is also reflected by one of the most interesting economic success stories in Europe: the case of the "Baltic Tiger", Estonia, which lies at the heart of Europe’s fastest growing and closely integrated cross-border market - the Baltic Sea Region. This market accounts for an important part of EstoniaEconomic Interplay in the Baltic Sea Regions trade. Struggling with economic uncertainty after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Estonia has managed to maintain rapid economic growth through two decades of massive change in the region. Various principles have paved the way for economic development and growth in the country: successive Estonian governments have placed a great deal of emphasis on maintaining a balanced state budget, a stable and convertible currency, as well as liberal laws for trade and investment. In addition to this, EstoniaEconomic Interplay in the Baltic Sea Regions economic success has been made possible by the increasing exports to western markets, cooperation and integration with the Nordic states, and the implementation of institutional and regulatory reforms.

Another example of successful and stable influence on the region’s economic development is the Russian exclave Kaliningrad. Since 2001, Kaliningrad has been able to follow the positive economic trends that Russia has experienced as a whole. Having become a centre of trade due to customs and tax benefits granted to it by the Federal Government, Kaliningrad excels in Russian economic growth statistics. It has become an import centre for manufactured goods from the EU and a centre for Russian exports to the world, benefiting from its status as a special economic zone.