Council of the Baltic Sea States

The Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) is an overall political forum for regional intergovernmental cooperation. The members of the Council are the 11 states of the Baltic Sea region as well as the European Commission.

The CBSS was established by the region's Foreign Ministers in Copenhagen in 1992 as a response to the geopolitical changes that took place in the Baltic Sea region with the end of the Cold War. Since its founding, the CBSS has contributed to ensuring positive developments within the Baltic Sea region and has served as a driving force for multi-lateral co-operation.

The CBSS is a flexible, demand-driven and result-oriented forum for regional cooperation.

Since 1998 the CBSS has been serviced by a permanent international Secretariat that is located in Stockholm, Sweden and funded by the Member States.

Latvia was the presiding state of the CBSS from July 2007 till July 2008.