25/08/2026
Iceland’s Presidency of the CBSS, which began on 1 July 2026, places societal resilience at the heart of its priorities, with a focus on maritime safety, the protection of critical infrastructure, civil protection, and preparedness. On 21 August, the first consultation meeting brought together representatives from across Icelandic public institutions in Reykjavik to discuss the Presidency’s priorities and strengthen cooperation across key CBSS areas.
Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs:
"The first consultation meeting organised by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs on Iceland’s Presidency of the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) was held last Friday. Iceland assumed the CBSS Presidency on 1 July. During its Presidency, Iceland will place societal resilience at the forefront, with a particular focus on maritime issues, maritime safety, and the protection of critical infrastructure.
The meeting also discussed the work of the CBSS working groups on civil protection and preparedness, children at risk, combating human trafficking, cultural heritage, and youth participation. The Icelandic Parliament’s chairmanship of the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference was also discussed. During its Presidency, Iceland will seek to continue and build on practical cooperation, in line with the CBSS’s long-term priorities of security, sustainability, and regional cohesion.
The first consultation meeting of Iceland’s CBSS Presidency, organised by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Iceland, was well attended, bringing together representatives from the Parliament, the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Infrastructure, the Ministry of Culture, Innovation and Higher Education, the Ministry of the Environment, Energy and Climate, the Directorate of Children and Families, the Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management of the National Commissioner of the Icelandic Police, the Icelandic Transport Authority, the Icelandic Telecommunications Authority, the Heritage Agency of Iceland, the National Union of Youth Associations, and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs."
Utanríkisráðuneytið - utanríkisþjónusta Íslands
Fyrsti samráðsfundur utanríkisráðuneytisins um formennsku Íslands í Eystrasaltsráðinu var haldinn sl. föstudag, en Ísland tók við formennsku Eystrasaltsráðsins þann 1. júlí. Ísland mun í formennskutíð sinni hafa áfallaþol samfélaga (e. resilience) í öndvegi þ.á m. málefni hafsins, siglingaöryggi, vernd mikilvægra innviða o.fl.
Einnig var rætt um starf vinnuhópa Eystrasaltsráðsins um almannavarnir og viðbúnað, börn í áhættuhópum, baráttu gegn mansali, menningararf og þátttöku ungs fólks á vettvangi Eystrasaltsráðsins. Þá var einnig rætt um formennsku Alþingis í þingmannaráðstefnu Eystrasaltsríkjanna.
Í formennskutíð sinni mun Ísland leitast við að halda áfram og byggja á hagnýtu samstarfi ríkjanna í samræmi við langtímaforgangsmál Eystrasaltsráðsins um öryggi, sjálfbærni og samheldni svæðisins.
Það var góð mæting á þessum fyrsta samráðsfundi utanríkisráðuneytisins um formennsku Íslands í Eystrasaltsráðinu, en þar komu saman fulltrúar frá Alþingi, forsætisráðuneytinu, dómsmálaráðuneytinu, innviðaráðuneytinu, menningar-, nýsköpunar- og háskólaráðuneytinu, umhverfis-, orku- og loftslagsráðuneytinu, Barna- og fjölskyldustofu, Almannavarnadeild ríkislögreglustjóra, Samgöngustofu, Fjarskiptastofu, Minjastofnun, Landssambandi ungmennafélaga og utanríkisráðuneytinu.
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Council of the Baltic Sea States
