The Baltic Sea region is one of the most socially, economically and technologically developed regions in the world. The region has a high GDP level, limited social inequality in a global context, leading positions in Doing Business and Global Competitiveness indeces. Meanwhile, the region is...

Rural areas still play a major role within the EU, as Europe is still a fairly rural continent. Moreover, EU rural areas are going through greater challenges and major transformations. After the Eastern enlargements of the EU (in 2004 and 2007), they are getting more and more heterogeneous, in...