Project on Economy of Wellbeing of People on the focus of creating a collaborative platform at Baltic Sea Region

INTRODUCTION TO THE ECONOMY OF WELLBEING OF PEOPLE 

The Economy of Wellbeing is a policy orientation and governance approach which aims to put people  and their wellbeing at the centre of policy and decision-making. While people’s wellbeing is a value in  itself, the Economy of Wellbeing underlines the mutually reinforcing nature of wellbeing and economic  growth. Taking wellbeing into account in all policies is vitally important to the Union’s economic growth,  productivity, long-term fiscal sustainability, and societal stability. 

The changing world of work requires adaptability and diverse and constantly shifting qualifications and  skills. Education and training thus play a key role in fostering competitiveness, adaptability, and  participation in the labour market and in society. Efforts must be made to facilitate access for all to life long learning and acquisition of skills and competences in order to meet the challenges and seize the  opportunities of digitalisation and new forms of work. Climate change will impact the world of work. 

Access for all to health services, long-term care, health promotion and disease prevention, provided by  a sustainable health system, are essential elements of wellbeing that also address health inequalities  and thus contribute to the economy and society. Investment in health security contributes to the  effective and timely prevention and detection of and response to health threats. For example,  antimicrobial resistance, vaccine hesitancy as well as the increasing occurrence of disasters due to  climate change and disease outbreaks have the potential to cause great damage to public health  and national economies. Increased vaccination coverage is a cost-effective measure to prevent  many communicable diseases. Greater efforts to promote good mental health and to advance the  prevention, early diagnosis, treatment and de-stigmatisation of mental disorders would improve the  lives of millions of Europeans throughout the course of their lives and contribute to non-discriminatory  working environments, better working conditions, and thus to a stronger economy. 

INTRODUCTION TO THE FLAGSHIP 

The EU Commission states in its latest report from December 2022 on the implementation of EU macro regional strategies (MRS): “The MRS are essentially cooperation frameworks establishing networks of  stakeholders that form a transnational, cross-sectorial mosaic of expertise with a potential for further  cooperation, value, and prosperity creation. The aim is to improve institutional capacities with the  ability to create innovative and inclusive services that can empower people and stakeholders, making  them actively contributing to the development of prosperous and open macro regions in the medium  to long term”. 

Against this background, PA HEALTH and PA EDUCATION coordinators conducted a joint analysis to  explore the conditions and possibilities for establishing a joint FLAGSHIP, a policy-action process for  cross-sectoral collaboration in the Baltic Sea Region to more effectively address the societal challenges  covered by the EUSBSR Action Plan, actions related to these two Policy Areas. 

A first draft concept of the FLAGSHIP together with a proposal to apply for project funding for the first  part of the establishment was presented to respective Steering Group for the two Policy Areas in 2022  and received support from both groups. It was decided to form a partnership, a task force for the  design of the FLAGSHIP consisting of stakeholders with a mandate and competence to work on issues  related to lifelong learning, sustainable working life, and healthy and active ageing.   

STAKEHOLDER DIALOGUE 

The collaborative platform will be based on membership. Members will be invited to choose one of  three levels of commitment. The first level is to receive information and take part in events. The second  level is to take part in policy development in one of two knowledge arenas. The third level is to  coordinate a knowledge platform or a thematic working group. 

The first step is to engage in dialogue with stakeholders cross-sectorial and multilevel in the Member  States of the Baltic Sea Region and in Norway. Below you will find a questionnaire guiding the  stakeholder dialogues.

QUESTIONNAIRE 

TARGET GROUPS 

1. Country (Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Sweden, or  Germany) 
2. Organisation (national, regional, or local public body, employer organisation, trade  union, civil society organisation, educational institution, research institute, innovation  cluster, pan-Baltic organisation, private company) 
3. Relation to the economy of well-being of people (policy-making, administration,  education, opinion building, research, providing services or technology) 

QUESTIONS 

1. What do you see as the most urgent challenges in well-being of people at work with  a focus on healthy and active ageing? 
2. What do you see as the most urgent challenges when it comes to the well-being of  people regarding a sustainable working life with a focus on education (formal  education, changing specialties etc., courses) and labour market issues? 
3. What added values do you see in a cross-sectorial, multilevel collaboration for policy  impact in the area of health and wellbeing in the Baltic Sea Region? 
4. How can your institution or organisation contribute to a collaborative platform as  explained? 
5. How can your institution or organisation benefit from a collaborative platform as  explained? 
6. Are your institution or organisation today engaged in anything similar with other  countries? If yes, please explain what are you involved in and what are your  experiences? 
7. Are you interested in being part of the collaborative platform when in operation? If  yes, what thematic area, or challenges would you like to address? 
8. If you were searching for new partners, what key words would you type in the finder? 

You can answer to these questions here