Turku Pro Baltic

Action for the Baltic Sea Region

Located at the crossroads of the Baltic Sea where shipbuilding, the harbour and international trade have shaped the way of life, Turku has always been an international city.

Turku is especially active in the Baltic Sea cooperation, partly due to its history as the former capital of Finland and gateway to the world. Today, Turku is the home of Finland’s maritime cluster, where the biggest, most luxurious and environmentally advanced cruise ships sailing the oceans are designed and built.

Turku has world-class universities and innovation centres, vibrant biotech businesses and other enterprises and a thriving multicultural life. In Turku, national and international dimensions of the past, present and tomorrow thrive in harmony.

Turku – Hub of Baltic Sea Cooperation

Key development goal for Turku region, the one-hour train connection between Turku and Helsinki, demonstrates these kinds of connections. It is an integral part of a broader international Northern Growth Zone (Stockholm–Turku–Helsinki–Saint Petersburg), which links organically with the Scandinavian–Mediterranean core TEN-T Network (Trans European Transport Network).

During recent years, Turku has hosted some of the biggest Baltic Sea meetings ever, such as the Turku Baltic Sea Days in 2014. In May of 2016, Turku hosts the European Maritime Day Conference, organised in partnership with the Finnish Government and the European Commission.

Turku continues as an active mobiliser of the Baltic Sea cooperation. EU Member States have selected Turku as a Horizontal Action Coordinator in the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR). To facilitate this work, Turku has established two “embassies”: one in Brussels and the other in St. Petersburg.