The DBJW at the CBSS Youth Ministerial in Tallinn

By Tom Teske

On the occasion of its annual youth conference “Youth Ministerial”, the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) brought together more than 20 youth representatives from the Baltic Sea region through its youth organization “Baltic Sea Youth” in Tallinn from May 4th May 7th. This year, the “Youth Ministerial” took place in Tallinn, as Estonia holds the chairmanship of the Council of the Baltic Sea States in 2025, and I, Tom Teske, was able to take part in this exciting event as a representative of the DBJW.

The CBSS is an intergovernmental forum for political cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region (BSR), to which eleven littoral states and the EU belong. It promotes stability, sustainable development, security and civil society dialog, particularly in the areas of environment, youth, democracy and crisis prevention. The CBSS primarily serves as a platform for coordinating regional initiatives and strengthening cohesion between the Nordic and Baltic states and the EU. The most important forum of the CBSS is the annual meeting of the foreign ministers of the member states in the country holding the chairmanship of the CBSS. The most important priorities for regional cooperation are discussed there and formulated in a declaration. This year's declaration is entitled the “Vihula Declaration”, named after the estate in Lahemaa National Park where the ministers met from May 15th  to  May 16th , and this year has a strong focus on security policy. In the “Vihula Declaration”, the member states of the Council of the Baltic Sea States emphasize the growing importance of the Baltic Sea in terms of security policy, call for increased protection of maritime and critical underwater infrastructure in the face of hybrid threats such as sabotage and the Russian shadow fleet and at the same time emphasize the central role of youth as active shapers of a secure, democratic and resilient Europe.

In preparation for the meeting of foreign ministers and in order to bring the perspectives and interests of young people in the Baltic Sea region into the dialog, we, as youth representatives at the “Youth Ministerial” in Tallinn, developed a position paper in panel discussions, workshops and discussion rounds, including with members of the Estonian Parliament, Estonian Minister of Education Kristina Kallas and other relevant stakeholders. Our final position paper contains an integrated concept for more digital participation and democratic resilience in the Baltic Sea region. A core idea is the introduction of a transparent, mobile feedback portal through which young people can submit policy proposals and have their processing steps directly tracked by decision-makers, flanked by Youth Advisory Councils in ministries, municipalities and EU institutions in order to systematically involve youth representatives in every step of the legislative process and thus anchor participatory structures. In addition, we are planning to set up a best-practice exchange network with Erasmus+, the European Solidarity Corps and national youth agencies so that successful digital participation tools can be adapted and further developed across countries in the Baltic Sea region. At the same time, we propose establishing mandatory monthly civic education programs in schools and youth facilities. In partnership with experienced youth associations and NGOs, such as the Scouts for survival skills or the IMCC for first aid, these should teach key democratic and crisis skills, supported by a regional archive of informal learning initiatives for the continuous exchange of experiences. To counter online radicalization, we envisage mandatory workshops for parents and guardians, regular training for teachers on social media and psychological drivers of extremism, and specialized courses for digital literacy experts. In the area of education and technology, we recommend a regional AI module that respects linguistic diversity and promotes critical thinking in line with Estonia's “AI Leap 2025”. In the event of a crisis, a Baltic Crisis Communication App with an AI chatbot should provide real-time information and correction of false reports, supplemented by standardized push alerts on all smartphones of the coastal states as well as large-scale crisis simulations with CBSS units and civil society partners. Finally, we want to firmly integrate the Baltic Sea Region Youth Forum into all CBSS bodies and projects such as Secure Kids, PEX-BSR and BSR Cultural Pearls in order to anchor youth as an equal partner at all political levels.

We were also able to benefit from the work of the Youth Ambassadors in the various clusters of the DBJW Baltic-German Conference in Vilnius in fall 2024 in the development of our position paper. In particular, the policy paper of Cluster C on “AI and Disinformation” provided a lot of valuable food for thought for our work on the position paper of the “Youth Ministerial”. Between the sessions, I specifically sought contact with the representatives from the Baltic states and Germany and informed them about the great opportunities and events that we as DBJW offer for young people in the region. I encountered a lot of openness and interest in the work of the DBJW. I am confident that some of the participants will find their own way to the DBJW in the future as a result of this event.

In addition to the intensive content-related work, we also had time to experience the city of Tallinn and its history together, thanks to the excellent and well-balanced event organization by the Estonian National Youth Council. During a guided tour of the “Kiek in de Kök” museum, we were able to explore the historic city walls and learned, among other things, that according to an Estonian legend, the Danish flag originally fell from the sky in Tallinn. Particularly impressive was the walk through the extensive tunnel system under the slope at Freedom Square, which in recent history served as a refuge for people seeking protection as well as rare spider species. Finally, in the Fotografiska Tallinn photo museum, we gained impressive insights into the Estonian sporting world during the Soviet occupation - documented through the lens of the renowned Estonian photographer and journalist Lembit Peegel.

I look back on the “Youth Ministerial” with great gratitude: for all the new knowledge about youth participation and democracy promotion in the Baltic Sea region, for the committed and inspiring participants and for the many ideas, perspectives and contacts that I was able to take away from Tallinn. This experience has strengthened my desire to continue my active involvement in international youth structures, especially where young voices can be directly involved in political processes.