All UBC members achieve an added value through shared tools and network based cultural cooperation. The UBC Cultural Cities Commission (CCC) promotes and develops tools for the cultural field to enhance professionalism in the field. In addition, it creates strategic partnerships with central national and international bodies dealing with policy making in the cultural field and stimulates third parties to provide research on cultural issues that are important for the local level.

Vision 2017–2020

The UBC Cultural Cities Commission wants to work strategically and cross border with central national and international bodies dealing with policy making for sustainable and inclusive development within the Baltic Sea Strategy and EU 2020 Strategy. The UBC CCC wants to be a voice for culture on local level in order to have the cultural issues on local level heard and taken into account in all policies for developing the local level on regional, national and international context.

In order to realize the vision, four objectives have been developed:  1. Network based cultural cooperation, 2. Professionalization of the cultural field, 3. Strategic partnerships, 4. Research.

1. Network based cultural cooperation:

• Develop the culture exchange program even further, as this program has three aims: to stimulate professionalization, to develop the UBC cultural network, and to stimulate project making between the UBC cities.
• Promote a more intensive cooperation between the UBC cities on cultural level which has as criteria the cooperation aspect.
• Promote the cities to invite cultural project from the other UBC cities for local events like festivals, celebrations or part of the daily programs.

2. Professionalization of the cultural field:

• Exchange program to stimulate the exchange of knowledge and experience through cooperation.
• Sharing experiences at meetings and conferences.
• Sharing new knowledge in newsletters, social media and the like.

3. Strategic partnerships:

• Regional identity. 2018-2020, Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS). Cooperation in the project “Baltic Sea Cultural City“;  
• Professionalization of the cultural and creative field / audience development. 2018-2019, ARS Baltica. Cooperation in the project “ARS BALTICA Creative Dialogue (ABCD)“;  
• Urban transformation through culture. 2019-2020, Danish Cultural Institute. Cooperation in the project “UrbCulturalPlanning“.

Seeking for cooperaton with:

• Northern Dimension Partnership on Culture (NDPC)
• EUSBSR PA Culture
• Nordic Council
• Others

4. Research
Research is necessary for the cultural field to promote the necessity of culture. We would like to develop programs together with:

• Nordic Council
• National or regional universities
• City authorities
• Professional research institutes