STRING’s Organisational Structure
STRING brings together its member cities and regions through a structured collaboration of political and administrative bodies. These groups work together to define priorities, guide implementation, and foster cross-border cooperation.
- The Political Forum is STRING’s highest decision-making body. Composed of politically elected or appointed officials from member region and cities, the Forum meets three times a year to set the political agenda and strategic priorities of STRING.
- The Steering Group consists of civil servants at managerial level from each member region and city. The group meets three times a year to suggest politices and strategies toe adopted by the Political Forum.
- The Contact Group consists of one contact person from each member reigon and city. The group collaborates closely with the STRING Secretariat, and serves as the daily administrative contact between the Secretariat and its members.
- Working Groups are formed around specific themes such as sustainable infrastructure and green growth and projects including green public procurement and collaboration between investement promotion agencies. These groups bring together experts to develop new ideas, foster collaboration, and support the delivery of STRING’s strategic goals.
- The Secretariat is the permanent administrative body responsible for implementing STRING’s priorities. Led by a Managing Director and staffed by a dedicated team, the Secretariat facilitates cooperation between public, private, and academic stakeholders and advocates for STRING’s work at regional, national, and European levels.
Eirik Lae Solberg (H)
Governing Mayor, City of Oslo
Anette Marie Solli (H)
Governing Mayor, Akershus County
Siv Henriette Jacobsen (AP)
Majority Leader and Member of the Regional Council, Østfold County
Per Tenggren (S)
Vice-President of the Infrastructure and Public Transport Committee, Västra Götalandsregionen
Karin Pleijel (MP)
Deputy Mayor and Member of the City Executive Council, City of Gothenburg
Helene Andersson (C)
1st Vice Chairman of the Regional Board and Chair of the Regional Board’s Growth Commitee, Region Halland
Carl Johan Sonesson (M)
First Governor of Region Skåne
Christian Orsing (M)
Sofie Hedén (S)
Deputy Mayor, City of Malmö
Emil Moselund Østergaard (RV)
Member of Copenhagen City Council
Lars Gaardhøj (S)
President of the Regional Council, The Capital Region of Denmark
Lars Lindskov (K)
Member of the Regional Council, Region Zealand
Bo Libergren (V)
Chair of the Regional Council, The Region of Southern Denmark
Werner Schwarz (CDU)
Minister of Agriculture, Rural Areas, Europe and Consumer Protection, Schleswig Holstein
Ulf Kämpfer (SPD)
Governing mayor, City of Kiel
– CHAIR OF STRING
Liv Assmann (SPD)
State Secretary and Plenipotentiary to the Federation, the European Union and for Foreign Affairs, The Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg
Anita Lindahl Trosdahl
Chief Adviser, International Office, City of Oslo
Rune Bakkevoll
Cheif Advisor International Relations, Akershus County
Thomas André Hansen
Senior Advisor for International Affairs, Østfold County
Max Falk
Infrastructure Strategist, Västra Götalandsregionen
Magnus Sigfússon
Director for special structural issues and operations, City of Gothenburg
Ulrika Bertilsson
Vice Deputy Director of regional development, Region Halland
Maria Korner-Westin
Head of Unit external Relations, Region Skåne
Mikael Kipowski
Development Director, City of Helsingborg
Angelica Nilsson
Head of Unit Society and Infrastructure, City of Helsingborg
Micael Nord
Director for Business and External Relations at the city of Malmö
Jeppe Grønholt-Pedersen
Head of Division in the Finance Department, City of Copenhagen
David Jens Meinke
Director of Regional Development, The Capital Region of Denmark
Peter Talarek-Andersen
Team Leader for Cross-Border Regional Cooperation and Attractiveness, Region Zealand
Jørgen Bjelskou
Director of Regional Development, The Region of Southern Denmark
Stefan Musiolik
Head of Unit for Baltic Sea Affairs, Land Schlewswig-Holstein
Thorsten Augustin
Head of Department for European Affairs, Land Schleswig-Holstein
Wolfgang Schmidt
Head of Foreign Affairs, City of Kiel
Corinna Nienstedt
Director General of the Office to the State, The Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg
Stefanie Wodrig
Head of Unit Northern and Eastern Europe and Deputy Director for International Affairs
Anita Lindahl Trosdahl
Chief Adviser, International Office, City of Oslo
Martine Matre Bonarjee
International advisor, Akershus Fylkeskommune
Thomas André Hansen
Senior Advisor for International Affairs, Østfold County
Josef Gustafsson
Regional Developer, Västra Götalandsregionen
Cecilia Örtendahl
Head of Urban Development, City Hall, City of Gothenburg
Ulrika Bertilsson
Vice Deputy Director of Regional Development, Region Halland
Carin Peters
Business Development, Region Skåne
Sofie Qvarfordt
International Coordinator, City of Helsingborg
Jarl Zinn
Senior Advisor at the Finance Department, City of Copenhagen
Eva Christina Jacobsen
Special Consultant at Centre for Regional Development, Captial Region of Denmark
Hanne Edelweiss Beckert
Chief Consultant at Centre for Regional Development, Region Zealand
Olav Sønderskov
Development Consultant, The Region of Southern Denmark
Susanne Grahl
Advisor at Unit for Baltic Sea Affairs, Land Schleswig-Holstein
Cathrin Truckenbrodt
Project Manager, Dept. of Economic Development, City of Kiel
Stefanie Wodrig
Head of Baltic Affairs Desk, The Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg
Merle Andraschko
Desk Officer Northern and Eastern Europe, Baltic Sea Cooperation, The Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg
Our History
STRING (South Western Baltic Sea Transregional Area – Implementing New Geography) was formed in 1999 as an EU Interreg A project to stimulate the construction of the Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link.
In 2008, Germany and Denmark signed a State Treaty on the construction and operation of the Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link.
In light of this, the cooperation between the STRING members changed towards promoting regional development, along with further infrastructure projects and the stimulation of green growth in the region between Western Scandinavia and Northern Germany.
In the last years, we have seen five new members joining our organisation.
Today, we stretch from Hamburg to Oslo, consisting of 16 members across nine regions and seven major cities in Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway.