This issue opens with an article about the outcomes of the second ministerial meeting of the renewed Northern Dimension held in Oslo, Norway on 2 November 2010. The meeting gave the ministers an opportunity to review the progress achieved with regard to the various Northern Dimension partnerships and initiatives, and to provide further guidance on future work. The good progress of the NDPHS was praised during the meeting. Further, the WHO European Regional Director, Ms. Zsuzsanna Jakab, presents her key priorities and plans, including the development of a new European Health Policy “Health 2020.” Following the above are two articles presenting the outcomes of the 7th Partnership Annual Conference as well as its side-event, i.e. a Seminar on project development and funding, which proved to be a useful tool in identifying potential sources of financing for health-related projects in the Northern Dimension area and provoked some thoughts regarding the next EU financial framework. We also write about the 1st Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region and the NDPHS contribution to it. Further, Mr. André Zimmerman, a doctoral candidate at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany, introduces his research project that examines the governance of the NDPHS. The issue closes with an article about the new models that Kaliningrad develops to combat the HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.

The issue opens with the CSR Chair’s article presenting the key priorities of the Russian chairmanship of the NDPHS. The recent reform of the NDPHS expert-level structures, which is currently being implemented following decisions taken by the CSR, is also presented. Further, you can read about ongoing and planned health-related activities within the framework of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region. Several activities to develop regional projects, which you are invited to join, are described to that end. Finally, we are inviting you to our seminar on project development and funding, and proudly announce an updated and extended NDPHS website.