In a joint declaration of the CDU/CSU and the SPD Parliamentary fraction in May 2009 both parties supported the Baltic Sea Strategy of the EU. The German Bundestag welcomed this European initiative bringing the Baltic Sea region into the focus of the EU. Having in mind the geographic borders of Germany, the German government as well as the German Bundestag are expecting the Baltic Sea region to become a model for similar initiatives in other regions in Europe, like the Danube region or the Adriatic region where Germany also has political and economic interests.