In March 1992, the Danish and German Foreign Ministers invited the Foreign Ministers from Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden and a member of the European Commission to meet in Copenhagen in order to strengthen and put into relief existing co-operation among the Baltic Sea States and to decide on the establishment of a “Council of the Baltic Sea States” – CBSS.

The Ministers found that the recent dramatic changes in Europe heralded a new era of European relations, where the confrontation and division of the past had been replaced by partnership and co-operation. An enhanced and strengthened Baltic Sea co-operation was a natural and logical consequence of these events. The Ministers agreed that The Council of the Baltic Sea States should serve as an overall regional forum focusing on needs for intensified co-operation and co-ordination among the Baltic Sea States. The aim of the co-operation should be to achieve a genuinely democratic development in the Baltic Sea region, a greater unity between the member countries and to secure a favourable economic development.

At the end of the meeting a declaration (the so-called Copenhagen declaration) was adopted, establishing The Council of the Baltic Sea States – CBSS.