High housing costs are a problem in many countries today. High production costs and building prices lead to higher housing costs, which means that weak groups in society cannot afford new housing. The causes of high costs may include insufficient competition due to various types of entry barriers to the market. It is therefore an important housing policy goal to eliminate entry barriers and to stimulate competition in order to reduce costs. The enlargement of the EU to include new member states in the Nordic region¹s adjacent area creates a potential for increased competition in the building sector within the entire region. The purpose of this report is to clarify whether national regulations for project development and construction can be perceived as a real barrier to an increased exchange between the countries in the region. The report is a descriptive summary of regulations in the building sector in eight countries in the Baltic Sea region. The ambition is to provide a picture of the prospects for increased cross-border exchange between these countries for the purpose of increasing competition in the construction of housing in particular. The report will serve as a basis for a political action plan on how such an increased exchange can be facilitated. An important purpose of the report is also to increase knowledge among actors in the market about the conditions for doing business in another country. In this respect the report will hopefully stimulate the actors in searching for new markets and so contribute to increased exchange over the borders between these countries.