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The dual enlargements of the EU and NATO have been widely proclaimed as the end of one era and the beginning of a new one. This 'endism' has been visible, for example, in the debate on the future of the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS). According to this line of thinking, the CBSS should be strengthened, provided with proper think-tank functions and furnished with sufficient powers to take decisions in matters crucial for the future of the region. Instead of undermining its position, it should be overhauled and provided with increased competence. So, in which direction do proclamations of 'endism', change and transformation point, and can shifts even be identified in the first place? In other words, are the constitutive debates still firmly anchored in the past? Or is there a breach discernible in the sense that the key regional agendas are now increasingly dominated by a new set of issues, such as of assuring oneself a prominent position within the Europe that is now unfolding? The prevailing pattern appears, in general, to be rather mixed. On the one hand there are clear shifts to be traced, especially in that questions of the 'future' and of how to adapt to the post-enlargement situation are becoming increasingly important.