Comparison of ESA climate change initiative land cover to CORINE land cover over Eastern Europe and the Baltic States from a regional climate modeling perspective

•ESA CCI LC shows high temporal and spatial consistency.•High overall agreement of ESA CCI LC with Corine Land Cover.•No substantial differences between proportional area and majority comparison.•With few limitations, ESA CCI LC provides suitable input for Climate Modelling.•The improvement of ESA CCI LC through additional data should be considered.