cooperation – not confrontation – pays off, says Gestrin in St Petersburg

“Today it feels timely to reiterate the importance and benefits of the peaceful and constructive dialogue between the peoples of the Baltic Sea Region. The joint agreements and achievements that we have made, for instance in the environmental field, are obvious proofs that it is cooperation – not confrontation – that pays off in the long run” said Christina Gestrin, BSPC, in her address at the XV International Environmental Forum Baltic Sea Day in St Petersburg 20 March. “Environmental cooperation has indeed produced several positive effects. A good example and concrete expression of regional environmental cooperation is the project “Gulf of Finland Year”, which is a joint endeavour between Estonia, Russia and Finland” she said. However, Gestrin cautioned that “the work is far from over. It is, to take one example, worrying that there are still close to 200 waste water treatment plants in Leningrad oblast region in need of urgent renovation.” She stressed that “Clean shipping could evolve into an export sector with strong competitiveness and revenues for the entire Baltic Sea Region. Take the example of the Vasa Region, which is the biggest energy technology cluster in northern Europe: 12% of Finland´s total export originates in Vasa, although only 2% of Finland’s population lives there. If all the states in the Baltic Sea Region decided to explore and exploit the potential of Green Growth and Blue Growth, the entire region could evolve into a global frontrunner, demonstrating that environmental sustainability and economic growth can go hand in hand” Christina Gestrin concluded.