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The Opening and Monday sessions Over 180 delegates from the Baltic Sea region’s parliaments and interregional organisations, guests and experts were welcomed by Jorodd Asphjell, President of the BSPC, and Tone Wilhelmsen Trøen, President of the Storting, in the Plenary Hall of the Norwegian parliament, the Storting, on Monday morning on 26 August. In her opening address, President Trøen stressed that “If we are to solve common, international challenges, we will need more and closer international cooperation, not less. Climate change, migration and security issues know no borders. Regional stability and friendly relations between our peoples are essential for the wellbeing of our citizens.” She voiced her contentment over the BSPC conference being hosted by Norway for the third time and reminded the audience that the topic discussed during the 2004 BSPC conference had been “Sustainable development – shared concerns and responsibilities in the Baltic Sea Region”. 15 years later, that was still a burning issue, with “clean oceans” one of the main topics of the present conference. President Trøen emphasised that Norway remained strongly committed to the Paris Agreement and the UN sustainable goals with green solutions within shipping and the maritime industry as an important contribution to both of them. In the government’s ocean strategy, the acknowledgement of crossover technology and expertise between the ocean industries as well as exploring new potential played an important role. The speaker noted that Norway also had the ambitious goals of cutting CO 2 emissions from domestic shipping and fishing by 50% by 2030. President Tone Wilhelmsen Trøen wished the parliamentarians a successful conference, good dialogue and enriching discussions. Mr Audun Halvorsen, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway, presented “Framework conditions for cooperation in Northern Europe”. He emphasised that the well-established and diverse network of cooperation structures was a strength. But it also represented a challenge when it came to coordination, the potential for overlapping efforts, and the need for strong prioritisation. Therefore, he said “we need to make sure that our work within these different fora is efficient, effective and that we create synergies and avoid duplication (…) ; such coordination is obviously a responsibility for the governments”.Mr Halvorsen highlighted another important issue, e.g. safeguarding the oceans. He stated that the balance between harvesting from our oceans and protecting them was even more important today – both in our neighbourhood and globally. Therefore, multilateral cooperation and international alliances were needed to push the global community to take action to ensure that the oceans would remain healthy and rich. That was why Norway’s Prime Minister last year had established the High-Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy. The panel consisted of 14 serving heads of state and government from ocean and coastal states representing all continents. With input from experts, the private sector and civil society, the panel would present a roadmap for action to the UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon in June 2020. The speaker informed the delegates that in the upcoming October, Norway would host the “Our Ocean Conference” in Oslo with the aim to highlight the importance of knowledge as the basis of all actions and policies to achieve sustainable economic growth. Finally, he underlined the importance of the interaction between practical, project-oriented cooperation and political dialogue. “Political dialogue has been and remains a core condition for agreeing on common objectives and priorities. At the same time, concrete cooperation projects facilitate political dialogue and mutual understanding,” stated the speaker. With that fundamental point, Mr Halvorsen concluded his speech. Jorodd Asphjell, President of the BSPC, noted in his opening address that the historical context of the BSPC had been changing over time. These days, he pointed out, “we find ourselves in a situation of constructive collaboration in many policy fields in which we can all only benefit from cross-border cooperation. However, at the highest political level, we see rising tensions worldwide.” Therefore, he said, a discussion on how to reduce tensions and how to stabilise and maintain peace and prosperity was needed. Mr Asphjell welcomed the distinguished guests of the 28 th BSPC conference, among them the former European Commissioner for Human Rights, the Ministers and the State Secretaries from the Labour Ministries of the CBSS countries, the Transport Minister of Latvia, who presides over the Northern Dimension for transport and logistics, and the State Secretary from the Finnish Ministry of the Environment, who this year holds both the Presidency of HELCOM and the chairmanship of the EU Council in environmental affairs. Summing up the Norwegian Presidency in the BSPC, he said, “In the past year, the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference has visibly and in every respect fulfilled its programmatic and strategic objectives and achieved significant progress: On the basis of our strategy and work programme 2018-2019 and our resolution, we have communicated our principles and core messages at many Baltic Sea-relevant events and beyond, we have intensified the cooperation with our partners, and our programmatic concerns and contents are perceived more strongly. We are becoming increasingly successful in influencing government action. Wherever possible, we have emphasised and strengthened the parliamentary dimension of cooperation. I hope that year after year, we will succeed better and better for the people who elected us.” The opening was followed by three Monday sessions. The first session: Cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region proved how intensely the BSPC wascooperating with important stakeholders in the BSR and beyond. Incentive speeches to the debate on “Peaceful and close neighbourliness as well as intense cooperation based on democratic values, the rule of law, human rights and equal opportunitiesfor all” were given by: Mr Nils Muižnieks , former Council of Europe’s Commissioner forHuman Rights, and Dr Alexander Graef from the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy University of Hamburg (IFSH). Next, the representative of the outgoing CBSS Presidency Ambassador Mr Juris Bone fromLatvia and Ms Ida Heimann Larsen, Chair of the CBSS Committee of Senior Officials from Denmark, presented the priorities and activities of the CBSS presidencies. Traditionally, a number of interregional cooperation organisations presented their achievements and possibilities for further cooperation in the Baltic Sea region. The Second Session on the Future of Working Life welcomed speeches by eminent experts, ministers and high representatives of Labour Ministers from Latvia, Lithuania, Germany, Finland, Norway, Poland and Russia. In his opening address, the chair of the session, Prof Jānis Vucāns, President of the Baltic Assembly,noted that unemployment in Europe was historically low ; nevertheless, the rapidly changing world of work had to be adapted and innovated. He expressed his strong belief that everybody’s living standards could be improved, provided that the governments together with the social partners, would invest in new and better skills, higher qualifications and social services. These investments could prevent a brain drain in the region. The subject matter of the afternoon Monday session, Safeguarding the Oceans – Achieving the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals ,was a consequence of the demands in the BSPC resolution in which the BSPC strongly called for immediate actions to achieve the UN Agenda 2030 goals and to realise the vision of a clean Baltic Sea free from marine litter. Another demand was to take urgent efficient action on the worrying levels of plastics and micro-plastics in the seas; and also to prepare for and help shape the “Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development” from 2021-2030 proclaimed by the United Nations. The chair of the session, Ms Valentina Pivnenko from the Russian Duma, said: “These are ambitious goals but they are necessary if we want to change the situation for the better and improve the state of heavily polluted seas.” The session was a continuation of a very successful Joint Meeting of the Standing Committees of the BSPC and the PABSEC on the topic “Safeguarding our Oceans and Marine Life” in Istanbul, in April 2019. The third session was an opportunity to exchange experiences and opinions by representatives of very different backgrounds among the speakers. Among these were: Mr Tālis Linkaits, Minister of Transport of the Republic of Latvia, Mr Vidar Helgesen, Norway’s Special Envoy to the High-Level Panel on Building a Sustainable Ocean Economy, and the BSPC Rapporteurs: Ms Saara-Sofia Sirén, Rapporteur on Eutrophication and Mr Jörgen Pettersson, Rapporteur on Integrated Maritime Policy.

During the 28 th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference in Oslo on 25–27 August 2019, the BSPC’s Rapporteur regarding Eutrophication of the Baltic Sea Saara-Sofia Sirén, Member of the Finnish Parliament, has presented her report on developments and activities in this policy field. The herewith published written report focuses in the possibilities that circular economy has in decreasing nutrient flows that cause eutrophication. The viewpoint is on international co-operation between countries and areas that share the sea or are located around the drainage basin. The Report can be downloaded here and on the Rapporteurs webpage.

The 28 th BSPC is taking place in Oslo, Norway. The themes on the agenda for this conference are clean oceans, the working life in the future as well as migration and integration. The delegates will discuss how oceans can be protected to meet the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and debate the future of working life as well as migration and integration. Oslo as the European Green Capital sets the excellent scene for the meeting of delegates from eleven nations and nine regional parliaments, who will also talk about a rapidly changing labour market. On Sunday, the first day of the conference, the BSPC Drafting Committee and the BSPC Standing Committee held their first sessions in the Norwegian Parliament- Stortinget building. They discussed possible compromises in difficult policy areas. In the afternoon, the delegates took a boat trip and learned about the City of Oslo’s strategies and activities to become greener. In his address during the reception hosted by the Mayor of Oslo on Sunday evening, Mr Jorodd Asphjell, the BSPC President, stressed that the city of Oslo had taken good care of its natural areas, for example by cleaning up the Oslo Fjord and restoring the city’s waterways. These were among the many reasons why Oslo had won the European Green Capital Award for 2019. The President mentioned improving the public transport system by putting on more and better services as well as increasing the number of buses and cars running on electricity or biogas and thus reducing the effect on the climate. “I hope this will inspire us when we will talk about how we treat the Baltic Sea. (…) We must work together to improve the health of the Baltic Sea.” With this call to action, the President ended his first speech at the 28 th BSPC.

In preparation of the 28 th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference in Oslo on 25 – 27 August 2019, the BSPC’s Observers at HELCOM have issued the report on HELCOM-related developments and activities. The Report can be downloaded here and on the Rapporteurs’ webpage.

In preparation of the 28 th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference on 25 – 27 August 2019 in Oslo, the BSPC Working Group on Migration and Integration has published its Second Interim Report on its activities throughout the past year. The report will be presented at the annual conference, containing the primary considerations and a compilation of the materials which had been discussed in the Working Group during the last year.The report also offers detailed information on the expert presentations and homework assignments carried out by the Working Group. It features numerous links to other materials already published on the website. Moreover, the report includes, in particular, the presentations and responses to a second intergovernmental survey and the analysis on the both intergovernmental surveys as well as the results of a Baltic Sea Parliamentary Youth Forum. The report can be accessed here and at the Working Group’s website. It also contains political recommendations which have been included in the draft resolution of the 28 th conference. The BSPC Working Group on Migration and Integration will continue its work for another year. The Report can be downloaded here and on the Working Group webpage.

In preparation of the 28 th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference on 25 – 27 August 2019 in Mariehamn, the BSPC’s Rapporteurs on Sustainable Tourism have published their Report on developments in the field of Sustainable Tourism. The report will be presented at the annual conference. The report gives a policy analysis on the implementation of the recommendations of the 27 th BSPC regarding sustainable tourism on the basis of statements of the governments in the Baltic Sea Region. It also informs on certain developments regarding sustainable tourism in the Baltic Sea Region. This mainly includes the activities of the Baltic Sea Tourism Centre and appropriate meetings and conferences. The Report can be downloaded here and on the Rapporteurs’ webpage.

In preparation of the 28 th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference in Oslo on 25 – 27 August 2019, the BSPC’s Rapporteurs on Integrated Maritime Policy, MP Jochen Schulte and MP Jörgen Pettersson have issued their report on developments in the field of Integrated Maritime Policy. The report summarizes the developments in the Integrated Maritime Policy since the 27 th BSPC, informs about the activities of the Maritime Rapporteurs and number of important conferences which have taken place throughout the past year and presents legislative developments with regard to Blue Growth and overarching aspects, energy-related aspects as well as infrastructural and environmental aspects of maritime policy including climate protection. The Report can be downloaded here and on the Rapporteurs’ webpage.

BSPC President Jorodd Asphjell stressed at the 53 rd plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation the close cooperation between the BSPC and the PABSEC – marked by the common memorandum of understanding and the recent meeting of both Standing Committees in Istanbul to increase the efforts for safeguarding our oceans and Marine Life. He stressed the collective interest to jointly develop more far-reaching measures and proposals for the United Nations Ocean Conference and to try to establish them together at the UN level and to reach more decisive action at the international level. He underlined it as essential that we make all efforts in both macro-regions to move towards healthy and clean seas. Pyry Niemi invited the Standing Committee of the PABSEC for another common meeting to Stockholm in 2020 on issues of the shores of the marine environments as well as refugees, migration and integration. In particular, Jorodd Asphjell emphasised: ‘In my capacity as President of the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference, let me thank you for the opportunity to address the Plenary Session of the PABSEC General Assembly for the second time in this capacity and to be here in the very impressive city of Kabul. May I most sincerely congratulate your Secretary General Asaf Hajiyev on his re-election, and I look forward to further deepening our close and successful cooperation. I bring you the best regards from the BSPC and once again the heartfelt thanks of all members of our Standing Committee for the joint and very fruitful meeting we held together in Istanbul at the beginning of April. This marks the eighth consecutive time that the BSPC is attending your plenary session. We have also deepened our cooperation through your participation in our annual conferences as well as bilateral visits and in the margins of a series of international parliamentary assemblies. We have additionally pointed out our common goals and visions in our Memorandum of Understanding, where we underlined the benefits of parliamentary cooperation based on the principles of respect of human rights and freedoms, social justice, the promotion of democracy, and the supremacy of law with regards to the interests of all states and peoples in our regions. Moreover, we have expanded our cooperation in a new dimension with the joint meeting of our Standing Committees in Istanbul and our intensive discussions on “Safeguarding our Oceans and Marine Life”. We have learnt a lot about the situation in the Black Sea and your countries regarding marine protection. I assume that the institutions responsible in our countries have thereby received further impetus for more in-depth cooperation. These are real steps for successful work on the development of peaceful and prosperous common regions. That is of particular interest for the development of maritime transport and the reduction of the emissions it causes, to achieving the 2030 development goals of the United Nations. The exchange of best practice examples in this area is of mutual interest. Such discussions also fulfil one of our fundamental concerns: achieving and safeguarding peace through dialogue to ensure peaceful and close neighbourliness and close cooperation based on democratic values, the rule of law, human rights and equal opportunities for all. For my home country, Norway, and my home city of Trondheim, the sea is a central lifeline and living space. For us, it is fundamental that the oceans are healthy and clean. That is why Norway wants to develop a roadmap for the transition to a sustainable ocean economy. We must stop destroying the world’s marine ecosystems. We must improve the environmental status of the oceans. It is in our collective interest to jointly develop more far-reaching measures and proposals for the UN Ocean Conference 2020 and to try to establish them together at the UN level and to reach more decisive action at the international level. The current situation shows us that appeals alone are not enough. We must act more widely and make more significant efforts. Therefore, we call for stricter action at the national level necessary to reinstate the health of the seas. Ladies and Gentlemen, It is important that we both address the increasing pollution and burden on the seas, in particular from plastic waste, calling for urgent global action in this area to achieve the UN’s 2030 development goals as quickly as possible. It is essential that we make all efforts in both macro-regions to move towards healthy and clean seas. The issue of plastic litter on a global scale, moreover, is a question of a progressive foreign and trade policy. Therefore, it is crucial that all our countries consistently implement the amendment ( to the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Waste and their Disposal ), signed by 187 states in Geneva on 10 May 2019, as an essential step in the development of a legally-binding, globally-reaching mechanism for managing plastic waste. We must also think about how we will develop tourism under the aspect of sustainability. It is for the sake of our future if we promote, through appropriate measures, the accelerated digitalisation of vessel traffic and green shipping to achieve the 2030 objectives as soon as possible. It is for the sake of our future if we organize concerted action for appropriate regulation at the global level to strengthen e-navigation and pave the way for autonomous shipping. It is essential to develop or enhance joint and additional national and regional sustainability strategies to meet the United Nation’s Agenda 2030 goals: to achieve delivering the oceans we need for the future we want. We also discussed in our conference the main topic of this afternoon, the issue of sustainable energy. We enhance and want to efficiently use cross-border transmission connections by building and expanding fluent electricity networks to enable new energy markets and new forms of energy services and products to better integrate renewable energies, as well as use undersea electricity connection to integrate grids. Let us deepen our successful and close cooperation and go on working on the development of peaceful and prosperous common regions. Together, we are stronger!’ Pyry Niemi pointed out that ‘the Standing Committee of the BSPC has highly appreciated the joint meeting of both Standing Committees in Istanbul and the very fruitful discussions on “Safeguarding our Oceans and Marine Life”. The BSPC SC unanimously agreed to continue such common meetings. The Swedish parliament will take over the BSPC Presidency in September 2020. Therefore, we wholeheartedly invite you to a further meeting of both our Standing Committees to Stockholm. There are 2 topics which we would like to offer for our next deliberations: on the one hand, the topic of refugees, migration and integration and on the other hand, the topic of the marine environment. We think that both topics could be of mutual interest because these are special challenges for our macro-regions. Ladies and gentlemen, I think a discussion of both issues can strengthen our successful cooperation.’ In the margins of the session, possibilities for joint consultations and further activities were discussed.

The BSPC Standing Committee agreed to a joint meeting of delegations of the Standing Committees of both Parliamentary Assemblies On 2 April 2019, the Joint Meeting of the Standing Committees of the BSPC and the PABSEC on the topic “Safeguarding our Oceans and Marine Life” was held in Istanbul. The meeting was attended by parliamentarians from Albania, Azerbaijan, the Baltic Assembly, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hamburg, Latvia, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Sweden, Turkey and Ukraine as well as experts in these issues from the Black Sea Region and from HELCOM as well as from international organizations in Turkey. The participants expressed their highest esteem for this session and called for these meetings to continue. The speeches at the Opening Session were delivered by Mr Cemal Oztürk, the PABSEC Vice-President and the Head of the PABSEC Turkish Delegation, Mr Jorodd Asphjell, the President of the BSPC, as well as the Secretaries General of both organisations. The speakers noted the successful start to the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding between the PABSEC and the BSPC and the usefulness of further continuation of the joint activities in the future. During the discussions, interventions were made by Prof Jānis Vucāns, the President of the Baltic Assembly, Mr Konstantinos Morfidis, the Head of the PABSEC Hellenic Delegation, Ms Valentina Pivnenko, the Head of the Russian Delegation to the BSPC, Mr George Visan, member of the PABSEC Romanian Delegation, Ms Carola Veit, the President of the State Parliament of Hamburg, Ms Olena Masorina, member of the PABSEC Ukrainian delegation, Mr Andrea Marto, the PABSEC Vice-President and the Head of the PABSEC Albanian Delegation, Mr Eldar Guliyev, the Head of the PABSEC Azerbaijani Delegation, Mr Mikhail Emelianov, Head of the PABSEC Russian delegation, Mr Pyry Niemi, the Head of the Swedish delegation to the BSPC, and Ms Cecilie Tenfjord Toftby, the Vice-Head of the Swedish delegation to the BSPC. Presentations were made by the following experts: Ms Iryna Makarenko, representative of the Permanent Secretariat of the Commission on the Protection of the Black Sea Against Pollution, Mr Markus Helavuori, the representative of the Permanent Secretariat of the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission – the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM), Professor Bairam Ozturk, President of the Turkish Marine Research Foundation of Istanbul University, and Mrs Rositsa Stoeva, Executive Manager of the BSEC PERMIS. The experts answered a number of questions from the MPs and discussed with them the challenges of a sustainable maritime policy. In the course of the meeting, both MPs and experts provided a wide range of information on the state of the two seas as well as on necessary measures to improve their ecological status but also on the corresponding activities to protect the seas in individual countries of both regions. At the end, the importance of organising the joint activities between the two Assemblies was emphasised, and it was decided to continue the practice of holding such joint meetings in the future. The sides agreed to prepare a joint documentation according to the results of the meeting. HELCOM presentation BSPC-PABSEC M. Helavuori 2.4.2019

The BSPC Working Group on Migration and Integration held its fifth meeting in the plenary hall of the State Duma of Kaliningrad on 29 March. Delegations from Åland, Finland, Germany, Hamburg, Latvia, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the Nordic Council, Poland, Russia and Sweden participated in the meeting. Chaired by Ms Carola Veit, Vice-Chair of the Working Group and President of the Hamburg State Parliament the Working Group discussed expert presentations on the Russian perspective on migration and integration, current aspects of the issue from the perspective of the CBSS as well as upcoming activities and meetings. Speeches and expert presentations Migration plays an important role in Kaliningrad. Most migrants come from other parts of Russia such as Siberia or the Russian Far East. Because of the vibrant economy of the region, an influx of labour is in demand. Marina Orgeeva , Chairperson of the Kaliningrad Regional Duma, stressed that new businesses in the region demanded more people. For this reason, she concluded, migration is welcome in Kaliningrad. Ms Valentina Pivnenko , Head of the Delegation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation to the BSPC, pointed out the importance that issues concerning migration must be solved together and that cooperation with the rest of Europe in these matters is essential. She also described how the Kaliningrad region is trying to attract more people to come there. One concrete way is that migrants from the Russian Far East are given one hectare of farming land if they decide to settle down in the Kaliningrad region. At the same time, she stressed, it is important to fight illegal immigration into the country. Another way of making migration easier is the abolition of visa requirements. Mr Kirill Adzinov , Head of the Department for the organization of visa work at the Main Department for Migration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, described a new type of visa. In some time, it will be possible to issue an electronic visa through a web-based system. The aim is to facilitate visits to Kaliningrad for not least the large groups of visitors from Poland and Finland. Russia introduced a new law on asylum in 1993. Since then there have been many dramatic changes in and around Russia. The conflict in Ukraine led to 271 000 asylum seekers coming to Russia in 2014. Three years later there were only some 9 000 Ukrainians seeking asylum in Russia. Around 500 of the persons that were granted asylum in Russia ended up in Kaliningrad. They were mostly Ukrainians, but also some Afghans. Many people come to Kaliningrad to work for a limited amount of time and then they return to their country of origin. For those who decide to stay it is state policy that measures of integration should be applied. The aim is to avoid all possible tensions between the migrants and the Russian society, explained Ms Victoria Ledeneva , Head of the Department for methodological support of social and cultural adaptation and integration of foreign citizens at the Federal Agency for Nationalities of Russia. In Kaliningrad, and in Russia as a whole, there is a very strong emphasis on social adaptation and integration, not least on a regional or local level. It is a priority that newly arrived migrants are introduced in Russian customs, laws and culture as well as to the Russian language. Exclusion and segregation, as well as the creation of ethnic enclaves, should be avoided. Migrant adaptation is described as a complex process where the migrant has to adapt not only to a new geographical environment, but also to a new set of social, political, cultural and economic realities. In order to succeed with this task, a number of agencies and local society cooperate. In various Russian regions, newly arrived migrants are offered help by migration centres where fingerprint registration is being performed as well as a medical examination, registration on health insurance policy, translation of documents and testing language skills and knowledge of Russian history. There are also call centres for migrants, information portals on line in different languages and a sort of “Sunday school” for migrants. Because of the above mentioned measures, ethnic enclaves is not a great problem in Russia, according to Ms Victoria Ledeneva . Some 80 percent of all the migration labour come from Uzbekistan and they have all been thoroughly checked before entering into Russia. Residence permits are today issued for a period of five years. This, however, is soon to be changed. Late last year a new concept for migration in the Russian Federation for the years 2019-2025 was adopted. One of the new policies is that residence permits can be issued for an unlimited period of time. To facilitate the migration of workers even further, there are also private companies dedicated to attract migrant workers to come to the Kaliningrad region who act as a sort of intermediary. Mr Victor Musikhin is director of one such private institution for additional education. There are other similar organizations in other parts of Russia, but Mr Musikhin believes that his is one of the better organized. Every year, around 2000 migrants seek his organization’s help. They may come from neighbouring countries such as Poland or Lithuania, or from places like Germany, Italy or China. The vast majority, however, is from Uzbekistan. There is even a direct flight service between Kaliningrad and Uzbekistan. Typically, a company in Kaliningrad will contact the organization with a request of what kind of employee they are searching. The organization then finds a suitable employee (proof of demanded skills and a clean criminal record are demanded) and sends the request to the Office of labour migration. After that interviews are carried out over Skype. If the interview turns out satisfactory, an invitation is sent out and the company meets the migrant at the airport, helps him or her with all the paper work and can even provide a low-interest loan to get settled before the first salary. It all sounds fairly smooths, but Mr Musikhin stressed that there is still too much bureaucracy surrounding the whole process. It would be much easier if there was only one state agency dealing with these questions instead of several. If the process would be more standardized, much would run faster and smoother. Unlike some other countries around the Baltic Sea, unaccompanied minors are few I Russia. One reason for this is that Russian immigration always demand a valid passport or ID to cross their borders. Although the numbers of unaccompanied minors are relatively low in Russia, it doesn’t mean that the problem does not exist. Ms Vladlena Avdeeva , Project Manager at the NGO Stellit in St Petersburg described the work her organization performs for children at high risk of human trafficking. According to UNICEF, about 28 percent of the victims of trafficking worldwide are children. In 2016, there were about 10 million children who were victims of trafficking. Probably the real number was even higher as many cases are never detected or reported. Stellit has done research on 113 children from Russia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan living in shelters in St Petersburg. According to the results of consultations with children, one of the most important characteristics of providing assistance for children is taking their opinions into account and informing about the situation. The components of the “ideal” shelter for children include the opportunity to develop everyday skills and to have private space, as well as the opportunities for self-realization creative activities, sports, and education. Consultations with children as “experts” could be used in developing the preventive programs and recommendations for professionals involved in the identification and rehabilitation of children suffered from abuse, exploitation and human trafficking. Mr Bernd Hemingway , Deputy Director General of the CBSS Secretariat, emphasised that migration is growing in the Baltic sea region, and that it is now the largest component in demographic change. Member states are still struggling with the large influx of asylum seekers in 2015. At the same time, other countries in the Baltic region are facing the opposite problem – that of high emigration. In 2015, there were around 10 million Russians living outside abroad and that same year Russia hosted over 11,6 million migrants. Similar trends can be seen in Poland and the Baltic states. These countries are running the risk of suffering from brain drain, Mr Hemingway underlined. He pointed out three fundamental factors for successful integration: labour and the possibility to provide for own means of living, language skills and, thirdly, education and health care. One could also add a fourth factor: a welcoming culture in the host society. Mr Hemingway also stressed that demography plays an important role. While not the only answer to the problems with an ageing population and declining birth rates, migration certainly can make a difference. Fears that labour migration would result in higher unemployment among citizens in the host country are exaggerated. Especially when it comes to highly skilled migrant workers, the effect can be the contrary – their contribution can make the whole economy grow. There is still a problem of recognizing foreign diplomas in many countries. That needs to be solved. For these reasons we should welcome migration, but also make sure that the people coming to work in our countries are treated fairly and are given the same fundamental social rights as everyone else, Mr Hemingway pointed out. Belgium is an example where care givers (a much-needed profession in our ageing societies) are provided with good work conditions. In order to have a successful influx of immigrants, Mr Hemingway mentioned access to health care for all. This includes health care being offered in different languages and in different cultural contexts. Another important task is to make sure that the children of the immigrants succeed in school. Today, far too many do not finish their education. Lastly, he mentioned the important role of the media in this respect. The media is of course free to cover whatever it wants, but it should be careful about which words they use when describing migration. There is a big need for refraining from using discriminatory and xenophobic language. Further procedure and next meetings Ms Carola Veit , who chaired the meeting, was very satisfied with the outcome of the second survey that had been sent out to the respective governments of the Baltic region. At the time for the Kaliningrad meeting, 12 out of a total of 14 governments had answered. And there was good hope that the remaining would soon provide their answers as well. An excellent result, according to Ms Veit. The idea is that the analysis of the surveys will reveal best practices examples and provide a strong base for the future work. That analysis will be performed by the Migration Institute of Finland, based in Turku. The result will be presented to the Working Group. The next meeting for the Working Group will be in Schwerin 27 and 28 of May 2019. It will be held in combination with the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Youth Forum. The meeting after that is proposed to take place in Hamburg 23-25 October 2019 with the European Forum on the Integration of Migrants and Refugees. Presentations: Bernd Hemingway Vladlena Avdeeva Victoria Ledeneva Victor Musikhin

The BSPC at the XX International Environmental Forum “Baltic Sea Day” in St. Petersburg : Asphjell calls for stricter action on national level BSPC President Jorodd Asphjell and the representative of the delegation of the Finnish Parliament to the BSPC, Maria Tolppanen, attended the XX International Environmental Forum “Baltic Sea Day” on 21-22 March in St. Petersburg. In his address to the Forum, Jorodd Asphjell underlined the importance of a constructive dialogue and close cooperation especially in politically difficult times as well as the crucial need for stricter action at national and regional levels to reinstate the health of the Baltic Sea and to meet the UN’s 2030 development goals as quickly as possible. In particular, he said: “In my capacity as President of the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference, I bring the warmest congratulations to you for celebrating 20 years of successful joint efforts for sustainable development and improving the environment in the Baltic Sea Region. Especially in politically difficult times, constructive dialogue and close cooperation are very important. From the very beginning, the BSPC has dealt intensively with environmental issues. We aim to be progressive and to urge governments to act. And we try to convince those who are still hesitant. For my home country, Norway, the sea is a central lifeline and living space. That is why we also have a vital interest in the well-being of the Baltic Sea. That is why Norway invited leaders from coastal states across the world to develop a roadmap for the transition to a sustainable ocean economy and will report to the UN Ocean Conference next year. We want to build a sustainable ocean economy. We must stop destroying the world’s marine ecosystems. We must improve the environmental status of the oceans. Even if my home country, Norway, is not a member of HELCOM, we are involved in the HELCOM work through the support you get from the BSPC and also from the Nordic Council. The BSPC placed an additional focus in its Strategy and Work programme on the issue of sustainable management of the oceans and will continue to work on this aspect during our next conference in Oslo. This added focus especially involves a sustainable ocean economy, blue entrepreneurship as well as research and innovation for a healthy ocean, which includes fighting the plastic waste in the seas. In the BSPC work programme and at our next conference in Oslo, we will focus on: Sustainable ocean management and economy Research and innovation for a healthy ocean The fight against plastic waste HELCOM has done much successful work in that direction. However, we need more action at the national and regional level. As you know: Since the beginning of our cooperation – and during 17 years as an official observer –, the 27 parliaments and parliamentary organisations of the BSPC have actively supported the work of HELCOM and called on our governments to give HELCOM the political support it needs to do what must be done. Apart from all the progress made by HELCOM in the meantime, the current situation shows us that appeals alone are not enough. We must act more widely and make more significant efforts. The HELCOM Ministerial meeting last year in Brussels realized this. We support the agreements in the new ministerial declaration. At the same time, however, we call for stricter action at the national level necessary to reinstate the health of the Baltic Sea. In our current resolution, we have paid particular attention to urgent measures in the field of environmental protection: We addressed the increasing pollution and burden on the seas, in particular from plastic waste, we called for urgent action in this area, both for the Baltic Sea region and beyond, to meet the UN’s 2030 development goals as quickly as possible. We welcomed all efforts to move towards a healthy and clean Baltic Sea; We called urgently on the governments to develop national and regional strategies to achieve the UN’s Agenda 2030 goals to clear marine litter from the Baltic Sea to promote sustainable agricultural practices to promote more sustainable shipping to tackle eutrophication and underwater noise to halt untreated discharges without delay and to show determination to clean up the heavily polluted sea to take urgent, efficient action against the worrying levels of plastics and microplastics in the seas to support and implement the regulations on reducing or banning single-use plastic as quickly as possible to promote public awareness of microplastic pollution throughout the Baltic ecosystem to encourage customers to avoid personal care products containing micro plastics to further strengthen the interaction between the UN Sustainable Development Goals and human rights while recognising their close relationship I was looking forward to the results of your expert seminars yesterday and your joint efforts and proposals. We support such activities as far as possible. The Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference in Oslo on 25-27 August 2019 will offer dialogue, debate, solutions, friendship and a strong will to increase cooperation for a healthy Baltic Sea!” In the margins of the conference, the representatives of the BSPC had talks with representatives of the CBSS, HELCOM, the BSSSC and the Finnish government.