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On March 15, the Swedish Parliament hosted a seminar on regional cooperation of the police in anti-trafficking work, arranged by the European network Parliamentarians Against Human Trafficking (PAHT). The seminar attracted MPs, experts and NGOs from several European countries. Johan Linander and André Oktay Dahl, BSPC Rapporteurs on Trafficking in Human Beings, and Maria Stenberg, Nordic Council, participated as facilitators and speakers. “Trafficking in human beings is an international crime that requires forceful and coordinated international action” Linander said. “Seminars like this enable useful networking and knowledge exchange” Oktay Dahl emphasized. Stenberg stressed that “it is now necessary to intensify international cooperation and coordination between politicians, experts and NGO´s at all levels”. PAHT aims at developing a European network of parliamentarians working to combat human trafficking in order to promote and develop cross-border cooperation and mutual understanding. Furhter information

Ms Sylvia Bretschneider, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, BSPC Co-Observer to HELCOM, attended the 34 th HELCOM meeting in Helsinki 5-6 March. Addressing the meeting, Ms Bretschneider informed that she and Ms Christina Gestrin, BSPC Co-Observer to HELCOM, have submitted a letter to the HELCOM Chair containing a number of amendment proposals that could serve as input to the process of drafting the HELCOM Declaration due for adoption at the HELCOM Ministerial Meeting in Copenhagen 3 October. The texts in the letter are excerpted from recent BSPC Resolutions and Working Group Recommendations. “I would like to highlight some points”, Ms Bretschneider said. “Combating eutrophication is of crucial importance for the restoration of the health of the Baltic Sea. It is of utmost importance that Governments fulfill all their commitments under the Baltic Sea Action Plan; that the HELCOM Ministerial meeting raises the level of ambition concerning the reduction of discharges of phosphorus and nitrates into the Baltic Sea; that Best Agricultural Practices are developed and introduced in order to reduce the input of biogenic substances into the Baltic Sea; and that international cooperation on vessel traffic management, maritime safety and disaster preparedness is further enhanced. Furthermore, joint objectives in Maritime Spatial Planning should be drawn up, taking VASAB guidelines into consideration”. Ms Bretschneider also mentioned that the HELCOM BALEX-DELTA Exercise this year will take place on 13-14 June in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern close to Rostock-Warnemünde.

The technologies for CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage) are evolving, but it is necessary to develop their commercial viability. The fifth meeting of the BSPC Working Group on Green Growth and Energy Efficiency took place at the CO2 Technology Centre Mongstad, Norway, which is the world’s largest facility for testing and improving CO2 capture. Expert briefings were made by Vian Smith, TCM, and Eva Halland, the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate. The WG released the following statement: “Climate change is a serious threat to the development and prosperity of human society. According to a new report published by the World Bank, the average global temperature could increase by 4 degrees during this century, causing a sea level rise of over 1 meter. The effects would be disastrous. Fossil fuels, the major source of CO2 emissions, are expected to remain the dominant energy source for the foreseeable future. The risk of failure in reaching the goal to stop global warming at 2 degrees Celsius is looming. There is an imminent need to reduce the dependency of fossil fuels, extend the use of renewable fuels, and curb the emissions of climate gases. One important method for this is CO2 capture and storage (CCS). CCS technologies are evolving, but must become commercially viable within a few years. The availability and utilization of CCS depends not only on the technology itself, but also on political and financial incentives to implement the technologies. Currently, the price of CO2 is too low to function as an attractive economic incentive. The functioning of the European Trading System needs to be strengthened in order to support investments, development and implementation of new and sustainable energy technologies. The BSPC Working Group on Green Growth and Energy Efficiency recognises and commends the importance of the CO2 Technology Centre Mongstad (TCM) in Bergen in developing new and innovative CCS technologies. Furthermore, it welcomes the important initiatives taken by TCM to form an international test centre network for carbon CCS facilities around the world, in order to share knowledge to accelerate the productization and commercialisation of CCS technologies.”

The BSPC Standing Committee assembled at the European Parliament in Brussels on 31 January 2013. The meeting was chaired by Ms Laine Randjärv, Estonia, BSPC President in 2012-2013. Mr Pat the Cope Gallagher, MEP, welcomed the participants to the European Parliament. The meeting included briefings an progress reports on CBSS by Mr Sergey Petrovich, Chair of the CBSS Committee of Senior Officials; on the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EU SBSR) by Ms Joanna Kiryllo, European Commission, DG REGIO; on the Northern Dimension by Mr Kalle Kankaanpää, European External Action Service (EEAS); and on EU Integrated Maritime Policy by Mr Haitze Siemers, European Commission, DG MARE. The meeting also deliberated over the modalities for the follow-up of the BSPC Resolutions, and commenced preparing the structure and substance of the 22 nd BSPC in Pärnu in August 2013.

“Tourism is an important driver in and for a positive regional economic development. This is a gratifying tendency with promising prospects for the future. But to reap the immediate and long-term benefits from this development, it is indispensable that the further expansion of tourism in the Region proceeds in a sustainable manner, that can strike a rewarding balance between economic incentives and natural and cultural considerations” said Christina Gestrin, BSPC, in her keynote address at the III. International Conference on the Baltic Sea Strategy, held in Jurmala 22-23 November. Tourism and cross-sectoral initiatives for a sustainable development of the Baltic Sea Region was one of the main themes of the Conference, which was organized by the Embassy of Sweden in Latvia, the Swedish Institute, and the organization Keep Latvia Tidy. “Tourism is clearly associated with relaxation and recuperation. However, it should not mean relaxation from environmental concerns. If you behave environmentally-friendly in your everyday life, you should of course bring those habits along when you go on vacation. Sustainable tourism is not just a responsibility for event providers; it is also a personal responsibility, regardless of where you are staying. Minimizing your ecological footprint will help preserving the natural riches for generations to come. A continued growth of sustainable tourism in the Baltic Sea Region is an endeavour that – handled prudently – can contribute both to the socio-economic development of the Region and to the protection and preservation of its natural and cultural heritage. This is, then, a true win-win situation”, Gestrin emphasized.

The second annual Round Table of the Baltic Sea Labour Forum (BSLF), targeting youth employment and mobility of labour, was convened in Hamburg on 15 November 2012. The Round Table gathered some 50 representatives of social partners in the Baltic Sea Region, together with government officials and labour market experts. Addressing the Round table, Jan Widberg reaffirmed that labour market issues are high on the agenda of the BSPC. In the 21 st BSPC Resolution, Governments are i.a. urged to to develop a medium- to long-term strategy equipped with powerful measures to tackle youth unemployment, and to ensure that existing programmes with this aim are better coordinated. On cross-border mobility, it is necessary to reduce obstacles to the mobility of labour and enterprises, for instance by actively supporting cooperation between the border regions and between the existing cross-border information centers. It is also essential to pursue efforts for a gradual phasing out of the visa regime between the EU and Russia. He moreover reiterated BSPC’s full support to the BSLF as a region-wide platform for social dialogue, tripartite cooperation and sustainable regional economic development. The Baltic Sea Labour Forum, launched in November 2011 is a unique network for dialogue and cooperation between employers and trade union organisations, governmental and parliamentary institutions. Further information

The challenge of converting wind energy into hydrogen and then to electricity was one of the key items on the agenda of the fourth meeting in the BSPC Working Group on Green Growth and Energy Efficiency, which was held in Berlin on 12 October. The WG made a study tour to a hybrid power plant in Prenzlau operated by ENERTRAG. The power company operates 500 wind-turbines in Germany, France and the UK. One of the tasks of ENERTRAG is to convert and store wind energy so it can be used flexibly when and where it is needed. For this purpose the company is developing technology to transform wind energy into hydrogen. The hybrid power plant in Prenzlau/Brandenburg is a pilot project for this purpose . Similar projects are on-going in other countries, including Norway and Iceland where some hydrogen stations have been established, but using other renewable energy sources. The WG was also provided with presentations on the German energy transition by Olaf Weber, Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau, and Roman Zurhold, the German Energy Agency. The WG meeting was hosted by WG member Torsten Staffeldt, German Bundestag. The fifth meeting of the WG will be convened in Bergen, Norway, in the first quarter of 2013.

“The BSPC will continue to provide political support to the Cleanship project” said Roger Jansson, Åland Islands, BSPC Co-rapporteur on Integrated Maritime Policy, in his address to the Clean Baltic Shipping conference in Riga 19-20 September . The conference attracted some 130 experts and decision-makers, discussing a wide range of issues such as non-emission ships, shoreside power supply, waste water reception in ports, and port fee regulations. Reiterating the political recommenations of the BSPC IMP Rapporteurs at the 21 st BSPC In St Petersburg, he stressed the need “to expand information on best maritime practices, to develop real-time maritime surveillance information and e-navigation, to strengthen competitiveness for clean shipping in the Baltic Sea, and to bolster preparedness against hazards and crime”. He welcomed a statement from EU that it intends to reenergize the EU Integrated Maritime Policy, and also noted that EU will provide support for the adjustment measures to new and lower sulphur emission requirements from 2015. “We, elected representatives, will continue to do our work toward a prosperous, sustainable and safe Baltic Sea Region, and we will continue to work with you on Clean Shipping”, Jansson concluded. His speech is available on the Rapporteurs’ webpage . All presentations from the Conference can be retrieved from www.clean-baltic-sea-shipping.eu .

The 21 st Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference, BSPC, was convened in Saint Petersburg on 26-28 th August. The conference attracted over 200 politicians, government officials, experts, representatives of stakeholder organizations and the industry of the Baltic Sea Region, as well as NGOs. A wide range of high-level presentations and political debate targeted issues such as regional partnership and cross-border cooperation, energy efficiency and green growth, integrated maritime policy, health and social welfare, and labour market mobility. The Chairman of the BSPC in 2011-2012, Ms Valentina Pivnenko, the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, together with Mr Ivan Melnikov, first Vice-Speaker of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, opened the conference. The conference was concluded with the unanimous adoption of a Resolution, expressing the political positions and recommendations of parliamentarians from the entire Baltic Sea Region. Closing the conference, Ms Pivnenko handed over the Chairman´s gavel to Ms Laine Randjärv, Vice Speaker of the Riigikogu, the Estonian Parliament, which will be hosting the 22 nd BSPC in Pärnu on 26-27 August 2013. See more information and material from the 21 st BSPC.

The Standing Committee of the BSPC, Chaired by Valentina Pivnenko, convened its summer meeting in the seaside resort of Svetlogorsk, Kaliningrad region on 5 June. Foremost on the agenda were the preparations for the 21 st BSPC in St Petersburg 26-28 August and deliberations over the draft conference Resolution. The meeting was welcomed by Nikolay Vlasenko, MP representing the Kaliningrad region, and Sergey Yuspin, First Deputy Chairman of the Kaliningrad Regional Duma, as well as by Sergey Bezberezhyev, Representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Kaliningrad Region. Expert presentations on the Baltic Nuclear Power Plant and the environmental monitoring activities were delivered by Maxim Kozlov, INTER RAO UES, a subsidiary to Rosatom, and Lydia Blinova, Research Associate of St Petersburg Institute “Atomenergoproekt”. Stefan Steiner, Head Representative of Hamburg Trade Chamber in Kaliningrad, informed about business conditions in Kaliningrad. Yuri Radionov, First Deputy Chief of the Border Service of the Federal Security Service of Russia on Kaliningrad, presented the multilateral border cooperation against cross-border crime. The Standing Committee also made study visits to the Zelenogradsk Wind Power Station, the Maritime cargo-passenger permanent multilateral border crossing of the Russian Federation in the Sea Port of Kaliningrad, and the Port of Baltijsk, including briefings and a demonstration of a cargo x-ray screening equipment.

The BSPC Working Group on Green Growth and Energy Efficiency held its third meeting in Riga on 8 June. On top of the agenda was the mid-way report and the political recommendations of the Working Group, to be presented at the 21 st Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference in St Petersburg 26-28 August. Expert presentations were delivered by Valdis Bisters, Director of the Climate Policy and Technology Departments of the Latvian Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Developments, Lauri Tammiste, Estonian Development Fund, Director, Energy and Green Economy, and Hannes Mädo, Estonian Ministry of the Environment, Member of Directorate. The meeting was preceded by a study visit to Getlini ECO , which is a high-tech and environmental friendly ecological waste management company.

Valentina Pivnenko, Chairman of the BSPC, addressed the 9 th Baltic Sea States Summit in Stralsund 31 st May, hosted by German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Merkel emphasized the importance of the parliamentary dimension of cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region, stating that it contributes greatly to the democratic legitimacy of cooperation. Speaking directly after Chancellor Merkel´s opening, Pivnenko praised the mutually beneficial interaction between BSPC and CBSS, and thanked the outgoing German CBSS Presidency for constructive exchange. She highlighted the need to promote cooperation on modernization and innovation, to create a network of public-private partnerships, and to promote tolerance as a means of countering extremism. Actions to combat eutrophication are of crucial importance for environmental health. “Cooperation on green economy, energy efficiency, nuclear safety and infrastructure, together with labour market integration, are important means to foster economic growth and social well-being. BSPC will stay committed to the Baltic Sea Labour Forum”, Pivnenko affirmed. Cooperation on health and social welfare, and a sustained fight against crime and corruption, will make the Baltic Sea Region a safer and more secure home. She stressed that the further integration and cohesion of the Region requires an unimpeded mobility of people and enterprises and a dismantling of administrative obstacles such as visa restrictions. “Finally, I would like to reiterate that all the countries of the Region, both EU members and non-EU members, must have access to cooperation on an equal basis”, Pivnenko concluded. An English translation of Pivenko´s address can be retrieved from: https://www.bspc.net/file/show/554