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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

Valentina Pivnenko, Chairman of the BSPC and First Deputy Chair of the State Duma Committee for Regional Policy, took part in the Nordic-Russian Parliamentary Round Table talks in Helsinki 14-15 May. The talks focussed on energy efficiency and sustainable energy production, emphasizing the interests of the far orth as a unifying factor. “It is in our common interest to conserve energy and to produce it in an environmentally safe and sound manner,” said Valentina Pivnenko. More information about the Round Table can be found at the Nordic Council website.

The first meeting of the Enlarged Steering Committee (ESC) of the Baltic Sea Labour Forum (BSLF) took place in Hamburg on 20 th April. The BSLF is one of the outcomes of the Baltic Sea Labour Network project, which was concluded in 2011, and in which BSPC was Associate Partner. BSLF is a network for exchange and communication between the key labour market actors in the Baltic Sea region. Its primary aim is the promotion of social dialogue, tripartite structures and cooperation as crucial elements of sustainable economic growth and social development in the Baltic Sea Region. BSPC will continue its committment to the BSLF. Franz Thönnes, MP, Bundestag, member of the BSPC Standing Committee and BSPC Rapporteur on Labour market issues, chaired the first meeting of the BSLF ESC. “The BSLF is continuing the successful cooperation between the social partners and the political bodies in the Baltic Sea Region, which will strengthen the social dialogue. The BSLF should deal with the challenges of developing a sustainable and fair labour market in our region”, Thönnes stated. Further information

BSPC was invited to the fifth meeting of the South-East European Cooperation Process Parliamentary Dimension Working Group (SEECP PD), held in Belgrade on 3 April. The Parliaments of South-East Europe Cooperation Process have recently launched a debate on the vision, mission and modalitites of strengthening the parliamentary cooperation in South-East Europe. For that purpose, the SEECP PD was created with the purpose of finding new ways to intensify inter-parliamentary activities in the region and to establish working relations with related international organizations. Jan Widberg, Head of BSPC Secretariat, gave a briefing on the mission, structure, role and impact of the BSPC. For more info on SEECP, see: rspcsee.org

What should the Southern Baltic Sea Region look like in 2020? Green growth and energy efficiency, cross-border education and labour markets, integrated maritime policy – these were among the issues debated at the 10 th Southern Baltic Sea Parliamentary Forum in Kiel 12-13 March, where members of the parliaments around the southern Baltic Sea assembled in the State Parliament of Schleswig-Holstein to hammer out a joint vision for the Southern Baltic Sea Region in 2020. BSPC was represented by Arkadiusz Litwinski, MP, Poland. The final document of the Forum , entitled “Southern Baltic Sea 2020”, is intended to present sustainable development strategies for the Southern Baltic Sea Region, based on the principles of subsidiary and regional autonomy. An English version of the document is available through the BSPC Secretariat. For more info on the Forum, visit: http://www.landtag.ltsh.de/aktuell/veranstaltungen/2012/03-maerz/10-parlamentsformum-so.html

The BSPC Working Group on Green Growth and Energy Efficiency convened its second meeting in Helsinki on 2 March. The overall theme of the meeting was “Measuring Energy Efficiency”. The WG made study visits to the Katri Vala Heating and Cooling Plant, the Nordic Investment Bank, and the Nordic Environment Finance Corporation. Briefings were given by Mr Pekka Sauri, Deputy Mayor of the City of Helsinki, Mr Juhani Aaltonen and Mr Marko Riipinen, Helsinki Energy, and by Mr Johan Ljungberg, Senior Director, Head of Environment, NiB, and Mr Magnus Rystedt, Managing Director, Nefco. The meeting was opened with expert presentations by Professor Peter Lund, Aalto University, and Mr Patrick Matschoss, PhD, University of Oldenburg, Finnish Institute of International Affairs. The next meeting of the WG will be held in Riga on 8 June.