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The second meeting of the BSPC Working Group on Integrated Maritime Policy was held on 15-16 April in the premises of the European Parliament and the Committee of the Regions in Brussels. Members of the European Parliament and representatives of the EU Commission and the Committee of the regions gave presentations and opinions on issues such as EU Integrated Maritime Policy, maritime transport, Trans-European Networks and cooperation between EU and Russia on maritime affairs. The European Ports Organization and the European Community Shipowners Association were also represented at the meeting, and informed about their views on port infrastructure, maritime traffic and emissions, and short sea shipping. The meeting coincided with the ash eruption of the Eyjafallajökull volcano in Iceland. The Working Group will now proceed to draft political recommendations and an interim report, to be submitted to the 19 th BSPC in Mariehamn in August 2010. The next meeting of the Working Group will be convened in Copenhagen on 15 June.

The second meeting of the BSPC Working Group on Civil Security, especially Trafficking in Human Beings, was held in the Swedish Parliament on 8 April. The meeting included a hearing of three experts in the field of Trafficking in Human Beings: Anna Ekstedt, Senior Advisor, CBSS Task Force against Trafficking in Human Beings; Lars Lööf, Head of Children´s Unit, CBSS; and Patrik Cederlöf, National Co-ordinator against Prostitution and Trafficking, the County Administrative Board of Stockholm. The hearing delivered extensive information on strategic as well as operational measures in the fight against Trafficking in Human Beings. It gave valuable input to the continued deliberations in the Working Group on the parliamentary role and contributions in the fight against Trafficking, and its support and exchange with other actors in this field.

”It is crucial that we start treating victims of trafficking as victims in need of help and assistance, not as illegal immigrants that should be kicked out of the country as soon as possible” said Line Barfod, Member of the Danish Parliament and Chairperson of the BSPC Working Group on Civil Security in her address today to the Regional Seminar on Human Trafficking , arranged in London by the Inter-Parliamentary Union. “Such an approach is necessary to combat and halt this modern slavery, and it calls for close cooperation across borders by parliamentarians”, Barfod emphasized. One of the central objectives of the IPU Seminar that runs for 22-23 February is to discuss how parliamentarians are involved in ensuring the enforcement and implementation of existing legislation against trafficking in human beings.

“Civil security is ultimately a matter of building and securing a stable democratic and inclusive society”, said Christina Gestrin, Chairman of the BSPC, in her address to the 28 th Session of the Baltic Assembly on 27 November. “The key to enhanced security and safety in the Region lies in deepened and widened cooperation, involving all countries of the Region on an equal and mutually beneficial basis. Parliamentary fora such as the Baltic Assembly, BSPC, and the Nordic Council are important arenas for candid political debate. They can contribute to the pursuit of transparent, democratic and pragmatic solutions to the challenges of the Region”.

“The BSAS is a very promising contribution to the mobilization of concrete commitments for a good ecological status and sustainable development of the Baltic Sea”, says Christina Gestrin, member of the Finnish Parliament and Chairman of the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC). She participates in the Baltic Sea Action Summit (BSAS) in Helsinki on Wednesday 10 February. “BSPC, gathering parliamentarians from all countries around the Baltic Sea, will continue to exert political pressure on governments and decision-makers to take forceful action against the degradation of the Baltic marine environment. Governments must, for example, fulfill their pledges to implement the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan according to its agreed timetable”, maintains Gestrin. “The Baltic Sea must also be protected against technological and man-made disasters. Transport of oil and dangerous goods are increasing, and there is an urgent need to enhance the preventive capacities against calamities”, says Gestrin. This year, BSPC has committed itself to emphasize the issue of safety of navigation in the Baltic Sea. BSPC urges the governments to create a common agreement aiming at the creation of a ship reporting system for the whole Baltic Sea. The operation of ship reporting systems (SRS) and vessel traffic services (VTS) must be improved by better coordination and harmonization of existing systems in the region. These issues will be addressed at the 19 th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference in Mariehamn, Åland Islands, 29-31 August this year.

The BSPC Working Group on Civil Security held its inaugural meeting in Copenhagen on 3 February 2010. The Group discussed its mandate, objectives and working methods. Its main focus will be trafficking in human beings, understood as a form of modern slavery and exploitation. The Group can also address other aspects of civil security. Eva Biaudet, former OSCE Special Representative and Coordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, and Christer Pursiainen, Senior Advisor at CBSS, gave background presentations on trafficking and civil security. The WG will aim to liaise with otheer organizations and institutions active in the field of trafficking and civil security. For continuous information about the activities of the Working Group, please see the WG webpage .

The BSPC Working Group on Integrated Maritime Policy held its inaugural meeting in Rostock on 21-22 January, in the premises of the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency. The Working Group was briefed on, i.a., maritime spatial planning, Baltic sea port development, and research on maritime infrastructure. The Group also had the opportunity to get a demonstration of the Marine Simulation Centre in Warnemünde. The presentations laid a solid ground for deliberations within the Group on priorities and working methods, as well as for future recommendations on maritime issues. The Working Group will aim to liaise with other organizations and institutions active within the maritime field. For continuous information about the activities of the Working Group please see the WG webpage .

“Civil security is ultimately a matter of building and securing a stable democratic and inclusive society”, said Christina Gestrin, Chairman of the BSPC, in her address to the 28 th Session of the Baltic Assembly on 27 November. “The key to enhanced security and safety in the Region lies in deepened and widened cooperation, involving all countries of the Region on an equal and mutually beneficial basis. Parliamentary fora such as the Baltic Assembly, BSPC, and the Nordic Council are important arenas for candid political debate. They can contribute to the pursuit of transparent, democratic and pragmatic solutions to the challenges of the Region”.

BSPC has just launched two new Working Groups. The Working Group on Civil Security , especially Trafficking, will be chaired by Line Barfod, Denmark. The Working Group on Integrated Maritime Policy , especially Infrastructure and Logistics, will be chaired by Jochen Schulte, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The Working Groups will commence their activities in early 2010. All BSPC member parliaments and parliamentary organizations are invited to participate in the Working Groups. The Working Groups will strive at establishing contacts and exchange with other initiatives and organizations active within these fields.

“We will only be able to exploit the great opportunities provided by our economic potential here in the North if the social climate is also right.” This was one of the main messages of Franz Thönnes, member of the Bundestag and member of the BSPC Standing Committee in his address to the 17 th BSSSC Annual Conference in Ringsted on 14 October . “This is why I am so pleased that the European Commission has accorded the social dimension a central role in the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region. This is precisely the time to gear ourselves up for the time after the crisis. In the coming months, therefore, we need to chart the course for the future. In economically hard times, all other needs unfortunately tend to take second place to the goals of encouraging investment and creating jobs. By this I mean environmental and climate protection and the protection of workers’ rights”, he stated. “On average, we have a good level of prosperity in the Baltic Sea Region. Yet at the same time we have here some of the poorest and some of the richest regions of Europe. The European Cohesion Policy remains one of the main cornerstones of European regional policy. The EU Baltic Sea Strategy can make an important contribution in this respect. To ensure that political resolutions are turned into deeds, we should exploit the momentum generated by the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region. But we also need serious efforts on the part of all the Baltic Sea States”, Mr Thönnes concluded. The Baltic Sea States Subregional Cooperation (BSSSC) is a political network for decentralized authorities (subregional) in the Baltic Sea Region. The BSSSC was founded in Stavanger, Norway, in 1993. Its members are regional authorities (the level just below the national level authorities) of the 10 Baltic littoral states.

Nyborg 1 September: Christina Gestrin was re-elected as President of the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC) at the annual conference on Tuesday.