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Following an initiative by the Swedish BSPC delegation, the Standing Committee of the BSPC held a seminar on the topic Democracy in a Changing Media Landscape: Digitisation, Combating Disinformation and Fake News as well as Protecting Free Media and Freedom of Speech. The topic is one of the main priorities of the Swedish BSPC Presidency . The meeting included more than 60 participants from the BSPC and experts, among them the former President of Latvia, Prof Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga. Participants from the Åland Islands, the Baltic Assembly, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, the German Bundestag, Hamburg, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the Nordic Council, Norway, Poland, the Russian Federation, and Sweden participated. Opening BSPC President Pyry Niemi opened the seminar by acknowledging the importance of protecting and safeguarding the trust in the democratic system. Mr Niemi mentioned that the pandemic in many ways had led to a democratic backslide and that there were several challenges for democracy today. In detail, he expressed his hope that the year 2021 would be brighter, safer, and healthier for the whole world than the last one and that it would soon be possible to meet in person again. He looked forward to another year of constructive and rewarding parliamentary cooperation and dialogue about mutual concerns regarding Baltic Sea issues. Sustainable democracy was the cornerstone of the Swedish BSPC Presidency, he underlined. The digital age of the present day had provided several reasons to address the challenges and the possibilities that lay ahead. During the last year, several events had made it clear that it was necessary to protect and safeguard the trust in the democratic system. Even where none had ever expected to see something of this sort, Mr Niemi said, images of the vulnerability of democratic structures had shaken everyone to the core. That had once again shown in no uncertain terms that it was necessary to work and fight every day for our democracies. One example was the pandemic that, in many respects, had led to a backslide for democracy. Several countries had imposed restrictions on freedom of expression, and in many places, it was difficult for journalists to do their job. The US election and the two months after were another example of disinformation threatening people’s confidence in the democratic system. BSPC President Niemi stressed that the digital age had made information and communication technology central to people’s lives today. On the one hand, this meant new possibilities for political engagement and access to information. On the other hand, the increase in disinformation and fake news had the potential to create polarisation, extremism, and ultimately undermine democracy. He closed by highlighting that a strong democracy demanded engagement and continuous work. A strong democracy required vital and constructive discussions. Panel I: Digital Democracy: Challenges and Opportunities The first panel was moderated by BSPC Vice President Johannes Schraps . He also pointed to the fact that the democracy was under threat, mentioning the recent events in the US as an example, which had shown how vulnerable democratic structures were. He further reminded the seminar participants that the BSPC Standing Committee had already discussed related issues with one of the present experts in 2017 and had included calls for action to the governments of the Baltic Sea Region in that year, based on the research findings and discussions at that time. The first invited speaker was Dr Jan-Hinrik Schmidt , Senior Researcher at the Leibniz Institute for Media Research/Hans-Bredow-Institut in Hamburg. Dr Schmidt focused his presentation on the positive aspects of digitisation for democracy and mentioned three arguments in this respect. His first argument was that the internet was increasing access to information on topics of collective interest, making it easier for people to stay informed. There was also a diversity of information on the internet. The second reason mentioned by Mr Schmidt was that the internet was supporting people in formulating their opinions and views. People could, for instance, come together and exchange opinions without actually meeting in person. As examples, he pointed to the comment section on a news page or on social media. The speaker’s third and last reason concerned the internet decreasing the transition costs for coordinated action toward common goals, such as Fridays for Future. (For more details click here ) The second speaker of the seminar was Mr Carl Heath , former special counsel for the Committee “National initiative for media information literacy and democratic dialogue”, appointed by the Swedish government. One of the main conclusions from the committee’s work, according to Mr Heath, was that the democratic dialogue was being challenged by disinformation, online hate, and propaganda. The speaker also pointed out that online hate on social media had become more prevalent. One out of three politicians in Sweden had been subjected to harassment, threats, and violence or had avoided speaking out or getting involved in a particular issue. Four out of ten journalists had at some point refrained from certain topics due to the risk of threats. Mr Heath stated that there was a need for a number of actions to be taken in the field, for example strengthening media and information literacy among young adults and adults, prioritising initiatives against online hate speech, and conducting an analysis on how democracy was affected by global social media platform companies. (For more details click here ) The third and last speaker of the first panel was Mr Jack Werner , journalist and co-founder of Källkritikbyrån (a fact-finding agency). Mr Werner gave a presentation focused on the US election and the dangers of conspiracy theories. One example was QAnon, where the general idea was that Mr Trump was planning to imprison all the powerful, supposedly evil people in the US. Mr Werner also pointed to the fact that people, in a weak democracy, often wanted a strong, simple story with a good guy and a villain. Fact-finding journalism was therefore needed to check facts and present findings in an easily-digested way. (For more details click here ) During the following panel discussion, Mr Christian Juhl , MP, Denmark, made a remark regarding there not being one true idea. As parliamentarians, they all had different ideas about what was their ideal society. In the discussion, Mr Kolbeinn Óttarsson Proppé and Mr Johannes Schraps also participated and gave their views on the issue. Panel II: The Role of Free Media in Combating Fake News, Protection of Media Freedom and the Freedom of Speech The second part of the seminar was moderated by Ms Pernilla Stålhammar , MP, Sweden. Ms Stålhammar introduced the panel by drawing attention to the infodemic taking place in connection with the corona pandemic. The first speaker of the second panel was Professor Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga , former president of Latvia and former Chair of an EU high-level group on media freedom and media pluralism. Ms Vīķe-Freiberga stated that information had played a crucial role in the collapse of the Soviet Union and the independence of the Baltic States. Freedom of information was necessary for a democracy: The more totalitarian a government, the less freedom of speech there was. Professor Vīķe-Freiberga also stated that citizens never could be sure of obtaining a neutral truth, since that depended in many ways on how a story was framed or told. The professor gave an example to show that this was not a new phenomenon as Benjamin Franklin had written a column in his own magazine under the name of an old lady from the countryside. Professor Vīķe-Freiberga argued that even though digitisation had changed the media situation dramatically, the underlying principles remained the same. People needed knowledge and insights to be able to separate what was true from what was false. Mr Erik Halkjaer , journalist and President of the Board of the Swedish section of Reporters without Borders, was the second speaker in this panel. He started his presentation by saying that press freedom was not only a topic in relation to dictatorships. Challenges to press freedom also manifested in democracies. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Reporters without Borders had identified five crises threatening independent journalism and free media: a geopolitical crisis, a democratic crisis, an economic crisis, a technological crisis, and a trust crisis. All of these had worsened during the pandemic. The next press freedom index which would be published in April would show a darker map than in the past year. Mr Halkjaer pointed to Europe as the region in the world where press freedom was currently shrinking the most. He mentioned some countries in terms of their current development and their ranking in the press freedom index. He underlined the necessity to discuss misinformation, disinformation, censorship, and propaganda. Mr Halkjaer urged the politicians to stand up for media freedom, independent journalism, and transparent digital platforms. The last speaker was Ms Anna-Karin Johansson , Secretary-General at the Swedish National Commission for UNESCO. Ms Johansson highlighted the importance of information exchange and education. Among other things, UNESCO offered training programmes for media professionals in developing countries. In her presentation, she also pointed to the positive response from the civil society and international organisations such as the Council of Europe, which was and had been pushing this issue onto the agenda. Ms Johansson continued by saying that education was vital in combating disinformation. Citizens needed to be well-informed to be able to participate in decision-making. She also raised the question of finding financial models to secure independent media. In the following panel discussion, Ms Cecilie Tenfjord-Toftby , MP, Sweden, considered what disinformation was and what it was not and who could make that decision. Mr Johannes Schraps agreed with Professor Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga on the issue of a socially agreed-upon reality and the importance of media pluralism. Mr Kolbeinn Óttarsson Proppé also made a remark regarding state funding for media and the difficulties of ensuring media independence at the same time. Closing The Vice Chair of the Swedish Delegation, Ms Cecilie Tenfjord-Toftby , closed the seminar by thanking all of the speakers and the participants. She concluded that several interesting perspectives had been raised which the BSPC could incorporate into their upcoming work at the annual conference and in regard to the next resolution.

After a first joint meeting 2019 in Istanbul, the Standing Committees of the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC) and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC) held a second meeting on the topics of ‘Democracy and the COVID-19 Pandemic’ as well as ‘Safeguarding Our Seas’; ‘Climate Change and Biodiversity’ in a digital format. The meeting was attended by more than 60 participants from the PABSEC and the BSPC as well as the Minister for Foreign Affairs from Sweden and experts from scientific organizations. Delegations from the Åland Islands, the Baltic Assembly, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, the German Bundestag, Hamburg, Kaliningrad, Karelia, Latvia, Lithuania, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the Nordic Council, Norway, Poland, the Russian Federation, Schleswig-Holstein and Sweden as well as from Azerbaijan, Georgia, Greece, Romania and Turkey participated. Opening BSPC President Pyri Niemi and PABSEC Vice-President and Head of the PABSEC Azerbaijani Delegation, Eldar Guliyev , addressed the participants at the opening. Pyry Niemi underlined the crucial necessity to continue constructive dialogue and close cooperation especially in difficult times. He expressed his regret that due to the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and the strict global travel restrictions, the second joint meeting of both parliamentary organisations could not be hosted by the BSPC in Stockholm, as planned. Regarding the topic of the joint meeting, he pointed out that for the 27 parliaments and parliamentary organisations of the BSPC, it was of vital importance to make every effort to ensure peaceful and close neighbourliness as well as close cooperation based on democratic values, the rule of law, human rights, and equal opportunities for all. To this end, the BSPC would continue to pursue all the opportunities offered by parliamentary, governmental, and social exchange as well as fostering democratic dialogue among neighbours. Eldar Guliyev pointed out that although both regions are separate and located rather far from each other, they shared many common problems that called for joint forces. The Black Sea as well as the Baltic Sea were important locations for energy projects and also several nations and cultures were located in the region of both seas. The speaker appreciated the cooperation and energy brought by the delegates to the current meeting and expressed his hope for fruitful cooperation in the future. He mentioned the first joint meeting in Istanbul during which many questions had been raised. The situation had changed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and the existing problems had become even more urgent. The PABSEC had previously discussed all the current features and questions regarding the pandemic. For the Black Sea Economy Committee, a decision had been made that they needed to adapt to the existing circumstances of the pandemic to keep up functioning and parliamentary control. To mitigate the economic effects of the pandemic, joint forces were necessary. Therefore, the Committee had been coordinating their actions at all levels, especially on the parliamentary level. Mr Guliyev emphasised that solidarity, also in international terms, was particularly important. He called for cooperation especially in the area of the economy in order to mitigate the negative effects. He also turned to the issue of climate change, biodiversity, and how the environmental status of both seas could be protected. He admitted that PABSEC had encountered a vast number of different problems and called for strong measures to address climate change and to slow down the extinction of biodiversity on the global scale. Mr Guliyev added that society had to be part of the constructive dialogue. The Black Sea economic community had to be aware that it was especially important to stop the pollution of the sea. In conclusion, the PABSEC Vice-President referred back to the Memorandum of Understanding signed by both organisations as a strong base for strengthening and deepening cooperation between the PABSEC and the BSPC. Session on ‘Democracy and the COVID-19 Pandemic’ During the first session on ‘Democracy and the COVID-19 Pandemic’, chaired by BSPC President Pyri Niemi, Ms Ann Linde, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden, and Mr Cemal Ozturk, Head of the PABSEC Turkish Delegation, addressed both Standing Committees. Ms Ann Linde, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden, highlighted the importance of regional cooperation at the parliamentary and also the governmental level. The Minister pointed out that the CBSS was a good example of the added value of regional collaboration. The COVID-19 pandemic had shown how vulnerable and interlinked their societies were, making cross-border cooperation even more necessary. For Ms Linde, people-to-people cooperation, not least between young people in their region, was the backbone of this cooperation. It bound them all together, serving as a platform for building long-term relationships. Therefore, she welcomed the recent launch of the Baltic Sea Youth Platform as a valuable contribution to this end. Furthermore, she referred to the consequences the pandemic had had on health, humanitarian, developmental, and economic issues. In real terms, the pandemic had had a major impact on the poorest countries and particularly on discriminated and marginalised individuals. Half a billion people were at risk of being thrown back into poverty because of the pandemic. The Minister stressed the fact that the pandemic had had a noticeably clear and negative effect on human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. Restrictions imposed to limit the spread of the corona virus had in many instances been fully in line with international law, but others had been more extensive, and it was vital to continue following this issue closely so that these limitations to human rights and democracy did not become permanent fixtures in some states. It took time, Ms Linde underlined, sometimes generations, to build up stable and impartial democratic institutions, but they could be dismantled very quickly. She stressed that during the pandemic, the working environment for civil society organisations and human rights defenders had deteriorated with limited democratic space, and independent media was at risk in many places. More than 40 countries had introduced restrictions to freedom of expression, and close to 150 governments had introduced illegitimate limits to the freedom of association and assembly. As an effort to provide a counter-narrative to the democratic backsliding, the Minister continued, the Swedish government had set itself the goal to promote and strengthen democracy, in particular the aspects of sustainable democracy, equality, participation, sustainable development, inclusive growth, governance, human rights, and security. Their ambition was to engage a broad range of actors and to stimulate the debate on the state of democracy these days as well as what had to be done collectively to keep it a strong force for tomorrow. Sweden had particularly focused on supporting civil society actors, human rights defenders, and trade union leaders as they had a central role in upholding democracy and holding governments to account. The response to the pandemic had to be based on human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. Only this way, confidence and trust in societies could be ensured, to make the response to this pandemic sustainable in the long run. Ensuring a gender perspective in the response was central. Women and girls had been much more exposed than men during the pandemic. Ms Linde also highlighted that the freedom of the media and independent journalists was under threat. Journalists and media workers had to be able to do their jobs, both online and offline – informing the public and holding the leaders to account. A free and healthy independent media was also the best way to come to terms with the surge of disinformation which they had seen during the pandemic. But it was important that the various participants also started looking beyond the pandemic. They had to act against and formulate a strong counter-narrative to democratic backsliding. It was known that authoritarianism was not the answer to today’s challenges. The Swedish side was as convinced on this day as ever that democracy was the best form of governance for stability and development. Political parties were the essential building blocks of a well-functioning democracy, Minister Linde went on. A pluralistic political system enabled everyone to make their voices heard and gave them the opportunity to influence society and to demand accountability. The participation of women was crucial. Democratic societies were demanding continuous work. As Ms Linde had said before, history had shown that it took time – sometimes generations – to build strong and stable democratic institutions and societies, but they could be dismantled quickly if people did not pay attention or took them for granted. Mr Cemal Öztürk , Head of the PABSEC Turkish Delegation, presented examples of violations of the fundamental rights of citizens during the pandemic in many countries under the slogan of saving national health, and he explained how different strategies had been adopted by the Turkish authorities. The speaker indicated that the fear of an epidemic today was on a global scale, thus strengthening the hand of the existing powers. Once this fear had been released into society, security policies could be implemented without any objections. Tracking systems such as face-scanning systems, loaded onto mobile phones, were open to abuse by authoritarian governments and elites, even though they could be useful in dealing with safety issues. To eliminate the ambiguity in question and for the democratic process to work, it had to be accomplished in cooperation with domestic associations, NGOs, and other parties, and most importantly, through the hand of parliaments, using a supervisory mechanism. At this point, Mr Öztürk gave the example of Hungary in which the Hungarian Prime Minister’s use of the powers of parliament itself had made the parliament dysfunctional. He added the most drastic example of South Africa where harsh policies had created an environment of martial law that would lead to those opposing the quarantine rules being shot by the police and army. In many countries, elections were delayed or cancelled by arbitrary decisions. Authoritarian regimes saw the epidemic as an opportunity, restricting freedoms and causing concern for the future of democracy. Numerical studies on this issue revealed the state of decline, especially in EU member Balkan countries and Latin American democracies. According to the findings of another study by ‘Freedom House’, the crisis of democracy caused by the epidemic had worsened the situation of democracy and human rights in 128 countries. Mr Öztürk stated that in this context, parliamentarians should monitor the balance of power, stick to the principle of transparency, listen to the wishes of their voters, apply policies that would include different segments of society, and exercise control over the government. Regarding the situation in Turkey, the speaker admitted that his country had not declared a state of emergency to combat the COVID-19 pandemic but had chosen to continue its efforts to combat this pandemic by taking the necessary measures in accordance with the legal framework. Turkey had adopted human rights-oriented policies in determining measures to respond to the pandemic. The parliament had effectively carried out its activities and taken an approach that embraced all segments of society without discriminating against refugees and vulnerable groups. Other members of parliaments from the BSPC and the PABSEC also presented the pandemic situation in their countries and exchanged their experience of parliamentary work during the pandemic. Among the speakers were Mr Pyry Niemi for Sweden, Mr Christian Juhl from Denmark, Ms Valentina Pivnenko , Russian Duma, Mr Wille Valve from the Åland Islands, Mr Jarosław Wałęsa , Poland, Mr Johannes Schraps , German Bundestag, and Mr E. Shandalovich , Karelia. The speakers reported on the current situation in their countries, stressed that the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic had shown that in times of crisis, when coordination was particularly important, the role of parliament was more important than ever in adopting the necessary laws, allocating resources, and carefully analysing the situation. (These contributions will be published in detail separately in a compilation of statements on the current situation of the COVID-19 pandemic.) Session on ‘Safeguarding Our Seas’; ‘Climate Change and Biodiversity’ Within the framework of the second session on ‘Safeguarding Our Seas’; ‘Climate Change and Biodiversity’, chaired by Mr Simeon Kedikoglu, PABSEC Vice-President, Head of the PABSEC Hellenic Delegation, presentations were made by Ms Irina Makarenko , representative of the Permanent Secretariat of the Commission on the Protection of the Black Sea Against Pollution, Prof Christoph Humborg, Scientific Director of the Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre, and Ms Cecilie Tenfjord-Toftby , Chair of the BSPC Working Group on Climate Change and Biodiversity. Mr Simeon Kedikoglu in his introductory speech pointed out that the degradation and pollution of the environment and of the marine environment was so vast that it called for urgent concerted actions. The issue of the preservation of the marine environment of the Black Sea region among other ecological aspects had come to the forefront due to the role of the region in the global economy, firstly by being the main transport and energy hub of the Eurasian continent. The speaker explained that the marine territories of the wider Black Sea region were divided into three main basins, which were the waters of the Black and Azov Seas, the Caspian Sea and the Mediterranean Sea (Eastern Mediterranean). These three sea basins had common features in terms of environmental issues, while at the same time – as a result of the latest economic processes in the region -, they were all closely interrelated to each other. He continued by saying that the geography of the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea brought additional environmental risks: Both those seas were landlocked or had very narrow connection with the oceans. Despite a more advantageous location, the Mediterranean Sea was also considered comparatively landlocked with a narrow connection with the Atlantic Ocean. Those geographical conditions were contributing to a particularly difficult situation in the region, with severe environmental degradation of the regional seas starting in the early 1990s along with the initiation of the economic restructure in the countries of the Black Sea. Mr Kedikoglu said the basic critical factors affecting the marine environment of the region included: extensive use of land and water for agriculture, forests for the paper industry, pulp and construction, rivers for navigation, coastal resources for commercial fishing and tourism, and continued demands for oil and gas extraction. The speaker also mentioned the inflow of large quantities of nutrients from the major rivers resulting in overfertilisation of the seas, the increased intensity of phytoplankton, the introduction, through vessels navigating in the Black Sea, of alien species, including dangerous ones, and finally climate change. The Vice President of the PABSEC highlighted the importance of regional and interregional cooperation and the full implementation of existing regional mechanisms towards improving the effectiveness of environmental cooperation. He confirmed the PABSEC’s member countries’ willingness to achieve sustainable development based on a balanced relationship between social, economic, and environmental activities. The assembly he was representing acknowledged the need for close cooperation among the BSEC member states based on a regional approach in a coordinated manner for the protection of the marine environment, as the maritime aspect played a significant role for all the countries of the region in terms of trade and economic relations. The PABSEC, like the BSPC, through their many recommendations that had been adopted, was calling on the parliaments and the governments of the BSEC member states: to improve the environmental monitoring system essential for a regional assessment of the state of marine environment as well as for the establishment of further actions and measures to rehabilitate the damaged marine environment and to evaluate the risks; to integrate marine environmental concerns into economic sector strategies in line with the principles of sustainable development and to apply economic and financial instruments as incentives for the protection of the marine environment; to strengthen the system of hazardous waste management, recycling of industrial waste and trans-boundary waste movement in the marine environment; to promote the application of innovative, environmentally friendly and resource-saving technologies in the marine environment; to regularly exchange information on the new developments in the legislation concerning the marine environment and the progress towards protecting the marine environment in accordance with international standards and agreements; to ensure the practical implementation of the existing national laws and regulations, including international agreements, which are the essential part of national legislation; to enhance cooperation with international organizations, especially with UN bodies and European institutions; to support the activities of the non-governmental sector with their broad engagement in the protection of marine environment raising public awareness on the issues and challenges faced by the regional marine environment; to establish an integrated coordination centre for maritime search and rescue activities (SAR) and on the fight against oil spills and pollution. Mr Kedikoglu emphasised that any opportunity to enhance cooperation among both assemblies and exchange views on a topic requiring urgent action was truly valuable. He called for developing deeper cooperation and coordinating policy among the BSPC, the PABSEC and national parliaments to further elaborate shaping a global governance for managing and using the world’s oceans and their resources in ways that keep our seas healthy, productive, safe, and resilient. Ms Irina Makarenko updated the meeting participants on relevant activities of the Commission on the Protection of the Black Sea Against Pollution, with some references to the COVID-19 pandemic, and highlighted issues on collaboration with the Baltic Sea. She mentioned that the Convention on the Protection of the Black Sea against Pollution (also referred to as the ‘Bucharest Convention’) had been signed in Bucharest in April 1992 and ratified by all six legislative assemblies of the Black Sea countries at the beginning of 1994 and that it was the basic legal framework for regional cooperation to protect the coastal and marine environment. It consisted of four thematic protocols dealing with pollution from land-based sources , dumping oil and other harmful substances, and the protocol on biodiversity and landscape conservation. Ms Makarenko indicated that the main working document for the Permanent Secretariat was the Strategic Action Plan (SAP) on the Protection and Rehabilitation of the Black Sea – adopted in 1996 and amended in 2009. She also referred to the intensive mutual observer relations with international and public organisations among which were the UN Environment, the EU, and the PABSEC. Ms Makarenko included among the considerable achievements of the Committee’s work the elaboration and adoption of the short format of reporting based on indicators agreed by consensus and compatible with global approach to indicators; the text of the Black Sea Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Program – for the years 2017-2022, drafted within the EU Maritime Strategy Framework Directive project where main approaches were harmonised -; and the First Report on the Implementation of the Black Sea Action Plan, the ‘State of the Black Sea Environment’ Report. Regarding cooperation with other regions, she highlighted a fruitful cooperation with the Danube Sturgeon Task Force on cooperation to implement the program for sturgeon revival in the Danube region and the Black Sea region, also holding a seat as a BONUS Project Advisory Board member, and creating remarkably close – although informal so far – cooperation with the HELCOM Secretariat. The speaker particularly distinguished cooperation with the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP) Secretariat. Since December 2016, the UNEP/MAP Secretariat had been supporting several activities under the EU-funded Marine Litter MED project to strengthen bilateral collaboration in the field of marine litter management. Ms Makarenko hoped for similar bilateral cooperation with the Baltic Sea region organisations. Professor Christoph Humborg discussed the question whether the Baltic Sea ecosystem was just a victim of climate change or if it could be part of the solution. Professor Humborg referred to the IPCC intergovernmental panel on climate change report, ‘The Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate’, accepted by the IPCC in September 2019, which underlined that due to climate change, the ocean would be higher, warmer, more acidic, see heat waves, hold less oxygen, be less productive and less predictable. Another report he recommended to be read by the delegates was ‘The global assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem services’ by the IPBES. Both reports featured a summary targeted specifically at policy makers. Regarding the situation in the Baltic Sea, the speaker explained that the Baltic was a unique sea. The water exchange there took 30 years while only three months in the North Sea. Therefore, nutrients and contaminants had a huge effect on the ecosystem of the Baltic Sea. Another factor mentioned by the expert was the low salinity of the Baltic Sea in comparison to the open ocean. That meant that species in the Baltic Sea could hardly survive in those difficult conditions and, consequently, were sensitive and susceptible to nutrification and climate change. Another challenge listed by the expert was the eutrophication that led to algal blooms and dead organic material at the bottom. That material was converted to methane, a powerful greenhouse gas with a 100-year global warming potential 25 times that of CO 2 . Measured over a 20-year period, methane was 84 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than CO 2 . In the second part of his presentation, Prof Humborg spoke about possible ways to improve the situation. First, the efforts to protect coastal areas had to continue. At this point, he mentioned a success story: the reduction of nitrogen and phosphorus contaminates in the Baltic Sea due to common action in the framework of the HELCOM Baltic Action Plan. Another possible remedy against existing threats might be keeping the nutrification low and restoring carbon-rich ecosystems consisting of seaweeds and other organisms to build resilience. In his final message, Prof Humborg underlined that a healthy coastal sea was critical to achieving global targets to limit climate change. Ms Cecilie Tenfjord-Toftby shortly briefed the participants on the activities of the newly formed BSPC Working Group on Climate Change and Biodiversity. The Working Group had held its first meeting on 16 November. Invited to the meeting had been several experts who had given the Working Group valuable information regarding different aspects of climate change and biodiversity but also examples of best practices. The WG members had been informed about the outcome from two recent conferences of fundamental importance: the ‘Our Baltic’ conference on 28 September and the UN Biodiversity Summit on 30 September. Ms Tenfjord-Toftby pointed out that the theme of the Biodiversity Summit, which had gathered heads of state and government, had been an ‘Urgent Action on Biodiversity for Sustainable Development’ – to highlight the action at the highest levels in support of the development of the CBD post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. A good practice example presented by the speaker was the project ElectriVillage implemented by the Mariestad Municipality. She explained how this was an excellent example of how local communities, in the most practical sense, could take actions to live up to the climate goals of the Agenda 2030. ElectriVillage was an ambitious project aiming to produce solar-powered hydrogen as an environmentally friendly fuel. The project clearly showed that even a small municipality could decide to make large investments to take responsibility and contribute to a sustainable society. Another topic discussed at the first BSPC WG CCB meeting and reported to the joint meeting participants was the scientific research on climate change. The warming of the planet was an indisputable fact. There was currently no scientific explanation for the observed global warming that did not consider the increased greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere. In the current situation, the Paris Agreement and its central aim to limit global warming to well below 2 °C was of the utmost importance, and it was necessary for the agreement to be fully implemented by all nations. Conclusions In the concluding part of the meeting addresses, were made by Mr Constantin-Catalin Zamfira (Romania), Chairman of the PABSEC Economic, Commercial, Technological and Environmental Affairs Committee, and Mr Pyri Niemi (Sweden), President of the BSPC. Mr Zamfira reiterated that in the difficult times of the pandemic, it was necessary to unify efforts and to strengthen the cooperation and the fruitful relations between both organisations. The COVID-19 pandemic had substantially affected global progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, which had already been uneven, with growing inequality, rapid climate change, and economic hardship on the rise. The pandemic – with its triple effect on health, education, and income – was threatening to bring about a decline in fundamental areas of human development in all parts of the planet. The response of the states in fighting the virus had been to close their borders and impose restrictions on movement in order to stop the spread of the virus. He allowed that the worldwide lockdown had certainly helped fight the virus and save lives, but it had also triggered a global recession, much worse than during the 2008-2009 global financial crisis. The economic downturn from the pandemic had been estimated to be the deepest experienced by our societies since World War II. The speaker nevertheless noted that the pandemic had made people aware of their common destiny, highlighting the need for cooperation between nations and regions on a global scale and the need for practical solidarity. That challenge could be a driving force to review the priorities at the global level in relation to the problems that humanity was facing, such as climate change, biodiversity, and environmental protection. Mr Zamfira referred to the main problems facing the Black Sea region such as the degradation and pollution of the environment and the Black Sea itself. He underlined the efforts of the assembly to implement urgent concentrated action. Concluding his speech Mr Zamfira expressed his gratitude to all participants for their contribution to the successful organisation and completion of the meeting. He expressed his strong belief that strong cooperation between the PABSEC and the BSPC would further continue to be fruitful, constructive, and full of success. BSPC President Pyry Niemi thanked all participants for making the exchange possible and for enabling the cooperation between the BSPC and the PABSEC to continue and deepen, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. He emphasised that only through such meetings, the parliamentary dimension of international cooperation could be maintained and made visible. He hoped a live meeting in Stockholm would be implemented at the end of May 2021. Downloads: Presentation Christoph Humborg Speech Ann Linde Presentation Iryna Makarenko

On 24 August 2020, with the unanimous adoption of the 29 th resolution, the BSPC has established a Working Group on Climate Change and Biodiversity (CCB) for the next two years. The CCB Working Group held its first meeting on 16 November 2020. More than 50 participants – mainly delegations from the Åland Islands, the Baltic Assembly, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, the German Bundestag, Hamburg, Iceland, Kaliningrad, Latvia, Lithuania, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the Nordic Council, Norway, Poland, the Russian Federation, Schleswig-Holstein and Sweden – participated. The meeting was chaired by Cecilie Tenfjord-Toftby, MP Sweden, Chairwoman of the WG. WG Chairwoman Cecilie Tenfjord-Toftby pointed out that the task of the WG, based on the resolution of the BSPC, was to submit the first report at the 30 th BSPC Conference – with a particular focus on the need for joint and cross-border cooperation. She expressed her regret that, due to a pandemic, the meeting – originally planned in Stockholm with visits in appropriate facilities – had had to be moved to digital space. Ms Tenfjord-Toftby also noted that the report would concentrate on enhanced solutions to preserve the biodiversity inherent to the entire Baltic Sea region and to mitigate the effects of climate change with particular emphasis on the state of policies and strategies concerning climate change and biodiversity in the Baltic Sea region. Ms Tenfjord-Toftby listed as further areas of particular interest for the WG: best practices in addressing the interlinked challenges of biodiversity and climate change with a specific focus on the Baltic Sea; innovations and measures to tackle climate change and preserve biodiversity; climate change adaptation and challenges for science, technology and the economy as well as, last but not least, ensuring efficient and environment-friendly transport and energy supply solutions. The Chairwoman emphasised that the working group would concentrate its attention on the environmental side of climate change and biodiversity as well as on innovation, technology and further economic aspects. Expert presentations Jan Terstad, the Deputy Director General in the Swedish Ministry of the Environment, responsible for the Division for Natural Environment, informed the WG members about the outcome of two recent conferences of particular importance: the “Our Baltic” Conference on 28 September 2020 and the UN Biodiversity Summit on 30 September 2020. Mr Terstad noted that the “Our Baltic” conference had been initiated by the European Commission and Lithuania, gathering ministers, decision makers, scientists and stakeholders from NGOs and industry in the region and across the EU to discuss the challenges faced by the Baltic Sea. In line with the EU Biodiversity Strategy and the Zero Pollution ambition announced in the European Green Deal, the Conference had focused on how to reduce the pressure from fisheries and the input of pollutants, litter and contaminants, including pharmaceuticals. It aimed to improve intersectoral management, e.g. fisheries, agriculture and environment, to boost commitment to the existing goals for the area in EU legislation. The speaker emphasised that the event had combined a high-level ministerial session with stakeholder discussions. Ministers for Environment, Agriculture and Fisheries from eight EU Member States in the region (Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Sweden) had signed a Ministerial Declaration at the Conference. With regard to the United Nations Summit on Biodiversity, which had taken placeon the margins of the opening of the 75 th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, Mr Terstad underlined the presence of numerous heads of state and government which he saw as a positive sign of a strong commitment to start urgent action at the highest levels. Said action would support a post-2020 global biodiversity framework contributing to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The speaker reported that the summit had consisted of an opening segment, a plenary segment for general discussion, two leaders’ dialogues on “Addressing biodiversity loss and mainstreaming biodiversity for sustainable development” and “Harnessing science, technology and innovation, capacity building, access and benefit-sharing, financing and partnerships for biodiversity”, and a brief closing segment. As an initiative of H.E. Mr Volkan Bozkir, President of the General Assembly, the summit had provided an online platform “Voices for Nature”, featuring statements, messages and commitments from a wider range of stakeholders. Mr Terstad shared his hope that the initiatives and commitments heard at the summit would help to lay the foundation for COP-15 in Kunming and that the preparations would not be delayed. Professor Christoph Humborg , Scientific Director of the Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre , gave a speech on the theme: Is the Baltic Sea ecosystem just a victim to climate change or can it be part of the solution? Professor Humborg referred to the report by the IPCC – the intergovernmental panel on climate change – “The Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate”, accepted by the IPCC in September 2019, according to which climate change would lead to oceans becoming higher, warmer, more acidic, seeing heat waves, holding less oxygen and being less productive, less predictable. Another report he recommended the delegates to read was the IPBES publication ”The global assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystems services”. Both reports featured a summary targeted specifically at policy makers. Regarding the situation in the Baltic Sea, the speaker explained that the Baltic was unique. The water exchange took 30 years compared to only 3 months in the North Sea. Therefore, nutrients and contaminants had a huge effect on the ecosystem of the Baltic Sea. Another factor mentioned by the expert was the low salinity of the Baltic compared with the open ocean. That meant that species in the Baltic Sea found it tough to survive those difficult conditions and, consequently, were sensitive and susceptible to nutrification and climate change. Another challenge listed by Prof Humborg was the eutrophication leading to algal blooms and dead organic material gathering at the bottom of the sea. That material had been converted to methane, a powerful greenhouse gas with a 100-year global warming potential 25 times that of CO 2 . Measured over a 20-year period, methane was 84 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than CO 2 . In the second part of his presentation, Prof Humborg spoke about possible ways to improve the situation. First, the efforts to protect coastal area must continue. At this point, he mentioned a success story: the reduction of nitrogen and phosphorus contaminates in the Baltic Sea due to common action in the framework of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan. Another possible remedy against existing threats may be keeping the nutrification low and restoring carbon rich ecosystems, such as see weeds and other organisms, to build resilience. The final message of Prof Humborg was that a healthy coastal sea was critical to achieving global targets to limit climate change. Susanné Wallner , Development Strategist from the Mariestad Municipality , talked about ElectriVillage – a test and demonstration platform for sustainable development in a biosphere reserve. Ms Wallner stated that ElectriVillage was unique not only because it had been designated a model area of sustainability by the UNESCO but also because there was currently no other model area in the world exhibiting a combination of sustainable transport solutions and energy systems such as ElectriVillage. She added that, through ElectriVillage, Mariestad’s municipality was working to meet climate goals such as the Paris Agreement and the Agenda 2030 with a fossil-independent vehicle fleet. Different types of tests had been carried out in Mariestad’s open street environment and in the daily operations of the municipal operations rather than in fenced-off areas or in laboratories. All test activities in ElectriVillage were based on the needs and conditions of a small or medium-sized city, but they could be scaled up and fitted into a larger municipality. The speaker described briefly test operations performed in several different areas, e.g. renewable energy systems, sustainable transport, logistics and purchasing as well as business development of the area of ​​sustainability. She emphasised that commitment by all parts of society was needed to reach such ambitious goals and expressed her personal satisfaction with living in a region of continuous development. Professor Michael Tjernström, representing the Department of Meteorology at the Bolin Centre for Climate Research at Stockholm University , briefed the Standing Committee on the core question: “What does global climate change mean for the Baltic Sea area, and is there anything that can be done?” The expert cited data showing that the climate was warming up. He stated that between 1960 and 1990, the global temperature had increased by 1 degree centigrade. He admitted that in individual years, the temperatures might even be well below or above the multi-annual average. However, this proved the unpredictability and chaos of change, while the trend was clearly pointing upwards. The expert conceded that one degree of increased temperature might seem small, but looking at climate change over thousands of years, the current rise in temperature was something completely unprecedented. Scientists were now able to investigate climate change over a period of 5 million years based on sediment cores. Professor Tjernström continued by saying that global warming was not evenly distributed across the globe – the further north or south one went, the faster the temperatures would rise. The Arctic was the fastest-heating region, and that was also the situation with the north and south areas of the Baltic Sea region. What had been observed was a temperature rise of 2 °C since 1860 and 1.5 °C since the early 1960s. The expert mentioned another variable considered by scientists, namely the extent of sea ice. Here, too, there had been a decrease in the area covered by sea ice since 1979. This phenomenon was proceeding faster in the Arctic than in the Baltic Sea Region, and it would have a significant impact on the latter. The ice mass in Greenland and the Antarctic was also decreasing: The professor explained that 300 giga tons were being lost every year. This would clearly have an impact on rising sea levels and oceans. While a rise by 3.3 mm seemed to be a small number, during extreme conditions, such as powerful storms, a local sea level rise would be extremely dangerous. Professor Tjernströmpointed out that the climate change models being developed on the ground were showing that there was no scientific explanation for the changes observed, without recognising the impact of increased emissions of greenhouse gases. The expert’s view of the future was not overly optimistic. If the temperature rise was not stabilised at between three and six degrees centigrade, the Arctic ice would disappear around 2050 or earlier, and the sea level could rise by one metre. The rise in temperature would reduce snowfall during the winter and increase evaporation during the summer, thus causing water supply problems. The speaker stressed that only global action could succeed in halting global warming, and at present, this was really the last call to prevent a disaster. After the experts’ presentations, the CCB Working Group discussed the aims and ways of their work, reconfirmed their Mandate, adopted the Draft Scope of Work and approved Ms Liz Mattsson, MP, Åland Islands, as well as Mr Kolbeinn Óttarsson Proppé, MP Iceland, as Vice-Chairs of the BSPC WG CCB. WG Chairwoman CecilieTenfjord-Toftby emphasised at the closingof the meeting that her goal as the Chair of the Working Group was not just to prepare a report, even though it would contain very interesting content but also to ensure that, through the parliaments, progress would be achieved on this issue, further action would be taken by the governments and political recommendations would be pushed forward to be implemented. The next meeting of the BSPC Working Group CCB will take place in digital form on 15 March 2021. Downloads: Presentation: Jan Terstad Presentation: ElectriVillage Presentation: Christoph Humborg Presentation: Michael Tjernström

The highest Executive Committee of the BSPC, led by the new President of the BSPC, Pyry Niemi, held its first meeting under the Swedish Presidency online. Nearly 60 participants – mainly delegations from the Åland Islands, the Baltic Assembly, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, the German Bundestag, Hamburg, Iceland, Kaliningrad, Latvia, Lithuania, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the Nordic Council, Norway, Poland, the Russian Federation, St. Petersburg, Schleswig-Holstein and Sweden – attended the meeting. Introduction and Expert Presentations BSPC President Pyry Niemi, in his welcoming speech, expressed his determination to maintain and intensify the parliamentary dimension of international cooperation in the Baltic Sea region, despite the difficult times caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The President clearly indicated that the current Swedish Presidency would focus in the BSPC on sustainable democracy and how to face common challenges in a changing world. The reason for choosing that priority was not only to emphasise the Swedish Parliament’s celebration of 100 years of democracy but most of all to highlight the urgent need to address the preservation of livelihoods and the fundamental issues of democratic coexistence. In that regard, MrNiemi introduced the experts who presented their views on various aspects of cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region. Mr Nils Gustafsson , senior lecturer at Lund University, spoke about new forms of political participation, youth engagement as well as challenges and opportunities for democracy. In his report, he questioned popular beliefs concerning the low youth interest in politics. His research indicated that young people did care but engaged in different forms of participation other than the traditional modes, e.g. more in city movements than political parties. The expert pointed out that the opportunity for democracy was to embrace more flexible and easier ways for citizens to engage with politics and to address the challenge – to include and respect new forms of engagements and organisation without falling for Twitter storms and influence campaigns. Prof Žaneta Ozoliņa , University of Latvia, and Dr Tobias Etzold, lecturer in European Sciences at the University of Trondheim, presented the results of the Reflection Paper on the Vilnius 1 Declaration of 2010 as well as goals, visions and challenges for peaceful and intense cooperation in the Baltic Sea region. Prof Žaneta Ozoliņa indicated that the analysis of the twelve Vilnius visionary statements showed convincing progress in many areas such as the economic situation, people-to-people contacts and the energy sector but also some areas for improvement. For instance, she noted that public-private partnership had not been utilized so far; in the area of integrated maritime policy, a sustainable blue economy and interconnected transport networks had been developed but the activities of the various actors were not always coherent; gaps still existed in socio-economic and public health-related developments between groups of countries in the region; labour markets in the BSR proved to be stable with a low level of unemployment, but the spread of the pandemic would leave its impact. Dr Tobias Etzold referred to the chapter Democracy, Civil Society and Youth of the Declaration, reporting that over the past 10 years, the social tolerance score had increased in several BSR countries, but a divide remained between groups of countries. Across the region, a greater polarisation and a decrease of tolerance to differing opinions could be observed; therefore, more needed to be done to promote tolerance and open-mindedness across the region by bringing people together on various levels. According to the conclusions presented byMr Etzold,significant shortcomings required a more coherent framework for continued strong cooperative efforts and actions in all policy areas, while more flexibility and responsiveness should be developed by regional institutions,with the aim of decreasing existing gapsbetween countries and groups of countries. Progress report from the Council of the Baltic Sea States during the Lithuanian Presidency with a particular focus on youth cooperation The progress report from the Council of the Baltic Sea States during the Lithuanian presidency was presented by Ambassador Kornelija Jurgaitiene , Chair of the Committee of Senior Officials of the Council of the Baltic Sea States, Lithuania, and Ambassador Grzegorz Marek Poznański , Director General of the CBSS Secretariat. Ambassador Kornelija Jurgaitiene reminded the meeting that on 1 July 2020, Lithuania had taken over the CBSS Presidency from Denmark. The outcomes of the Danish Presidency had been discussed on 19 May 2020 in a virtual Ministerial meeting of the Council of the Baltic Sea States, chaired by the Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Jeppe Kofod. The Ambassador listed the priorities of the Lithuanian presidency such as sustainable development, especially in the field of developing green industry; green and maritime tourism; strengthening resilience in the region against major emergencies and disasters; the fight against human trafficking for labour exploitation in the region as well as the prevention of violence against children. Ms Jurgaitiene informed the delegates that,on the basis of the assessment of the achievement of the region and an evaluation of the CBSS’ role in fulfilling the Vilnius Declaration’s goals, the Presidency would begin work on the new Vilnius Declaration offering “A Vision of the Baltic Sea Region until 2030”. Ambassador Jurgaitieneconcluded her speech by calling for solidarity with the young people protesting in Belarus. Ambassador Grzegorz Marek Poznański drew the attention of the BSPC Standing Committee to the issue of regional identity or rather the alleged regional identity crises. The speaker expressed his opinion that the profound indicator of such an identity could be a cooperative attitude reflected in the strong and dense network of Baltic organisations at the parliamentarian, governmental, regional, subregional, municipal and non-governmental levels. Mr Poznański gave several examples of the CBSS involvement in COVID-19-connected activities: The Children at Risk unit was dealing with mental health and violence among children during the pandemic. The Task Force against Trafficking in Human Beings was monitoring forced labour which had worsened during the pandemic. Then, Mr Poznanski introduced the next speakers from the CBSS secretariat by saying that the young people and their involvement in both the decision-making process and the activities of the BSR were at the core of the CBSS’s political activities. Dr Kaarina Williams and Ms Aline Mayr provided information on youth cooperation and the Baltic Sea Youth Platform. Dr Kaarina Williams reflected on examples of cooperation between the CBSS and the BSPC on youth issues, highlighting a fruitful Youth Forum and joint meeting with the BSPC Working Group on Migration and Integration in May 2019 as well as a panel discussion in the framework of the Youth Dialog in October 2019 with Mr Johannes Schraps as a panellist. Ms Aline Mayr described the aims, structure and activities of the Baltic Sea Youth Platform. She underlined that the project had been financed by the Erasmus plus programme and that the setting of the platform had been a joint effort of several BSR organisations. Ms Mayr reported that the focus of the BSYP was to integrate youth organisations from all levels: local, regional, national and macroregional to improve the political impact of youth on Baltic Sea policymaking, develop tools for better knowledge transfer and to facilitate various innovative projects relying on the interests and capacities of youth in a broad range of policy areas. Since establishing the platform, its members had been highly active, discussing and creating ideas in six working groups and contributing to strengthening Baltic identity. Following the presentations, the delegates discussed questions, comments and statements on the issues raised in the presentations. The Digital 29 th BSPC BSPC President Pyry Niemi in his summary of the 29 th BSPC conference expressed his regret that the delegates could not meet in the beautiful city of Vilnius due to the pandemic situation. He emphasised that thanks to the efforts of Valerijus Simulik and Renata Godfrey, the high-level political representatives of Lithuania had also taken part in this format of the conference, the BSPC delegations had contributed to the content of the conference through speakers of their countries, and the BSPC rapporteurs had been very active. Mr Niemi underlined that the goals had been achieved with regard to the content of the conference. There had been no perceptible difference between the results of the digital 29 th conference and other BSPC Annual Conferences. BSPC Working Groups BSPC President Pyry Niemi thanked all who had been committedly involved in the final report of the Working Group on Migration and Integration and noted that the topic of the working group, “Migration and Integration”, had been intensively addressed during the 3 rd session of the 29 th Conference. The Standing Committee appointed the previous Chairman and Vice-Chairwoman of the former BSPC Working Group on Migration and Integration, Hans Wallmark and Carola Veit , as Rapporteurs on Migration and Integration to follow the implementation of the BSPC’s calls for action and the further development in this policy field. Cecilie Tenfjord-Toftby informed the meeting about the agenda and plans for the future of the newly established BSPC Working Group on Climate Change and Biodiversity (CCB) which would continue its work under her chairmanship for the next two years. BSPC Standing Committee decisions The Standing Committee appointed Mr Johannes Schraps, head of the delegation of the German Bundestag to the BSPC, as Vice-President of the BSPC. Furthermore, the Standing Committee agreed to the BSPC Strategy and Work Programme 2020-2021 BSPC Strategy and Work Programme 2020 – 2021 and decided to arrange an Expert Seminar on Democracy in a Changing Media Landscape on 1 February 2021. To commemorate the 30 th anniversary of the BSPC in 2021, the Standing Committee decided to produce a printed 30-year publication including a short input from each President or Speaker of the BSPC member parliaments, in addition to the content overview of all previous conferences. Further topics of the Standing Committee meeting among others included the issue of the 29 th BSPC Resolution and its follow-up as well as the current plans for the 30 th BSPC in Stockholm on 29-31 August 2021. Downloads: Presentation – Nils Gustafsson Presentation – Dr. Kaarina Williams & Aline Mayr Presentation – Žaneta Ozoliņa & Tobias Etzold

During the Digital 39 th Baltic Assembly, BSPC President Pyry Niemi argued for using the close ties of long-standing and intensive cooperation between the Baltic Assembly and the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference to advance common parliamentary goals, to strengthen sustainable democracy and to face common challenges in a changing world. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 39 th Baltic Assembly took place in digital format. One of the main topics had been the impact of COVID-19 on economies, health and employment as well as education and research. The Baltic Assembly presented its “Comprehensive analysis on cooperation of the Baltic states during the COVID-19 crisis” as well as crisis mitigation measures and a strategic vision for the recovery of the region, both discussed jointly with respective ministers of the Baltic states. BSPC President Pyry Niemi addressed the Baltic Assembly in a video message this time. He particularly pointed out that there was a need to address not only the preservation of our livelihoods but also the fundamental issues of democratic coexistence. In detail, he underscored that, as face-to-face meetings were not currently possible, it was all the more vital for the two organisations to continue exchanging information digitally despite all the restrictions, to continue their cross-border parliamentary cooperation unabated at this very moment, to look for joint solutions to better cope with the burdens and challenges caused by the pandemic and to keep pursuing their shared goals for a better future together. The president said that the close ties of long-standing and intensive cooperation between the Baltic Assembly and the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference – based on friendship and trust – had to be used intensively in these times as well, to advance common parliamentary goals, to strengthen prosperity and to protect the environment. During the current Swedish BSPC Presidency, he explained that the BSPC would focus on sustainable democracy and how to face common challenges in a changing world. The BSPC saw the more than urgent need to address not only the preservation of their livelihoods but also the fundamental issues of democratic coexistence. On every single day of these months, it had become clear how crucial and fundamental that was. The BSPC wished that all those fighting for democracy and more democratic structures in their countries would find peaceful success. President Niemi pointed out that the people in the Baltic states had demonstrated to the world with the Baltic Way and their human chain 31 years earlier how powerful peaceful demonstrations could be and how they could change the world. Furthermore, the BSPC wanted to continue finding solutions for the protection of their joint environmental foundations. Therefore, the BSPC had established a working group on the issue of climate change and biodiversity. The president called on the Baltic Assembly to continue to work on their common goals with all their energy, to make the Baltic Sea region an increasingly attractive place to live. He wished the meeting good health and fruitful deliberations, adding that he was looking forward to the results of this year’s Baltic Assembly which would also enrich the work of the BSPC.

In supplement to her speech during the digital 29 th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference on 24 August 2020, the BSPC Observer on HELCOM, Ms Beate Schlupp, First Vice-President of the State Parliament of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, has issued her Report on HELCOM-related developments and activities. The present publication provides an overview of the most important decisions and developments from August 2019 to September 2020 with a specific focus on the Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) update process. It primarily concentrates on the decisions of the 41 st HELCOM Meeting as well as the Heads of Delegations Meetings. The structure of the current Report slightly differs from the previous ones. It focuses on central ongoing processes, such as the BSAP update, the preparation of the Third Holistic Assessment of the Ecosystem Health of the Baltic Sea (HOLAS III), the development of the HELCOM Science Agenda with a particular view to climate change on the one hand, and notable events and publications on the other. Also, the Report includes an updated overview of the current HELCOM Working and Expert Groups as well as ongoing projects in the Annex. The Report can be downloaded here and on the Rapporteur’s webpage.

The BSPC Rapporteur on Sustainable Tourism, Ms Birgit Hesse, President of the State Parliament of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, has published her comprehensive Report 2020 on Developments in the Field of Sustainable Tourism. In addition to the respective speech during the digital 29 th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference on 24 August 2020, this report provides a detailed overview of the recent developments, events, projects and publications on sustainable tourism in the Baltic Sea region. The tourism industry worldwide has been among those economic sectors which have been hit the hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects. This report provides for the first time comparative figures on the recent development in this policy field for the parliamentary work in the Baltic Sea Region. In this respect, it is currently a unique basis for the discussion of the development of tourism in the entire Baltic Sea region, taking into account the COVID-19 pandemic – especially for the forthcoming conferences which will discuss this topic in the autumn of this year. The report can be downloaded here and on the Rapporteurs ’ webpage.

BSPC President Pyry Niemi underlined the crucial need for close cooperation on the international and regional level, for a coordinated approach rooted in solidarity and mutual support, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. He further pointed out the focus of the Swedish BSPC Presidency on sustainable democracy and how to face common challenges in a changing world. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 28 th Annual Conference of the Baltic Sea States Subregional Cooperation (BSSSC)took place online from 29 September – 1 October, with a primary focus on Strong and Inclusive Cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region for the Future. The annual conference gathered more than 100 participants from the political and administrative areas (local, regional, national, EU and other international levels) as well as representatives from science, international organisations, NGOs and the private sector from 11 countries taking part in the Baltic Sea cooperation. The main topics included the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region and Russia’s Strategy for North-West Russia, Interreg achievements and future solutions, the European Territorial Agenda, Culture and Baltic Sea Regional Identity, the State of the Baltic Sea with a particular focus on a Plastic-Free Sea as well as Intelligent Transport and Mobility. The conference specifically offered space to the young generation to present proposals for future priorities and cooperation based on a BSSSC Autumn Youth Event. BSPC President Pyry Niemi stressed the urgent need for holding events like these annual conferences, pledging the continuation of close cooperation and presenting the priorities of the Swedish BSPC Presidency. In detail, he emphasised that the COVID-19 pandemic required enhanced cooperation among all levels of society and various stakeholders. As several regions were beginning to deal with the second wave of COVID-19, the parliamentarians had a crucial role in shaping the response to the pandemic, through legislative, policymaking, oversight and advocacy roles. Moreover, due to the global nature of the crisis, and the deep interconnectedness of societies and economies, close cooperation on an international and regional level was crucially required for a coordinated approach rooted in solidarity and mutual support. For that reason, BSPC President Niemi was very grateful to Marshal Struk, as Chairman of the BSSSC, for addressing the parliamentarians of the Baltic Sea region with the core concerns and current focus topics of the BSSSC during the BSPC’s annual conference on 24 August. “We are pursuing similar goals and objectives and I am confident that we will make significant progress in these areas through synergies in our approaches.” As the main results of the 29 th BSPC had already been related to the conference, Mr Niemi concentrated on the priorities of the Swedish BSPC Presidency, which were to be discussed at the organisation’s 30 th annual conference from 29 to 31 August 2021 in Stockholm. During their Presidency, he said that Sweden would focus on sustainable democracy and how to face common challenges in a changing world. This emphasis was chosen not only, he explained, because of the Swedish Parliament’s celebration of 100 years of democracy. The Swedish Presidency saw the more than urgent need to address not only the preservation of livelihoods but also the fundamental issues of democratic coexistence due to – the demanding challenges currently threatening the livelihoods and coexistence in the Baltic Sea region, – the rapidly changing communication structures and media landscapes as well as the worrying interventions in the democratic forms of several countries, – the intensification of violent conflicts and the noticeable increase in human rights violations BSPC President Niemi extended his best wishes to all those fighting for democracy and more democratic structures in their countries, hoping that they would find peaceful success. The severe challenges of COVID-19 had also brought fundamental issues of their coexistence with their neighbours into the public debate. For that very reason, Mr Niemi saw the need to continue learning from each other’s experiences in overcoming the crisis. Not only was it necessary to keep an eye on their own respective countries, but policymakers had to rely more on best practice examples in the future. Especially in times like these, he stressed, it was essential to keep reminding themselves what a valuable asset the Baltic Sea region had in its democracies and how important it was to defend their cornerstones. It was impossible to highlight enough the importance of democracy and the need to strengthen the parliamentary dimension in the countries around the Baltic Sea. Democratic institutions, strong cooperation and environmental and social sustainability were the foundation of the BSPC’s work, the president said. Preserving these were clear priorities of the Swedish Presidency. During the upcoming year, Sweden would focus on four areas related to achieving sustainable democracy: First of all , the joint work of the BSPC would be concentrated on peaceful and reliable neighbourliness and intense cooperation built on participation and trust in the democratic system. That is why the BSPC had reaffirmed in its resolution the urgent call and the expectation that all Baltic Sea States would continue to make every effort to ensure the Baltic Sea region maintain its close and intense cooperation. The BSPC had underlined that the basis of its collaboration – international law, mutual understanding, trust, democratic values, the rule of law, human rights as well as equal opportunities for all – was of particular importance. All around, various new forms of political engagement were coming into play, and the Swedish BSPC Presidency would focus specifically on youth and the role of civil society. The president was glad that these aspects were also at the heart of the BSSSC’s work. With current challenges decreasing trust in traditional democratic mechanisms, the BSSSC had pointed out the demand for an even more active and concerted approach. Mr Niemi also appreciated very much that the BSSSC had already realised a seminar on democracy and a youth event back-to-back to its annual conference, involving young people in the parliamentarians’ consultations even more strongly and topic-oriented. He explained that the BSPC was looking at similar steps. The BSPC considered the BSSSC in terms of youth involvement – through board meetings, youth camps and back-to-back events for the annual conference – as well as the Nordic Youth Council as best practice examples of youth work in the Baltic Sea region. BSPC President Niemi expressed his optimism that the current focus of the Lithuanian CBSS Presidency on youth inclusion and the Baltic Youth Platform – established by the CBSS – would bring about significant progress in the representation of young people in institutions and decision-making processes in the Baltic Sea region. The BSPC had repeatedly called for that. The second theme Sweden wanted to explore in greater depth during their Presidency was the issue of democracy in a changing media landscape. Digitisation, disinformation and fake news were playing an increasingly important role in everyone’s daily lives. So, it was now more important than ever to protect free media and freedom of speech. The Swedish Presidency’s third focal point would be adaptation to new demographics and challenges to the welfare model. He noted that the demographic situation in the Baltic Sea region was changing. The question was how best to adapt to these changes and how they would challenge the current welfare model. The president asked how urbanisation, an ageing population and labour shortages were connected to trust in public institutions, social and regional equality and young people’s opportunities. This led to the question of how the Baltic Sea region could tackle these challenges sustainably and democratically. The fourth pillar was a theme where the BSPC had a long tradition of commitment and engagement: the environment. For many years, the BSPC had repeatedly addressed far-reaching demands to their governments to protect the region’s natural life resources in the best possible way. He underlined that the Baltic Sea was uniting the people around its shores, and the BSPC had continuously called for it to return closer to a good ecological status. Much had been achieved in this regard over the years, President Niemi said but added that developments had been so rapid that it was necessary, again and again, to take new and more far-reaching measures to move closer to these objectives. For that reason, the president appreciated that the BSPC would focus during the next two years on the issue of climate change and biodiversity in a BSPC working group chaired by his fellow Swedish parliamentarian Cecilie Tenfjord Toftby. BSPC President Niemi underlined that the Swedish Presidency wanted to concentrate not only on the environmental side of climate change and biodiversity but also on innovation, technology and further economic aspects. In concluding his speech, the president noted his delight that the two institutions of the BSSSC and the BSPC had mostly similar or identical priorities for the coming year. This showed that they were focusing on strategically fundamental challenges. Sharing the same basic views in many respects helped both to find similar and joint contributions to solving the current problems. Those synergies allowed them to meet the present challenges in the best possible way and to strengthen peaceful cooperation and democratic values in the Baltic Sea region, to enhance prosperity further and to make the Baltic Sea region a more attractive place to live. To that end, he saw the long-standing cooperation of both organisations as a good foundation. With that, the president brought his speech to an end. In the run-up to the conference, BSPC Secretary General Bodo Bahr had informed the BSSSC Board Meeting about the key results of the digital 29 th BSPC.

Following the Digital 29 th Annual Conference, the BSPC has published a Report with all speeches and contributions during the conference. The compilation can be downloaded here and on the 29 th conference webpage.

In addition to the statements given during the digital 29 th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference on August 24, the BSPC’s Rapporteurs on Integrated Maritime Policy, MP Jochen Schulte and MP Jörgen Pettersson have issued their comprehensive Report 2020 on Developments in the field of Integrated Maritime Policy. The Report underlines the crucial importance that the BSPC attaches to Maritime policy issues and challenges. It summarizes the developments in the Integrated Maritime Policy since the 28 th BSPC, informs about the activities of the Maritime Rapporteurs and important conferences which have taken place throughout the past year. Like in previous years, the Report is focusing on Blue Growth, energy, infrastructure and environmental aspects of maritime policy, also including ocean governance and research. One focus is laid on autonomous ships in future years as on the improvement of air as a result of the Sulphur directive. It also presents legislative developments concerning Blue Growth and overarching aspects. Furthermore, the Report addresses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Maritime policy and the Maritime economy. The Report can be downloaded here and on the Rapporteurs’ webpage.

The Digital 29 th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference gathered delegates from all member parliaments and parliamentary organisations of the BSPC. The delegates discussed topics such as the environmental state of the Baltic Sea, migration and integration, maritime policy and tourism, but the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on every aspect of cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region was a constant element of the discussion. On behalf of H. E. Mr. Gitanas Nausėda ,President of the Republic of Lithuania, Mr. Sigitas Mitkus , adviser to the President on Foreign Policy Issues addressed over 150 participants of the conference. In his speech he referred to the situation in Belarus expressing his support for the aspirations of the Belarusian people on their way to freedom. He reminded that 30 years ago the Baltic states gained independence and stressed that Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia received significant support from other countries. Speaking for the president, Mr Mitkus pointed out at the end of his speech that he would like to believe in a free and democratic Belarus. Viktoras Pranckietis , Speaker of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania in his speech emphasized the importance of cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region to ensure sustainable development in this region. He expressed hope that the region will remain an area of peaceful cooperation based on rules of law and human rights. Virginijus Sinkevičius , European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries expressed his strong belief that the cooperation between the countries of the region should be strengthened in order to improve the environmental situation of the Baltic Sea. He announced the organization of a summit meeting of ministers responsible for the state of the environment in the RMB After the opening of the Conference by Mr Sigitas Mitkus , on behalf of H.E. Gitanas Nausėda ,President of the Republic of Lithuania, the welcome address by H.E. Viktoras Pranckietis , Speaker of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, the speech of Mr Virginijus Sinkevičius , European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, and the speech of Mr Valerijus Simulik , President of the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference on the Lithuanian BSPC Presidency 2019-2020 representatives of the incumbent, former and incoming CBSS Presidencies spoke about Vision 2030: Cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region for Safe and Prosperous Development: Mr Neris Germanas ,Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania, presented the four priorities of the Lithuanian Presidency: green and maritime tourism as an important sector in reviving the regional economy, increasing the region‘s visibility, giving employment opportunities to young people; civil protection in the region, strengthening resilience in the region against major emergencies and disasters; the fight against human trafficking for labour exploitation in the region as well as the prevention of violence against children. Ambassador Ove Ullerup , representing the 2019-2020 Danish Presidency of the Council of Baltic Sea States, reported that on 19 May, Foreign Ministers of all 11 Member States and a high-level representative of the EU had met in a video conference. Mr. Ullerup underlined the extraordinary level of participation as a strong sign of the political support for the reform of the CBSS. As a result of that meeting, the Bornholm Declaration had been adopted. Mr Dag Wernø Holter , Senior Adviser, Nordic-Baltic Section, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Norway, confirmed that the incoming Norwegian presidency would continue to implement the CBSS reform and follow the Bornholm Declaration. Mr Pyry Niemi , the Vice President of the BSPC who was chairing the session, expressed his gratitude to the management of the CBSS Secretariat for their excellent cooperation with the BSPC and added his best wishes to the outgoing Director General of the Secretariat, Ambassador Maira Mora. The second session, chairedby Ms Valentina Pivnenko , former BSPC President, dealt with the topic of Safeguarding the Environment, Seas and Oceans for Future Generations. The speakers of that session were: Ms Svenja Schulze , Federal Minister for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Germany, HELCOM Chair, European Council Presidency; Mr Oleg Nilov, Member of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, and Mr Peter Stein , BSPC Rapporteur on Sea-Dumped Munitions, Member of the German Bundestag . All of them called for even more close and active cooperation in these times of the coronavirus pandemic. “The overarching goal remains the best possible protection of the Baltic Sea,” said Svenja Schulze , Federal Minister for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety of Germany, in her video address introducing Germany’s HELCOM Chairmanship, further adding that all efforts should also consider aspects of “sustainability, relevance for the climate and biological diversity, and suitability”. The Minister further noted that Germany’s Chairmanship would also lead to the finalization of the update of the Baltic Seas Action Plan (BSAP) and its implementation as well as devote attention to strengthening regional cooperation and ocean governance. Oleg Nilov noted the example of the Russian tundra fires, requiring huge resources. Despite all that, the tundra served as the green lungs of the northern part of the earth. Peter Stein reported on the topic of sea-dumped munitions and their removal that many researchers, institutes, nationally and internationally funded projects and private companies had developed a high level of expertise and that several companies were offering specialized solutions. However, despite existing knowledge and a general awareness of the dangers, no action had been taken. The reasons for that could be complex, among them diverse responsibilities and the high cost of potential action. Liz Mattsson , Member of the Åland Parliament,emphasized that of a total 30,000 inhabitants of Åland, about 600 were farmers. With its rich agricultural landscape, a well-developed food industry and small-scale production, Åland could be a good place for pilot projects in food production sustainability. The speaker gave examples of several projects currently being realized in her region. Carola Veit , Former BSPC President and Vice-Chair of the BSPC WG on Migration and Integration, chaired the third session: Migration and Integration: Finding Common Solutions Based on Mutual Information and Best Practices. Hans Wallmark , Chairman of the BSPC Working Group on Migration and Integration, Sweden, in his conclusion of the three-year work underlined that all members should continue to disseminate and share best practices regarding, for example, supporting the employment and integration of certain groups of migrants. The multifaceted character of integration should be further explored, including the labour market, language, social relationships and cultural accommodation. Dmitry Demidenko , Deputy Head of the Main Migration Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, brought the issue of migration during COVID-19 closer to the audience from a Russian perspective. He outlined how the President of Russia had ordered a comprehensive reform of migration regimes and the institution of citizenship to be carried out. The rules for staying would be simplified and the conditions for compliance with the law rendered clearer and more feasible. He reminded the delegates that Russia was one of the centres of global migration flows and that every year, 16-17 million foreign citizens were coming to the country, with the current year accounting for about 10 million. Vladlena Avdeeva , representative of the NGO «Stellit», St. Petersburg, spoke about the role of online technologies in the involvement of migrant children in human trafficking. She pointed out that the COVID-19 pandemic had increased the risks of children becoming victims of human trafficking as they were spending more time online with reduced adult supervision. The speaker added that digital technologies were erasing the geographical distances between the child and the perpetrator, thus improving children’s accessibility. On the other hand, online technologies were playing an increasing role in the work of NGOs and government organisations helping them to identify vulnerable children, to monitor the condition of the child after rehabilitation or in preventing children from falling victim to human trafficking. In the second part of the session, the reports by the BSPC Rapporteurs were presented: Mr Jörgen Pettersson and Mr Jochen Schulte on Integrated Maritime Policy, Ms Beate Schlupp , First Vice-President of the State Parliament of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern,on HELCOM and on Sustainable Tourism. The conference was also addressed by Mr Mieczysław Struk , President of the Baltic Sea States Subregional Cooperation, BSSSC, Marshal of the Pomorskie Voivodeship, and by Mr Asaf Hajiyev , PABSEC Secretary General. The Conference approved the new BSPC Working Group on Climate Change and Biodiversity with Ms Tenfjord-Toftby from the Swedish Parliament as the Chairwoman of the Working Group. The Digital 29 th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference has unanimously adopted the Conference Resolution. In his final remarks, the BSPC President Valerijus Simulik expressed his great regret that the Lithuanian Parliament had been forced to cancel the 29 th BSPC in Vilnius. Nevertheless, thanks to digital tools, it had proved possible to organize the meetings of the Standing Committee in May 2020 and the Drafting Committee on 20 July as well as finally the 29 th BSPC Conference. The President expressed his satisfaction with the constructive, albeit sometimes fierce, discussion and with the outcome of the Conference which was the adoption of the Resolution by all delegations.Then the symbolic baton went to the incoming BSPC President , Pyry Niemi from the Swedish Parliament, who presented the priorities of the Swedish Presidency and invited all delegates to the 30 th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference – hopefully with everyone present – in Stockholm on 29 – 31 August 2021.

9:32 CEST: The 29 th BSPC conference opened On behalf of H. E. Mr. Gitanas Nausėda , President of the Republic of Lithuania, Mr. Sigitas Mitkus , adviser to the President on Foreign Policy Issues addressed over 150 participants of the conference. In his speech he referred to the situation in Belarus expressing his support for the aspirations of the Belarusian people on their way to freedom. He reminded that 30 years ago the Baltic states gained independence and stressed that Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia received significant support from other countries. Viktoras Pranckietis , Speaker of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania in his speech emphasized the importance of cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region to ensure sustainable development in this region. He expressed hope that the region will remain an area of peaceful cooperation based on rules of law and human rights. Virginijus Sinkevičius , European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries expressed his strong belief that the cooperation between the countries of the region should be strengthened in order to improve the environmental situation of the Baltic Sea. He announced the organization of a summit meeting of ministers responsible for the state of the environment in the RMB The 29 th BSPC is being chaired by Valerijus Simulik, President of the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference