11 BSPC Resolution Part I

1 October 2002R E S O L U T I O NPart Iadopted bythe 11th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC),assembled in St. Petersburg, Russian Federation, 30th September - 1st October 2002The participants of the Conferenceconcentrating onWAYS OF INTEGRATION AND COOPERATION IN THE BALTIC SEA REGIONbased on the Northern Dimension and its special impact on environmental policy as well as on the roleof Kaliningradtaking note ofthe declaration on (cid:147)The future of the European Union(cid:148), adopted by the Laeken European Council,convening a Convention with broad participation of parliamentarians in order to pave the way for thenext Intergovernmental Conference in 2004,the EU-Russia Summit in May 2002,the Action Plan for the Northern Dimension (2000 (cid:150) 2003), adopted by the Feira European Council,the Communication from the Commission to the Council on (cid:147)the EU and Kaliningrad(cid:148) - COM(2001)26 final - Brussels, Jan 17, 2001,the Communication from the Commission to the Council on (cid:148)EU-Russia Environmental Cooperation(cid:148) -COM (2001) 772 final - Brussels, Dec. 17, 2001,the outcome of the 4th Baltic Sea States Summit in St. Petersburg in June 2002,the positive work carried out in the Council of Baltic Sea States (CBSS) and many other regionalorganisations, such as the the Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministes, Union of the BalticCities (UBC), Baltic Sea States Sub-Regional Co-operation (BSSSC), Baltic Chamber of CommerceAssociation (BCCA) and Trade Union Co-operation in the Baltic Sea Region,1(3)the ongoing negotiations between the European Union and the Russian Federation as well as betweenthe European union and the applicant countries regarding future visa and transit arrangement in thelight of the EU enlargement,call on the CBSS and their governments toundertake joint efforts to strengthen the Northern Dimension,contribute to a structured implementation and follow-up of the Northern Dimension Action Plan,reviewing the progress achieved and providing policy guidance for further action and for the newaction plan to be prepared during 2003,encourage the European Commission to improve the coordination of financing, so that the differentfunds can match each other on different sides of borders, as there are the EU and EEA countries, thefuture member states and Russia,pay more attention to projects with a genuine cross-border character, dealing with border-crossinginfrastructure, economic cooperation between border regions and trans-border environmental issues,using in particular such tool as Euro-region,undertake joint efforts to include not only roads and railways in the Trans-European Network, but ferryconnections in the Baltic Sea as well,negotiate with the European Commission to pay more attention to the Baltic Sea region and includemaritime transportation with ferries across the Baltic Sea as an important transportation link in theCommission·s White Book on Transportation,further streamline cooperation within the Baltic Sea Region by an effective division of labour andresponsibilities, so as to better coordinate between the numerous regional bodies and working groupsand to ensure that duplication of projects is minimized,adopt national strategies and action programs to protect the Baltic Sea, aiming to reduce discharges ofnutriants in all sectors that contributes to the eutrophication of the Baltic Sea,face a range of common trans-border environmental concerns in the Baltic Sea Region, such aswasteful energy use and climate change, risks to human health from water and air pollution, depletionof natural resources and management of wastes, including radioactive waste, loss of natural systemsand biodiversity, pollution of the Baltic and Barents Sea,urge the parties to finalize the MNEPR agreement,prevent the extinction of the harbour porpoise in accordance with the regulations of the UN,2(3)support sustainable development, especially the implementation of the Baltic 21, meaning that in therun of policymaking and decision taking processes equal attention has to be paid to economic, socialand environmental considerations,contribute to the concept of a common European economic space which is under discussion in theframework of the EU-Russia Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) and to pay attention to thepilot character of EU-Kaliningrad-relations,ratify and implement the Kyoto protocol as soon as possible,unite efforts in advance of the EU-Russia Summit in November 2002 in order to achieve a mutuallyacceptable solution to the problems relating to passenger and cargo traffic between Kaliningrad districtand the rest of Russia and to prevent new division lines in Europe as well as to continue and developcooperation among people,provide technical assistance in order to solve problems with organised crime activities,mobilize society within and beyond the health care system to fight the the HIV epidemic and othercommunicable diseases,intensify cross-border cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region, creating security and stability andaddressing the problems related to uneven development in the region,agree toexpress its gratitude to the Committee on maritime security for the final report on this issue,acceptwith gratitude the invitation of the Finnish Parliament to hold the 12th Baltic Sea ParliamentaryConference in September 2003 in Oulu.3(3)