8 BSPC Resolution

CONFERENCE RESOLUTIONadopted by the 8th Parliamentary Conference on Co-operation in the Baltic Sea Region, according to the rules of procedure of the Parliamentary ConferenceMariehamn, 8th September 1999Members of the Parliaments of Åland, Bremen, Denmark, Estonia, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Faroe Islands, Finland, Greenland, Hamburg, Iceland, Kaliningrad, Karelia, Latvia, Lithuania, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Norway, Poland, the Russian Federation,St Petersburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Sweden as well as the Baltic Assembly, the Council of Europe, the Nordic Council and the OSCE, met in Mariehamn on the Åland Islands on 7-8 September 1999 to discuss the social dimension of the EU-enlargement as well as the sustainable development and its environmental aspects specially for the Baltic Sea and to continue to develop the existing co-operation between representative institutions of the Baltic Sea Region.The participants of the Conferencenoting(1) the outcome of the 8th Ministerial Session of the Council of Baltic Sea States (CBSS) in Palanga in June 1999,(2) the Council of Europe’s resolution of nuclear waste (no 1157),(3) the Baltic Agenda 21 adopted at the 7th Ministerial Session of the CBSS, Nyborg, June 1998,(4) the Treaty of Amsterdam, signed by the member states of the European Union in June 1997 and entered into force in May 1999,(5) the conclusions of the European Council, approving in Vienna in December 1998, the Northern Dimension report, in Berlin in March 1999 the Agenda 2000 and in Cologne in June 1999 the Common Strategy on Russia,(6) the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at work and its follow-up in June 1998,call on the CBSS and Governments of the participating countries, as appropriate(7) to increase the co-ordination of the work concerning the Baltic Sea co-operation taking into account the different ministerial fora,(8) to report to the Parliamentary Conference concerning measures undertaken in the Baltic Sea Region to reduce the emission of climate gases, using the flexible mechanism introduced in the Kyoto Protocol for actors in one country to participate in cost effective implementation in another country, so called joint implementation, and to consider the possibility of establishing a pilot project for this purpose,(9) to meet the constant challenge of achieving a sustainable development, by continuing the implementation process of the Baltic Agenda 21, by improving especially the co-operation with industry and by information activities concerning sustainable development and how to be a sustainable consumer, comprising at the same time environmental and socio-economic aspects,(10) to reduce point source pollution in the Baltic Sea according to the 50 % reduction target including the so called “hot spots” by all possible administrative measures,(11) to take measures aiming at energy-saving and to encourage the governments to set up a common goal for increased energy efficiency, to phase out nuclear power as soon as possible and to make plans for terminal storage of nuclear waste,(12) to take measures designed to make greater use of renewable energy sources,(13) to provide the necessary conditions for the establishment of a common electricity market around the Baltic Sea by using harmonisation and realisation of environmental and trading rules and regulations in order to avoid environmental dumping, and by creating a framework where environmental investments, such as rehabilitation of existing thermal power plants and the use of combined heat and power (CHP), can be financed on market terms,(14) to provide the necessary conditions for the establishment of a common market for natural gas around the Baltic Sea, as stated by the Ministers of Energy of the CBSS in the Stavanger Communiqué of 1st December 1998, bearing in mind the interest of the European Union concerning such a market(15) to set up a common goal for the reduction of the extensive emission of nitrogen from the traffic around and on the Baltic Sea and, when making infrastructural investments in the field of transportation, in each single case choose the alternative that causes the smallest stress upon the environment, which may imply a general shift from road transport to sea and train transport,(16) to make time schedule for how and in which order the outlets that are mentioned in the HELCOM hot-spot list should be taken care of, if appropriate with common financing. The results of the Baltic Sea 2008 project should here be made use of,(17) to make the outlets of the settlements more effective in order to reach the recommendations that are established. The principle of recycling of waste should be respected,(18) to make a plan of information to agriculture, silviculture and fishing about climate, new methods for cultivation, new technology and new methods of work which can be more effective. In this way the leakage of nitrogen and phosphorus can be reduced at a minimum cost,(19) to maintain a policy, stressing employment, lifelong learning, and social justice and to improve welfare and living conditions,(20) to develop and strengthen the tripartite co-operation between governments, employers and their organisations and employees and the trade unions, in accordance with the standards set up by the European Union and based on respect for the ILO’s core labour standards,(21) to define in co-operation with the EU the role of regional organisations and regional co-operation in the context of the Northern Dimension,(22) to support and implement the initiative of the Finnish presidency to set up a concrete action programme as follow-up of the Northern Dimension strategy paper(23) to develop and implement a programme on raising environmental awarenessof the general public and environmental education at all levels (kindergarten, primary schools, high schools, universities, vocational training)(24) to help the EU applicant countries to undertake the necessary efforts especially for the environmental legislation to take over the acquis communautaire,(25) to assist the EU applicant countries in harmonising their policies with EU policy, especially in the fields of health and safety at work, equal opportunities for of men and women, social dialogue and labour law,(26) to increasingly integrate the principle of sustainable development into the policies of the EU and all European countries,(27) to encourage institution building in the social sector with the aid of the PHARE and TACIS funds in close co-operation with local and regional authorities and NGOs,have decided(28) to adopt the new Rules of Procedure for the Parliamentary Conference and the Standing Committee. The rules will enter into force following the 8th Parliamentary Conference in Mariehamn;(29) to ask the CBSS to continue to report to the parliamentary conference about its activities;(30) to request Baltic Agenda 21 and HELCOM together with the CBSS to further develop strategies in the environmental fields;(31) to encourage the CBSS to make use of appropriate institutions in order to improve the information on the environmental situation;(32) to accept with gratitude the invitation of the Parliament of Sweden to hold the 9th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference on the 4th to 5th September 2000 in Malmö.