BSPC Annual Report 2010

21 March 2011Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC)The Parliamentary Baltic Sea Cooperation 2010At the 2010 conference in Mariehamn, Christina Gestrin, Chairman of the BSPC 2009-2010, was re-elected chairman for 2010-2011. As in 2009, the Nordic Council was responsible for remuneration of the BSPC secretary, and for providing office facilities to the BSPC Secretariat. Since 2007, the running costs of the BSPC secretariat function have been paid via the BSPC joint financing mechanism. Information about BSPC’s various sections and activities can be found on the website www.bspc.net.The 19th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (19th BSPC) was held in Mariehamn, Åland, 29-31 August 2010. The conference was attended by nearly 200 politicians, officials, experts and other guests. The three main themes discussed at the conference were: Cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region; Climate Change and Biological Diversity in the Baltic Sea Region; and the Baltic Sea as an Arena for Peace and Security. In the spring of 2010, the BSPC Enlarged Standing Committee had formulated a draft version of the conference resolution. The conference Drafting Committee (comprising the Enlarged Standing Committee) considered the draft in two sittings, and then the resolution was adopted by consensus by the Conference. The resolution contains a number of political recommendations within the main themes of the conference. These recommendations are directed towards the governments in the Baltic Sea Region, the CBSS and the EU. The resolution emphasised, for example, the important role that parliamentarians can play in sustainable development in the region by creating awareness of its challenges, forming opinion, and exerting political pressure on the governments in the region. The resolution also underlined the positive and constructive cooperation with CBSS, expressed its strong support for the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan, and reiterated that the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region must be coordinated with the Northern Dimension, which embraces all the countries in the region. Biological diversity, illegal fishing, maritime safety, mandatory pilot services, coordinated traffic monitoring at sea, improved cooperation on civil security, measures to prevent trafficking, and greater operative resources in the work to prevent trafficking were some of the other areas included in the resolution.The chairmen of the two new working groups that were set up at the 18th BSPC in Nyborg in 2009 – Trafficking in Human Beings and Integrated Maritime Policy – gave status reports on the work of their groups. The BSPC Standing Committee was given the task of evaluating the BSPC joint financing mechanism, including a review of the ways of financing the secretariat function. Christina Gestrin, Member of the Finnish Parliament and Member of the Presidium of the Nordic Council, was re-elected Chairman of the BSPC Standing Committee for 2010-2011. Valentina Pivnenko, member of the State Duma of Russia, was re-elected Vice Chairman for 2010-2011 (documentation from the 19th BSPC can be found at http://bspc.net/page/show/234).The BSPC Enlarged Standing Committee, which was set up in 2006, held its first meeting of the year in Brussels on 28 January. The meeting was attended by 20 parliamentarians, 25 officials, and a number of guests from the European Parliament, the EU Commission and the CBSS. The Chairman of the CBSS Committee of Senior Officials, Neris Germanas, Lithuania, began the meeting by describing the work of the CBSS, reporting on results and future orientations and priorities. He emphasised the importance of continued close contact between the CBSS and the BSPC, and welcomed the correspondence between the overall priorities of the BSPC and CBSS. Representatives of the EU Commission then gave a report about the work with the Northern Dimension, the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region and the EU Integrated Maritime Policy. The subsequent discussions in the Committee considered subjects such as the BSPC working programme for 2010, the structure and programme for the 19th BSPC in Mariehamn, and BSPC budget and financing issues. The financial report for 2009 was approved, as was the budget proposal for 2010. The meeting also decided to adopt a set of guidelines concerning observer status in the BSPC, which will be added to the BSPC Rules of Procedure.The second meeting of the Enlarged Standing Committee was held in Vilnius on 3 June. The meeting was attended by 12 parliamentarians, 12 officials, and guests from Lithuania, CBSS and the Northern Dimension Partnership for Health and Social Welfare (NDPHS). Lithuania’s Foreign Minister, Andrius Azubalis, gave an introductory presentation and described, for example, an initiative from Lithuania to evaluate and report on the status of and prospects for the Nordic-Baltic cooperation. The meeting was also given a report about the work in the NDPHS by Viktoras Meizis from the Lithuanian Ministry of Health, and Marek Maciejowski from the NDPHS Secretariat. The meeting agreed to extend the contacts with NDPHS and consider the possibility of carrying out a joint activity in the future.The status of the work relating to the 19th BSPC was considered, and a first draft of the conference resolution was discussed. The future development of the BSPC secretariat function was raised, and the importance of finding a more permanent solution for the remuneration of the BSPC secretary after 2011 was emphasised. A comprehensive discussion was held about the forms and conditions for observer status in the BSPC, in view of Belarus’s application for observer status in April 2010. The meeting could not reach consensus on the issue, but decided to invite a representative of the Belarus parliament to the 19th BSPC. It was also decided that it is the annual conference that is to make a final decision on observer status.The Enlarged Standing Committee served as Drafting Committee on two occasions in conjunction with the 19th BSPC.The BSPC Standing Committee held its first meeting on 28 August, the day before the opening of the 19th BSPC. The meeting was attended by representatives of both the standing committee and the member parliaments that are not members of the Standing Committee. Part of the meeting concerned making final adjustments to the preparations for the 19th BSPC. It was also noted with satisfaction that all member parliaments had paid their contributions to the BSPC Joint Financing Mechanism for 2010, and that retroactive payments had also been received for certain contributions for 2007-2009. The financing of the BSPC secretary was discussed, and the meeting was in principle positive to a model in which the remuneration was incorporated in the contribution to the Joint Financing Mechanism. A decision was made to continue the discussion at the next meeting. The question of observer status for Belarus was again taken up. Once again, consensus was not reached, and the matter was deferred until the Standing Committee’s autumn meeting. The meeting was informed that Russia had offered to host the 21st BSPC in 2012, and that Estonia was willing to host the 22nd BSPC in 2013. The meeting also decided to extend Christina Gestrin’s mandate as Chairman of the BSPC up to and including the 20th BSPC, and to extend Valentina Pivnenko’s mandate as Vice Chairman of the BSPC for the same period.The Standing Committee’s autumn meeting was held in Berlin on 19 October. Katariina Röbbelen-Voigt, Project Manager, and Silke Lorenz started by reporting on the work in the Baltic Sea Labour Network (BSLN) project, in which the BSPC is participating as an associated partner. The meeting itself was partly devoted to follow up of the 19th BSPC and its resolution. In addition, a status report was given about revenues and expenditure in the joint budget. The meeting returned to the issue of the financing of the BSPC secretary post, and agreed on the principle that all member parliaments would contribute to remuneration of a secretary for the BSPC through an increase in the contribution to the Joint Financing Mechanism. However, certain member parliaments may require a gradual transition to a new payment model. The meeting also returned to the issue of observer status for Belarus, partly in view of the fact that BSPC had received an informal invitation to Christina Gestrin to visit Belarus. It was decided to inform Belarus that BSPC would be positive to an official invitation and that a small delegation from BSPC may visit after the Belarusian parliamentary election on 19 December 2010. (After the events in Belarus in conjunction with the election, BSPC’s visit has been postponed until further notice.) The meeting also discussed, without reaching consensus, the desirability of replacing the word ‘Conference’ in BSPC to ‘Council’. Further contacts with NDPHS were encouraged, and BSPC’s secretary was appointed contact person for this until further notice.The BSPC Secretariat meeting was held three times in 2010. Office facilities for the joint secretariat function – the BSPC Secretariat – were also provided in 2010 by the Nordic Council Secretariat in Copenhagen. The BSPC Secretariat’s responsibility includes preparing and formulating documents for meetings of the Standing Committee and the Enlarged Standing Committee and for administration, coordination and development of BSPC’s activities. In 2010 the secretariat meeting has devoted a lot of attention to the issue of financing of the BSPC secretariat function and the issue of observer status for Belarus in BSPC. One of the permanent items on the agenda in the secretariat meetings is management and follow-up of the joint budget, which covers the secretariat’s running costs. Procedures for planning, management and reporting of the joint resources have been further developed in 2010. A more detailed reporting method allows more accurate monitoring of how costs are distributed over various expenditure items. All BSPC’s national member parliaments and all regional parliaments paid their contributions to the joint financing mechanism for 2010. A representative of the CBSS Secretariat participates regularly in the BSPC Secretariat meetings.The BSPC Working Group on Civil Security and Trafficking in Human Beings, under the leadership of Line Barfod, Denmark, was set up through a decision taken at the 18th BSPC. The group held its introductory meeting on 2 February and then held three further meetings in 2010. The primary task of the working group is to develop political standpoints and recommendations within its area of responsibility, which can be used for advocacy and to exert political pressure on governments and agencies. The Chairman of the Working Group gave a progress report at the 19th BSPC in Mariehamn, and the group also provided input to the resolution from the 19th BSPC. The final report of the Working Group will be presented at the 20th BSPC in 2011.The BSPC Working Group on Integrated Maritime Policy, chaired by Jochen Sculte, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, held its inaugural meeting in January, and then held three further meetings during 2010. The primary task of the working group is to develop political standpoints and recommendations within its area of responsibility, which can be used for advocacy and to exert political pressure on governments and agencies. The Chairman of the Working Group gave a progress report at the 19th BSPC in Mariehamn, and the group also provided input to the resolution from the 19th BSPC. The final report of the Working Group will be presented at the 20th BSPC in 2011.The contacts between BSPC and CBSS continue to be regular and of mutual benefit. The Chairman of the CBSS Committee of Senior Officials (CSO), Neris Germanas, participated in a meeting of the BSPC Enlarged Standing Committee in Brussels on 28 January, and then presented a status report on the work of the CBSS and its strategic prospects. The Chairman of the BSPC 2010, Christina Gestrin, was invited to the 8th Baltic Sea States Summit in Vilnius on 2 June, and made an introductory presentation about cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region. State Secretary Erik Lahnstein, Norway, representing the Norwegian chairmanship of CBSS 2010-2011, participated with an introductory speech at the 19th BSPC in Mariehamn. He emphasised that the cooperation between CBSS and BSPC is pragmatic and works very well. Parliamentary support is crucial to successful cooperation between the governments, and the parliamentarians were urged to further develop the dialogue with CBSS. CBSS is also mentioned in very positive terms in many of the paragraphs in the resolution from the 19th BSPC. The CBSS Secretariat participates regularly in meetings in the various BSPC bodies, and the BSPC Secretariat has correspondingly regular contact with the CBSS Secretariat.Representatives from BSPC also took part in a number of other activities and meetings during 2010. The BSPC observers in HELCOM participated in a total of four different types of HELCOM meeting in 2010, including the HELCOM Ministerial Meeting in Moscow on 20 May. The BSPC also participated in the Baltic Sea Action Summit in Helsinki on 10 February, the Nordic Forum on Security Policy in St Petersburg on 15-16 April, the 9th Conference of the Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region in Brussels on 13-15 September, the first Forum of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region in Tallinn on 14-15 October, the Baltic Assembly’s 29th session in Riga on 21-23 October, and the Nordic Council’s 62nd session in Reykjavik on 2-4 November. The BSPC participates as an Associate Partner in the Baltic Sea Labour Network project, which is a Flagship Project in the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, with the aim of strengthening cooperation between the labour market partners in the Baltic Sea Region. Franz Thönnes participates as BSPC representative in the BSLN Steering Committee, while the BSPC secretary participates in the BSLN Facilitator Team. In 2010, BSPC participated in two meetings of the Steering Committee, three meetings of the Facilitator Team, and in the BSLN Mid-term Conference in Vilnius on 10-11 May. The contacts between NDPHS and BSPC are under development. The BSPC participated in the 7th Partnership Annual Conference in Copenhagen on 28 October, and has had several contacts at secretariat level.BSPC:s new website was officially launched in January 2010 (www.bspc.net).