Report (en) by Mr Franz Thonnes

Embargoed until begun.Check against delivery.Franz Thönnes, MP,Parliamentary State Secretary,Chairman of theStanding Committee of theBaltic Sea Parliamentary Conference,Head of the Delegation of the German BundestagReport on the Work of the Standing Committeepresented atthe 16th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference,Reichstag Building, German Bundestag, Berlin,27 August 2007Duration: 15 minutesHonoured guests,Fellow parliamentarians,Given that I greeted everyone a little while ago I don't need to mention individual names hereonce again. A cordial welcome to you all and I'm pleased that we're now able to present theReport of the Standing Committee on the work done last year,The Baltic Sea Region is today one of the most developed and integrated regions ofEurope. As reflected in the various statements that have been made here, the current net-work we have is exemplary, indeed unique in Europe.The region is well off. It is a flourishing part of the world and a good place to live. It is char-acterized by above-average standards of living, high levels of education and training, goodinfrastructures, and a unique combination of natural and human resources. All of this iscombined with a shared heritage from the past and broad public approval of the values ofcivil society.All the Baltic Sea States are well positioned in competitive terms. Whether in rankings ofthe world's most competitive countries, the highest growth levels in the EU, number of in-novations, or levels of development in the direction of an information society, you will al-ways find our countries at the upper end of the list. The competition and the challenges weface in the Baltic Sea Region are increasing. The Baltic Sea itself is a body of water thatsupports a whole range of maritime activities. It is a transport route on which growing vol-umes of goods are being moved and which serves as a means of connecting people andeconomies. It is a recreational area of inestimable value and a natural environment thatneeds to be protected. As of 2011 there will be full freedom of movement for workers inthe EU. Today there are already tens of thousands of international commuters in the grow-ing cross-border labour markets. Mobility and flexibility are on the increase.Still, there is no room for self-complacency here. There are always two sides to a coin.The credibility of our positions and our actions also depends on the extent to which wesucceed in proving with our results that we are able to prevent the negative phenomenathat are associated with what is basically positive development. We all know that effluentsand pollutant substances are having a growing impact on water quality in the Baltic Sea.Cleaning up the Baltic and imposing a comprehensive environmental protection regime willbe of vital importance for all Baltic Sea States.The rivalries and tensions of the Cold War have been overcome. But our societies are notfree of threats. The dangers posed by organized crime, trafficking in human beings anddrugs, corruption, life-threatening diseases, and the destruction of vital natural resourcesare real and must be addressed.We have created social safety nets. But sometimes the meshes are wider than what wouldbe needed and people fall through them. Many people are being marginalized and the in-tegration of immigrants continues to be a constant challenge.Our energy consumption is rising and our energy reserves are dwindling. We need sus-tainable production methods and we are all called upon to change our consumer habits.Growing prosperity is not necessarily a consequence of positive development. Economicgrowth is by no means synonymous with social welfare. Social welfare is a complex phe-nomenon. It derives from an overall democratic process, the existence of democratic or-ganizations and associations, respect of the rule of law, good governance, laws guaran-teeing a lively spectrum of political opposition guaranteed by law, freedom of speech,equal access to the media, fair wages, fair working conditions, the existence of social se-curity in cases of unemployment, sickness, old age, or nursing care, and so on and soforth. Democracy and a functioning civil society are basic prerequisites for sustainablegrowth and social welfare. This applies with regard to all the countries in the region. Intimes of great change and great challenges it is increasingly important to have a goodbasis for social security. Economic growth and social security are interdependent.There is a need to find the right answers to the environmental and social challenges cur-rently facing us. As such, it should be an obligation for all of us to promote democratic,economic, and social development in our neighbourhood on the basis of serious, open,and honest dialogues.The Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference itself is the only parliamentary organization inEurope in which EU members, EFTA members, and Russia cooperate with common ob-jectives. Given our large membership we have a solid legitimation as well as the meansto take initiatives, express opinions, and exert political influence on our executive gov-ernments for the common good of the region.Since its beginnings the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference has steadily continued todevelop and emancipate itself. The Extended Standing Committee was established atthe 14th Conference in Vilnius in 2005. It includes all member parliaments and parlia-mentary organizations in the Baltic Sea Region. One of the things it does at its annualspring meeting is to receive the Report of the Chairman-in-Office of the Council of theBaltic Sea States. It also serves as a motions committee during the annual conference.Our conference traditionally ends with the adoption of a resolution. Resolutions helpmake it possible for us to support and undertake initiatives aimed at promoting develop-ment of the Baltic Sea Region. They are also a means of communicating our positions tothe governments and regional organizations. It fills us with satisfaction to note that theCouncil of the Baltic Sea States now takes BSPC resolutions into account in the delibera-tive process when formulating its policies and planning its activities.It is the task of the Standing Committee and the Extended Standing Committee to moni-tor implementation of the BSPC Resolution between conferences. The Resolution of the15th BSPC in Reykjavik contained four focuses: the Northern Dimension, EuropeanMaritime Policy, the North European Gas Pipeline (NEGP), and Eutrophication.I am pleased to be able to report that governments and parliaments are taking increasingnote of what we decided in Reykjavik. A large number of our positions have been taken upand in some cases they are being implemented:• Cooperation with the Council of the Baltic Sea States has been strengthened.• A joint parliamentary approach to the Northern Dimension was established at aconference that was held by the European Parliament in Brussels this spring and at-tended by numerous parliamentarians from the Baltic Sea States.• The BSPC Working Group on Eutrophication passed on its results and recommenda-tions to HELCOM and the Council of Baltic Sea States.• The German government complied with our request to send us a report on the cur-rent status of the North European Gas Pipeline. In addition to a description of theprocess of providing information that has already taken place it was underscoredthat all requirements under international law are being met with regard to environ-mental protection measures and the involvement of neighbouring countries in theprocess of determining the precise route of the pipeline.• The Standing Committee began consultations on labour market, social welfare,and energy issues.• A new financing structure was created for the BSPC secretariat and it is al-ready being used.To underscore the credibility and binding force of its actions the Standing Committee de-cided to request that its members as well as those of the Extended Standing Committeeask their governments and their parliaments to implement the positions of the 15th BalticSea Parliamentary Conference. The vast majority responded. A summary of their answersreflects a broad range of efforts and activities that correspond to the individual points of ourresolution.All in all, there seems to be a rather good success rate for implementation of the resolu-tion. Nonetheless we should always be at pains to formulate our positions clearly in theresolution, stating political objectives that are practical and can be implemented. Theclearer the practical significance of the objective is brought out, the higher the probabilityis that it will be possible for it to be implemented effectively.Madam Chairperson, honoured fellow parliamentarians, the Standing Committee summa-rized the focuses of its work in a programme for 2006-2007. Important points included theimplementation of last year's resolution as well as the preparations for this year's meetingin Berlin and the formulation of the draft resolution. Further focuses were included such asenergy, labour market issues, the Northern Dimension, and European neighbourhood pol-icy in the Baltic Sea Region. The situation in Belarus was also an issue. Thus far we havenot been able to find a convincing and politically possible form of good-neighbourly coop-eration.The Extended Standing Committee met here in Berlin in June 2007. The draft resolutionwas finalized at that time.Regrettably we did not succeed in scheduling a meeting in January/February with the thenChairman-in-Office of the Council of the Baltic Sea States, Swedish Foreign Minister CarlBild. We believe that it is important to keep up the practice of scheduling a high-levelmeeting at least once a year. I hope we will be able to return to this practice early in 2008.I would like to note that the Chairman of the Committee of Senior Officials, Christer Pers-son, and Eva Ekmehag presented a report on the work of the Council of the Baltic SeaStates during the Swedish Presidency at the meeting in June.For us the Council of the Baltic Sea States is one of the very important players on the sideof executive government in the Baltic Sea Region. Despite the described deficit at the be-ginning of this year I am pleased to note that our cooperation with the Council of the BalticSea States has become stronger and more diverse. We feel very honoured by the pres-ence at our conference here today of Foreign Minister Artis Pabriks, the Chairman-in-Office of the Council of the Baltic Sea States. This signal right at the beginning of the Lat-vian Presidency of the Council of the Baltic Sea States makes us very optimistic with re-gard to the outlook for further cooperation. It's nice to have you here. Thanks for coming.We would also be pleased if the ... (applause) – you see, I'm not the only one who feelsthis way – ... we would be pleased if the working structures and working levels of theCouncil of the Baltic Sea States and the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference were to de-velop in such a manner that we would have practical cooperation and good informationexchange in a large number of areas. This is being realized in part on the basis of invita-tions extended regularly to the BSPC. By way of example, we were given the opportunityto attend the meeting of CBSS trade ministers in Stockholm in May and the 14th meetingof CBSS foreign ministers in Malmö in June. Conversely, we regularly extend invitationsto representatives of the Council of the Baltic Sea States so that they can follow our delib-erations and discussions.The conditions for cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region have changed over the past fif-teen years. As a result the Council of the Baltic Sea States has initiated a reform process.New areas of emphasis have been defined. Attention is being concentrated on regionaland strategic projects as well as improved financing of the organization. We are pleasedthat more attention is to be given to the areas of emphasis that you named, that is to say:energy, education, environmental protection, the maritime economy, and fighting crime.Cooperation is to be expanded with all players in the region. All of that has our support.We fully support the reform process proposed by the Council of the Baltic Sea States. Wefeel that dialogue between the parliamentary and executive branches of government dur-ing the reform process can be very valuable. We would like to express our heart-feltthanks for being invited to take part in the reform process.Our Working Group on Eutrophication made a very important contribution to the future ofthe Baltic Sea Region. I would like to expressly mention and praise the excellent workdone by the members of the working group and by its chairman, Asmund Kristoffersen.He will present their results and recommendations tomorrow. The fact that the WorkingGroup on Eutrophication has succeeded in focusing political attention on this issue formore than a year is a good precedent for future BSPC working groups. The recommenda-tions formulated by the Working Group are in your conference documents. The report sub-mitted by the Working Group has been recommended for approval tomorrow.The BSPC has observer status at HELCOM. On Saturday the Standing Committee re-newed the observer mandates for Sylvia Bretschneider and Ole Stavad. We would like tothank them both for the dedication they have shown in this important area. With the reportthey have submitted to us we have clearly shown that we are following the important workbeing done by HELCOM, one of the main players in the Baltic Sea Region. We are alsopleased to note that Asmund Kristoffersen was able to give an interim report by the Work-ing Group on Eutrophication on the work that was done at the HELCOM meeting in May.We see this as an important contribution to the formulation of a Baltic Sea Action Plan. TheBSPC fully supports the ideas and objectives of HELCOM as well as the initiative for a planof this kind. It can be viewed as a kind of preliminary implementation of the projected EUMaritime Strategy Directive. We hope our executive governments will reach an agreementon the ambitious Baltic Sea Action Plan at the ministerial meeting in Kraków in November. Iam pleased to note that Mieczyslaw Ostojski, the Chairman of HELCOM, will be reportingto us tomorrow on the progress that has been made in the work being done on the BalticSea Action Plan.Per Hegström from the Swedish Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and Communications re-ported to us on the focuses of the Swedish BASREC Presidency. These were: energy effi-ciency, renewable energies, as well as the interrelationship between energy and climatechange. Without wanting to anticipate the deliberations of the motions committee I wouldlike to note here that the Extended Standing Committee has proposed the formation of aBSPC working group on climate change and energy.The same applies with regard to the proposal, also contained in the draft resolution, toform a working group on the labour market and social welfare. The presence of represen-tatives of labour and management organizations at our conference is in keeping with anobjective approved in Reykjavik. We are pleased to have with us Peter Deutschland fromthe Baltic Sea Trade Union Network and Sverker Rudeberg from Business Europe, theEuropean umbrella organization for national industrial federations.In March this year the BSPC was invited to attend the conference on the Northern Dimen-sion that was held in Brussels by the European Parliament. One of the initiators of this con-ference is our colleague, European Parliament Vice President Diana Wallis. Thank youvery much for that Diana.In the statement I made at that conference I noted that one of the most important resultsof the new policy framework under the Northern Dimension was that of having a projectthat involves all four partners.The conference participants decided to establish a forum that will give us the opportu-nity to discuss Northern Dimension issues on recurrent occasions.In the Reykjavik Resolution we expressed our support for the development of a EuropeanMaritime Policy. This support remains unchanged. The consultation process on the GreenPaper ended on June 30 this year. On the basis of a detailed statement provided by theSouthern Baltic Sea Parliamentary Forum, which sees itself as a regional suborganizationof the BSPC, we were involved in this process and our positions were well represented.We want to continue this with a meeting of the Standing Committee and the EuropeanCommissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Joe Borg in October this year.A Gotland Initiative follow-up meeting was held on the Island of Bornholm in June this yearat which a report was presented by the BSPC Working Group on Eutrophication. At ameeting held with other Baltic Sea organizations in connection with this initiative BSSSCChairman Arne Øren put forward a proposal to establish a working group at the SecretaryLevel that would include all Baltic Sea organizations and whose purpose would be tostudy the possibilities that exist to undertake joint development efforts and to define fo-cuses for the Baltic Sea Region. A good idea.The BSPC was represented by Kent Olsson at the 3rd Parliamentary Assembly of theBarents Region held in June in Rovaniemi, Finland. He reported that there was strongagreement on the issues discussed there. Cooperation based on the development of net-works in the northern region was seen as being very important. There is a need for aworking meeting of the chairpersons of the northern organizations from both the parlia-mentary and the executive sides of government to discuss what this cooperation mightlook like specifically.Madam Chairperson, my fellow parliamentarians, I think, all in all, we are making goodprogress in the work we are doing. As persons holding political office and taking respon-sibility for political actions we sometimes have the feeling that some things ought to bemoving faster. But we also know from experience that it is often the small but concretesteps that move us forward. In any event we can look back on last year as having beenan active year in the BSPC and we can say with confidence that our activities and our po-sition statements are being noted more and more by other players on the political sceneand that they matter.I have a brief remark with regard to the administration of the BSPC. In accordance withthe Reykjavik Resolution all national and regional member parliaments have agreed to anew common financing mechanism for the secretariat on a cost-sharing basis. Some par-liaments have requested a formal basis for this mechanism. A corresponding motion forour rules of procedure has been proposed for consideration tomorrow, at the end of ourplenary session.The Extended Standing Committee will meet twice in the course of the day in its functionas the motions committee. Its task will be to combine further motions relating to the draftresolution in a conference resolution that is acceptable to everyone.There are a number of persons I would like to express my thanks to before I conclude mystatement.First of all I would like to thank everyone on the Standing Committee and the ExtendedStanding Committee for their cooperation and the excellent work they did. I would like tothank them for the wide-ranging support they all gave me in my capacity as chairman. Itwas an honour and a pleasure for me to chair our joint meetings and to represent the BSPCin dealings with other organizations. I would like to thank everyone at the Secretary Levelfor the excellent work they did in organizing our meetings and supporting our work. Theyworked under the direction of Jürgen Schöning who, I believe, is the senior member of thatgroup and has been involved in organizing all the BSPC Conferences thus far.I would like to express my special thanks to Jan Widberg, who succeeded Päivkki Lindroosand very rapidly assumed the role of a good assistant and adviser. Our work in the futurewill be able to rely on the support of an effective secretariat in Copenhagen.Last but not least I would like to thank my personal assistant Sabine Herget.We are now at the beginning of a two-day period of parliamentary debate in which we willbe establishing new contacts and carrying out political work. We have already heard inter-esting statements by European, Nordic, Arctic, and Black Sea sister organizations. Wehave heard our first ministerial statement. What has been said thus far provides renewedproof of our shared interest in coordinating objectives, strengthening cooperation, and im-proving the use of our resources.It underscores what Christoph Neidhart described in his book "The Baltic – The Sea inOur Midst" both with a view to past and a view to the future: "The Baltic served as a mar-shalling area for ideologies, as their uncertainly held approaches. Fierce battles werefought in the cold north, and occasionally still are. Today they are no longer fought by vio-lent means, but with the fire of argument. The Baltic is a sea of strong convictions. Ideas,good and bad, mark the way, like beacons."I think the good experience we have had over the past fifteen years in the Baltic Sea Par-liamentary Conference can be compared to a good beacon, pointing us in the right direc-tion for our further work.So my fellow parliamentarians, let us heed the buoys and lights that point the way to a safepassage. If we do, then we should always have sufficient water under the keel of our BalticSea policy. With this in mind I look forward to the debates that lie ahead of us on these twodays and thank you for your attention.