Mandate WG Green Growth and Energy Efficiency

|Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference |[pic] ||The BSPC Working Group on Green Growth and Energy Efficiency | || | || | ||Adopted by the 20th BSPC 30 August 2011 | |The BSPC Working Group on Green Growth and Energy Efficiency1. ConstitutionThe Working Group is constituted as an ad-hoc working group under the auspices of the Standing Committee of the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference in accordance with the BSPC Rules of Procedure.2. ObjectivesThe overarching objective of the Working Group is to elaborate political positions and recommendations in the field of green growth and energy efficiency. For this purpose, the Working Group should establish and maintain contacts with relevant institutions, organizations and other actors in the Baltic Sea Region.The scope of work of the Working Group should cover, but not be limited to, issues such as• Knowledge- and competence building in green growth/green economy;• Best practices in green growth and energy efficiency;• The role of parliamentarians in promoting green growth;• Challenges and opportunities for innovation, investments and solutions in green growth;• Business opportunities for the Baltic Sea Region through green growth;• Green growth as a competitive advantage for the Baltic Sea region;• The role of SMEs in developing innovations and technologies for green growth;• Potential for energy efficiency;• Green public procurement for green growth;• Including sustainable development in the curricula on all levels in the educational systems in the Baltic Sea States – “From kindergarten to further education”• Private-public partnerships for green growth;• Awareness-raising about potential benefits from green growth.The Working Group and its members should aim at raising the political attention on green growth and energy efficiency, for instance by pursuing those issues in the national parliaments of the members of the Working Group. Moreover, the Working Group should contribute to the exchange of knowledge and best practices within its area of responsibility.The Working Group should provide political input to the Conference resolutions of the 21st and the 22nd Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conferences.3. ParticipationAll member parliaments and parliamentary organizations of the BSPC are invited to participate in the Working Group with one member and one substitute each, accompanied by one advisor and/or one interpreter. Members and substitutes must be parliamentarians.Representatives of other national parliaments and relevant international organizations can be involved by unanimous decision of the Working Group members.4. Mode of WorkThe Working Group shall be headed by a Chairmanship, consisting of a Chairperson and 1-2 Vice Chairpersons. The Chairperson shall be appointed by the BSPC Standing Committee at its fall meeting 2011. At its first meeting, the Working Group appoints 1-2 Vice Chairpersons and adopts a working plan.Decisions of the Working Group shall be made by consensus. Abstentions do not disrupt consensus.The working language shall be English for deliberations as well as documents. Russian interpretation will be provided on a need basis. Translation of background material and other documents for the Working Group meetings to any other language than English will only be done on request. The costs in such cases shall be borne by the requesting member parliament.5. AdministrationBasic secretariat resources for the Working Group arrangements and meetings will be provided by the Chairperson of the Working Group and the BSPC Secretariat.Additional staff support to the Chair and Vice Chair(s) shall be provided by their home parliaments. Staff support to the members of the Working Group shall be provided by their home parliaments.Meetings will be arranged on a rotating basis between member parliaments. The secretariat of the parliament hosting a meeting will provide assistance to the practical preparation of the meeting (booking of meeting facilities and meals, suggestions for accommodation, necessary transportation, help in finding relevant local guest speakers etc).6. CostsMembers and staff of the Working Group shall cover their own travel and accommodation costs and other expenses in connection to activities in the group.Meeting costs and related expenditures will as a rule be covered by the BSPC joint budget, but could also by agreement be shared between the hosting parliament and the BSPC joint budget.7. TimeframeThe start-up of the Working Group activities shall commence in fall 2011. The Working Group should convene at least once every six months.The Working Group should present a midway report at the 21st BSPC in 2012. The final report of the Working Group shall be submitted to the 22nd BSPC in 2013.