Review current maritime safety issues in Baltic Sea (EN)

AppendixReport() on Current Problems with Regard toMaritime Safety on the Baltic SeaPresented by the Working Group"COMS – Committee on Maritime Safety"of the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conferenceon Behalf of the 10th Conferencein Greifswald 2001I. General InformationOn September 4, 2001, the 10th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference in Greifswald decided to create a Working Group on "Maritime Safety on the Baltic Sea“, to which each parliament participating in the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference was permitted to send one member and which was to prepare the further proposals for resolutions to be passed within the framework of the next Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference. When creating the Working Group, the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference at the same time decided to appoint Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania to chair and lead this group, and determined that this working group should be constituted as quickly as possible.Members from 12 national and regional parliaments (Denmark, Germany [Federal parliament as well as the State Parliaments of Bremen, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Schleswig-Holstein], Finland, Latvia, Norway, Poland, Sweden and the Russian Federation) of the countries bordering the Baltic Sea as well as the Nordic Council have been working together in this Working Group. The working group held a total of 4 meetings, including an international hearing of experts in Copenhagen. On the basis of the results of the expert hearing, the updated expert opinion on "Maritime Safety in the Baltic Sea Region", intensive discussions with HELCOM, reports on the situations in participating member countries and numerous discussions with experts, and in accordance with its duties, the Working Group forwarded a detailed resolution as an update of and complement to the decisions of the Greifswald conference to the Standing Committee for adoption during the 11th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference in St. Petersburg. This is now available to this year's conference as Part II of the draft resolution.The Working Group has unanimously adopted this draft resolution and recommends that the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference approve this as Part II of the resolution of its conference in St. Petersburg.The political activities of the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference with regard to the topic of "Maritime Safety on the Baltic Sea" are listed in the following overview:3/4 Sep 01 Greifswald 10th Baltic Sea Parliamentarian Conference26 Nov 01 Schwerin 1st meeting of the COMS Working GroupConstitution of COMSDefinition of essential principles and a work schedule04 – 06 Mar 02 Helsinki 2nd meeting of the COMS Working GroupPreparation of the international hearing,Topics for expert opinions, National reports,Discussions with the HOD of HELCOM,Participation in HELCOM seminars,Information exchange with Finnish experts13/14 May 02 Copenhagen 3rd meeting of COMS Working GroupInternational hearingInformation exchange with experts of the Royal Danish Administration of Navigation and Hydrography Information exchange with representatives of the Disaster Services and the Environmental Authority of the Isle of Møn08 Jul 02 Warnemünde 4th meeting of COMS Working GroupAdoption of the draft resolutionReport of the Working GroupVisit of the Vessel Traffic Service Center in Rostock-WarnemündeTour of the emergency tugboat "Fairplay 26"Tour of the Maritime Simulation Centre in Warnemünde19 – 22 Aug 02 Riga 9th HOD meeting of HELCOMParticipation in BALEX DELTA 200230 Sep/1 Oct 02 St. Petersburg 11th Baltic Sea Parliamentary ConferenceII. The Individual Consultations1. The first meeting of the Committee on Maritime Safety (COMS) appointed by the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference took place on November 26th, 2001 in Schwerin. It served primarily to draw up common essential principles as well as to prepare benchmark data for a work schedule in order to develop further political fundamentals and recommendations for action on this issue for the 11th Baltic Sea Parliamentarian Conference, which will take place from September 29th to October 1st, 2002 in St. Petersburg. In the course of the first meeting, Dr. Henning Klostermann was appointed to chair the Working Group.The fundamental internal rules of procedure are analogous to those of the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference.In addition to its actual consultations, the Working Group planned an international hearing, assigned expert opinions and scheduled discussions with representatives of international institutions such as HELCOM.The basis for the content-related procedures comprised the resolution of the 10th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference, including the report section, the Copenhagen HELCOM Declaration of September 10th, 2001, including explanatory notes and a comparison of the demands of the 10th Baltic Sea Parliamentarian Conference in Greifswald with the results of HELCOM Extra 2001 in Copenhagen.During its meeting, the Working Group welcomed by common consent the fact that a series of demands that had been put forward by the Greifswald conference had in part already been made binding international law at the level of HELCOM. The committee also ascertained that several demands still needed to be backed up with additional documentation and that intensive ongoing work was still required to enforce these at a political level. It was noted that this included, in particular, establishing an internationally binding mandatory pilotage agreement, the further implementation of the Erika I and Erika II directives of the European Union, the development and implementation of measures for increased environmental protection in the entire Baltic Sea region and backing for implementing economic incentives in support of environmental protection in shipping.In terms of content the Working Group agreed by common consent to focus its work on two aspects:a) To continue to promote the further implementation of still unmet or only partially met demands and measures arising from the Greifswald resolutions. The COMS noted that- points 7. (stricter application of the prohibition of dumping ship waste, particularly oil and sewage, in the ocean, which addresses all shipping traffic without exception), 14. (economic incentives, e.g. lower harbour fees for ships which fulfil certain environmental criteria) and 18. (observer status at the IMO) of the Greifswald resolutions are especially important;- national unilateral actions with regard to the mandatory pilotage agreement are not supported by all participants;- it is desirable to obtain from the member states an overview of the status of implementation of the Greifswald demands by the respective governments, including a description of the problems involved in implementing them.b) The programme of the Greifswald resolutions should be further developed and amended. The COMS noted that- the importance of the training seamen undergo as well as problems of health protection and labour protection should be emphasised;- the importance of solving problems of insurance coverage in international shipping should be emphasised;- the goal of a pan-Baltic Coast Guard could possibly be pursued over the long term.The Working Group agreed by common consent to draft a resolution for the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference in 2002 in St. Petersburg, which would form the basis for more intensive and extensive joint action of the community of countries bordering the Baltic Sea.2. The second meeting of the Working Group took place from March 4th – 6th, 2002 within the framework of a visit to HELCOM in Helsinki.This meeting began with a discussion with representatives of HELCOM about their structure and responsibilities. On this occasion the then chairman of HELCOM, Prof. Dr. Peter Ehlers, was thanked for his support for the concerns of the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference within the framework of HELCOM's activities and his intensive commitment to the implementation of many of the demands of the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference during HELCOM Extra 2001 and that the results of the work of the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference as well as the Greifswald Resolution were integrated in the HELCOM Copenhagen Declaration of September 10th, 2001. HELCOM’s expert advice and supportiveness to the Working Group was also gratefully acknowledged.It was further noted that on February 11th, 2002 in Moscow the Standing Committee of the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference had unanimously decided to request that HELCOM grant them observer status in order to further intensify the cooperation between the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference and HELCOM. In his letter of February 20, 2002 the chairman of the Standing Committee had applied for observer status. This had been regarded as an opportunity to become integrated into the direct flow of information and as a means of increasing influence in the relevant environmental protection policies and of gaining contacts to international organisations. Thus the granting of observer status within the framework of these consultations was viewed as an important political step for both institutions. During these consultations the Chairman of HELCOM discussed the developments, the tasks and the structure of HELCOM as well as focal points of the present fields of activity. The hope was expressed that cooperation between the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference and HELCOM would increase in future. Furthermore, it was noted that HELCOM was a good example of cross-border regional cooperation and transmitted the best possible information with regard to the fight against pollution from sources on land and at sea. The work of HELCOM was focussed mainly on the contamination of the Baltic Sea with agricultural nutrients, the dumping of pollutants by ships, measures to protect the environment, and most recently, offshore projects for the utilisation of renewable energy. The close cooperation among the General Secretariat, the HELCOM Working Groups, nine countries bordering the Baltic Sea, the European Commission and various experts was noted. Since 1980, HELCOM had adopted more than 200 recommendations with regard to maritime environmental protection. Emphasis had been placed on regular scientific monitoring, the monitoring of national implementation of HELCOM recommendations as well as of the "hot spot programme", established in 1992 for the targeted management of maritime contamination in individual locations. The latter originally comprised 132 problem areas classified as priorities. The 20 year old programme had a budget of approximately 60 billion Euros. Serious problems for its future work were liable to arise with regard to financing measures required to manage the dumping of pollutants, as many regional bodies had hardly any funds available. The grave, primary problem was still the high level of agricultural nutrients dumped into the sea, despite the fact that the ministers of agriculture had agreed to a 50% reduction in the use of fertilisers. In addition, it was partially unclear where exactly pollutants were most concentrated in the environment. Further research was thus required. Moreover, the conventional fishing operations in the Baltic Sea have a considerable negative influence on the environment. Shipping itself was no longer the main problem today. However, problems arising in this field had an increased influence on politics. Accidents were being turned into media sensations, and this partially led to false impressions and discussions among the general public. The management of these problems remained a very important issue. However, if the focus was placed on these problems alone, there was a danger that the actual environmental problems would be forgotten. The new quality of the cooperation between HELCOM and the parliaments of the countries bordering the Baltic Sea was to be welcomed. HELCOM Extra 2001 on September 10th, 2001, in which the ministers for the environment as well as the ministers of transport of all countries bordering the Baltic Sea had taken part, had also to be viewed within this context. The next step would be the more intensive involvement of the ministers of agriculture.During the discussions with the representatives of HELCOM the particular importance of coastal zone management was greatly emphasised. In this connection, HELCOM had found that additional administrative structures within the countries were required in order to adequately meet the requirements for environmental protection on land and at sea. The EU was already working on a corresponding directive. HELCOM had already taken up this new task in its Working Groups. The OSPAR Convention applied to the North-eastern Atlantic region, including the North Sea. For the first time, a joint session of both commissions is scheduled for 2003, with the goal of intensifying cooperation.In Helsinki the Working Group proposed that HELCOM should again be invited to the next Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference in St. Petersburg.Later in the meeting, the Working Group agreed to hold an international hearing in Copenhagen, and also determined the benchmark data for this hearing with regard to the list of questions and experts. In addition, the Working Group discussed the possibility of the allocation of expert opinions and requirements for national status reports on the implementation of the Greifswald resolution. Each parliament was free to use such instruments within the framework of its procedural possibilities. The results of the corresponding efforts were to be included in the reporting for the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference in St. Petersburg.In connection with this Working Group meeting, discussions were held prior to the 23rd HELCOM general assembly on March 7th and 8th, 2002 with the chairman of the Helsinki Commission as well as with the heads of the delegations of the national governments regarding issues of maritime safety and maritime environmental protection. In particular, the status of the already initiated and planned measures for the implementation of the HELCOM Copenhagen Declaration was addressed. Against this background, HELCOM had approved the status report on the implementation of the HELCOM Copenhagen Declaration at its 23rd general assembly on March 8th, 2002 (HELCOM 23/2002, 2/1) and noted with satisfaction the progress of implementation especially for those activities which were on schedule. The participants in the meeting further emphasised the importance of the continuing commitment of the institutions and ministries to the future implementation of the declaration. New maritime recommendations related to- the increased use of pilots on the heavily travelled shipping lane "Route T" of the Baltic Sea and the Øresund based on a new recommendation, whereby a system for informing ships of the necessity of using pilots as well as for implementing a monitoring process is established,- the establishment of a standard for the uniform disposal of waste and load residues of ships in the harbours of the Baltic Sea and other European waters,- the importance of good, professional cooperation with the Baltic countries and Russia to fight marine environmental pollution as well as measures to enable these countries to master potential dangers connected to the increasing traffic density.In this context it is also particularly noteworthy that the 23rd HELCOM general assembly on March 8th, 2002 granted the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference official observer status. This is especially important because the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference in Greifswald had decided it was necessary to apply to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for observer status for the Conference of the Peripheral Maritime Regions of Europe and the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference. Within the framework of the corresponding efforts, it became apparent that the IMO would grant observer status only to the European Commission and HELCOM as organs of international institutions, and that beyond this, no provision was made in the policy guidelines of the IMO for the granting of observer status to political bodies of the member states. Against this background, a corresponding application of the Conference of the Peripheral Maritime Regions of Europe was rejected. Thus only an indirect opportunity for the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference to gain information and exercise influence remained, namely to obtain observer status from HELCOM and in this fashion to exercise influence on and gain information from the IMO indirectly via HELCOM. So observer status at HELCOM was the only possibility for doing justice, in an indirect fashion, to the decision of the past conference. In the meantime, the EU has applied for full membership in the IMO, which was welcomed by the Working Group as a logical step to take.However, observer status does not merely entail the passive reception of information. Rather, in HELCOM's view, active participation in the meetings as well as policy proposals on the part of the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference were desirable (HELCOM 23/2002, p. 7) and in the meantime this has been put into practice. In this fashion, direct dialogue is possible between the executive sector and the parliamentarians at an international level in the Baltic region. This was pointed out by HELCOM when the resolution was passed on observer status during the annual meeting in Helsinki.In connection with the Working Group meeting, for the first time its members took part in preparatory seminars on current issues, on the future of an ecologically oriented European agricultural policy as well as on the implementation of the European general directive on water and the problems related to it.In the follow-up to the second Working Group meeting, its members conducted additional intensive discussions on issues of maritime safety – especially in the Gulf of Finland – against the background of the exponential increase in shipping traffic in this part of the Baltic Sea and the problems to which this gives rise.3. The international hearing on May 13th, 2002 in Copenhagen served primarily to review progress on the implementation of the decisions of the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference taken in Greifswald and at the Copenhagen conference of ministers, and which additional demands to increase the safety of ships should be made of the governments of the countries bordering the Baltic Sea. Against this background, a series of detailed questions were posed concerning the situation of maritime safety and its prospects, port state control, increased use of automatic ship identification systems (AIS), mandatory pilotage, the education and training of seamen, accident management, emissions and dumping of residual substances from ship operation, and the costs of ship safety and environmental protection were asked. High-ranking experts, particularly the directors of a number of national shipping authorities, representatives of the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Geneva, and the Latvian as well as the Russian ministries of transport provided a comprehensive review of the status of maritime safety. At the same time, proposals were discussed for further increasing maritime safety to be put forward at the 11th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference. Written statements were presented by the IMO in London and the European Commission. For details of the hearing, please refer to the minutes attached to the draft resolution.As a result of the hearing, it was noted that in the implementation of agreements and guidelines, the length of the ratification process and enforcement of international provisions are still very unsatisfactory. In addition, a code for monitoring all flag states was demanded with the goal of monitoring all those shipping nations which ignore international standards and agreements.In the follow-up to the hearing, members of the Working Group conducted discussions with the Royal Danish Shipping Administration of Navigation and Hydrography. The focus of these discussions was on international cooperation, maritime shipping routes in the Øresund and Great Belt, problems resulting therefrom and possible solutions, as well as the introduction of mandatory pilotage on routes that are nautically difficult to navigate.The meeting closed with discussions with representatives of the disaster prevention and management services and the environmental authority of the Isle of Møn to gain information about the effects and the management of an oil spill. At the end of March 2001, 2,350 tons of heavy oil were spilled in the Kadetrenden area after a collision between the "Baltic Carrier" and the "Tern" and had polluted sections of the Grønsund coast. The topics of discussion included the experiences on location in the management of such quantities of oil and the problem that oil in shallow waters could be recovered only under the most difficult conditions. In this respect the necessity of passing on the logistical and organisational experience gained as a result of this accident to the competent authorities in other countries was recognised. In the follow-up to these discussions, it was possible to gain an on-the-spot impression of the real conditions in the management of this oil spill, including the extensive logistics.4. The 4th meeting of the Working Group took place on July 8th, 2002 in Rostock-Warnemünde where the fundamentals of the draft resolution for the 11th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference were adopted unanimously. The core points comprised the introduction of a globally binding flag state code with which to monitor compliance with international shipping regulations, the fastest possible implementation of the HELCOM Copenhagen Declaration as well as other suitable measures to improve marine environmental protection, particularly the enforcement of a reduction in the dumping of harmful substances and agricultural nutrients that originate on land into the sea. Likewise, the demand was made for a rapid improvement of the safety level of the Baltic Sea region according to uniform regulations. This includes giving priority to the obligation to equip ships with AIS transponders and the performance of risk analyses for ships, mobile platforms and harbour systems. Finally, educational certificates and standards should be unified worldwide. As a result of September 11th 2001, maritime safety regulations will also have to deal with the problematic issue of terrorism with regard to maritime security. In this context, the United States, in particular, is pioneering a drastic increase in the level of port security with its ideas for a "Port and Maritime Security Act".After the meeting, the members of COMS viewed various new safety and security features which had been installed and/or improved at the meeting venue as a result of the accelerated discussions on maritime safety and security. At the Vessel Traffic Service Center in Warnemünde, the members of the Working Group familiarised themselves with the new fields of application for the automatic ship identification system (AIS), which has been compulsory since July 2002. In addition, they toured the emergency tugboat "Fairplay 26", recently stationed in Rostock, to gain an impression of its possible uses and readiness for service, and watched as the accident management capacities were demonstrated as part of an exercise at sea. Finally, in the Warnemünde Maritime Simulation Centre of the Maritime Shipping Department of the University of Wismar, the simulators of the education and training facilities for sailors were presented. These facilities are unique worldwide.5. Against the background of the observer status granted by HELCOM, the chairman of the Working Group took part in the 9th meeting of the heads of delegation of HELCOM on August 19th/20th in Riga. During the meeting the chairman of the COMS emphasised the fast, direct and uncomplicated communication with HELCOM. It was also stressed that the observer status of the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference at HELCOM was an element of a special quality for the relationship between the legislative and executive organs in the Baltic region. The synergetic effects of close contact between the legislative and executive sectors, particularly within the context of cross-border cooperation, must not be underestimated. One effect is the possible increase in the potential for the fulfilment of justified demands on a national as well as international level. It is hard for experts to achieve their aims without backing from the political arena – parliamentarians can formulate political demands much more precisely and work towards their implementation more competently if they work closely with experts. In addition, the opportunity was taken to inform the delegation heads of HELCOM about the work of the COMS. Also, where correlations existed between an agenda item and the pending Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference, comments were made from the standpoint of the current state of preparation for the conference.After the HOD meeting, a two-day international oil spill management exercise (BALEX DELTA 2002) took place in the Latvian city of Liepaja. Seventeen shipping units from five countries, one airplane and thirty observers from the countries bordering the Baltic Sea as well as sixty delegates from fifteen nations participated within the framework of the NATO program "Partnership for Peace". The task was to recover a simulated oil film six hours after an "accident". In this scenario, 800 tons of heavy oil had been spilled and was threatening to spread to the Latvian coast. The exercise was particularly successful in that the communication and cooperation under one command functioned extremely well among the participating units with their greatly varying technical, organisational and personnel conditions and they succeeded in recovering a large part of the simulated oil film. New management technology was likewise tested.6. The results of an expert opinion on "Maritime Safety in the Baltic Region in 2002" also flowed into the discussions of the Working Group. The expertise presents, among other things, a current status report on the international regulations, the European Union regulations and the Baltic Sea regulations, and puts forward proposals for improving maritime emergency management. The expert opinion is attached to the draft resolution as an appendix.In compliance with what the procedures in the respective parliaments allow, several member parliaments were requested by their governments to submit status reports on the implementation of the decisions of the 10th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference in Greifswald. These are likewise attached to the draft resolution as an appendix.7. In accordance with an agreement made by the Working Group during its last meeting, minor amendments were made to the language of the draft resolution passed in Rostock, and it was supplemented with a few facts and points resulting from the documents presented in the follow-up meeting, national consultations with experts and from the discussions which took place during the HOD meeting of HELCOM and the following oil spill management exercise BALEX DELTA 2002. Likewise, a supplementary proposal of the Norwegian delegation regarding the education and training of seamen was integrated. These changes were approved by way of a circulatory process – in accordance with the agreements concluded.III. Details of the Draft ResolutionStructurally, the draft resolution resembles the Greifswald resolutions.The introductory passage refers to the resolution adopted in Greifswald. This is followed by a list of the documents on which the statements and demands of the draft resolution are based. This includes primarily the report to be submitted by the Working Group and the documents which have played a particularly important role in the work of the COMS and which the Working Group initiated. These include the results of the international hearing in Copenhagen, the updated version of the expert opinion from the previous year, reports from individual member countries on the situation of the maritime Safety in the Baltic region and on the status of implementation of the Greifswald resolution, which were submitted by the governments thanks to current initiatives of the members of the Working Group, as well as the information received by the Working Group from HELCOM in Helsinki. Furthermore, reference is also made to the future-oriented white book of the European Union, which also played a role within the framework of the hearing.This is followed by a statement welcoming the integration of a large part of the demands from the Greifswald resolution in the decisions made in Copenhagen.The facts that maritime safety and security has been given high political priority, that awareness of maritime safety and security has significantly increased, that new regulations are being negotiated and adopted by international bodies faster than before, that the Baltic Sea is one of the first regions worldwide in which the AIS is being used, and that in March 2003 a joint workshop of HELCOM, IMO and the European Union on the environmental effects of the increased shipping traffic density on the Baltic Sea is scheduled to take place in Germany were all welcomed.These are the inevitable conclusions arising from the current scientific and political treatment of the issue.As a result of the hearing it was noted that in the implementation of agreements and guidelines it still takes far too long for international regulations to be ratified and become effective, which is very unsatisfactory, as the representatives of the ILO demonstrated during the international hearing in Copenhagen. The meeting at HELCOM clearly showed that additional suitable measures designed to improve maritime environmental protection in the Baltic Sea are required, as only a small proportion of the dumping of harmful substances and pollutants result from shipping, while approximately ninety percent of the harmful substances and nutrients stem from agriculture.Based on the information gained during the meetings of the Working Group, the following demands are made of the Council of the Baltic Sea States and the national and regional parliaments:• The HELCOM Copenhagen Declaration must be implemented as quickly as possible,• The establishment of an internationally binding flag state code must be supported,• Important protocols and conventions of the ILO must be ratified, setting minimum social welfare and working standards for seamen,• The level of safety and security must be increased in the ports of the Baltic Sea region and a joint vote is required during the diplomatic conference of the IMO in December 2002 to give priority to the compulsory equipping of ships with AIS transponders, the performance of risk analyses, the use of security guards, the drawing up of plans for ship and port safety and security and for reporting violations of applicable safety and security regulations,• The Baltic strategy must be effectively implemented, including suitable execution, monitoring and penal activities,• It is necessary to review whether a "Port and Maritime Security Act" should be developed and implemented for the Baltic region,• The EU guideline on port collection facilities for ship waste and load residues must be implemented as quickly as possible,• Measures to improve maritime environmental protection by reducing the land-based dumping of harmful substances and agricultural nutrients in the Baltic Sea must be more rapidly developed and implemented, and• The education and training standards of seamen must be improved and harmonised.The demands for the establishment of a flag state code and for faster ratification of international regulations therefore resulted from the international hearing. The demands for improvement of the level of port safety and security arose, among other things, from the activities at the IMO level. These are described in detail in the expert opinion commissioned by the state parliament of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, and include proposals discussed in the IMO and the EU against the background of the events of September 11th, 2001 in New York. In the opinion of the Working Group, these are worthy of support.The necessity of supporting the Baltic Strategy resulted from the participation in a meeting of the Heads of Delegation of HELCOM in Riga.The demand for the implementation of the guideline on port reception facilities for ship waste must be viewed against the background of demand No. 7 of the Greifswald resolution.The requirements for "maritime environmental protection" result from the information gained by the Working Group from an event at HELCOM in Helsinki.In the conclusion of the draft resolution it is noted that the Working Group has proven to be a suitable instrument with which to increase the potential for enforcing its demands and for improving the dialogue with the executive institutions in the Baltic region as well as with international institutions by political means. Furthermore, it is proposed that the Working Group should be used as an instrument for suitable topics in the future as well.Based on the experience gained from its cooperation, the Working Group considered it necessary to recommend this as a result of its work.IV. Summary of the Activities of the Working GroupThrough the detailed resolutions of the Greifswald conference, it has been possible to influence consultations decisively at an executive level and to achieve the adoption of a number of proposals of the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference in decisions of the executive branches of the countries bordering the Baltic Sea. At the same time, the entire development in this complex field towards an increase in maritime safety on the Baltic Sea has been driven forward.The activities of the Working Group has contributed – and this has been confirmed by a number of experts and institutions – towards enhancing awareness of the topic of maritime safety in the Baltic Sea region in the executive sector, in the specialist public and in the media. This also resulted in the discussion on new regulations in international and national bodies being accelerated and more extensive measures being adopted. In accordance with one of the main concerns of the Greifswald resolution, awareness of maritime safety issues has significantly increased in this short period thanks to the work of the Committee.It must also be noted that such activities of the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference are regarded as necessary by the executive bodies and other institutions in order to give critical support to consultation processes in the executive sector and to accelerate them as well as to achieve more extensive decisions than would be possible without these activities. The political pressure thus triggered by the parliamentary level is emphatically considered desirable and helpful in achieving the most extensive progress possible on these issues.The activities of the Working Group on Maritime Safety have also considerably intensified the cooperation between the parliaments of the countries bordering the Baltic Sea in the specialist sector and given it more depth. They have also increased both the knowledge of the situation in the individual countries and the familiarity with processes in the other countries bordering the Baltic Sea. At the same time, members of the Working Group, have launched individual activities in individual parliaments, which has led to extended parliamentary activities and initiatives in individual member parliaments during the ongoing activity of the Working Group irrespective of the adoption of a resolution by the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference. Progress has been achieved in parallel areas in individual member countries during the course of the consultation process.In principle, we have set a precedent in one area for the first time by implementing procedures at the level of the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference, which are taken for granted in each individual member parliament:In addition to a presiding committee or council of elders which focuses on preparing plenary meetings and setting the plenary agenda, a specialist-level committee, with the assistance of external experts has debated a specialist topic in depth and, has submitted a recommendation for a policy resolution supported by expert documentation to the plenum.If this were to succeed at a broader level in future, it would be a decisive step towards an effective Baltic Sea parliament, which, as an institution of parliamentarians of all countries bordering the Baltic Sea, would exercise functions comparable to those of the national and regional parliaments with regard to the concerns of the entire Baltic region. This is desirable, particularly if all the countries bordering the Baltic Sea are to grow together.Dr. Henning KlostermannChairman of theCommittee on Maritime Safety of theBaltic Sea Parliamentary Conference() including appendices