Conference Report (English)

Baltic Sea Parliamentary ConferenceEnergy, Ecology and Social Welfare:Cooperation for a SustainableDevelopment of the Baltic Sea RegionThe 21stBaltic Sea Parliamentary ConferenceBaltic Sea Parliamentary Conference Secretariatwww.bspc.netc/o Nordic CouncilVed Stranden 18DK-1061 Copenhagen K.Phone (+45) 33 96 04 00www.norden.org.US 2012:40821BSPC_OMSL_.indd 1 19/12/12 15.44Energy, Ecology and SocialWelfare: Cooperation for aSustainable Development ofthe Baltic Sea RegionThe 21st Baltic SeaParliamentary ConferenceSt. Petersburg 26–28 August 2012Energy, Ecology and Social Welfare: Cooperation for The Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC)a Sustainable Development of the Baltic Sea Region was established in 1991 as a forum for political dia-The 21st Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference logue between parliamentarians from the Baltic SeaUS 2012:408 Region. BSPC aims at raising awareness and opinionon issues of current political interest and relevance© Nordic Council, Copenhagen 2013 for the Baltic Sea Region. It promotes and drivesPrint: Rosendahls – Schultz Grafiskvarious initiatives and efforts to support a sustaina-Text: Linda Kelle Mg.oec., Ph.D. student ofble environmental, social and economic develop-regional economics, Faculty of Economics, Latviament of the Baltic Sea Region. It strives at enhanc-University of Agricultureing the visibility of the Baltic Sea Region and itsEditing: Jan Widbergissues in a wider European context.Layout: Erling LynderBSPC gathers parliamentarians from 11 nationalPhotos: Jan Widbergparliaments, 11 regional parliaments and 5 parlia-Copies: 250mentary organizations around the Baltic Sea. ThePrinted on environmentally-friendly paperPrinted in Denmark BSPC thus constitutes a unique parliamentarybridge between all the EU- and non-EU countries ofthe Baltic Sea Region.BSPC external interfaces include parliamentary,governmental, sub-regional and other organizationsin the Baltic Sea Region and the Northern Dimen-sion area, among them CBSS, HELCOM, the North-ern Dimension Partnership in Health and SocialBaltic Sea Parliamentary Conference Well-Being (NDPHS), the Baltic Sea Labour Forumwww.bspc.net (BSLF), the Baltic Sea States Sub-regional Coopera-tion (BSSSC) and the Baltic Development Forum.Jan WidbergBSPC shall initiate and guide political activities inHead of BSPC Secretariatthe region; support and strengthen democraticjw@norden.orginstitutions in the participating states; improve dia-logue between governments, parliaments and civilsociety; strengthen the common identity of the Bal-tic Sea Region by means of close co-operationBSPC Secretariatbetween national and regional parliaments on thec/o Nordic Councilbasis of equality; and initiate and guide politicalVed Stranden 18activities in the Baltic Sea Region, endowing themDK-1061 Copenhagen K.with additional democratic legitimacy and parlia-Phone (+45) 33 96 04 00mentary authority.www.norden.org.The political recommendations of the annualParliamentary Conferences are expressed in a Con-ference Resolution adopted by consensus by theConference. The adopted Resolution shall be sub-mitted to the governments of the Baltic Sea Region,the CBSS and the EU, and disseminated to other rel-evant national, regional and local stakeholders inthe Baltic Sea Region and its neighbourhood.ForewordThe 21st Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference was convened in themagnificent Mariinsky Palace, seat of the Saint Petersburg Legisla-tive Assembly. Saint Petersburg, the Russian gateway to the BalticSea and a splendid city with rich traditions of cultural and profes-sional interaction in the Baltic Sea Region, is indeed a fitting loca-tion for the BSPC. Over 200 parliamentarians, government repre-sentatives and esteemed experts from the Baltic Sea Region andbeyond gathered for three days of political deliberations, pertinentpresentations, educating excursions, and, not least, stimulatingsocial interaction. Many thanks to all of you who attended the Con-ference and contributed to its success. The exchange at all levels isimportant; it nurtures our mutual understanding of the challengesand resources in all the corners of our realm, and it brings ustogether and reinforces our joint capacity to deal successfully withthe task of promoting environmental health and social welfarethroughout the entire Baltic Sea Region. I would like to extend myprofound thanks to our host, the Saint Petersburg LegislativeAssembly and its Speaker, Mr Vyacheslav Makarov, for the dedicatedand skillful work in laying a solid groundwork for our successfulConference. I would also like to thank the BSPC Secretariat for con-tinuous support and operation of the BSPC machinery.The history of parliamentary cooperation in the Baltic Sea Regionhas entered its third decade. Thanks to the joint efforts of ournations, the region has developed into an area of peace, democracy,good neighbourly relations and cooperation. Our dialogue is trans-Valentina Pivnenkoparent, comprehensive and sincere. Social, economic and politi-cal progress in the Baltic cooperation has brought about positivechanges for all the countries of the Region, thus increasing theircurrent and potential level of mutually fruitful interdependence.I am certain that further progress will be achieved only if all thecountries work even more closely together and ensure that no-one is left aside. Our prime responsibility as politicians is to iden-tify and remedy the problems that cause difficulties in people’severyday life, to create favourable conditions for a safe and pros-perous existence for our and the coming generations, and to haltthe degradation of the very source of our prosperity – the livingenvironment.In order to further enhance the integration and cohesion of theRegion, we need more mobility and less administrative and physi-cal obstacles – such as visa restrictions – for the free movementof people and capital. This is of particular importance in the bor-der areas with their close ties based on common economies,geography and family contacts.I have had the pleasure and privilege of chairing the BSPC in2011–2012. It has been a year of enriching professional and per-sonal encounters. My warmest thanks to all my colleagues in theStanding Committee for their support and political commitmentto our work. I have been encouraged and strengthened in myconviction that the political efforts we are engaged in, both asindividual parliamentarians in our national assemblies and con-stituencies, and as a collective in the BSPC, can and will promotea development of the Baltic Sea Region that will benefit all its cit-izens. I would in particular like to thank my Vice Chairpersonduring this year, Mrs Laine Randjärv, for her support. It is withgreat delight that I now hand over the Chairperson’s gavel to her,and wish her all luck and success along the road to the 22ndBSPC in Pärnu 2013.Valentina Pivnenko, MP, Russian FederationChairperson of the BSPC 2011–2012ContentsForeword ............................................................... 3Opening of the Conference. .......................................... 9First Session: Regional Partnership and Cross-BorderCooperation in the Baltic Sea Region .......................... 11Second Session: Environmental Health andEnergy Cooperation ............................................. 26Third Session: A Safe and Healthy Baltic Sea ....................... 39Fourth Session: Health, Social Welfare andEconomic Development. ........................................ 43Closing of the Conference .......................................... 51Annexes:Conference Resolution .............................................. 55Programme .......................................................... 658 Opening of the ConferenceBSPC Chairman Valentina PivnenkoOpening of the Conference 9Monday 27 AugustOpening of the ConferenceMrs Valentina Pivnenko, Chair of the BSPC, welcomed the par-ticipants of the conference to the northern capital of the RussianFederation. Saint Petersburg is a marvellous city with deep-rootedtraditions of cultural and professional interaction in the Baltic SeaRegion. It is also called the gate of Russia to the Baltic Sea.H.E. Mr Sergey Naryshkin, Speaker of the State Duma of theFederal Assembly of the Russian Federation, had sent his welcomeaddress to the participants of the 21st BSPC. It was delivered bythe First Vice Speaker of the State Duma, Mr Ivan Melnikov. Inhis address, Mr Naryshkin highlighted the importance of thework of the BSPC. Participants from national and regional parlia-ments, as well as regional organisations, should strive to create anatmosphere of peace and stability in the region, which can coun-ter radicalism and extremist trends. The BSPC should focus onexpedient projects in the fields of modernisation and innovation,investments and trade relations, energy and environmental pro-tection, development of infrastructure, small and medium sizeenterprises, education and science. All these can contribute to asustainable economic development and increase the quality oflives of our citizens.10 Opening of the Conference First SessionMr Ivan Melnikov, First Vice Speaker of the State Duma of theFederal Assembly of the Russian Federation, underlined that openand comprehensive political dialogue fosters regional progress. Inorder to ensure prosperity for the citizens of the Baltic Sea Regionit is necessary to continue convergence within the framework ofregional partnerships in environmental protection, sustainabledevelopment, private – public partnerships, green growth, infra-structure, energy efficiency, nuclear safety and other. But in orderto achieve even deeper convergence there is a need to eliminatevarious administrative obstacles, such as visa restrictions.Mr Vyacheslav Makarov, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly ofSaint Petersburg, stressed that Saint Petersburg is honoured to hostthe Conference for the second time. The Legislative Assemblyregards the implementation of decisions made by the BSPC as man-datory. As a clear example of this Mr Makarov mentioned the mod-ern wastewater treatment system which has been constructed inSaint Petersburg and visited by the participants of the Conference.As a result of the introduction of this system, 95% of the wastewater in the city is treated. Saint Petersburg, with the largest portin Russia and an international airport used by millions of foreign-ers, can rightly be called the outpost of the Russian Federation inthe Baltic Sea Region. Visa facilitation would be economically prof-itable and foster new large-scale cross-border projects.Mr Vadim Tiulpanov, Head of the delegation of the Council ofFederation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation,applauded the parliamentary cooperation which is focused on eco-nomic and social prosperity, environmental sustainability andsafety of the region. He urged the participants of the conference toaddress the issue of visa-free policy allowing Russian tourists arriv-ing on ferries to the Baltic Sea countries to stay there for 72 hourswithout visas.H.E. Mr Sergey Lavrov, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Rus-sian Federation, conveyed a special welcome address in which hecommended the role of the BSPC. The Minister wished the partici-pants of the Conference fruitful and active discussions on issuesthat are important for all citizens of the Baltic Sea Region.Mrs Valentina Pivnenko, Chair of the BSPC, expressed her grati-tude to the Legislative Assembly of Saint Petersburg for organisingthe conference, declared the conference opened, as well asexpressed hope that discussions among parliamentarians of theBSPC will strengthen regional partnerships, foster sustainable eco-nomic development and increase the prosperity of the people liv-ing in the region.Opening of the Conference First Session 11First Session:Regional Partnership and Cross-Border Cooperation in the BalticSea RegionMrs Valentina Pivnenko, Chair of the BSPC, emphasised thatRussia’s presidency of the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS)2012-013 is symbolically coupled to its presidency of the BSPC,which gives Russia a possibility to add new items to the Baltic Seaagenda and to ensure continuity of the on-going regional integra-tion. During the last year, the activities of the BSPC were aimed atensuring a sustainable balance between the changing economicconditions and the wellbeing of the people living in the region.The main task of the politicians is to identify and address theproblems which worsen the daily lives of people, to create favour-able conditions for security and prosperity for this and future gen-erations, as well as to strive to curb the degradation of the pri-mary source of our prosperity – our common environment.Mrs Pivnenko underlined that it is of utmost importance to pro-mote further cooperation in the field of modernisation and inno-vation. There is a need to build a network for public-private inter-action. Measures aimed at curbing eutrophication and environ-mental degradation will enable us to preserve the entire ecosys-tem of the region. Intensified cooperation in green economy,energy efficiency, nuclear safety and infrastructure will allow theBaltic Sea Region to maintain competitiveness on the Europeanand even global level. Increased efforts to develop maritime strat-egy and increase maritime safety will, among others, ensure bet-ter protection of the environment and more efficient use of therecreational and logistics potentials. Cooperation in the field ofhealth care and social well-being will lay the foundation for socialprosperity. A successful fight against crime and corruption willmake the region a safer home for everyone. Development of tour-ism will enable us to learn more about our common cultural herit-age and enhance mutual cohesion. Support to and promotion ofsocially significant youth initiatives is very important. The BSPChas been actively involved in implementing the Northern Dimen-sion and the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region.It is important for all the strategies and programmes adopted inand adopted for the Baltic Sea Region, such as the HELCOM BalticSea Action Plan, to be followed by concrete actions taken by allgovernments in the region.12 First Session First SessionMrs Pivnenko welcomed the cooperation with the CBSS, HEL-COM, the Baltic Sea States Subregional Cooperation (BSSSC) andother regional organisations. The BSPC appreciates these usefulcontacts with subregional and non-governmental organisationswhich operate both within and outside the region. All stakehold-ers in the Baltic Sea Region must cooperate to meet regional chal-lenges. Efficient solutions to acute problems can be found onlywhen all stakeholders are involved in the decision-making pro-cesses, provision of resources and implementation of plans. Allcountries of the region, both EU members and non-EU members,should cooperate on an equal footing. The future development ofthe Baltic Sea Region is our common cause.Mr Sergey Petrovich, Deputy Director of the 2nd EuropeanDepartment of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Fed-eration and the Chairman of the CBSS Committee of the SeniorOfficials (CSO), outlined Russia’s priorities during its presidencyof the CBSS. The CBSS has lived up to expectations, namely, it hashelped to remove dividing lines in Europe in a period of profoundgeopolitical changes. Thus the Council has become one of theforemost means for overcoming the legacy of the Cold War.The main goal of the Russian presidency is to give a new momen-tum to multilateral cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region and tostrengthen the role of the CBSS as a coordinator of regional coop-eration. Mr Petrovich underlined that Russia’s presidency in theframework of Council’s reforms, aimed at defining activities andFirst Session First Session 13ensuring innovative development of the region, will strive to facili-tate the modernisation of the Council. One of the key characteris-tics of Russia’s presidency will be the principle of continuity. Itintends to continue working on priorities defined for the previousyears, namely, sustainable economic development, energy, envi-ronmental protection, education and culture, and civil securityand the human dimension. Russia’s presidency intends tostrengthen the role of the CBSS in ensuring stability, partnershipand good neighbourly relations in the Baltic Sea Region, fightingagainst extremism and radicalism, upholding the traditions of tol-erance, as well as promoting direct contacts among people byfacilitating the existing visa regime.Enhanced cooperation between the BSPC and the CBSS is consid-ered by the Russian presidency as very important because closecoordination of activities between legislative and executivebranches will facilitate implementation of the programme of thepresidency.Ambassador Mr Gerhard Almer, Head of the Task Force for theGerman Presidency of the CBSS 2011–2012, reported on the imple-mentation of the work programme of the German presidency in2011–2012. The Resolution of the 20th BSPC was the starting pointfor a wide range of initiatives. He focused on progress achieved inimplementation of three main priorities of the presidency: first,modernisation of partnership within the South-Eastern Baltic Area(SEBA); second, creation of a coherent framework for cooperationin the region; third, strengthening of regional identity and involve-ment of civil society, especially the young generation.Mr Almer referred to the extraordinary meeting held in SchlossPlön 5 February 2012 when the CBSS foreign ministers agreed onan ambitious programme focused on cooperation in the tourismsector, expansion of public-private partnerships, youth exchanges,academic and research cooperation, and sustainable development.The German presidency fostered cooperation in the tourism sec-tor; as a result of that, government and enterprises are now work-ing hand in hand to develop the Baltic Sea as a tourism brand.Environmental protection, energy policy, fight against human traf-ficking, maritime policy, and civil protection were also high on theagenda of the German presidency. One of the presidency’s aimswas to make the CBSS more effective and better prepared for thechallenges of the future. Mr Almer underlined that the CBSS has toremain a ‘pioneer in regional cooperation’ and a ‘symbol ofregional identity’.14 First Session First SessionMr Anatoly Zabrodin, Head of the Border Guard Department ofFSB of the Russia Federation in the City of Saint Petersburg andLeningrad Oblast, informed about cooperation on border controlwithin the region. Due to increasing activity on the borders, thereis a need for more comprehensive cooperation in informationexchange, as all countries of the region face the same challenges,including illegal migration, human trafficking, organised crime,trafficking of drugs, weapons and goods, as well as internationalterrorism. The Baltic Sea Region Border Control Cooperation(BSRBCC) is a flexible regional tool used in inter-agency collabo-ration on a daily basis in the fields of environmental protectionand fight against cross-border crime. The main involved partnersare police, border guards, coast guards and customs authorities.Cooperation within the framework of the BSRBCC is efficient as itoffers a modern platform for rapid exchange of information,knowledge and best practices, practical training, regular meet-ings, and joint maritime actions. In his conclusion, Mr Zabrodinhighlighted that a well-functioning system of bilateral and multi-lateral cooperation helps in facing the threats.Mr Pavel Burtsev, Deputy Head of the Oktyabrskaya Railway,highlighted the impact of transport infrastructure in North-WestRussia on the development of trade and economic relations. Heunderlined that Oktyabrskaya Railway plays an important role inensuring the transport connection to the ports of the region.Oktyabrskaya Railway is looking forward to integration of Russia’srailway system into the EU’s transport system. In order to achievethis goal the Oktyabrskaya Railway is focussing on the following:first, improving of infrastructure (access to ports and border-crossing points); second, ensuring of fast passenger traffic andconstruction of new high-speed rail lines to Finland and Estonia;third, development of logistics and new products. The greatestchallenge is to ensure that local funding is channelled to theimprovement of the situation at border-crossing points, as well asimprovement of the capacity of logistics. A growing transporta-tion market has led to a situation when logistics companies aredemanding more efficient customs control procedures, greatercapacity of employees as well as well-developed logistics infra-structure (ports, railways, IT etc.). Mr Burtsev also emphasisedthe need to develop the digital market in the Baltic Sea Region.Ms Ugne ̇ Kripavicˇiuˉ te ̇, Representative of the 4th Baltic SeaYouth Session, addressed the conference by stressing that youngpeople are willing to get involved in the policy-making processbecause they feel responsible for the future of the region. Duringthe German presidency of the CBSS, the Baltic Sea Youth Sessionwas organised in Berlin on 22–25 April 2012. Young delegatesFirst Session First Session 15from the entire Baltic Sea Region came together to address chal-lenges and future prospects of the region, as well as to contribute tointercultural understanding. Ms Kripavicˇiuˉ te ̇ affirmed the readinessof young people to cooperate with the BSPC in promoting people-to-people contacts, strengthening civil society and active involve-ment of youth in solving regional problems.The Northern Dimension and the EU Strategy forthe Baltic Sea RegionMr Jacek Protasiewicz, Vice-President of the European Parlia-ment, outlined the objectives of the new EU Strategy for the BalticSea Region published by the European Commission in March 2012.It started a discussion on the new focus of the EU Baltic Sea Strat-egy. Basically, the progress in implementation of the Strategy isregarded as positive. There are several reasons for that. Firstly,approximately 80 projects in the field of transport and environmentare being implemented. Secondly, a substantial involvement of Rus-sia in the implementation of the Strategy can be observed. Participa-tion of Russia is beneficial for the entire region. Thirdly, besidescentral governments, NGOs, private sector, local and regionalauthorities are also actively participating in implementation of theStrategy. Mr Protasiewicz also indicated those aspects of the Strat-egy which have to be improved. Firstly, there is a need to clarify pri-orities (infrastructure, energy etc.). Secondly, there is a need todivide responsibilities among the involved partners. Thirdly, thereis a need for enhanced communication. In the end of his speech, MrProtasiewicz expressed his appreciation for the agreement signedbetween Poland and Russian Federation on the facilitation of a visa-free regime in the bordering regions of both countries.Mr Stanislav Lazovsky, Association North-West Russia, intro-duced the participants of the conference to the North-West RussiaSocio-Ecoomic Development Strategy 2020. This Strategy covers themacroregion consisting of the following administrative units: St.Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Leningrad, Pskov, Vologda, Novgorod andthe Republic of Karelia. The main goal of the Strategy is to deter-mine ways to develop the transport, energy, industrial and socialinfrastructure in the region. The strategy contains concrete recom-mendations for increasing the attractiveness of the macroregion.Elimination of restrictions and barriers in different sectors, tacklingof environmental problems, and fostering of economic growth areamong the priorities of the Strategy. Organisational and financialtools offered by the Northern Dimension, the EU Strategy for theBaltic Sea Region and other initiatives can be used in implementa-tion of this Strategy.16 First Session First SessionMr Jaakko Henttonen, Manager of the Northern DimensionEnvironmental Partnership (NDEP), informed the conferenceabout the latest developments in the NDEP. He outlined thoseissues which are common for the EU Strategy for the Baltic SeaRegion and the NDEP. The NDEP works with non-EU countriesprimarily to reduce the eutrophication of the Baltic Sea. In thisrespect there is an intensive cooperation with Russia in imple-menting the National Implementation Plans of the HELCOM BalticSea Action Plan. Another newly opened area is working out rela-tions with Belarus municipalities to cut down waste water dis-charge. The EU plays a crucial role in providing adequate fundingfor priority actions within the framework of the EU Strategy forthe Baltic Sea Region and the NDEP. The NDEP assistance fund isEUR 175.9 million, from which EUR 120 million are allocated toenvironmental projects. Wastewater treatment in Saint Petersburgis a preeminent exponent NDEP’s success. In 2011, the NDEPapproved new projects aimed at increasing energy efficiency anddecreasing CO2 emissions. Mr Henttonen appreciated the strongsupport of all national parliaments of the region expressed as allo-cation of financial means to the activities of the NDEP.Mr Mika Boedeker, Director of the Nordic Council of Ministers’(NCM) Office in Saint Petersburg, presented the work of theOffice. During the past 15 years, the NCM has had the followingpriority areas in cooperation: public administration; research andeducation; economic development; support to civil society; aswell as transfer of skills and best practice trough traineeship pro-grammes offered by the Nordic institutions. The NCM hasapproved projects for 2012–2013 in the following four areas:green growth; cultural diversity and creativity; economy, businessand working life; and welfare, equality and civil society. Institu-tions such as NEFCO, HELCOM, the NDEP, and the Council ofEurope have been involved in the implementation of the projects.Ms Darya Akhutina, Acting Chair of the Baltic Sea NGO Forum,underlined that the Russian Federation is currently presiding inthe BSPC, the CBSS and the Baltic Sea NGO Forum. Interpersonalrelations are an important part of international relations in theBaltic Sea Region and a prerequisite for the region’s prosperity;therefore, strategic and practical support must be provided tostrengthening and developing public diplomacy. The Baltic SeaNGO Forum is not only a place for NGOs to meet but also a plat-form for broader discussions between NGOs and governmentalinstitutions on the most topical issues in the region. The next Bal-tic Sea NGO Forum will take place in the spring of 2013 in SaintPetersburg and will focus on tolerance and cultural diversity. MsAkhutina analysed the obstacles encountered by the Baltic SeaFirst Session First Session 1718 First Session First SessionNGOs in their daily work. Among the most significant challengesshe mentioned the lack of cooperation with governmental institu-tions and insufficient involvement of civil society in the decision-making processes. Another serious challenge is related to fund-ing, namely, there is neither common funding nor sufficient per-manent financial support for NGOs in the region.Ms Akhutina also came up with some recommendations to thenational parliaments and governments of the region. The BalticSea NGO Forum feels that funding for youth-oriented projects andevents in the Baltic Sea Region should be made more accessible.NGOs should be more involved in all projects and programmesregardless of the level on which the projects and programmes arebeing implemented. In the process of granting funds for youth-oriented projects, public authorities should focus on capabilitiesand needs of small youth NGOs. There is a need to expand jointactivities in the framework of the EU Strategy for the Baltic SeaRegion and the Northern Dimension, and to define the place androle of NGOs, many of which are small and grassroots organisa-tions.CommentsMr Kurt Bodewig, Chairman of the Board of the Baltic SeaForum, underlined that information about different kinds of coop-eration in the Baltic Sea Region is very interesting and an optimis-tic sign for future cooperation to solve ecological and humanproblems. There are three projects in which the Baltic Sea Forumis engaged. The CLEANSHIP project makes efforts to counterbal-ance the effects and consequences of the continued burning offossil fuels in all sorts of transport on land, in the air and water.The UN Climate Panel, IPCC, published in their report 2007 whatwould be a frightening result if no measurements were made toeffectively decrease the speed of the global warming. This gave abackground for activities to reduce emissions, find new innova-tion and new technical standards. Another project is BSR Inno-Ship, which addresses common challenges of the Baltic Sea coun-tries and the key maritime stakeholders to cooperate in minimiz-ing ship-based air pollution, while aiming at optimizing competi-tiveness of the maritime industry. In this project there are 19 part-ners and 24 associated partners representing the pan-Baltic,national and local organisations in all countries of the Baltic SeaRegion, including Russia. The third project is Amber Coast Logis-tics, which has a focus on the transport streams in the AmberCoast region with its natural hinterland, the Baltic States, North-West Russia, Belarus and the Northern Ukraine. The goal of thisFirst Session First Session 19project is to support the development of multimodal logistics cen-tres in the southern and eastern Baltic Sea Region and therebyimprove the accessibility of remote areas.One of the aims of InnoShip project has been to develop an awarddesigned for Clean Baltic Shipping and Sustainable Port Opera-tions. It would provide an incentive to new, innovative ideas andprojects for the shipbuilding industry, mechanical engineeringand shipbuilding and maritime business, as well as supportingideas of a Shipbuilding University. The Baltic Sea forum willorganize the awarding. For this task, the Forum draws on its net-work with the maritime businesses and policy, and also its con-tacts in Brussels.Mr Kimmo Sasi, President of the Nordic Council, noted thatwhen the Nordic Council was founded, the idea was to create asense of connectivity among the Nordic citizens. Looking towardsthe future, the most important thing is to move into the directionof securing peace, stability and respect for democratic rule.Democracy is dependent on stability which guarantees as benigndevelopment of our societies. Democracy means that citizens canparticipate fully in the political processes; that there is an opendialogue and freedom of expression. For politicians it is some-times embarrassing to be criticized by citizens, but it is an impor-tant aspect of democracy – society develops thanks to construc-tive criticism. In terms of legal issues in democratic society, it issometimes necessary to set limits for freedom of expression inorder to impede e.g. racism and defamation. When it comes togrowth in Europe today, we see a division into a Northern Europethat is doing quite well, and a South Europe which is doing not sowell. One important aspect in Southern European countries, aswell as in some countries in our region, is the issue of corruption.We must all work together to combat the corruption. It is impor-tant that people are committed to a societal model in which eve-ryone is allowed to participate and to which everyone contributessolidarically. It is also important to provide fair and competitiveconditions for businesses and enterprises.Mr Benny Engelbrecht, Member of the Nordic Council SocialDemocratic Group, strongly supported the call on governments toremove administrative and physical obstacles for the free move-ment within the Baltic Sea Region. Freedom of movement is veryimportant for the cohesion, cooperation and economic develop-ment in the region. The revised visa facilitation agreementbetween Russia and the EU will make it easier for citizens of theEU and Russia to obtain visa, including multiple-entry visas withup to five years of validity. The EU is ready to sign the revised visa20 First Session First SessionFirst Session First Session 21facilitation agreement that was agreed at official levels at the endof 2011, but it is regrettable that Russia decided otherwise. Thenegotiations about total visa freedom must await implementationof the common steps between Russia and EU as a part of EU visadialogue. Although Denmark will not be a part of possible EU-Russia visa facilitation agreement, Denmark takes a keen interestin these issues.As regards freedom of expression, the cooperation between par-liamentarians of the Baltic Sea countries is of high value. The Dan-ish delegation is worried about the case against the performancegroup Pussy Riot. The recent court decisions against some of thegroup members sent a sad signal to the artists and citizens of Rus-sia concerning the respect for freedom of expression. The sen-tence of two years of imprisonment is out of proportion. It isexpected that the sentence will be reviewed in line with Russia’sinternational commitments. Freedom of expression is a basichuman right and a core value in a democratic society, not least inarts, press and political debate. Parliamentarians have an obliga-tion to work for this also in the Baltic Sea Region.Mrs Álfheiður Ingadóttir, Member of the Nordic Council Left-Wing Socialist Green Group, noted that for some the greatestthreat to democracy in our region is societal crisis, for others, cli-mate change, but since 11 September 2001 the main threat in ourpart of the world has been that of terrorism. With right prepared-ness and responses, terrorists cannot break the infrastructure ofthe open democratic society. We have all witnessed and felt howresponses to terrorism have circumscribed our civil and humanrights in airports. It can be argued that it is not terrorism itself butthe risk of exaggerated responses and preventive measures fromauthorities that undermine and threat democracy by adverselyaffecting peaceful demonstrations and silencing criticism. Onething is to talk about threats to democracy, another thing is totalk about what is needed for democracy to thrive. In this con-text, civil and political rights, freedom of expression, fair and pre-dictable court proceedings are irreplaceable in the democraticstate and in a reliable and modern government. The conduct ofthe Russian authorities against the Pussy Riot, which has beensentenced to two years of imprisonment for a peaceful demon-stration, is disappointing and concerning. This is an attack on theright of free speech and a violation of fundamental human rights.Another threat throughout this region is modern slavery andorganized crime.Mrs Silvia Modig, Member of the Nordic Council Left-WingSocialist Green Group, noted that the Group was very sad about22 First Session First Sessionthe harshness of the decision made in case of the Russian perfor-mance group Pussy Riot. Members of the Party Group find itimportant that we develop our mutual interaction also for thebenefit of the open civil society where all views are tolerated. InFinland there is a rise of intolerance in recent times, which posesa challenge to build an open and equal society. The democraticand well-functioning society is not a finite project, but a processthat needs our constant attention.Mr Vatanyar Yagya, Official from the St Petersburg LegislativeAssembly, questioned whether or not the Swedish case againstWikiLeaks Julian Assange was a democratic problem and pointedout that the sentence imposed on Anders Breivik in Norway – amere 21 years in what can be described as great comfort – was aproblem for democracy. They follow the law, just as the case withPussy Riot. Both countries are adhering to the law and we shouldrespect each country’s sovereignty. As regards the cooperation onthe Arctic issue, St Petersburg has a powerful industry and tech-nological basis for supporting this kind of cooperation. A confer-ence has been held recently in St Petersburg called “the Arctic –Territory of Cooperation”, where all participants supported theidea of putting together a cluster on Arctic research in St Peters-burg as well as an idea of holding particular meetings from theNorthern countries in St Petersburg on the subject of cooperationin the Arctic. There are some objections by the US when it comesto using the Northern Sea Route, as they believe that a considera-ble section of this route goes through the territorial waters of theRussian Federation. This issue should be discussed within theframework of the BSPC.Mr Franz Thönnes, Member of the Parliament of the FederalRepublic of Germany, expressed gratitude to CBSS for settingcooperation priorities within the area of environment, energy andenergy efficiency, as well as for its public-private partnershipapproach. This shows that in transferring from the German CBSSpresidency to the Russian presidency, countries are workingclosely together. It would also be a great tradition if the Russianpresidency could continue organizing the youth conference. Grat-itude was expressed to Mrs Valentina Pivnenko for the good andinformative speech at the 9th Baltic Sea States Summit inStralsund. People must have opportunities to meet across borders,and to speak and exchange ideas and experiences; therefore it isvery important to work on a visa-free system between the RussianFederation and the EU. In March 2013 in St Petersburg, an NGOconference looking at issues of tolerance and cultural diversitywill take place. With regard to the Pussy Riot case, it can beargued that group offended the religious sensitivities of many peo-First Session First Session 23ple; thus it was an offensive provocation, but it was not a crime.The criminal trial and the sentence have caused apprehension.Vladimir Lukin, the Human Rights Commissioner of Russia andMihail Fedotov, Chair of Russia’s Human Rights Council and thePresident’s Office also share the view that the ruling was out ofproportion. We look with great interest to an appeal beinglaunched.Mr Hans Wallmark, Member of the Swedish Parliament,pointed out that it is very important to realize that we are in theNorthern European growth corridor. We have the Nordic coun-tries, Baltic States, Poland, Northern Germany, the UK, the North-West Russia, and they together constitute this corridor. Norwayhas oil; Denmark has just entered into a broad tax agreement aspart of their parliamentary reform. Poland and Holland have goodgrowth figures. It appears that here, it is possible to implementreforms and structural changes even during the bank and finan-cial crisis. In fact, crisis is the right time to implement majorstructural reforms that eventually lead to growth. This is a posi-tive message that can be sent to Southern Europe. It is also impor-tant that in our Nordic efforts we are including Russia more andmore as an active participant. Northern Europe should be tiedtogether through enterprises, customs and transport agreements.Mrs Valentina Pivnenko, Chair of the BSPC, concluded the firstsession by noting that the issues of cross-border cooperation,regional partnership, policies of the Northern Dimension, and theEU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region will very much be at a focusof attention by the Russian presidency. The issue of cultural differ-ences is also regarded as very important. Commenting the state-ments about the group Pussy Riot, Mrs Pivnenko stressed that theactivities of this group were not an isolated incident. Tolerancemeans respect towards each other. It is hooliganism to make prov-ocations in the Russian Orthodox Church. A parliamentary viewof this gesture should not support such kind of actions. There arecourts and justice systems which make decisions. Every citizen ofthe Russian Federation enjoys constitutional rights. The girls thathave been sentenced have been given and using their rights, butas hooligans they deserve the sentence.24 First Session First SessionFirst Session First Session 25Mariinsky Palace Plenary Hall26 Second Session Second SessionSecond Session: EnvironmentalHealth and Energy CooperationStatus of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan(BSAP)Mrs Helle Pilsgaard, Chair of HELCOM, reported on the HEL-COM Baltic Sea Action Plan, informing that Denmark has startedits two-year chairmanship of HELCOM. The priorities of the Dan-ish HELCOM chairmanship are firstly, effective fulfilment of theBaltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) with emphasis on four segments:eutrophication, hazardous substances, biodiversity and maritimeactivities; secondly, a little extra for a healthy Baltic Sea with initi-atives in areas where additional measures are needed, e.g. marinelitter, underwater noise, alien species, certification of the sea,development of regionally coordinated assessment, combinationsof pollution inputs, work on indicators; thirdly, building a moredynamic and effective HELCOM by streamlining processes, ensur-ing synergy and coordination with other policies. The Danishchairmanship will work for a continued development of HEL-COM’s role in the Baltic Sea Region as an environmental focalpoint and ensure that HELCOM continues to deliver added value.It will also highlight synergies with the implementation of theEU’s Marine Strategy and Integrated Maritime Policy as coordina-tion platforms. As regards the progress of HELCOM BSAP, in themeeting in Krakow in 2007 it was agreed to achieve and maintaingood environmental status of the Baltic Sea by 2021. In the minis-terial meeting in Moscow 2010, the Baltic Sea States presented theimplementation status of the BSAP, which showed that the munic-ipal wastewater treatment sector, and the industrial sector havebeen successful in reducing their discharges of nutrients and haz-ardous substances into the Baltic Sea. As regards actions oneutrophication and hazardous substances, a lot of work is still inprogress. It is also noteworthy that the Baltic Sea States have beensuccessful in finalizing a number of activities regarding shippingand biodiversity.Eutrophication is one of the biggest environmental problems.There is a lot of work in progress and many positive examplesthat reduce nutrient inputs. In March 2012, a new EU regulationregarding the use of phosphates and phosphorous compounds inconsumer laundry detergents by 2013 and consumer automaticdishwasher detergents by 2017 was adopted. The last share ofnutrient inputs of nitrogen and phosphorous originates from agri-culture which requires special attention and intensified efforts.Since 2010, the HELCOM Agriculture and Environment Forum hasSecond Session Second Session 27been active in strengthening the dialogue between agricultural andenvironmental authorities to develop and apply sustainable agricul-tural practices with the least environmental impact in the BalticSea. As regards the ongoing work in biodiversity, the goal is toachieve a favourable conservation status of the Baltic Sea biodiver-sity, natural marine and coastal landscapes with thriving balancedcommunities of plants and animals as well as viable populations ofspecies. Over 10% of the Baltic Sea marine area is under protection,meaning that the targets set by the UN have been met. A full evalua-tion of the progress in he BSAP implementation, including nationalprogress towards reaching ecological objectives, will be made atthe HELCOM Ministerial meeting in Copenhagen in October 2013.Mrs Christina Gestrin, BSPC HELCOM Observer, noted that theenvironmental of the Baltic Sea Region have always been high onthe BSPC agenda. The BSPC Working Group on Eutrophication sub-mitted their final report to the Conference in 2007. One of themeasures proposed was to urge governments to approve the HEL-COM Baltic Sea Action Plan. The decision-making principle in HEL-COM is based on consensus, which may be very time-consuming.There has been a proposal to ask IMO to prohibit nitrogen oxidedischarges in the Baltic Sea, but the decision has been postponed. Achallenge is the financing of projects compliant with the BSAPobjectives. For this reason, a technical assistance fund has been setup. As Sweden and Finland are currently the only countries makingcontributions to the fund, other countries in the region should alsocontribute to its financing. The forthcoming Ministerial meeting inOctober 2013 will assess the progress and initiatives taken so far,and decide on the possible revision of the Action Plan. Govern-ments are urged to comply with their decisions to achieve goodenvironmental status by 2021. It is necessary to demand a high levelof vision, stricter requirements in terms of nitrogen and phospho-rous emissions, good preparedness for oil spills, and a good envi-ronmental disaster planning that takes natural diversity intoaccount.The environmental problems in the Baltic Sea Region can best besolved if all countries share the same objectives. Therefore it is cru-cial to work together on issues of environmental protection, prepar-edness for disasters, and plans for climate adaptation. Countrieshave to get better at exchanging information about best and worstpractices, and about accidents and risks of accidents. The futurehealth of the Baltic Sea is dependent on how well the HELCOMAction Plan succeeds; therefore we must concentrate on the imple-mentation of existing plans rather than making new recommenda-tions, and coordinate our efforts as well as demanding more finan-cial resources. This requires political backing.28 Second Session Second SessionTatiana Zakharenkova, St Petersburg Legislative AssemblySecond Session Second Session 29Mr Vladimir Lovtsov, Head of Economic Policy of the Plenipo-tentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federationin the North-West Federal District, emphasized that environmen-tal problems and environmental protection are topical on theagenda of the Baltic Sea regional cooperation. As regards activitiesby Russia in relation to participation in the HELCOM, Russia andall other contributing countries are actively cooperating in organ-izing the next Ministerial meeting in 2013, which will providereports from each country on the implementation of nationalcommitments to the BSAP. Russia’s commitment is to work withall existing environmental problems in the Baltic Sea identified bythe HELCOM, e.g. improving wastewater management systems,reducing emissions of various substances, particularly combatingeutrophication, working in ensuring biodiveristy, and improvingplanning and transport systems. Within the North-West Russiathere is extensive cooperation between Kaliningrad, Novgorodand Karelia. Various regions are developing their regional pro-grammes for participation in the national programme. As thereare certain problems with federal support, the programmes onthe regional level will be implemented on the basis of fundingthat is allocated regionally. In St.Petersburg and Karelia, work hasbeen carried out on development and modernisation of municipalplants in connection with water purification and water supply.Moreover, a number of international projects will contribute tothe implementation of technologies for reduction of different sub-stances in water. In Pskov, e.g., a project is carried out on sewagesystems and wastewater water systems in order to purify water inthe city.Sustainable Tourism in the Baltic Sea RegionProfessor Dr Mathias Feige, Managing Director of DeutscheWirtschaftswissenschaftliche Institut für Fremdenverkehr, notedthat the Baltic Sea Region is the only coastal region in Europe thatover the last few years has been growing steadily and has excel-lent perspectives for expansion. A project on the Baltic SeaRegion, pooling together experts on tourism development, hasbeen carried out. Forecasts for tourism development in all tour-ism segments – active tourism, maritime tourism, health and reha-bilitation, wellness, culture events, city trips, country tourism,camping etc. have been good.It is important to ensure sustainable tourism in the region. TheEU does not yet prioritize tourism for the Baltic Sea Region; there-fore it is important to support tourism development through theBaltic 21 Tourism Sector Network. The new EU 2014+ funding30 Second Session Second Sessionperiod does not envisage resources for tourism. It is necessary tolook for other partners, particularly when it comes to the stronglydeveloped regions. 80% of the future funding will go intoresearch and innovation, energy efficiency and renewable ener-gies, and competitiveness of the small and medium-sized enter-prises. Sustainable growth, smart growth and inclusive growthwill be able to kick off core projects that pursue sustainable tour-ism objectives. In the future it will be necessary to have coopera-tion projects across borders and sectors. Tourism can and shouldbecome one of the leading sectors if the economies in the BalticSea Region, because it involves a wide range of companies in thearea of retail, transport, services etc. Sustainability must be theguiding principle for tourism in the Baltic Sea Region. There areclear indications that tourism is reaching its sustainability limits.Political support needs to be retained and strategic approach andsupport to tourists and those working in the tourism industrymust be given.Environmental CooperationMs Olga Rublevskaya, Director of the Wastewater Disposal Sys-tems of the Vodokanal of Saint Petersburg Company, told aboutways in which the company is contributing to the protection ofthe Baltic Sea environment. In 1992, the government of the Rus-sian Federation and HELCOM signed a decision on measures to betaken in order to protect the environment of the Baltic Sea. Oneof main priorities of the Vodokanal is to reduce discharge ofuntreated wastewater and to remove nutrients (nitrogen andphosphorus) from wastewater, thus mitigating the negativeimpact on the environment of the Baltic Sea. For a long time SaintPetersburg did not have a proper waste water treatment system,so wastewater was directly discharged into the Baltic Sea. Vodo-kanal is actively improving the biological wastewater treatment inorder to meet stringent requirements regarding the removal ofphosphorus compounds. There are 14 new wastewater treatmentplants in Saint Petersburg. The Vodokanal has broadened coopera-tion with universities in order to introduce new methods toreduce the discharge of untreated wastewater. Ms Rublevskayapointed out that the situation in Saint Petersburg has improvedconsiderably because of increased regional cooperation.Mr Maxim Shingarkin, Member of the delegation of the StateDuma the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation to theBSPC, drew the participants attention to the issue of the disposalof chemical weapons in the Baltic Sea, which he regarded as aproblem without a solution. For almost 70 years chemical weap-Second Session Second Session 31South-West Waste Water Treatment Plant32 Second Session Second Sessionons from World War I and World War II have been lying at the bot-tom of the Baltic Sea. Authorities of the region are doing a lot todeal with this serious environmental disaster. Mr Shingarkin under-lined that there is an urgent need to remove the toxic chemicalsand dispose of them properly. If anything happens to these chemi-cal weapons, the toxic substances released might poison the sea’swildlife, ecosystem, fishermen and their catch. Mr Shingarkin pro-posed some concrete actions which could be taken by parliamen-tarians of the BSPC. First of all, there is a need to call on the gov-ernments of the region to remove toxic chemical weapons fromthe sea and dispose of them properly. All countries know exactlywhere the chemical weapons are dumped. Second, countries of theBaltic Sea Region have to draft an action plan on measures, includ-ing technical measures, to be taken to solve the problem.Mr Sten Björk, Project Manager of the Port of Trelleborg,informed the conference about the progress in the Clean Baltic SeaShipping project, which is a flagship project of the EU Strategy forthe Baltic Sea which will end in September 2013. The project hasthe following five objectives: first, to reduce shipborne air pollu-tion; second, to reduce nutrient discharge from ships into the seato a zero-level; third, to create a joint strategy for differentiatedport dues; fourth, to run pilot projects; and finally, to create aninterrelation of goals among all stakeholders. Mr Björk underlinedthat a joint clean shipping strategy requires intense discussionsamong different actors from local and regional governments,NGOs, ports, shipping companies, research field, etc. This projectis a voluntary project which unites 19 official partners, 20 associ-ated partner associations and 14 supporting associations. In theend of the project a strategic document will be drafted outliningthe follow-up activities aimed at achieving the overarching goal – ABaltic Sea free from pollutes water and air. He also presented someexisting practical solutions for treatment of waste from ships in theports, for shoreside electrical supply to ships that would enablethem to use port facilities without running their own engines, forimproved filtering of fuels, etc.Ms Evdokia Bychkova, Member of the State Duma of the FederalAssembly of the Russian Federation and Head of the Regional Cen-tre on Environmental Policy and Culture, underlined that biodiver-sity, clean air, clean water, and wild animals have to be preservedfor future generations. Therefore, there is an urgent need todevelop a common environmental culture and environmentalspace in the region. She proposed to establish a Russian – Scandina-vian ecology and innovation consortium which would implementthe strategic recommendations of the BSPC aimed at environmen-tal protection.Second Session Second Session 33Energy Efficiency and Green GrowthMr Yury Lipatov, First Deputy Chairman of the Committee onEnergy of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the RussianFederation, outlined Russia’s federal policy on energy conserva-tion and energy efficiency. People’s demand for energy is increas-ing – everyone needs water, heating and electricity, but not every-one is behaving responsibly in terms of energy saving and properuse of energy resources. The re-oriented policy is aimed at promo-tion of proper use of energy sources, use of more efficient heatingsystems, and introduction of efficient light-bulbs, as well as atreduction of energy consumption in cities (billboards, economiclight bulbs for public lighting in cities, etc.). Since 2010, publicauthorities have been tasked with the reduction of energy con-sumption by 3% every five years. The new policy is aiming to sig-nificantly reduce energy consumption in almost all spheres of eve-ryday life.Mr Hans Brask, Director of the Baltic Development Forum(BDF), focused on opportunities of green growth and green busi-ness in the Baltic Sea Region. He began his presentation by con-gratulating Russia on its accession to the World Trade Organisa-tion and emphasised that it will open up new opportunities fortrade and economic growth as well as ensure better investmentclimate. Mr Brask also encouraged Russia to continue takingresponsibility for regional institutions because the region needsRussia’s involvement and inspiration on all levels in order to suc-34 Second Session Second Sessioncessfully achieve common goals of the region. Mr Brask empha-sised that the region has a huge potential, including a potential forenergy efficiency. There is no doubt that countries of the regionare not taking the full advantage of possibilities to share informa-tion and knowledge on best available technologies. The potentialof the region to “go green” is high, and it is a way to increaseregion’s competitiveness in the future.Ms Elena Belova, Secretary General and programme coordina-tor at the Leontief Centre, International Centre for Social and Eco-nomic Research, presented the Arena project, which is funded bythe Nordic Council and was launched on 17 April 2012. The goalof the project, which unites 50 stakeholders from Russia and theNordic countries, is to implement principles of green growth inthe north-western regions and municipalities of Russia by follow-ing the example of the Nordic countries. The project aims to helpmunicipalities, regions and involved organisations to create a sus-tainable platform for enforcement of joint decisions. The projectis planned to be realised through conferences, seminars, andstudy visits of Russian experts to the Nordic countries, as well asother events. It will last for two years and will be completed inlate 2013.The Nordic-Russian Green Growth Arena project hasdefined three priority areas (sub-projects). The first priority isrelated with green planning instrument and strategies (develop-ment of appropriate strategies, green brands, roadmaps and poli-cies aimed at facilitation of environmentally sustainable economicgrowth; green tax and procurement schemes; investments in sus-Second Session Second Session 35tainable infrastructure; promotion of sustainable consumption,green lifestyle of inhabitants and tourists). The second priority isfocused on the Nordic-Russian greenways (sustainable transportand safety; promotion of healthy lifestyle; development of eco-tourism, as well as nature and cultural heritage conservation).The third priority is related with sustainable hubs and clean-tech clusters (promotion of green technologies and clusters,which facilitate economic growth; creation of incentives forinvestments in resource-efficient technologies and environmentalprotection).Mr Valery Golubev, Vice-Chairman of the Management Board ofGazprom, focused on the use of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) asbunker fuel for ships. The tough mandatory restrictions on emis-sions from vessels, sailing in the Baltic Sea and the North Sea,to be imposed after 2015 is the main reason for switching to alter-native fuels. The use of LNG is the only way to meet the require-ments for reduction of emissions from ship engines withoutinstalling expensive filters; furthermore, this fuel is more afforda-ble in comparison to low-sulphur petrochemicals. Mr Golubevalso analysed factors which hinder the development of the LNGmarket, namely, the absence of relevant legislation and infrastruc-ture. Decision makers in the Baltic Sea Region have to agree on auniform set of rules regarding technological prerequisites andtechnical standards for the ports (storage facilities, terminalsetc.).Mr Igor Zaikin, Head of industrial safety, environmental andengineering work of the Oil Company “LUKOIL”, informed theconference about the measures taken by the company in ensuringenvironmental safety. Lukoil has adopted a Health, Safety andEnvironment Policy and has undertaken to achieve the followingobjectives: firstly, to apply the zero-discharge principle in devel-oping offshore fields; secondly, by introducing power-efficienttechnologies and using alternative energy sources to ensure effi-cient management of natural resources in production and otherareas of Lukoil Group operation; thirdly, by introducing cutting-edge technologies, equipment and materials and increased pro-cess control automation to control and gradually reduce both theamount and toxicity of emissions, discharges of pollutants andwaste; fourthly, to ensure continuous improvement from perspec-tive of health, safety and environment through increased reliabil-ity of equipment, safe and accident-free operation of equipment,introduction of new technologies and automated emergency sys-tems; and finally, to ensure that the management, personnel, res-cue services and other units of Lukoil Group are prepared to getinvolved in the elimination of consequences of accidents, fire36 Second Session Second Sessionfighting and emergency response, as well as to enhance prepared-ness and to provide more advanced equipment to fire-fighting andrescue units.Mr Daniil Algulyan, Elected Chairman of the Steering Commit-tee of the Pilot Finance Initiative and the Director of the KfWRepresentative Office in Moscow, presented the Pilot Finance Ini-tiative (PFI). The KfW bank is financing only those projects thatare environmentally and socially sustainable, as well as climatefriendly. On 31 May 2012, at a time when the 9th Baltic Sea StatesSummit was held in Stralsund, a Memorandum of Understandingwas signed between the Permanent International Secretariat ofthe CBSS, the KfW bank and Russia’s Vnesheconombank. All par-ties agreed to cooperate in financing projects initiated by smalland medium-sized businesses, as well as public-private partner-ships in spheres such as environmental protection, innovation,modernisation and energy efficiency. With the mandate grantedby the German Federal Foreign Office, the KfW bank intends toissue long-term loans to the Vnesheconombank, which, in turn,will issue loans for projects. It is planned to provide the PFI alsoto those financial institutions from the CBSS region which join thePFI.Ms Cecilie Tenfjord-Toftby, Chair of the BSPC Working Groupon Green Growth and Energy Efficiency presented the mid-termreport of the group. The overarching objective of the workinggroup is to elaborate political positions and recommendations inthe field of green growth and energy efficiency. The workinggroup agreed that the definition of green economy concept setforth in the OECD report on green growth corresponds to thegroup’s perception of the concept and thus serves as a generalguideline for its work. According to the definition, green growth“means fostering economic growth and development while ensur-ing that natural assets continue to provide the resources and envi-ronmental services on which our well-being relies.” Togetherwith innovation, going green can be a long-term driver for eco-nomic growth, through, for example, investments in renewableenergy and more efficient use of energy and materials. The work-ing group has held 3 meetings and come up with 6 main recom-mendations. It calls on the governments of the countries of theBaltic Sea Region, the CBSS and the EU: firstly, to support the Bal-tic Sea Region Energy Cooperation (BASREC) initiative; secondly,to raise awareness about green growth and energy efficiency;thirdly, to promote and allocate financial resources to initiativesaimed at green growth and energy efficiency: fourthly, to makeconcentrated and prioritised efforts in ensuring energy efficiencySecond Session Second Session 37in the construction sector; fifthly, to promote the elaboration ofnationally adapted binding targets; and finally, to promote greenpublic procurement. Ms Tenfjord-Toftby underlined that it isimportant for Russia to get involved in the work of the workinggroup and therefore encouraged the Russian parliamentarians totake part in the activities of the working group.CommentsMr Wille Valve, Member of the delegation of the Åland Islands,expressed the opinion that the environmental condition of theBaltic Sea is deeply unsatisfactory. It is unacceptable that peoplecannot eat fish or allow their dogs to drink the sea water; this isparticularly worrying for the Åland Islands which are locatedright in the middle of the Baltic Sea. The Åland Islands delegationis calling on the responsible parties to take stronger, smarter andmore efficient measures in the field of environmental protectionof the Baltic Sea.Mr Lars Tysklind, Member of the Swedish delegation, empha-sised the role of HELCOM. The countries of the Baltic Sea Regionhave to continue working jointly on environmental issues, andfulfil their obligations and commitments to the HELCOM BSAP.Mr Stanisław Wzia ̨ tek, Member of the Polish delegation,thanked Mr Maxim Shingarkin for raising the issue of chemicalweapons dumped at the Baltic Sea; it is not only an environmentaldisaster but also a security challenge since chemical weapons canalso be regarded as a kind of latent terrorism threat. The Polishdelegation proposed to establish a working group which woulddeal with the issue of chemical weapons dumped ini the BalticSea.38 Second Session Third SessionSecond Session Third Session 39Third Session:A Safe and Healthy Baltic SeaMr Vitaly Klyuev, Deputy Director of State Policy for Maritimeand River Transport of the Ministry of Transport of Russia,reported on the marine safety and environmental protection atthe port of Ust Luga. Approximately 170 million tons of freighthave been transported through the ports of Vyborg, Vysotsk, Pri-morsk and Ust Luga. There is a regional system for maritime trans-port where various communication systems are used to ensuresafety of ships in the water. It has modern technology with radarstations to ensure maritime transport safety in sea and at har-bours. All harbours in this region work with a standardized sys-tem. The Port of Ust Luga is the most modern and deepest seaport in the Baltic Sea. There is a high turnover of cargos, which isexpected to rise up to 180 million tons by 2015. The harbourinfrastructure has good connections with railway and road trans-port.Before new port facilities are built all necessary procedures fortechnical and environmental issues are executed. Certain proce-dures also apply before dredging operations can be carried out.These activities are coordinated with local authorities and adhereto strict national and international environmental stipulations.There are also reception facilities for all types of waste and gar-bage in the sea port, which is done in accordance with MARPOLrequirements. The crude oil terminal facility is subject to con-stant monitoring in terms of environmental auditing to make surethat there are no oil spills or leaks. In case they should occur, arescue and salvage company is readily available. A waste disposalfacility ensures that operations are carried out environmentallysoundly.Mr Jochen Schulte, BSPC Co-Rapporteur on Integrated Mari-time Policy, informed that regarding sulphur emission controland nitrogen oxide emission control there have been new devel-opments in the area of integrated maritime policy. Differentorganisations working with the integrated maritime policy havebeen able to work together and managed to take an integratedapproach. The issue of emission reduction remains a key ques-tion, seen in connection with the competitiveness of the BalticSea Region. There is also the question of maritime transportwhere port infrastructure is given particular attention. Anotherquestion is about maritime safety and a common maritime spatialplanning. All these issues require that we join forces and take aunited approach. Therefore it is welcome that European Maritime40 Third Session Third SessionDay in Gdansk last year brought together the BSPC, CBSS andBSSSC maritime functions. The goal is to identify synergiesbetween organisations, joint activities in these fields, and possibili-ties to cooperate on joint projects especially for the purpose ofreviewing the Baltic Sea Strategy. In the future it is important toinvolve the business community in the maritime industry. Compa-nies that produce engines, build ships, and design harbours andports should be involved in the process earlier so that theytogether can come up with integrated clean shipping initiatives.Next year, a joint conference is planned with participation of dif-ferent organisations, experts and port authorities that can deliverfruitful discussions on important issues in a comprehensive andthorough manner. The questions for debate are: what is going tohappen in 2015 when SECA (Sulphur Emission Control Area) placesnew restrictions on the maritime industry? What impact will theycause heavy oil usage, on ports and on the industry as a whole?What will be the opinion by the civil society about this? In Ger-many there is a new debate emerging concerning the environmen-tal impact of the use of LNG. It is also necessary to look at ways onhow to be more involved in the processes taking place within theIMO. It is important that national parliaments make their voicesheard on all these topics.Third Session Third Session 41Mr Roger Jansson, BSPC Co-Rapporteur on Integrated MaritimePolicy, noted that in the Northern part of the Baltic Sea Regionthere is a special need for shipping and maritime transport, notleast from Finland. 80% of the goods exported from Finland areexported by the sea. In winter there is the problem of ice. In gen-eral maritime transport is preferable to road transports both eco-nomically and environmentally. It is in our common interest tomaintain the competitive edge of transports by sea. The pollutionfrom transports by road is much greater than for transports by seaper freight-km. It is necessary to join forces and take strong meas-ures from technical, environmental, and financial points of viewto promote the competitive power of maritime transports.The objective of the Clean Baltic Sea Shipping project is to reduceemissions from vessels at port and at sea, to give best practiceexamples, and to have the best possible cooperation with allstakeholders. The Conference on 19–20 September 2012 in Rigawill be an important milestone for maritime developments. TheBSPC Integrated Maritime Policy Rapporteurs have tried to main-tain an active dialogue with i.a. BSSSC. This is a policy area wheredevelopments go very fast.42 Third Session Fourth SessionDrafting CommitteeThird Session Fourth Session 43Fourth Session:Health, Social Welfare andEconomic DevelopmentHealth and Social Well-BeingMs Eeva-Liisa Haapaniemi, Consul of Social Affairs and Healthof the Consulate General of Finland, representing the Chair coun-try of NDPHS reported about the importance of health and socialwell-being for the prosperity and sustainable economic develop-ment of the region. After the Russian Federation, Finland is nowchairing the Northern Dimension Partnership in Public Health andSocial Well-being in 2012–2013. During the economic crisis, manycountries have been forced to respond with severe cuts in publicexpenditures, including on health and social care. At the regionallevel, health and social issues are often put aside or sub-prioritizedwhen strategic priorities are discussed. This approach can causeserious damage to the societies in the long term and hamper thepotential for growth. Issues such as ageing society, growing burdenof non-communicable diseases and antimicrobial resistance areamong the biggest social and economic challenges of the 21st cen-tury. It is estimated that the growing proportion of older people inEurope will increase public spending by 5% of the GDP duringnext 50 years due to a higher share of retired people and a highernumber of people with chronic non-communicable diseases.Therefore it is very important to promote healthy ageing as well asefficiency and quality of health and social care services. Thedemand for health care is rising faster than the number of doctors.There is a need to invest in finding innovative approaches to healthcare, such as telemedicine.The raising burden of non-communicable diseases is another press-ing issue. The World Economic Forum has identified these diseasesas the second most severe threat to the global economy in terms ofpotential economic loss. The main risk factors of non-communica-ble diseases are preventable – tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol,low physical activity and unhealthy diets – but only a small propor-tion of health expenditure is spent on prevention. At the sametime, at least 66 billion EUR are lost every year in the Baltic SeaRegion countries due to premature loss of life of preventablecauses.New challenges require adaptation. New solutions have to befound, which requires creativity, cooperation, political will andfinancial investment. It is important to pool the resources and44 Fourth Session Fourth Sessionexpertise and exchange ideas and knowledge on effective solu-tions. Parliaments can play a very important role in fostering suchcooperation.Ms Natalia Dorshakova, Professor of Petrozavodsk State Univer-sity of Karelia, informed about cooperation with the countries ofthe Baltic Sea Region in the fight against socially significant dis-eases. Diseases that are important in the social realm are tubercu-losis, B and C hepatitis, sexually transmissible diseases, diabetes,high blood pressure, etc. A number of projects at different levelshave been carried out and a lot has been learned in terms of diag-nosis and prophylaxis. A control of a number of diseases on aninternational level is being carried out and different instituteshave been established for surveillance of the control of these dis-eases. As regards type II diabetes, it has achieved epidemic pro-portions in the last few years. In 2010 there were 220 millioncases registered in Russia. There is also a great concern aboutpediatric diabetes where there is one case per 500 children andone case per 200 adults. Even though there are good types oftreatment available, some people develop disabilities early, goblind, or develop liver and kidney problems. Finland is the coun-try with the highest proportion of diabetes: 63 people per 100inhabitants. Sweden is not far after, nor is Russia, where Karelia isan area with very high proportion of diabetes.There have been a number of international conferences in 2010devoted to this topic. The project “Diabimmune” studies twohypothesis which concern genes and hygiene. The hygienehypothesis would indicate that the quality of living and hygienehave improved so much over the last years and people havechanged their eating habits, which means that life has changedand it influences the development of diabetes. Helsinki Universityin cooperation with other Estonian, Finnish and German universi-ties are carrying out a study, where tests of biological substrates inthe blood from more than 10000 children from Karelia and Esto-nia are taken. The major problem concerning this study is totransport the blood samples from Russia to the European researchcentres, which cannot be done because of legislative restrictions.A draft appeal has been put forward, which has not yet beenadopted. Parliaments are asked to help in solving this problem.Mr Raimonds Veˉjonis, Vice President of the Baltic Assembly,spoke about health care cooperation of the Baltic States. Parlia-mentarians of the Baltic Sea Region are well aware of the prob-lems in the area of health care and social welfare. It is importantnot just to diagnose the problems, but also to heal and treat them.It is crucial that the ideas of joining forces is not just somethingFourth Session Fourth Session 45written down on paper, but resulting in concrete ideas on howwe can work together to improve the situation. Regarding the suc-cess story of the Baltic Sea Region cooperation, in 2009 the BalticAssembly came up with an initiative to cooperate in the area ofhealth care among the Baltic States. Five projects were carried outto look at possibilities, firstly, to establish a common system forstate-funded procurement of medicines and medical equipment,secondly, to establish joint specialized medical centres for moreefficient use of professional skills in the Baltic States, thirdly, tocoordinate emergency help in the border towns of the BalticStates, fourthly, to establish efficiently functioning human organtransplant system of the Baltic States and fifthly, to tackle theproblems of infertility and establish a common sperm bank in theBaltic States. The first fruits of practical activities are alreadyshowing. On 24 September 2010, Latvia and Estonia signed a bilat-eral agreement on mutual aid for providing ambulance services inborder areas. Currently work is being done to sign a similar agree-ment between Latvia and Lithuania. The Partnership Agreementbetween the Baltic States on common procurements of medicinalproducts and medical devices was signed on 2 May 2012. Thisagreement allows for other member states of the European Unionand European Economic Area to join. The first common procure-ment of vaccines will take place already next year.Labour Market IssuesMs Mariya Grinnik, Representative of the Federation of Inde-pendent Trade Unions of Russia in the North-West Federal Dis-trict, underlined that a sustainable economic growth without cre-ating new opportunities for the labour market is not possible. TheFederation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia has, within theframework of social dialogue, come up with a programme of anti-crisis measures for the Russian Federation, including a number ofmeasures to stimulate domestic growth and support the labourmarket. Most of the regions in North-West Russia have a lack ofskilled labour, particularly craftsmen and a skilled labour force forthe production industry. Moreover, St Petersburg and Leningraddistrict, and Kaliningrad and Karelia have a high level of unem-ployment among young people, even including graduates ofhigher educational institutions. This shows the disproportionbetween the demand and supply of the labour market. It is neces-sary to ensure that the government helps graduates to find theirfirst job in the field they have graduated. Some success has beenachieved, but there is still a huge disproportion. Companies tendto hire cheap workers and the share of unqualified foreigners hasranged between 80–85% in the last years. Recently the govern-46 Fourth Session Fourth Sessionments of the St Petersburg and the Leningrad districts have beentrying to compromise with the demands of trade unions. Wageshave not increased for a long time and migrant workers are under-paid. Trade unions are pushing governments to guarantee themigrants a proper accommodation at least. The aim is to ensurethat migrant workers are adapted to the social and cultural lifeand that they are treated the same way as the local workers. Theproblem lies in the fact that employers are increasingly using tem-porary workers from outside the official labour system, many ofwhich are from agencies. Trade unions together with parliamen-tarians are pushing actively to try to ensure that workers aretreated properly wherever they come from. There is a projectcalled “Working with Dignity” where international organizationsare also included. The challenge of this project is to improvestandards so that everyone can have a decent job.Ms Karen Roiy, Senior Adviser of the Confederation of DanishEmployers, reported about youth unemployment. The availabilityof a skilled workforce after the crisis is crucial for Europe’sgrowth potential in the future. Access to qualified labour is at thecore of companies’ competitive strategies. Labour force withappropriate and increasingly high qualifications is therefore veryimportant for attracting investments and securing growth andjobs. One of the challenges is the global race for best educatedpopulation. Expenditures for education and research and develop-ment have been increasing sharply around the world and espe-cially in emerging economies. Countries such as Korea, China andIndia have managed to adapt very fast to the educational needs ofthe 21st century by becoming competitive on wages and knowl-edge. One thing is investing in education, another is to ensure ahigh return of education. Here dual education and training isimportant.The challenges that are facing Europe is demographic ageing.More important than ever is to tap the full potential of a smallerworking age population. Young people of today are more edu-cated than ever, but at the same time youth unemployment ishigh. Therefore it is necessary to ease young peoples’ transitionsbetween school and work. We should ensure greater synergiesbetween the world of education and the world of business. Thereis evidence that well-functioning apprenticeship and internshipssystems seem to be correlated with low youth unemployment. Itis positive for both sectors, because apprentices or interns bringtheir academic knowledge to the company and their practicallearning in a company to the school. It is vital that young peoplegain experience in the labour market during their studies,because companies look for graduates with work experience.Fourth Session Fourth Session 47Linking education and employment generates positive synergiesbetween the areas and secures a smooth transition into employ-ment.Mr Uwe Polkaehn, Chairman of the Regional Section Schleswig-Holstein of the Confederation of German Trade Unions and Chair-man of Baltic Sea Region Trade Union Network, informed thatsince 1998 the Baltic Sea Trade Union Network has had intensecooperation with 22 different trade unions to tackle youth unem-ployment, which is one of the biggest political problems facing ustoday. At the same time it is a challenge for companies and econo-mies. 22% of all young people in the European Union have no job.In Spain, more than half of the young people are without job. InLithuania – over 30% in 2012, in Latvia – 28,1%, Poland – 26,2%,Sweden – 22,9%, Estonia – 22,3%, Finland – 20%, Denmark – 13%,Norway – 7%, St Petersburg – 12–16%, Germany – 7%. Germany isleast affected by unemployment, their problem is rather a scarcityof skilled workers. Politicians are working on skilled worker alli-ances and worker initiatives. The Baltic Sea Labour Forum, tradeunions, employers and politicians have put together a projectwhich involves a system of dual education courses in vocationaltraining as a best practice for the entire Baltic Sea Region.Mr Oddgeir Danielsen, Director of the Secretariat of the North-ern Dimension Partnership on Transport and Logistics (NDPTL),informed about transport and logistics in relation to the labourmarket. Well-functioning transport and logistics system is thebackbone of a well-functioning labour market. Speaking aboutenergy, more than 80% of the extractable energy resources in theworld are in the Arctic area. With so much to be extracted anddeveloped there is a great need for competence and knowledge aswell as transport and logistics. In this sense the Northern SeaRoute is a very important element also for the Baltic Sea Region.The Northern part of the Baltic Sea Region is rich in raw materialswhich provides a perfect opportunity to create new industrieswith new work places. The Trans Siberian Railroad is also impor-tant for the transport infrastructure and connection of Europewith Asia by land.The objectives of the NDPTL are to improve the major transportconnections between the Northern Dimension partners; to accel-erate the implementation of transport and logistics infrastructure;to accelerate the removal of non-infrastructure related bottle-necks; and to set up effective structures to monitor the implemen-tation of projects and measures. In order to ensure these aims, thePartnerships major task is to facilitate financing of projects bymaking them “bankable” or “financeable”. A financial support48 Fourth Session Fourth Sessionfund will be used for bridging projects with national and interna-tional financial institutions.Mr Franz Thönnes, BSPC Rapporteur on Labour Market Issues,gave a report on youth unemployment and measures to combat itin the Baltic Sea Region. The BSPC can be proud that the issue ofemployment in cross-border labour markets in the Baltic SeaRegion has moved higher up the political agenda following thecreation in 2007 of its Working Group on Labour Market andSocial Welfare and the adoption of its recommendations in theresolution passed at the 18th BSPC held in Nyborg. As regardsyouth unemployment, the report written by the Rapporteur onlabour market issues provides an overview of the situation in eachindividual country. It contains lists of measures politicians canundertake in order to integrate young people into the labour mar-ket. It is important to have the vocational training, or “sandwichcourses”, in companies, and have closer ties between schools andindustry.In 2008, at the initiative of DGB Nord and Nordmetall, 22 partici-pants representing the world of politics and the social partners(trade union federations, employers’ associations, the CBSS andthe BSPC), jointly formed the “Baltic Sea Labour Network”(BSLN), a flagship project within the EU Strategy for the Baltic SeaRegion. This three-year project received EU funding of €2.7 mil-lion. Its aim was to support sustainable labour markets, fairemployment conditions, strong social partners and proper socialprotection for cross-border commuters. Denmark cooperatedwith Danish, Swedish and Norwegian trade unions on a researchproject entitled “Guest workers’ employment and living condi-tions”. Estonia offered “Training in social dialogue for young tradeunionists” and there were plans for a handbook for young personsin the labour market. In Finland an interview-based study on“Social inclusion of Estonian and Russian-speaking guest workersand their participation in employment and trade union member-ship” was conducted as part of training for trade unionists. Ger-many and Poland looked to form and information and skills centrefor cross-border commuters and employers in the German-Polishborder area. Latvia organized forums for social dialogue in theregions, bringing together trade unions and employers, and initia-tives to promote self-employment. In Lithuania trade unions andemployers together got to grips with the government’s employ-ment and economic policy during the crisis. In Sweden there wasa trade union project on employee mobility in relation to infra-structure. The work done by the BSLN project, inspired by thespirit of social partnership, together with increasing economiccooperation in the Baltic Sea Region and the challenges posed byFourth Session Fourth Session 49an emerging Baltic labour market culminated in the founding ofthe new Baltic Sea Labour Forum (BSLF), which has the backingof the BSPC and CBSS. It was set up by 21 organizations at theBSLN’s Final Conference in Hamburg in November 2011, andworks under the auspices of the CBSS. The Forum is a flagshipproject of the EU strategy for the Baltic Sea Region.Trafficking in Human BeingsMr Johan Linander, BSPC Co-Rapporteur on Trafficking inHuman Beings, noted that trafficking is the slavery of this cen-tury, in which people are ruthlessly exploited by other people forprofit, usually in terms of forced prostitution or compulsorylabour. In 2009 the Working Group on Civil Security was estab-lished and focused its efforts on trafficking in human beings.After the Group had submitted its final report in Helsinki 2011,the BSPC appointed two Rapporteurs in order to follow up thework of the Group and the recommendations concerning traffick-ing in human beings. This work started by writing letters to min-isters responsible for the fight against trafficking in human beingsin the Baltic Sea States. In the letter, attention was drawn to therecommendations made by the 19th and 20th BSPC and four ques-tions were asked. Firstly, do you have a system for registration ofcases of trafficking in human beings, and what are the latest fig-ures? Secondly, is the current legislation against Trafficking inhuman beings effective? To what extent are traffickers convicted?Thirdly, trafficking in human beings is a highly profitable criminalactivity; what measures are employed in order to track and confis-cate the proceeds from trafficking? Fourthly, how is your govern-ment providing stable funding for public authorities, specializedagencies, NGOs, and inter-governmental organizations and pro-jects in order to maintain the pursuit of persistent and sustainedefforts against trafficking in human beings?Ten of eleven countries responded and revealed that they have asystem for registration of cases of trafficking, but not alwaysunder the auspices of one single unit, thus making it difficult toget an overview. It turned out to be difficult to compare the statis-tics from different countries as they had provided statistics of dif-ferent years, but in any case it can be concluded that the traffick-ing is very much a present problem in most BSPC countries. Onthe question of legislation, many countries said that they are inthe process of assessing and revising existing legislation. Whenorganized crime changes its activities, legislation has to keep paceand be revised as well. Trafficking is and remains a profitableform of criminality and money is what drives criminals. It is deci-50 Fourth Session Fourth Sessionsive to be able to get at the profits from trafficking. Some nationsare better than others at tracing and confiscating the profits whileothers have a lot to do in this field. When it comes to financing,many countries have three or four year action plans in relation totrafficking. Often the money turns out to be tied to projects thatare limited in time and fight against trafficking is not a time-bound project. It is necessary to have long-term financing so thatfight against trafficking can continue.Laine Randjärv, BSPC Chair 2012–2013, Valentina Pivnenko,BSPC Chair 2011–2012, Tatiana Zakharenkova, St PetersburgLegislative AssemblyFourth Session Fourth Session 51Closing of the 21st BSPCMrs Valentina Pivnenko, outgoing Chair of the BSPC, expressedher appreciation of the deliberations held during the 21st BSPC. Dur-ing these two days, 49 speakers have presented their views onregional partnerships, cross-border cooperation, the EU Strategy forthe Baltic Sea Region and the NDEP, energy and environmental pro-tection, green growth and maritime policy, as well as health care andsocial well-being. 207 Conference participants have had great oppor-tunities to assess cooperation between the BSPC and the CBSS, aswell as to hear the opinion of the business community – e.g. Lukoiland Gazprom. Parliamentarians have thus received a list of “homeassignments” in fields such as youth unemployment, energy effi-ciency, sustainable tourism, and economic development. The Confer-ence has welcomed representatives from youth organisations, who,for the first time in the history of the BSPC, were actively taking partin the Conference.Mrs Pivnenko then presented the Resolution of the 21st BSPC, thework programme of the BSPC for 2012–2013, and the proposal togrant Observer status in the BSPC to the Skåne Regional CountyCouncil. The Conference unanimously adopted the Resolution andthe work programme, and granted Observer status to the SkåneRegional County Council.Mrs Valentina Pivnenko announced that the parliament of Estonia istaking over the presidency of the BSPC in 2012-2013 and gave thefloor to Mrs Laine Randjärv.The newly appointed Chair of the BSPC, Mrs Laine Randjärv, reaf-firmed the belief in the strength of cooperation within the Baltic SeaRegion. She expressed her gratitude to the former Chair of the BSPC,Mrs Valentina Pivnenko, for a successful presidency in 2011–2012.Mrs Randjärv indicated that the Estonian presidency has observedthe principle of continuity when defining the priorities for the BSPC’swork programme in 2012–2013. The BSPC has to continue the dia-logue on employment and creation of new jobs in the region. Thecountries of the Baltic Sea Region have to establish practical partner-ships in various fields which would increase the global competitive-ness and innovative activity of the region. The Northern Dimensionand the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region are unique tools, and theBSPC should devote a significant attention to implementation of realis-tic and practical initiatives on the basis of these political tools. Onbehalf of the Estonian parliament, Mrs Randjärv concluded by invitingparticipants to attend the 22nd BSPC, which will convene in Estonia’ssummer capital – Pärnu – on 25 – 27 August 2013.52 Fourth Session Fourth SessionFourth Session Fourth Session 5354 Fourth Session Annex 1AnnexesFourth Session Annex 1 55Annex 1Conference ResolutionAdopted by the 21st Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC)The participants, elected legislators from the Baltic Sea States*,assembling in St Petersburg, Russian Federation, 26–28 August 2012,discussing co-operation in the Baltic Sea Region, environmentalhealth and energy cooperation, a safe and healthy Baltic Sea, andhealth, social welfare and economic development,A. stressing that parliamentary cooperation in the Baltic SeaRegion (BSR) contributes to democratic, transparent and inclu-sive political processes, as well as to practical and positiveresults in people’s everyday life;B. commending the close, pragmatic and productive interactionbetween the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) and BSPC,including a far-reaching synchronization of political prioritiesand a continuous exchange at all levels;C. appreciate the organization of a first Youth Parliament called“Baltic Sea Youth Session” in Berlin in April 2012 within theframework of the German CBSS Presidency; encourage the fol-lowing CBSS Presidencies to continue with the organization ofthose Baltic Sea Youth Sessions and to support a participation offive delegates of this Youth Parliament in the annual BSPC Con-ferences to include young people into the parliamentary discus-sion about the future of the Baltic Sea Region,call on the governments in the Baltic Sea Region, the CBSS and theEU, as well as other organizations, civil society, private sector, com-munities and NGOs,Regarding Co-operation in the Baltic Sea Region,1. to promote interaction and cooperation in the implementationof the North-West Russia Socio-Economic Development Strategyby the Russian Federation and other overall policies of the Bal-tic Sea Region, such as the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Regionand the Northern Dimension56 Annex 1 Annex 12. to provide continued support to the Northern Dimension pol-icy and its further diversification into new operationalbranches in order to involve all stakeholders in the Region onan equal footing and to ensure access to EU projects for all rele-vant stakeholders where appropriate;3. to provide stable and long-term resources to CBSS, and to con-tinue to support an ongoing dialogue with BSPC on politicalpriorities as well as operational activities;4. to provide in due course resources for the full implementationof the SEBA project (Modernization Partnership for the SouthEastern Baltic Area), aiming at enhancing cooperation in fieldssuch sustainable development, tourism, public-private partner-ships and youth;5. to encourage a deliberate division of labour between stake-holders in the Region, aiming at strengthening their compara-tive advantages, synchronizing their priorities, and comple-menting each other’s competencies; cooperative initiativessuch as the “Maritime Joint Event” in 2011 and 2012 shouldbe promoted as a role model for other subject areas;6. to promote and protect tolerance, mutual respect and freedomof expression, and to strengthen the human rights throughoutthe entire Baltic Sea Region and its neighbourhood;7. to continue efforts towards a gradual elimination of obstaclesfor the movement of persons in the Region in accordance withoutcomes of the EU-Russia cooperation in the framework of avisa dialogue, and to pursue the efforts for a gradual phasingout of the visa regime between the EU and Russia, while facili-tating as much and as quick as possible visa facilitation forinstance for academics, students, researchers, sportsmen, train-ees and youth;Regarding Environmental Health, Energy Coopera-tion and Energy-Efficient Economy,8. to ratify, for those states that have not already done so, theEspoo Convention (the EU Convention on EnvironmentalImpact Assessment in a Transboundary Context);Annex 1 Annex 1 579. to ratify, for those states that have not already done so, the Con-vention on Ballast waters (International Convention for theControl and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sedimentsof 2004);10. to fulfill all commitments under the HELCOM Baltic Sea ActionPlan, adopted by the Governments of the Baltic Sea Region inKrakow in 2007, aimed at restoring a good environmental sta-tus of the Baltic Sea by 2021; to further raising the level ofambition at the HELCOM ministerial meeting in fall 2013 forreducing the outlet of phosphorous and nitrates into the BalticSea; and to carry out active efforts to coordinate activities withOSPAR in regard of promoting initiatives to decrease wastefrom vessels in the Baltic Sea and in the North-West AtlanticOcean and the English Channel;11. within the framework of improving health and rehabilitatingthe ecosystem of the Baltic Sea, to carry out work aimed atremoving the sewage waste pollution sources in the drainagebasin of the Baltic Sea, including the modernization of sewagesystems and municipal sewage treatment facilities;12. to contribute to the introduction of best agricultural practicesand technologies in animal waste conversion and poultry farm-ing;13. to promote the decrease of influx of biogenic substances intothe Baltic Sea by means of introducing best agricultural prac-tices and technologies to manage waste from animal farming,including poultry farming, and by gradually decreasing use ofpolyphosphates in synthetic detergents.14. to promote better health and rehabilitation of the Baltic Seaecosystem by improving recycling, creating new landfills formunicipal and industrial waste with consequent reclamation ofland, and by removing obsolete pesticide storages;15. to welcome work within the trilateral Project of the Year of theGulf of Finland, aimed at implementation of a set of measuresto improve environmental health of the Baltic Sea, namelythrough research and environmental protection efforts thatpromote better environmental status of the Baltic Sea ecosys-tem;58 Annex 1 Annex 116. to make sustained efforts to promote and develop greengrowth, energy efficiency and renewable energy, and to adoptnationally adapted binding targets for energy efficiency;17. to work actively within the IMO to improve the technicalrequirements, adopted earlier, in respect of the energy effi-ciency of new sea vessels and development of globally bindingtechnical and/or operational regulations in order to decreaseemissions of greenhouse gases from the existing vessels;18. to support BASREC (Baltic Sea Region Energy Cooperation)and implement the commitments for 2012-2015 made by theBASREC Ministerial Meeting 14-15 May 2012, in order todevelop sustainable energy systems in the region and to inte-grate energy markets and energy infrastructure;19. to lessen the dependence on fossilized fuel by exploringrenewable energy sources;20. to promote education, research and development on greengrowth and energy efficiency, and to take action to disseminateinformation, exchange best practices and raise awareness ofboth environmental and economic gains and ways of savingenergy;21. to support activities of the CBSS Expert Group on SustainableDevelopment – Baltic 21, focused on four strategic areas: cli-mate change, sustainable consumption and production, innova-tion and education for sustainable development, sustainableurban and rural development;22. to provide political incentives and innovative financial schemesto initiate pilot projects and investments in energy efficiencymeasures;23. to promote green public procurement (GPP) at all levels ofpublic administration, ensuring that GPP standards provide alevel playing field for businesses and do not lead to competitivedisadvantages for small and medium-sized enterprises;Regarding Integrated Maritime Policy,24. to expand information exchange, joint planning and dissemina-tion of best practices between maritime authorities in order tomanage the growing vessel traffic in the Baltic Sea;Annex 1 Annex 1 5925. to develop real-time maritime surveillance information ande-navigation technologies in order to improve vessel trafficmanagement and augment the joint preparedness against acci-dents;26. to strengthen the competitiveness of clean shipping in the Bal-tic Sea Region by using appropriate targeted incentives;27. to promote research and innovation in order to develop com-petencies in the areas of shipping safety, energy efficiency,emission reductions, alternative propulsion technologies andrenewable energies in order to strengthen the competitivenessof the Baltic Sea Region in the global competition;28. to carry on further actions aiming at developing a joint macro-regional prevention and preparedness approach towards majorhazards and emergencies at sea and on land, and to promoteresearch and to develop technologies aimed at oil spillsresponse in ice conditions, as well as in bad weather and visibil-ity conditions29. to strengthen the cooperation with the shipping companies tofurther prevent and minimize the risk of accidents and ground-ings;30. to support the implementation of the tripartite project “TheGulf of Finland Year 2014”, with the purpose of consolidatingjoint research and conservation efforts of Finland, Estonia andRussia in order to strengthen the maritime ecosystems of theBaltic Sea;31. to support the build-up of a more integrated marine and mari-time knowledge network (environment, fisheries, regional plan-ning, shipping etc.);32. to promote artisanal fishery and to enhance the opportunitiesfor investing in environmentally friendly kinds of marine tour-ism;33. to draft joint objectives in maritime spatial planning policy(taking the VASAB guidelines into account);34. to promote the development and strengthening cross-bordercooperation of the Baltic Sea Region in order to counter cross-border crime and security threats at sea;60 Annex 1 Annex 1Regarding Health, Labour Market and EconomicDevelopment,35. to raise the profile of health and social well-being on theregional cooperation agenda; to support the Northern Dimen-sion Partnership in Public Health and Social Well-being, in orderto pursue persistent efforts for improving health and socialwell-being taking into account ageing society, high burden ofnon-communicable diseases and antimicrobial resistance;36. to take the resources of the elderly population into considera-tion, to allow them to stay on the labour market, and make useof their abilities in general;37. to develop a medium- to long-term strategy equipped withpowerful measures to tackle youth unemployment, and toensure that existing programmes with this aim are better coor-dinated; the aim should be to offer each young person a job, anapprenticeship, additional continuing education or a combina-tion of employment and vocational training after a maximum offour months of unemployment. Working life must not beginwith a longer period of unemployment;38. to encourage an intensified cooperation between schools andbusinesses at local level, in order to develop initiatives for facili-tating the transition from school to working life for young peo-ple;39. to further develop measures to foster education, vocationaltraining, skills development and life-long learning, with the aimof meeting the demand for skilled workers and creating newemployment opportunities, and in this respect intensify the useof the concept of dual education, and launch initiatives toimprove the prospects of long-term employment to unqualifiedand unemployed young people;40. to work towards mutual recognition of vocational training inthe Baltic Sea Region countries, and to develop the quality ofvocational training in the region according to best practices,research results and society’s future needs;41. to reduce as far as possible obstacles to the mobility of labourand enterprises by actively supporting cooperation betweenthe border regions and between the existing cross border infor-mation centers;Annex 1 Annex 1 6142. to support and encourage the Baltic Sea Labour Forum (BSLF)as a platform for exchange of experience and communicationbetween the key labour market actors in the BSR, includinghelping the BSLF in promoting social dialogue, tripartite struc-tures and cooperation as crucial elements of sustainable eco-nomic growth and social development;43. to promote cooperation on modernization and innovation witha focus on cluster growth and, in the long term, on the estab-lishment of regional partnerships particularly on environmentand sustainable development;44. to create a public-private partnership (PPP) network aimed atdeveloping a “Baltic PPP” as a sustainable growth platform witha regional direct investment funds and active educationalinvolvement;45. to support the development of sustainable tourism on land andat sea, including the improvement of mobility and accessibilityby other means than motorized private transports, and a strictregulation of the use of conservation areas;46. to develop concepts that offer age-friendly conditions at theworkplace and better access to life-long learning programs alsofor the elderly population;47. to develop concepts aiming to improve the access of particu-larly disadvantaged groups to the job market;48. to support programs for municipalities in their strategies forcoping with socio-demographic change;49. to develop quality criteria as indicators of a sustainable employ-ment policy;50. promote efforts to gain more extensive knowledge of thenature and scope of new forms of trafficking in human beingssuch as trafficking for begging, trafficking for criminal activitieslike theft and fraud, and trafficking for identity theft, and tostrengthen legislative and operational means of identifying andcombating these forms for trafficking in human beings;62 Annex 1 Annex 1Furthermore the Conference Decides to51. adopt the BSPC Work Programme for 2012-2013;52. grant Observer status to Skåne Regional County Council;53. welcome with gratitude the kind offer of the Parliament ofEstonia to host the 22nd Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference inPärnu on 25-27 August 2013.* Parliaments of Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, Denmark, Finland, Federal Repub-lic of Germany, Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, Iceland, Republic of Kare-lia, Latvia, Leningrad, Lithuania, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Norway, Poland,Council of Federation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, StateDuma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, City of St. Petersburg,Schleswig-Holstein, Sweden, Åland Islands, Baltic Assembly, European Parlia-ment, Nordic Council.Annex 1 Annex 1 6364 Annex 1 Annex 2Annex 1 Annex 2 65Annex 2The Baltic Sea Parliamentary ConferenceSaint Petersburg, Russian Federation,26–28 August 2012“E nergy, Ecology and SocialWelfare: Cooperation for aSustainable Development of theBaltic Sea Region”Conference Venue: Mariinsky Palace, Grand Hall25 August, SaturdayArrival of Conference participants to Saint PetersburgAccommodation in hotels26 August, Sunday10.00–17.00 Visit to the Oil Filling terminal ”Lukoil” in Vysotsk,organized by ”Lukoil Oil Company”Starting 11 a.m. accreditation at Ambassador Hoteland Petro Palace Hotel12.00 p.m. BSPC Standing Committee Meeting(Mariinsky Palace, 1st floor, White Hall)15.00 p.m. Departure from hotelsChoice of two excursions:1. Visit to South-West Wastewater Treatment Plant;2. Visit to the new passenger port terminal MarineFaçade19.00 p.m. Reception hosted by Ms Valentina Pivnenko,Chair of the BSPC, Head of the BSPC Delegation ofthe Federal Assembly of the Russian FederationVenue: Russian Kitch restaurant (25 Universitetskayaemb.)66 Annex 2 Annex 227 August, MondayStart 7.45 a.m. Accreditation at Mariinsky Palace8.00 a.m. 1st Meeting of BSPC Standing Committee asDrafting Committee(Mariinsky Palace, 1st floor, White Hall)9.00 a.m. OPENING OF CONFERENCE(Mariinsky Palace, 1st floor, Grand Hall)Songs by St Petersburg Children’s ChoirChair: Ms Valentina Pivnenko, Chair of theBSPC, Head of the BSPC Delegation ofthe Federal Assembly of the Russian Fed-erationCo-Chair: Mr Vadim Tiulpanov, Head of the BSPCDelegation of the Council of Federationof the Federal Assembly of the RussianFederation• Welcome by Mr Ivan Melnikov, First Vice-Speaker of the State Duma of the Federal Assem-bly of the Russian Federation• Welcome by Mr Vyacheslav Makarov, Speakerof Saint Petersburg Legislative Assembly;• Welcome by Mr Vadim Tiulpanov, Head of theBSPC Delegation of the Council of Federation ofthe Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation• Welcome on behalf of Mr Sergey Lavrov, Minis-ter of the Foreign Affairs of Russia• Welcome by Ms Valentina Pivnenko, MP, Chairof the BSPC.9.50 a.m. FIRST SESSIONChair: Ms Valentina Pivnenko, Chair of theBSPC, Head of the BSPC Delegation ofthe Federal Assembly of the Russian Fed-erationCo-Chair: Mr Vadim Tiulpanov, Head of the BSPCDelegation of the Council of Federationof the Federal Assembly of the RussianFederationAnnex 2 Annex 2 67Regional Partnership and Cross-BorderCooperation in the Baltic Sea Region• Report from the BSPC: Ms Valentina Pivnenko,Chair of the BSPC, Head of the BSPC Delegationof the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation• Priorities of the Russian Presidency in CBSS, MrSergey Petrovich, Deputy Director of the 2ndEuropean Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs,Chairman of the Committee of Senior Officials ofthe Council of Baltic Sea States, Russia• Report from the CBSS German Presidency: MrGerhard Almer, Ambassador for the GermanPresidency of the CBSS 2011/2012, Ministry ofForeign Affairs, Germany• Mr Anatoly Zabrodin, Head of the BorderGuard Department of FSB of Russia in the city ofSt. Petersburg and Leningrad region.• The role of transport infrastructure in NorthwestRussia in the development of trade and eco-nomic relations: Mr Pavel Burtsev, DeputyHead of Oktyabrskaya Railway• Address by Ms Ugne ̇ Kripavicˇiuˉ te ̇, Representa-tive of the 4th Baltic Sea Youth Session, BerlinApril 2012.The Northern Dimension and the EUStrategy for the Baltic Sea Region• The EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region: MrJacek Protasiewicz, Vice-President of the Euro-pean Parliament;• North-West Russia 2020 Strategy: Mr StanislavLazovsky, Association North-West Russia, Saint-Petersburg• Northern Dimension Environmental Partnership:Mr Jaakko Henttonen, NDEP Manager, EBRD;• Nordic Council of Ministers & North-West Russia- Cooperation Activities: Mr Mika Boedeker,Director, Nordic Council of Ministers Office in StPetersburg;• Ms Darya Akhutina, Acting Chairperson of theNGO Forum of the Baltic Sea.12.00 a.m. Coffee break12.15 a.m. Debate68 Annex 2 Annex 213.00 a.m. SECOND SESSIONChair: Mr Franz Thönnes, Parliament of theFederal Republic of GermanyCo-Chair: Ms Susanna Huovinen, Parliament ofFinlandEnvironmental Health and Energy Coop-erationStatus of the HELCOM Baltic Sea ActionPlan• HELCOM BSAP: Ms Helle Pilsgaard, Denmark,Chair of HELCOM;• Status report from the BSPC HELCOM Observer:Ms Christina Gestrin, MP, Finland;• Mr Vladimir Lovtsov, Head of Economic Policyof the Plenipotentiary Representative of the Pres-ident of the Russian Federation in the North-WestFederal District.Sustainable Tourism in the BSR• Sustainable Tourism: Prof. Dr. Mathias Feige,Managing Director, Deutsche Wirtschaftswissen-schaftliche Institut für Fremdenverkehr.14.00 a.m. Lunch at the Mariinsky Palace15.00 a.m. Environmental Cooperation• Ms Olga Rublevskaya, State Unitary Enterprise”Saint-Petersburg Vodokanal”;• Disposal of chemical weapons in the Baltic Sea -a problem without a solution: Mr Maxim Shin-garkin, Deputy of the State Duma, member ofthe Delegation to BSPC;• The Cleanship Project: Mr Sten Björk, ProjectManager, Port of Trelleborg, Sweden;• Ms Evdokia Bychkova, Deputy of the StateDuma, Head of the Regional Center on Environ-mental Policy and Culture.Energy Efficiency and Green Growth• Russia’s state policy in the field energy conserva-tion and energy efficiency: Mr Yury Lipatov,First deputy Chairman, Committee on Energy,State Duma, Russia;Annex 2 Annex 2 69• Green Growth and Business Opportunities in theBaltic Sea Region: Mr Hans Brask, Director, Bal-tic Development Forum;• Nordic-Russian Green Growth Arena , A Projectfunded by the Nordic Council of Ministers: MsElena Belova, Russian programme coordinatorand Secretary General of “Leontief Centre”, Inter-national Centre for Social and EconomicResearch, St Petersburg;• The New Marine Fuels: Mr Valery Golubev,Vice-Chairman, GAZPROM Management Board;• Mr Igor Zaikin, Head of industrial safety, envi-ronmental and engineering work Oil Company”LUKOIL”;• Pilot Finance Initiative: Projects in Public-PrivatePartnership - Energy efficiency, innovation andmodernization in the field of small and medium-sized businesses: Mr Daniil Algulyan, ElectedChairman of the Steering Committee of PFI CBSS,Director, Head of the KfW Banking Group andKfW-IPEKS Bank GmbH in the Russian Federa-tion;• Mid-way report from the BSPC Working Groupon Green Growth and Energy Efficiency: MsCecilie Tenfjord-Toftby, Chairman of the Work-ing Group.Debate17.00 p.m. 2nd Meeting of BSPC Standing Committee as Draft-ing Committee(Mariinsky Palace, 1st floor, White Hall)19.30 p.m. Reception hosted by Mr Vyacheslav Makarov,Speaker of Saint Petersburg Legislative Assembly.Venue: Hotel Ambassador, 9th floor.Tuesday 28th August8.00 a.m. 3rd Meeting of BSPC Standing Committee as Draft-ing Committee(Mariinsky Palace, 1st floor, White Hall)70 Annex 2 Annex 29.00 a.m. THIRD SESSIONChair: Mr Ryszard Gorecki, Senate of the Par-liament of PolandCo-Chair: Mr Mikael Holmberg, Åland IslandsA Safe and Healthy Baltic Sea• Marine safety and environmental protection atthe port of Ust-Luga Mr Vitaly Klyuev, DeputyDirector of State Policy for Maritime and RiverTransport, Ministry of Transport, Russia• Status Report from the BSPC Rapporteurs onIntegrated Maritime Policy: Jochen Schulte andRoger JanssonDebateFOURTH SESSION, first partHealth, Social Welfare and EconomicDevelopmentHealth and Social Well-Being• The importance of Health and Social Well-Beingfor the Prosperity and Sustainable EconomicDevelopment of the Region: Ms Eeva-Liisa Haa-paniemi, Consul, Social Affairs and Health, Con-sulate General of Finland, St Petersburg, repre-senting the Chair country of NDPHS;• Cooperation with the countries of the Balticregion in the fight against socially significant dis-eases: Ms Natalia Dorshakova, Professor, Petro-zavodsk State University, Karelia;• Ms Irina Sokolova, Deputy Chair of the Com-mittee on Family, Women and Children, StateDuma, Russia• Heath Care Cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region:Mr Raimonds Vejonis, Vice President of the Bal-tic Assembly.10.30 a.m. FOURTH SESSION, second partChair: Ms Tatiana Zakharenkova, Parliamentof the City of Saint-Petersburg;Co-Chair: Mr Torfinn Opheim, Parliament of Nor-way, Nordic CouncilAnnex 2 Annex 2 71Labour Market Issues• Ms Mariya Grinnik, representative of the Feder-ation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia inthe North-West Federal District• Youth Unemployment: Ms Karen Roiy, SeniorAdviser, Confederation of Danish Employers,Brussels Office• Mr Uwe Polkaehn, Chairman of the regionalsection Schleswig-Holstein of the Confederationof German trade unions, Chairman of BASTUN(Baltic Sea Region Trade Union Network);• Infrastructure and Logistics: Mr Oddgeir Dan-ielsen, Director, Secretariat of the NorthernDimension Partnership on Transport and Logis-tics• Status report from the BSPC Rapporteur onLabor Market Issues: Franz Thönnes, GermanyTrafficking in Human Beings• Status report from the BSPC Rapporteurs on Traf-ficking in Human Beings: Johan Linander, Swe-denDebate12.00 a.m. CLOSING OF THE 21ST BSPCChair: Ms Valentina Pivnenko, Chair of theBSPC, Head of the BSPC Delegation ofthe Federal Assembly of the Russian Fed-erationVice Chair: Ms Laine Randjärv, Vice Chair of theBSPC• Administrative matters• Adoption of The Conference Resolution• Address by the incoming Chairman of the BSPC2012-2013, Ms Laine Randjärv, Vice Speaker ofthe Riigikogu, the Estonian Parliament• Presentation of Next Year’s Host Country - Esto-nia13.00 p.m. Lunch at Mariinsky Palace15.00 p.m. Boat excursion over rivers and canals of SaintPetersburg72 Annex 2 Annex 2Baltic Sea Parliamentary ConferenceEnergy, Ecology and Social Welfare:Cooperation for a SustainableDevelopment of the Baltic Sea RegionThe 21stBaltic Sea Parliamentary ConferenceBaltic Sea Parliamentary Conference Secretariatwww.bspc.netc/o Nordic CouncilVed Stranden 18DK-1061 Copenhagen K.Phone (+45) 33 96 04 00www.norden.org.US 2012:40821BSPC_OMSL_.indd 1 19/12/12 15.44