22 BSPC Resolution ENG

Conference ResolutionAdopted by the 22nd Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC)The participants, elected representatives from the Baltic Sea Region States*, assembling in Pärnu, Estonia, 26-27 August 2013,discussing Co-operation in the Baltic Sea Region, Economic Growth and Innovation, Green and Blue Growth and Energy Efficiency, and Creative Entrepreneurship,emphasizing the importance of the parliamentary dimension of cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region, and asserting that it strengthens the democratic legitimacy of cooperation,reaffirming their commitment to the principles of sustainable ecological, economic and social development, and reiterating their appeal to governments to make sincere and forceful efforts to implement the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan,stressing the mutually beneficial interaction between CBSS and BSPC at all levels and in all fields, and acknowledging that a close coordination between the legislative and executive branches will facilitate the implementation of programmes and projects for the benefit of the Baltic Sea Region and its citizens,call on the governments in the Baltic Sea Region, the CBSS and the EU,Regarding Co-operation in the Region, to1. ensure effective and systematic implementation of priority projects in the Baltic Sea region, jointly identified on the basis of regional strategies and policies, and to use regional cooperation structures such as the Northern Dimension and Regional Councils in this work;2. make sustained efforts to facilitate mobility within the Region, in particular by tackling administrative and physical hurdles, such as customs regulations and practices and visa restrictions, between Schengen and non-Schengen countries;3. promptly undertake further action in order to reduce euthropication and pollution of the Baltic Sea, in particular by joint efforts to improve the capacity for purification of sewage waste;4. facilitate the establishment and work of democratic NGOs in the Baltic Sea Region, and to provide political and financial support for their international cooperation and activities;5. acknowledge the importance of the Baltic Sea Secretariat for Youth Affairs for youth cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region, and to support its work as well as the establishment of an annual Baltic Sea Youth Forum; in this regard, to support also the decision of the XI Baltic Sea NGO Forum on the creation of a Baltic Sea Youth Network; and furthermore to underline the need to continuously strengthen and ensure effective methods and solutions for improved cooperation;6. make the utmost use of the CBSS core political position in the BSR in creating and implementing a commonly agreed strategic vision of the region;Regarding Growth, Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship in the Baltic Sea Region”, to7. initiate and support awareness-raising activities on the necessity of innovation for the sustainable development and competitiveness of the Region, applying a comprehensive approach that recognizes innovation as a key element both in the production of goods and the provision of services, and places strong emphasis on environmental sustainability and social cohesion;8. foster a conducive climate for innovation, for instance by developing national programmes and strategies for innovation and by instructing public agencies and authorities to adopt action plans for innovative management and operations;9. promote innovative knowledge and skills in basic, vocational and higher education, for instance by making innovation a more explicit strand in educational curricula and by allocating resources to basic R&D on innovation;10. handle the demographic change also as a source for innovation, where special attention should be put on the development and marketing of barrier-free offers and services;11. take measures to ensure an appropriate regulatory environment that encourages innovation and eliminates bureaucratic obstacles;12. support the creative industries as an engine of growth and employment;13. provide fiscal incentives for innovation, such as tax reliefs, to stimulate the establishment and growth of innovative enterprises and services;14. in order to strengthen the maritime economy, evaluate if and how (when applicable) economic incentives can be considered for fleet modernization;15. ensure availability of and access to funding and seed money to support innovative initiatives and enterprises, and to facilitate the development of bankable projects in the field of innovation;16. note the importance of public-private partnership in the Baltic Sea Region, welcome the establishment of the CBSS Pilot Financial Initiative (PFI) as a new mechanism of public-private partnership, and encourage financial institutions in the Region to join the PFI;17. exploit the synergies and added value by enhancing interregional cooperation on innovation in the Baltic Sea Region, e g by facilitating mobility and by supporting knowledge diffusion, networks and clusters on innovation both within and between sectors;18. take measures to unlock the potential that exists in the coastal and marine environment, which will lead to sustainable growth and employment opportunities;19. strengthen innovation, growth and cooperation within the maritime economy, e.g. by supporting research and development in marine technologies, such as alternative propulsion systems, and in emerging maritime sectors, such as blue biotechnologies, aquaculture and offshore energy; by facilitating interregional cooperation in shipping and ship-building; and by developing logistics and infrastructure, for example for the provision of LNG and electricity in Baltic Sea ports;20. promote entrepreneurship and a joint transnational cooperative platform for tourism, being a sector that can contribute substantially to innovation and growth in the Baltic Sea Region; furthermore to focus on coastal and maritime tourism;21. take measures to harmonize labour market and security standards for employees in the creative economy, and launch action plans for enhanced transparency, tolerance and diversity in society, being key elements in a creative economy;22. make efforts to ensure that the transformation to a knowledge-based society is not detrimental to economic progress or living conditions in urban and rural areas, e.g. by promoting urban-rural innovation cluster opportunities;23. support the funding of projects devoted to “Culture and cultural identity” and model projects in the sector of creative industries;Regarding Green Growth and Energy Efficiency, to24. strengthen efforts to create public awareness on how green growth and energy efficiency can support social welfare and economic development in the Region;25. strengthen cooperation for developing common technical standards and building codes defining quality of building, common rules of recognition and evaluation of experts for building evaluation, as well as for developing common criteria for green public procurement (GPP), where appropriate, in order to create a larger market for new products and innovative solutions that support green growth;26. support and strengthen efforts by the national grid operators, co-ordinated with agreements on a broader European scale, to improve the connections of national grids across borders, in order to facilitate investments in renewable energy production, including offshore, and contribute to energy supply security;27. further develop and implement financing schemes that support green growth and energy efficiency, and to develop legislation that facilitates innovative financing of energy efficiency investments in infrastructure, businesses and buildings;28. to encourage the development of new cleaner technologies and support the use of best currently available technologies in order to improve maritime safety, develop clean fuels and energy efficient solutions for both land and water transport in the Baltic Sea Region;29. against the background of the upcoming tightening of the limits for sulfur emissions in the Sulfur Emission Control Areas, to support efforts of the Helsinki Commission to found a “Green Technology and Alternative Fuels Platform for Shipping”;30. welcome the results of the Conference of the Heads of the Baltic Sea states on environmental protection (St. Petersburg, April 5-6, 2013), held in the framework of the Russian chairmanship in the CBSS, as an important step towards environmental rehabilitation in the BSR;Regarding Trafficking in Human Beings, to31. follow up the 10 recommendations drawn up by the BSPC Rapporteurs on THB in their final report presented to the 22. BSPC in Pärnu, Estonia;Furthermore the Conference Decides to32. establish a Working Group on Innovation in Social and Health Care, to submit a first report at the 23rd BSPC;33. note the work of the IPCC in relation to the forthcoming 5th Assessment Report (AR5), and to deliberate on its implications for the Baltic Sea Region;34. adopt the BSPC Work Programme for 2013-2014;35. welcome with gratitude the kind offer of the Parliament of Poland to host the 23rd Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference in Olsztyn on 24-26 August 2014.*Parliaments of Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Federal Republic of Germany, Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, Iceland, Republic of Karelia, Latvia, Lithuania, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Norway, Poland, Council of Federation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, City of St. Petersburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Sweden, Åland Islands, Baltic Assembly, European Parliament, Nordic Council.