Report to 21 BSPC by Valentina Pivnenko

Ms Valentina Pivnenko, BSPC ChairReport to the 21st Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference,Saint Petersburg, 26-28 August 2012Dear Participants of the Conference,Dear Friends,I welcome you in the Northern Capital of the Russian Federation! It is a great honour to receive the 21st BSPC in Saint Petersburg, a marvellous city with deep traditions of cultural and professional interaction here in the Baltic Sea Region.Last year, you supported that the Conference be held in Saint Petersburg, also called The Maritime Gate of Russia at the Baltic Sea, within the framework of the Russian chairmanship in BSPC. It is symbolic that Russia’s chairmanship in BSPC coincided in time with the Russian chairmanship in the Council of the Baltic Sea States CBSS. This double chairmanship would only enhance our efforts to bring new content to the Baltic Sea agenda, to ensure continuity of the ongoing integration of the BSR for the benefit of its people.The history of parliamentary cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region has entered its third decade. Thanks to the joint efforts of our nations, the region has developed into an area of peace and democracy, a region of good neighbours. Our dialog is today transparent and comprehensive. Social, economic and political progress of the Baltic cooperation has brought about positive changes in all countries of the Region, thus increasing their current and potential level of mutual interdependence. I am sure that further progress will be achieved only provided by even tighter joint work of all stakeholders in the BSA, when no single country is left aside.The activity of the BSPC and its Standing Committee, Chair and Secretariat has in the recent year been aimed at preserving and increasing the priority to seek sustainable balance between the changing economic conditions and the wellbeing of the people of the Region. Our main task as politicians is identifying and treating the problems that aggravate the daily lives of the people, creating favourable conditions for the security and prosperity of this and future generations, as well as making decisive effort to curb the degradation of the primary source of our prosperity – our common environment. Against the background of this task, the challenges facing the Region have been discussed with every commitment in the BSPC working groups, at our meetings in Kaliningrad, Copenhagen and Moscow.The parliamentarians of the Baltic Sea Region realise that the path of the development of the Region is not only embraced with roses of our potential opportunities, but is complicated by the threats of the current economic turbulence, environmental challenges, mismatched social wellbeing, issues of poverty and underdeveloped infrastructure.The parliamentary reply to the everlasting vital question “What is to be done?” that we have intensely discussed during the whole year, is well reflected in the draft Conference Resolution.First of all, we feel that recognition of a multi-vector potential is of decisive importance, of the diversity of opportunities, which can be implemented both by internal and external development of the Region.It is of utmost importance to promote further our cooperation in the field of modernisation and innovations giving particular attention to the growth clusters so that in future we could engage in forming a regional partnership in this area. We should seek to build a network of public-private interaction in order to be able to produce a model of a Baltic dimension of such partnership, which would provide a sustainable growth platform with a regional fund for direct investments and active involvement of education. Actions to curb eutrophication and stop deterioration of the environment will make it possible to preserve the entire ecosystem of the Region. Intensifying cooperation for the sake of Green economy, energy efficiency, nuclear security and infrastructure is an important instrument to maintain competitiveness of the Baltic Sea Region in Europe and even globally.As an example, the North-Western Russia with its population of over 13 million and many enterprises and companies could provide a significant input in further growth and development of the entire BSA. Integration of labour on an equal basis is an instrument of economic growth and social wellbeing. Cooperation in research and education is irreplaceable for a sustainable intellectual competitive edge of the Region.Increased efforts to develop the maritime strategy and maritime safety would provide among others for better protection of the environment in the BSR and for utilisation of recreational and logistic potential. Cooperation in the field of health and social wellbeing would form the basis for social prosperity. Combating crime and corruption would make the Region a safer home. Development of tourism would let us learn our common cultural heritage and enhance mutual cohesion.To ensure further integration of the BSR, we need more mobility and less administrative and physical obstacles, such as visa requirements, for free movement of people and capital. This is of particular importance in the border areas with their close ties based on common economies, geography and family contacts.Support and promotion of socially significant youth initiatives is very relevant, too. We welcome the representatives of youth organisations, who are taking part in this Conference for the first time in BSPC history!Ladies and Gentlemen,It is important that all the strategies and programmes that are formulated in and for the BSR, and there is a lot of them already, would be implemented as concrete actions by the governments in the Region. Many fora and institutions in their cooperative efforts are enhancing and institutionalising joint actions for the sake of the Region and its people. The Council of the Baltic Sea States CBSS, The Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference BSPC, The Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission HELCOM, The Baltic Sea States Subregional Cooperation BSSSC, The Baltic Development Forum, The Union of the Baltic Cities UBC, - these are just some examples. We can be to a certain extent satisfied with the results already achieved, but by no means complacent. We still face a long way to go until we could have the BSR as a fully integrated Region.It is important that we continue to widen and strengthen our interface with other fora in the Baltic Sea Region. We should aim to provide parliamentarians with support and to increase our political impact, as well as to demonstrate that we in many ways are expressing the interest of the people in the BSR.We welcome cooperation with our partners, such as CBSS, our sister organisation. Our contacts with CBSS are actively developing on the political and expert levels. We were honoured by the CBSS invitation to speak at the 9th Summit of the Baltic Sea States in Stralsund. HELCOM is our long-standing and reliable partner, whose Baltic Sea Action Plan serves as the primary instrument to address the environmental challenges in the BSR. We are happy to cooperate with the BSSSC and other regional fora. By joint efforts we call upon our governments to take decisive and proactive action in the interest of all the people of the Baltic Sea Area. We, in BSPC, value our useful contacts with sub-regional and non-governmental organisations, both in the BSR and beyond the borders of the Region. We undoubtedly look forward to further constructive cooperation.The thoroughly planned division of responsibilities between all the actors of the Baltic Sea Cooperation should be the cornerstone for interaction of the BSPC, the regional and sub-regional organisations, aimed at better competitive advantage, cooperation and common ability to jointly face the regional and global challenges.The BSPC has been actively involved in implementing the Strategy of the Northern Dimension, which brought together on an equal basis the EU member-states and countries that are not members of the EU. The Northern Dimension Environmental Partnership NDEP has proven to be a very efficient and practical instrument of environmental cooperation. The Northern Dimension Partnerships in Public health and Social Well-being NDPHS, The Northern Dimension Partnership on Transportation and Logistics NDPTL and The Northern Dimension Partnership on Culture NDPC have all potential to become capable acting institutions in the areas of their competence within the Northern Dimension.The EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region was adopted back in 2009. The Strategy brings together various EU mechanisms in the BSR. The Strategy is currently under review until the end of 2012.As far as our position in respect to the EU Strategy, it is based on the fact that Russia can not be either the subject or the object of the EU Strategy. The explanation to this is simple – the EU Strategy is not an international document. The EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region was developed according to the internal rules and standards of the EU exclusively. Russia as a non-member of the EU can not unconditionally follow this Strategy. Russia has its own legislation, own priorities, first and foremost expressed by the recently approved National Strategy for the Social and Economic Development of the North-Western Federal District until 2012.A preliminary list of project ideas has been formulated in the context of our cooperation with the EU and outside the EU Strategy, including environment, transport, energy, security. A number of concrete initiatives have already entered the implementation phase, particularly, the construction of the Baltiyskaya NPP in Kaliningrad Region, whose design was in detail presented to the members of the BSPC Standing Committee in June, and the development of the Baltic Artek, an international youth educational forum.We have reached common understanding with the partners that the implementation of projects will be based on the existing formats of international cooperation, in particular, the CBSS, the Northern Dimension, HELCOM and possibly the Baltic Sea Cross-Border cooperation programme for 2014-2020, provided Russia is included in its implementation.A leading part in the Baltic Sea Area should obviously also further on belong to the international forms of cooperation, which have proven to be effective throughout decades of dealing with regional issues. These international forms were originally designed as international platforms with due account of various regional actors, their work being based on equal partnership.Dear Participants of the Conference!In conclusion, let me once again draw you attention to the fact that the BSPC, its Standing Committee, Chair and Secretariat all have during the entire Baltic parliamentary year sought not just to ensure continuity of the BSR integration, but also to add new content to the BSPC work. The BSPC is about joint efforts only! I am positive that The Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference will continue to be able to have new achievements with good results!Thank you all for our common work!