Thoennes speech at 25 BSPC

Franz Thönnes, MdBParlamentarischerStaatssekretära.D.StellvertretenderVorsitzenderdesAuswärtigenAusschussesVorsitzenderderDeutsch-NordischenParlamentariergruppeMitglieddesStändigenAusschussesderOstseeparlamentarierkonferenzFranz Thönnes, Member of the Bundestag,former parliamentary state secretary,Head of the German Bundestag’s delegation to theBaltic Sea Parliamentary Conference and member of the Standing Committee25th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference, Riga, 28-30 August 2016Speech at the ceremonial sessionmarking the Silver Jubilee editionof the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conferenceon 29 August 2016“Baltic sea parliamentary cooperation:yesterday, today, tomorrow”Bundestag E-Mail-Adressen BürgerbüroPlatzderRepublik1 franz.thoennes@bundestag.de OldesloerStraße2011011Berlin 23795BadSegebergTel.: (+49)030/227-71128 buergerbuero@thoennes.de Tel.: (+49)04551/968383(+49)030/227-71328 Fax: (+49)04551/967338Fax: (+49)030/227-76828 http://www.thoennes.deLadies and gentlemen!As you know, the exact date of the 25th anniversary of the BSPC was actu-ally earlier this year, on 7 January.But our conference is taking place only very shortly after two other importantjubilees, on 20 and 21 August. Eight days ago, our host country Latvia cele-brated 25 years of independence, with much joy and well-deserved pride.The day before that, Estonia had a national party for the same reason. Iwould like to offer my congratulations to both countries.And now here we are in Latvia’s capital on the occasion of the 25th BalticSea Parliamentary Conference. I am happy to comply with the request tomake a few remarks before the discussions begin in a session entitled “Yes-terday, today, tomorrow”.The word “yesterday” makes me think of my first Baltic Sea ParliamentaryConference, which was the seventh edition of the event, held in 1998 in theGerman city of Lübeck.It also reminds me of a question that a journalist posed before this jubileeconference about whether the Baltic Sea region has a shared identity.Of course, it’s not easy to generate a shared identity in a region that has nineor more ethnicities, eleven languages, and seven currencies, a region thatpractises three different types of Christianity and is home to very differentpolitical cultures. And yet we are connected by the Baltic Sea; its shoresunite ten states and nationalities. The Baltic Sea has given us a shared his-tory that is shaped by maritime activity. This includes the Hanseatic League,the development of similar ship andsail types, and thesea shanty choirs that2exist in numerous places on the Baltic shores. There are also similarities inour architecture, with the best known example probably being the red-brickGothic style particularly favoured for churches and town halls. Perhaps wesense a shared identity when we see old port buildings, renovated in a mixof historic brick and contemporary glass, and modern harbour structures.Such architecture is found in almost all Baltic towns and cities. Other factorscontributingtooursenseof identityareperhapsthegrowingnumbersof windfarms and Baltic cruise ships. But our shared identity is probably forged mostof all by the sea itself, or the “Nordic Mediterranean” as it is sometimesknown.We also have a shared maritime cuisine. Herring is probably a key markerof Baltic identity, second only to amber. It features on almost all menus atcafés and restaurants around the Baltic. Everyone likes herring, be it fried,smoked or pickled. It is called “the silver of the sea” but for some it probablytakes gold. In Kaliningrad, you can even dine on “herring under a fur coat”.So, perhaps we can say our identity is based on herrings and amber?But, joking aside, whatever it is that unites us, I must say that the extremelydiverse cooperation structures and organisations on the shores of the Balticare in themselves exemplary and that, together with the BSPC, they form akey identity marker that may not exist anywhere else in the world. I wouldtherefore like to say: Happy Birthday to the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Confer-ence!Following the fall of the Iron Curtain, on 7-9 January 1991 representatives ofthe national and regional parliaments in all countries bordering the Baltic metin Helsinki for the first time on the invitation of the Speaker of the FinnishParliament, Kalevi Sorsa.3Of course, the delegates at that event discussed how good neighbourly re-lations and stable democracies could best develop on the shores of the Bal-tic. Until then, the sea had divided rather than united our peoples for the pasthalf century.The region’s foreign ministers didn’t come together for the first meeting ofthe Council of the Baltic Sea States until a year later – on 5-6 March 1992 inCopenhagen.So that first BSPC meeting in January 1991 gave members of parliament incountries with very different political systems an excellent opportunity tomeet and speak together, and to look beyond their customary political hori-zons. They uncovered common interests and conducted frank and open dis-cussions that led to agreements and new ideas. By critically addressing gov-ernment actions, forging new contacts and entering into trust-based partner-ships, step by step this Baltic collaboration gained a parliamentary dimen-sion. With the invaluable assistance of the Nordic Council, this led to thesecond Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference in April 1992, held in Oslo. Atthe event, the BSPC formulated a preamble declaring its intentions:“To strengthen the common identity of the Baltic Sea Region by meansof close cooperation between national and regional parliaments on thebasis of equality, to initiate political activities in the region, endowingthem with additional democratic legitimacy, and to improve dialoguebetween governments, parliaments and civil society.”A quarter of a century later, we are justified in asking whether all that hasbeen achieved.4The BSPC has increasingly gained autonomy. Over the years a StandingCommittee has been built up that works on the basis of consensus decision-making, which it applies to all its votes and resolutions. The Standing Com-mittee functions as the responsible committee between conferences and in-cludes representatives of the European Parliament. The BSPC also appointstemporary working groups and rapporteurs on specific themes.Its collaboration with the Baltic Council has intensified, and cooperation withthe European Parliament and other parliamentary organisations in northernEurope has been expanded. Systems have been developed for surveyingnational governments on the implementation and evaluation of the annualconferenceresolutions.Someof ourmemberparliamentsdiscusstheannualdraft BSPC resolution in their committees and make decisions on it. Othersfully adopt the BSPC resolutions in their parliamentary decisions and de-mand implementation and the corresponding reports from their govern-ments.While the earlier conferences primarily dealt with topics such as the demo-cratic stabilisation of the region and improving the critical environmental sit-uation in the Baltic, in the meantime additional issues are also addressed,such as: maritime policy and economy; green growth; how the Baltic regioncan serve as a maritime model region; education; minorities, NGOs, labourmarket and social welfare; culture; healthcare; and tourism.Following the 16th conference focusing on “Integrated Maritime Policy” inBerlin in 2007, the BSPC finally attracted the attention of policy-makers inBrussels. Several EU parliamentarians began to see the Baltic region as amacro-region and they developed a special strategy, the first of its kind inthe EU: the European Union Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR).5And today?By now, Baltic cooperation and the work of the BSPC have attained a veryhigh level of development. Parliamentary democracy around the Baltic hasgained stability. While only five percent of its shores were in EU countries 20years ago, today that figure is almost 95 percent. The Mare Balticum nolonger divides the people that live on it shores; instead it has become aninland sea of the European Union. Largely due to the Northern Dimensionpolicy and the more recent northwest Russia strategy, Iceland, Norway andRussia have become fully integrated BSPC countries.And the conference itself is taken much more seriously now than it in itsearlier days. Presidents, ministers and state secretaries of Baltic countriesare frequent speakers and guests. The BSPC is invited to all major interna-tional congresses in the region. Its incumbent chairperson is invited to speakat the annual meetings of the Council of the Baltic Sea States. The two or-ganisations also frequently participate in one another’s working groups.Workable demands are formulated at each conference, and the members ofparliament from each country monitor and work towards their implementa-tion.But even though the annual conference and the concrete political work thatis carried out within the committees are shining examples of internationalcooperation within a specific region and are thus valuable in and of them-selves, it is still worth asking the question “What good does all of it do?”We should not cloak ourselves in false modesty; we should be happy to pro-claim our successes. And that is why I will remind you of some of those now,especially as a new generation is gradually replacing the old.6The BSPC has passed many resolutions calling for the restoration of thegood ecological status of the Baltic marine environment. Via decisions takenby the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan (Baltic Marine Environment Protec-tion Commission – Helsinki Commission), these have led to, for example,the International Maritime Organization (IMO) prohibiting new passengerships from discharging untreated sewage effluent into the Baltic Sea as of2013, or as of 2018 for existing ships,. Stricter emissions regulations nowalso apply. The imposition of stricter controls on eutrophication and the fund-ing for the construction of the wastewater treatment plant in St. Petersburgare also partly due to the efforts of the BSPC.Very early on, the BSPC campaigned to have the Baltic designated as aParticularly Sensitive Sea Area. It has also succeeded in making the princi-ple shipping lanes in the Baltic much safer, particularly the Kadet channel.Another positive development is the Cleanship concept, which works to-wards achieving the objective of zero emissions from shipping on the Balticsea. Twelve major ports are participating in this EU emission reduction pro-ject.The EUSBSR, which was the first “macro-regional” strategy in Europe, isalso the result of BSPC resolutions and the commitment of EU parliamentar-ians in Baltic states to new forms of collaboration and strategic planning inthe region. In this way, various partnerships have developed between theBaltic Rim states and their educational institutions, research facilities, admin-istrative bodies, companies and trade unions. The current action plan fo-cuses on marine conservation, improving accessibility, and promoting pros-perity.7The activities of the BSPC Working Group on the Labour Market and SocialWelfare led to the formation of the Baltic Sea Labour Network, a flagshipproject of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region backed with 1.8 millionEUR of funding. This in turn has meanwhile developed into the Baltic SeaLabour Forum as a permanent body for social dialogue in the Baltic regionwith over 30 employers’ organisations, trade unions and other partners.Social dialogue is about promoting sustainable labour markets, fair workingconditions, labour mobility, social security cover for border commuters – thisalso requires the provision of information centres on cross-border matters,which have meanwhile been set up in some places – and combating youthunemployment. The Baltic Sea Labour Forum is an organisation that servesthe region in a way that has yet to be matched anywhere else in the world.The 21st BSPC, which convened in St. Petersburg in 2012 was one of thefirst international forums of parliamentarians that responded to the high levelof youth unemployment in Europe by demanding the introduction of a Euro-pean Youth Guarantee. Our aim was to gain government support in settingup programmes to ensure that young people making the transition from leav-ing school to starting work would not experience longer spells of unemploy-ment. EUfundingfor projects forthis purpose–includingeducationschemesthat promote transnational employability – currently totals around 6 billionEUR.The project-oriented modernisation of north-west Russianterritories near theBaltic Sea agreed by the Council of the Baltic Sea States in 2012 is a furthersuccess story. Known as the Pilot Financial Initiative (PFI) – the scheme isdesigned to give good projects swift access to funding opportunities.8In 2014 the CBSS ministerial meetings were cancelled by the other memberstates in response to Russian activities in the Ukraine. In its resolution lastyear, the BSPC declared that we “expect all Baltic Sea States to make everyeffort to ensure that the Baltic Sea region will continue to be a region of in-tensive cooperation and good, peaceful neighbourliness.” For this reason wealso called for a resumption of the Council’s ministerial meetings as theyfoster dialogue and strengthen cooperation.We are therefore very pleased that Council-level talks of all culture, scienceand deputy foreign ministers were resumed during the recent Polish CBSSPresidency.The BSPC also succeeded in convincing the Commission to retain “health”as a policy area eligible for funding as part of the EU Strategy for the BalticSea beyond 2016.These success stories are something to be proud of. It is a direction we mustpursue, even if the circumstances have become more difficult.So what could “tomorrow” mean for us today?First and most importantly it means confidently continuing to develop coop-eration and an international approach to the great challenges of our time. Itmeans consolidating that which has been achieved, without isolating our-selves or retreating to a purely national context.Secondly, it means putting key future opportunities and questions on theagenda and working on them together. Perhaps the most important issue onthis front is the responsible use of our beautiful Baltic landscape. The Work-ing Group on Sustainable Tourism is elaborating recommendations on this9issue for the 26th BSPC. We also need to focus on further developing theGreen Growth for a bluer Baltic Sea project together with BALTIC 21 andquite literally giving fresh wind to renewable energies, energy conservationand efficiency together with the Baltic Sea Regional Energy Cooperation(BASREC). Further issues on this agenda include transport and logisticalstrategies for land and sea and the Baltic Sea as a model region for “health”in the broadest of terms.Of course we have worries of our own. But as one of the world’s richest andmost competitive regions, it is ourcommon dutytotreat and receive refugeesseeking protecting from terror, death and war in our countries in a way thatdoes justice to the humanitarian ideals we share.Education, culture and youth are key factors in developing a sustainable re-gional identity. More emphasis should be placed on developing and expand-ing Ars Baltica – one of the most important multilateral cultural networks inthe region. I, for one, think it would be an excellent idea to complement theexisting cooperations between the universities and research institutes in theBaltic region – over 100 in total – with a similar network of partnered schools.We must also tackle the most serious issues facing society today. Interna-tional terrorism is a threat and a challenge to us all. Ensuring civilian securityand protection in the event of a disaster must also be a part of our agenda.The same applies to the tensions that have recently developed within Eu-rope. We should make bilateral efforts both here and in the OSCE to ensurethat the military activities in the Baltic region do not turn into a new securityrisk in northern Europe. Transparency, refraining from any form of military orrhetorical provocation, the use of hi-tech security systems like Transponderin military aircraft and dialogue are essential here.10Active citizens engaged in political parties, organisations, associations andinstitutions are the life and soul of every democracy. An event like the BalticYouth Conference to precede the BSPC, which we suggested some timeago and which has still not become reality, is just such an initiative. The ideais to give young delegates the opportunity to articulate their political ideas forthe future development of the region and present these to us afterwards.Perhaps it will be possible to implement this exciting idea in the coming yearin the form of an individual initiative.Non-government organisations and civil society should also play a greaterrole in Baltic cooperation. And finally: a real test for the quality of our democ-racy is in the way in which we treat minorities. The particular history of ourregion has resulted in the emergence of national and ethnic minorities inpractically every country. But not in every case has there been a successfultransition from hostility to co-existence and community. Good community re-lations do not happen by themselves, but are the result of a long and patientprocess. So this is an issue that also belongs on the political agenda of theBSPC. For who knows? Perhaps our good example might inspire other re-gions in Europe to follow suit.There is a lot of work to be done. We must work within our own countries toincrease social cohesion and across our borders to create good frameworkconditions that enable as many citizens in our region to meet, mix and ex-change ideas.Some of you may say things used to be easier. Some of you may look backwith longing at a time whose challenges seemed less overwhelming, or atime when we all felt safe. But let me tell you: nothing happens by itself. Andnothing lasts forever. It is our responsibility as politicians to make everyday11life better for people in the Baltic Sea region – step by step – and work toshape a better future that people can believe in.I am convinced that our shared history of the past 25 years has created asolid foundation that gives us the strength and the confidence to meet thesechallenges.As all sensible people in the region will know – our ability to achieve theseaims depends on dialogue, compromise and cooperation. We need eachother!12