25 BSPC Resolution ENG

Conference ResolutionAdopted by the 25th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC)The participants, elected representatives from the Baltic Sea Region States*,assembling in Riga, Latvia, 28-30 August 2016,taking into account a significant number of acts of international terrorism that haveoccurred since the last BSPC in Rostock, August 2015,- condemn terrorism in all its forms as a common threat for our citizens andour shared values,- deplore the loss of innocent lives, express sympathy and solidarity with thevictims of all terrorist attacks, their families and all those who suffered in theseinhumane attacks,- express the crucial need for the joint fight against this major threat to oursocieties and to uphold our democratic values, while stressing that this fight has torespect the rule of law and civil and human rights,discussing Cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region, Innovation and Competitiveness inthe Baltic Sea Region by linking Education and Labour Market, EmploymentOpportunities, Labour Mobility and Youth Unemployment, and Sustainable Tourism,- against the background of the BSPC’s Silver Jubilee recognizing the Baltic SeaParliamentary Conference’s model character as a platform for inter-parliamentarycooperation in the region in the face of the current political climate;- committed to adapting experiences from the past to a common future so thatthe integration of the Baltic Sea Region shall be carried on while preserving regionalidentities;- convinced that respecting the rights of minorities would provide a benefit forall regions in the Baltic Sea Area;- welcoming that the implementation of the Baltic Sea ParliamentaryConference resolutions has progressively become more comprehensive;1- affirming the importance of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for SustainableDevelopment that is devoted to the people, the protection of the planet, prosperity inharmony with nature, peace and partnership, and believing in the necessity of theimplementation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, especially Goal 14 whichtargets to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources forsustainable development;- welcoming the adoption of the Warsaw Declaration: Regional Responses toGlobal Challenges at the Meeting of Deputy Foreign Ministers of the Council of theBaltic Sea States (CBSS) in Warsaw on 8 June, 2016;- welcoming the adoption of the Declaration Baltic 2030: Renewing theCommitment to Sustainable Development in the Baltic Sea Region adopted by thehigh representatives of the CBSS government institutions responsible for sustainabledevelopment on 6 June, 2016;- welcoming the acceptance of Chair ́s Conclusions of CBSS Science Ministers ́Conference called Baltic Science: Renewing the Commitment to Science/ResearchJoint Actions in the Baltic Sea Region in Kraków, on 16 June, 2016;- welcoming the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) decision that theBaltic Sea special area for sewage discharges from passenger ships under Annex IVor the MARPOL Convention will take effect by latest 2021 for IMO registeredpassenger vessels, in line with previous BSPC resolutions;call on the governments in the Baltic Sea Region, the CBSS and the EU,Regarding Cooperation in the Region, to1. welcome mutual cooperation and peaceful solutions of international disputestaking into account best practises for example in the Baltic Sea region;2. take further steps to re-establish mutual trust and dialogue in the Baltic SeaRegion, in particular within the Council of the Baltic Sea States in order to ensure themost efficient use of the organization’s potential as a forum for multilateralintergovernmental cooperation as well as political and policy dialogue in the BalticSea Region;3. further enhance regional synergy and cohesion through deepening collaborationand structured dialogue between organizations and cooperation formats in the BalticSea Region;4. further promote and encourage public-private practical interaction as a tool forcross-border cooperation, economically viable actions and projects for the benefit ofthe Baltic Sea Region, taking into account and advancing the success of the SaintPetersburg Initiative and encouraging fuller use of the CBSS Pilot Financial Initiative,if the situation permits;5. build on success of the CBSS Project Support Facility as a tool for supporting thestrategically important project activities in the Baltic Sea Region, taking particularnote of Russia's and Finland's voluntary contribution to the Facility for 2016, and to2explore the possibilities for a continuation of the CBSS funding facility in a form ofthe Baltic Sea Cooperation Fund after 2016;6. further strengthen and develop HELCOM as the main coordinating body in theeffort to protect the Baltic marine environment, and to strongly support andencourage a fast implementation of the Marine Litter Action Plan, as well as theimplementation of the NOx emission control area Roadmap for the Baltic Sea, and tostress the importance of the Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) as one of theenvironmental pillars of the EU strategy for the Baltic Sea Region;7. discuss mutual definitions regarding sustainable development throughout theBaltic Sea region and to support innovations within green and blue technologies aswell as to create a joint web portal for the Baltic Sea region for sharing goodexamples regarding research, education and environmental best practices;8. take the lead and coordinate development of a new regulations framework forautonomous vessels with the aim to make proposals to IMO as well as to supportresearch, technology development and standards for autonomous vessels;9. continue cooperation between each other in areas where mutual benefits andsynergies can be achieved among relevant regional strategies and action plans;10. against the background of the general competitive situation in the tourismeconomy as well as the current tense situation in Europe to encourage transnationalstrategies and long-term commitments for fostering cross-border approachesprimarily in the field of sustainable tourism in the Baltic Sea Region;11. closely work together in coping with the ongoing challenges connected with therefugees in the region and to continue to ensure the decent treatment of and theright to safe asylum for these refugees in the countries of the Baltic Sea Region;12. foster closer cooperation and, as far as necessary, following EU respectively UNdeclarations in tackling illegal and irregular migration;13. foster cooperation in the field of research and innovation towards morecompetitive and sustainable region;14. pay greater attention to the issue of ensuring predictability that could bestrengthened through reciprocal transparency and risk reduction measures. This isimportant in order to avoid any unnecessary risks and tensions, including with regardto the movement of military vessels and planes in the Baltic Sea Region;3Regarding Competitiveness in the Baltic Sea Region by linkingEducation and Labour Market, to15. recognize the need to link education and the labour market more closely;16. against this background to support the New Skills Agenda for Europe;17. provide vocational training and skills development opportunities to young peoplewhich are geared to the needs of industry and which, by way of generally recognizedformal qualifications, form one of the most important prerequisites for workplacesuccess;18. strengthen the contacts between schools, universities and business in order tomake sure that university education and vocational education and training areclosely and concretely oriented towards labour market and to identify as well as toprevent labour market mismatches;19. build on success of the CBSS EuroFaculty programme as an example of long-term project-based cooperation in higher education and science for the benefit of thepeople of the Baltic Sea Region and to explore the possible steps forward for thisprogramme;20 foster the further development and upgrade of skills (basic and specialized) andemployability through establishment of a right for lifelong learning;21. improve transparency and comparability of qualifications, and thereby to furtherdevelop the mutual recognition of formal qualifications;22. facilitate anticipating labour markets’ skills needs;23. explore the need for a Northern Dimension Partnership for Labour Market andEducation to further develop education and labour market in the Baltic Sea Region;24. support business and education cooperation for a sustainable economic area inthe Baltic Sea Region, especially a systematic exchange of expertise in the labourmarket and education sectors;25. strengthen the cooperation between social associations, the social partners andgovernmental organisations in a social dialogue;26. support research and standardization within cyber security, with focus onmaritime context and applications and to foster data governance in order to enable afair and fertile environment for new data driven services that will capitalize ourregions technology excellence and trigger high skill job creation;27. implement the Baltic Sea Region as a leading learning region;28. call for more intensified “bottom-up” collaboration and networking in order topursue development and synergies in specific areas of science, research, innovationand clusters collaboration;429. facilitate continuous dialogue and collaboration in science, research, innovationand higher education using existing political and regional formats and initiatives;Regarding Employment Opportunities, Labour Mobility andYouth Unemployment, to30. work towards the creation of a joint, collaborative labour market in the Baltic SeaRegion;31. support a common jobs platform and to raise its awareness in order to harnessits full potential for the labour force of the Baltic Sea Region;32. bring together national employment services and private employment agencies,including the social partners, in order to boost job seekers’ chances;33. use and further develop good approaches such as the EU's Youth Guaranteescheme in order to develop sustainable and broad-based concepts for tackling youthunemployment and promote the transition from school to working life;34. provide targeted measures to NEETS to integrate them successfully into trainingand work;35. promote the integration of the long-term unemployed in the labour market, usingtried and tested methods based on a coordinated and individualized approach whichincludes employers;36. also use for this purpose good approaches such as the recommendation of theCouncil of the European Union on the integration of long-term unemployed into thelabour market;37. pursue the goal of stepping up efforts to encourage in particular low-skilled,long-term unemployed and older employees to take part in continuing vocationaleducation and training;38. further develop the promotion of continuing training and improve the conditionsfor continuing training provision geared to the acquisition of vocational trainingqualifications, including for young adults;39. facilitate mobility especially in cross-border regions and to provide informationservices to frontier workers who are subject to different national practices and legalsystems;40. utilize cross-border capacities for commuters in education and studies therebyunderstanding cross-border commuting as a means to reduce the risk ofunemployment;41. make better use of the resources of an ageing society;42. facilitate cooperation between education and business to enable young people tofind work and employers to fill vacancies;543. rigorously and continuously pursue the goal of reducing youth unemploymentand opening up job prospects and life chances for all young people, to use financialfunds by the European Union to this and to monitor results;44. intervene at an early stage to inform young people making the transition fromschool to work about pathways and possibilities with respect to career developmentand promote successful entry into the jobs market;45. strive to ensure fair wages and to work towards the reduction of subcontracted,temporary agency work and temporary service contracts where permanent jobs arepossible;46. educate and integrate refugees into the labour market as soon as possible and toexchange experiences with best practice examples within the Baltic Sea Region. Andalso embed the social partners comprehensively and at an early stage in theseefforts;47. promote the participation of people with disabilities in working life, wherepossible in business in the general labour market, having regard for the principle ofinclusion in the meaning of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons withDisabilities;48. support their public labour administrations to promote the mobility of theircitizens in the entire Baltic Sea Region;Regarding Sustainable Tourism, to49. against the background of the unique natural environment of the Baltic Sea andthe vulnerability of many habitats, to work on cross-border strategies in order tominimize existing conflicts between tourism, marine and coastal protection;50. strengthen the rural development and agricultural production in accordance withthe environment in such a way, that the natural landscape and sound environmentas precondition for a sustainable tourism in rural areas are protected and restored;51. support transnational strategies which promote the development of tourism inthe Baltic Sea Region and to include the creation of synergies between projects and acommunication strategy for the Policy Area Tourism;52. ensure the better inclusion of all Baltic Sea countries in joint projects andstrategies as well as of the private sector to improve direct economic impact;53. work towards increased coherence with regard to approaches to SustainableTourism in the region;54. in order to help mobilize the full potential of Sustainable Tourism to establish theBaltic Sea Region as a common and coherent tourism destination;55. jointly work towards a common understanding of Sustainable Tourism and tostrive to establish joint marketing and joint labels;656. support the Baltic Sea Tourism Forum and its newly-established project for apermanent platform for information and know-how exchange – the Baltic SeaTourism Center – as coordinator for the implementation of activities on SustainableTourism in the region;57. especially support the application for the 2nd call by the Baltic Sea TourismCenter for financial support via the EU-INTERREG-Programme South Baltic 2014-2020 to achieve the establishment of an operational service unit for SustainableTourism cooperation and permanent platform for information and know-howexchange at transnational level, the so-called “Baltic Sea Tourism Center”;58. support the objectives of the Policy Area Tourism in the EU Strategy for the BalticSea Region to facilitate and strengthen the Baltic Sea Tourism Forum process as wellas to facilitate coordination with stakeholders through joint workshops;59. facilitate the networking and clustering of tourism stakeholders;60. reinvigorate and update existing but untapped knowledge in the Baltic SeaRegion about Sustainable Tourism, for instance the Agora Strategy for SustainableTourism Development in the Baltic Sea Region;61. work towards creating longer-term impacts and benefits, thus increasing publicacceptance;Furthermore, the Conference Decides to62. welcome with gratitude the kind offer of the Parliament of the Free and HanseaticCity of Hamburg to host the 26th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference in Hamburg on3 - 5 September 2017.*Parliaments and parliamentary institutions:Baltic Assembly,Free Hanseatic City of Bremen,Denmark,Estonia,European Parliament,Federal Republic of Germany,Finland,Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,Iceland,Kaliningrad Region,Latvia,Lithuania,Mecklenburg-Vorpommern,Nordic Council,Norway,Poland,City of St. Petersburg,Council of Federation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation,State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation,Schleswig-Holstein,Sweden,Åland Islands.7