Press release (en)

Press Release16 August 2005Baltic Sea Conference in Vilniusto discuss transport corridorsParliamentarians from all of the Baltic Sea nations will gather 28 –30 August in Vilnius, Lithuania, for the 14thBaltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC). The theme for this year's BSPC consists of the joint responsibilityfor stability and democracy. Co-operation in the Baltic Sea Region has changed since EU enlargement in 2004,when Poland and the Baltic States became members. There is still a need for co-operation around the Sea,however, and one tangible issue the conference will address is how to improve transport corridors and what areknown as ”marine motorways”.The BSPC will be opened by the current chairperson of the Standing Committee, Trivimi Velliste from Estonia.Artūras Paulauskas, the Lithuanian Speaker, and Manuel António dos Santos, Vice-President of the EuropeanParliament, will also speak at the opening. The President of the OSCE, Alcee L. Hastings from the USA, willthen greet the delegates.Three main themes will be debated. The first one will be future visions for co-operation around the Baltic Sea.The Icelandic Minister of Finance, Geir Haarde, will present a report on behalf of the governments involved inthe Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS). Iceland has just assumed the Presidency of the CBSS for the nextyear. The President of the Nordic Council, Rannveig Gudmundsdottir from Iceland, will speak from aparliamentary point of view.The second theme will be stability and democracy in the Baltic Sea Region, a subject made topical by the EU'snew neighbourship policy. Keynote speakers will include Vladimir Gusev of the Russian Federal Council andKimmo Kiljunen MP from Finland.On Tuesday 30 August, the focus will be on the development of the infrastructure in the Baltic Sea Region, e.g.through expansion of Trans European Networks. Keynote speakers on this subject will include JohnnyÅkerholm, President of the Nordic Investment Bank, which is now partly owned by Baltic as well as the Nordicstates. Claes Roxbergh MP from Sweden will also address the issue.The Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference http://www.bspc.netRegistration to Elona Kazakeviciene at the Lithuanian Parliament, Seimas, elkaza@lrs.ltFurther information: Information Officer Torkil Sørensen, tel.: +45 33 96 03 32/mobile +45 21 71 71 43 e-mail:ts@norden.org