14 BSPC Resolution ENG

Conference ResolutionAdopted by the 14th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC)The participants, elected representatives from the Baltic Sea States* and the European Parliament,assembled in Vilnius, Lithuania 29 - 30 August 2005, to discuss democracy, stability, forms ofenhanced co-operation and infrastructure in the Baltic Sea RegionConvinced thatparliamentary co-operation in the Baltic Sea Region constitutes an active contribution to thedevelopment of the region and its neighbourhood by ensuring democratic transparency,initiating and guiding political activities, supporting and strengthening democratic institutionsin the participating states and improving the dialogue between parliaments, governments andcivil societyNotingthe earlier resolutions of the BSPC, especially aiming at an enhanced co-operation in theBaltic Sea Region with regard to the Council of Baltic Sea States (CBSS) and othergovernmental as well as non-governmental organisationsthe Northern Dimension and the EU's European Neighbourhood Policy as frameworks for co-operation and developmentthe European Neighbourhood Policy as an appropriate instrument to pursue the positiveexperiences of the Northern DimensionTaking into accounteutrophication as a serious threat to the environment, fisheries, bio-diversity and outdoorrecreation of the Baltic Sea which is of great importance for all countries bordering the seathat the high priority given to infrastructure in the transport sector in the Northern DimensionAction Plan 2004-2006 shall be maintained in the future development of the Baltic Sea Region andin the Northern Dimensionthe need to develop further an integrated maritime policy for the Baltic Sea Region and toparticipate actively in the ongoing process of making an integrated and all-embracing maritimepolicy on a European levelCall on governments in the Baltic Sea region and the CBSS as well as the EU togive high priority to the co-operation in the region and the neighbouring countriesbuild on mutual commitment to common values within the fields of the rule of law, goodgovernance, the respect for human rights and the promotion of good neighbourly relationssupport the development of democracy and a civil society by strengthening the role of NGOsenhance the dialogue in the Baltic Sea Region with neighbouring countries in strengtheningdemocracy, stability, security, civil society, principles of sustainable development and well-beingfor all concernedmaintain and strengthen the mechanisms defined and used by the Commission on the Baltic SeaArea marine environment protection (HELCOM) for the conservation of the vulnerable marineenvironment of the regionCall on governments in the Baltic Sea Region, the CBSS, HELCOM and the EU tosupport further development of common regional infrastructure, especially transport and energynetworkscontinue to develop the Northern Dimension in order to promote security and stability in theregionuse the Northern Dimension framework, extending to the Arctic region and North-West Russia, toaddress the special regional development challenges, such as transport, energy, border crossingfacilities and environmental issuesmake use of the ENP (European Neighbourhood Policy) and EU’s financial instruments, such as theEuropean Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI), and support their objectives ofsharing the benefits of the EU enlargement with neighbouring countries thus strengthening stabilityand democracy in the regionparticipate in the development of an integrated maritime policy and in the implementation of theEuropean Maritime Strategy, the aim of which is to protect and preserve the maritime environmentby efficiently using, i.a., the Water Framework Directivework towards the harmonised implementation of the European Marine Strategy in the wholecatchment area of the Baltic Sea by making use of the established regional cooperation withinHELCOMwork for the concept of sustainable maritime based logistics chains in Europenot to slacken in their efforts to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea and to promoteassociated protective measures at all levelsincrease efficient use of resources to respond to pollution incidents at sea by further developing thesub-regional dimension in the HELCOM response planning and by enhancing the cooperation onthe issue of places of refugefurther coordinate activities and initiatives of the organizations in the Baltic Sea Region towardsachieving common aims of stability and welfare in the regionconsider if “state liability” might be introduced in the field of transfrontier pollution, and if the“polluter should pay”- principle could include not only companies and individuals, but also statesvitalize the CBSS Working Group activities on democratic institutionsimprove conditions of trans-border cooperation, including further work on improving trans-bordercommunication and easing formalities for cross-border travelenhance cooperation on countering terrorism in the Baltic Sea region including the improvement ofappropriate legislationAgree toprepare concrete recommendations for action in the field of the “Development of TransportInfrastructure in the Baltic Sea Region”adopt the amended rules of the BSPC attached as annex to this resolutionFurthermorethe Conference welcomes and accepts with gratitude the kind invitation of the IcelandicParliament Althingi to hold the 15th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference on 3 – 5 September2006 in Reykjavik* Baltic Assembly, Denmark, Estonia, European Parliament, Finland, Free and Hanse City of Bremen, Free and HanseCity of Hamburg, Germany, Kaliningrad, Latvia, Lithuania, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Nordic Council, Norway,Poland, Russian Federation, Schleswig-Holstein, St. Petersburg, Sweden, Åland