Conference Report

14th BALTIC SEA PARLIAMENTARY CONFERENCEVilnius, 28-30 August 2005„Shared Concerns & Responsibilities for Stability and Democracy“1. ForewordWith a feeling of gratitude and satisfaction I am writing introductory words to this publication,which contains the official report of the 14th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC) held inVilnius on 29 to 30 August 2005.I am pleased to have been part of an excellent working team, the Standing Committee of the BSPC,which has been responsible for the preparation of the conference. Since the conference in Bergenlast year the Standing Committee had met six times.In its deliberations throughout the year the committee had been elaborating the concept and theprogram of the conference as well as drafting its resolution. Much time had been devoted toreforming the rules of procedure of the conference.Fifteen years ago the very idea of parliamentary cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region was launched.The successive conferences have shown that parliamentary democracy in the region is deeplyrooted.It is also obvious that the role of the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) has grown in thecontext of the recent enlargement of the European Union. The interdependence of the BSPC and theCBSS is becoming more and more inevitable.Parliamentary cooperation in the region, stability and democracy as well as development ofinfrastructure has been high on agenda during the past conference. Environmental issues havealways been a priority. A special working group on eutrophication was established on the initiativeof the Nordic Council.1Now that the parliamentary cooperation in the region stands at a crossroads I would like to seizethis opportunity to thank the members of the Standing Committee for their excellent cooperationthroughout the year. Likewise, I am extremely grateful to the Nordic Council and its secretariat fortheir crucial input into our common work. The Baltic Sea Region deserves our commitment!TRIVIMI VELLISTEChairman of the Standing Committee ofThe Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference2. Shared Concerns and responsibilities in the Baltic Sea RegionThis year’s 14th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC) aimed at strengthening theparliamentary dimension of the Baltic Sea Region and at debating the shared concerns andresponsibilities of the area. The broad participation with over 90 parliamentarians, 150 observersand guests from all of the Baltic Sea countries revealed the importance of parliamentary co-operation in the region.The participants gathered in the beautiful capital of Lithuania, Vilnius, which served as theperfect host for this year’s conference. As part of the European Union since May 2004, Lithuaniaand its capital represent the astonishing economic and political development in the Baltic States thathas taken place since then. Moreover it served as an ideal stimulation for the debate on the impactof the EU-enlargement that doubled the number of the EU members from the Baltic Sea area fromfour to eight and almost made the Baltic Sea become EU inland water.In recent years the dynamic development mode of the Baltic Sea States increased significantlyand according to the European Commission the area is, and will be, the fastest growing region inEurope. The Baltic Sea Region is regarded as a flourishing region with a unique combination ofgood natural and human resources together with a rich common cultural heritage and history.However, many social and economic differences in and among the Baltic Sea countries remain inexistence. Hence, the region is facing new challenges and making efforts to strengthen democraticvalues and promote welfare, peace and prosperity for all the citizens. The Baltic Sea ParliamentaryConference is an important forum for debate and exchange of information between parliaments andaims at furthering co-operation and promoting new progress in the Baltic Sea Region.A strong link to last year’s BSPC in Bergen, Norway, was visible through the entire conference.Not only was the important issue concerning the environmental situation in the Baltic Sea area2resumed but also the impact of EU-enlargement and the reform of the BSPC were crucial topicsagain. Besides the enhanced co-operation with the Council of Baltic Sea States (CBSS) the mainemphasis of future co-operation and development will be placed on the Northern Dimensionframework and the European Neighbourhood Policy.The Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference aims at bringing voices from the Baltic Sea countrieson the national and regional level together. Ten national and six regional parliaments around theBaltic Sea gathered at the 14th BSPC. Organisations like the Baltic Assembly, the Nordic Council,the Parliamentary Assemblies of the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the European Parliament enriched the ensemble - reminding theBaltic Sea parliamentarians of the enhanced co-operation with the other parliamentary structures.As the role of civil society and NGOs in the Baltic Sea Region was again a main issue, theconference included representatives of civil society organisations like the NGO Forum, the BalticSea Youth Forum, the Baltic Sea Region University Network, the TheoBalt Network and the TradeUnion Co-operation in the Baltic Sea Region (BASTUN). Representatives of the two environmentalgovernmental organisations HELCOM and Baltic 21 joined the conference as well as regionalorganisations such as the most important counterpart of the Conference: the Council of the BalticSea States (CBSS).After an intensive two-day debate, the resolution and the new draft rules for the BSPC were adoptedunanimously by all participating parliamentarians at the end of the conference. The biggest changeconcerns the Standing Committee whose mandate is expanded to act between the Conferences andnow counts the European Parliament and the German Bundestag as members. Moreover, anExtended Standing Committee will replace the drafting committee during the conference in order tostrengthen continuity in the parliamentary work.The 15th BSPC in Reykjavík next year will probably take up several issues of this year’sconference, as most of them are long-term projects. Finances will be discussed under the comingyear before the conference in Reykjavík, as some of the participating parliaments have alreadyexpressed their willingness to contribute to the budget of the conference. Altogether, theConference will have to prove if its re-structuring is to achieve the BSPC’s ambitious intensions.3. Voices from the Conference3“The opportunities within the region are great. The Baltic Sea region is the European regionconsidered by economic experts to have the most potential in the near future. (...) There are clearlygreat opportunities for our nations.”Mr Geir Haarde, Minister of Finances of Iceland“The region, moreover, unites the EU and EEA countries with non-EU-countries. Therefore it iswell placed to become a front-runner when it comes to bridge-building between EU, EES and itsneighbours.”Rannveig Guðmundsdóttir, President of the Nordic Council“The reality is that Poland is still short of modern transport systems.Existing transport infrastructure is preventing Poland from fulfilling its true cargo-handlingpotential.”Mr Tadeusz Górecki, Deputy Director of the Maritime Transport Department of the Ministry ofInfrastructure, Poland“We Parliamentarians should be more outspoken and clear in our support of free and active,independent civil society”Outi Ojala, MP Finland and Member of the Nordic Council“The isolation of Belarus can lead to no good.”Mr Vatanyar Yagya, Deputy Speaker of the St. Petersburg Legislative Assembly“All states need to give up their absolute power in order to increase the real power of the region”Kimmo Kiljunen, MP, Finland“Our goal must be to ensure that the Marine Environment Protection Strategy will be anenvironmental component and an integral part of the Green Paper on EU ́s Maritime Policy.”Ms Sylvia Bretschneider, President of the Parliament of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, HELCOMrapporteur of the BSPC“The challenges ahead are enormous for all of us, in both shores of the Atlantic. Asparliamentarians we have the ultimate responsibility in addressing our citizens’ concerns. Suchconcerns are very similar for the citizens of Vilnius, Miami or St. Petersburg and they relate topeace and stability.”Mr Alcee L. Hastings, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organisation for Securityand Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and Member of the US Congress“In order to solve the environmental problems of the Baltic, commitment by the HELCOMContracting Parties both to the development of the Plan and its implementation is of crucialimportance. It will require political will as well as financial resources.”Mr Artūras Daubaras, Chairman of HELCOM, Lithuania44. Future co-operation in the Baltic Sea Region and the Parliamentary DimensionThe future of the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference and the reform of the rules of procedure forboth the Standing Committee and the Conference itself were one of the crucial issues of theConference. The theme ran vertically through all the discussions and accompanied the debateconcerning the joint responsibility for stability and democracy in the Baltic Sea Region.One of the main issues in the resolutions of 2003 and 2004 was the commitment of agreeing to askthe Standing Committee to elaborate proposals on how to develop the parliamentary dimension inco-operation with the CBSS. The Standing Committee had a task and mandate from the conferenceto reform the rules of procedure for the conference.Trivimi Velliste, Estonian MP and Chairman of the BSPC Standing Committee, reported on behalfof the Committee and presented the draft rules in the very beginning of the first session. He pointedout the Standing Committee’s proposals that should contribute to the development of the BSPC’sorganisation:- the mandate of the Standing Committee should be expanded- a vice-chair to the Standing Committee should be elected- the European Parliament should be invited to participate at the work of the StandingCommittee as the CBSS has the EU commission participating at its work as well- a second seat to Germany in the Standing Committee, so that the federal level is included- an annual work program will be drafted- an Extended Standing Committee should be established replacing the drafting committeeduring the conference and having one meeting between the conferencesHe expressed his hope that these changes would be approved by the conference, which they finallywere. Moreover, he mentioned that the Standing Committee’s discussion to develop the conferenceinto a CBSS parliamentary assembly had not come to a solution. Nevertheless, the BSPC and theCBSS will discuss the possibilities of starting a system of parliamentary questioning in the future.Concerning the Standing Committee’s work, Mr Velliste noted the importance of the EU policiesand the activities of the Union in the Baltic Sea Region. Therefore he presented the two otherthemes in the programme, Stability and Democracy in the Baltic Sea Region and Development ofInfrastructure in the Region, as repercussions from the discussions on current issues in the EU.Mr Velliste stressed the importance of strengthening the Baltic Sea co-operation. The Baltic SeaRegion should be able to sustain its full potential for co-operation in order to increase welfare and5to strengthen cohesion and civil society. He also reflected on the potentials of identifying oneself asa citizen of the Baltic Sea Region rather than that of the EU and therefore called upon the audienceto strengthen the region as an area of economic growth and a model of sustainable socio-economicdevelopment:“By being active and involved, the BSPC will make its contribution for the future of the region.”With regard to the necessary participation of the citizens in the Baltic Sea region, Mr ArtūrasPaulauskas, Chairman of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, asked the parliamentariansassembled at the conference to contribute to the diminution of the distance between the respectivegovernments and the citizens. Referring to the historical changes in the Baltic countries through thetransition from planned economy to democracy and free market economy with bi and multinationalsupport from countries around the Baltic Sea, Mr Paulauskas regarded the BSPC as an instrument toshare in balancing opinions and in creating the base for a stronger regional identity.The Baltic Sea as a uniting instrument despite the different historical experiences was also thevision of Mr Gedimas Pavirzis, Deputy Mayor of Vilnius City, welcomed the participants of theBSPC to the capital of Lithuania. He expressed his hope for future forthright and close co-operationin the Baltic Sea Region and the BSPC to become of significant importance within Europe.The current President of the Nordic Council, Ms Rannveig Guðmundsdóttir from Iceland,supported Mr Velliste’s words strongly and emphasised that the Standing Committee could indeedplay a more active and continuous role as an inter-parliamentary actor of the region. She demandeda more flexible engagement of the Standing Committee in issues that call for joint parliamentaryaction. The Baltic Sea Region unites the EU and EEA countries with non-EU-countries.Considering this, Ms Guðmundsdóttir saw a good chance for the region to become a front-runnerwhen it comes to bridge-building between EU, EES and its neighbours. Moreover, increased co-operation in the region could be of mutual benefit for growth and increased welfare.Mr Vatanyar Yagya, Deputy Speaker of the St. Petersburg Legislative Assembly, stressed theimportance of the regional co-operation in the Baltic Sea area and therefore appreciated theproposal to strengthen the regional parliament’s role in the BSPC. He felt that the future of theregion much depends on this level of co-operation as he considered the regional parliaments to be6closer to their citizens than the national parliaments. Their contribution to solve the regionalproblems should not be underestimated, he pointed out.Mr Martin Kayenburg, President of the Parliament of Schleswig-Holstein, supported hiscolleagues to sustain the co-operation with the CBSS and to further promote the development of theparliamentary dimension in the Baltic Sea Region. He also described the new tasks of the ExpandedStanding Committee which is now supposed to meet in extended form twice a year. The ExpandedStanding Committee should draft the Final Resolution and watch the implementation of theResolution in a meeting together with the sitting President of the CBSS. Through the participationof the parliamentarians and the strong co-operation with the CBSS, the new rules could contributeto the efficiency of the BSPC. Mr Kayenburg supported the proposal to establish working groups inorder to deepen the different issues as to his mind the existing working structures of the committeesin the respective parliaments can be improved. The parliamentary dimension of the Baltic SeaRegion could lead into a new phase of co-operation.Ms Ann-Kristine Johansson MP, Sweden, stressed the importance of the work being done in theHELCOM and EU framework. At the same time, she stated clearly that despite all the resolutions ofthe BSPC there are too few measures being taken. Ms Johansson called upon the parliamentariansto take the whole responsibility for the Baltic Sea Region and to undertake more commitments tothese issues on all levels, including regional and local. The exchange of experiences and effectiveutilisation of resources should be optimised.Mr Svend Erik Hovmand MP, Denmark, appealed to the members of the conference to urge theirgovernments to take more drastic measures. Instead of creating several more organisations in theBaltic Sea region, the main emphasis should be placed on working out common rules.Mr Rainder Steenblock MP, Germany, expressed his contentment with the fact that the GermanDelegation will be part of the future Expanded Standing Committee.Mr Geir Haarde, Minister of Finances of Iceland, reported on behalf of the IcelandicChairmanship of the CBSS and gave a brief talk about the development of the CBSS. Established in1992 in the wake of dramatic changes in Europe following the fall of the Berlin Wall and the7collapse of communism, the CBSS aimed at intensifying co-operation and co-ordination among theBaltic Sea States and spurring democratic development in the Baltic Sea Region. Right from thestart, the protection of environment was high on the agenda of the CBSS, in particular the maritimeenvironment in the region and adjacent areas. Just like the BSPC, the CBSS tries to reduce pollutionand prevent oil spills as well as to strengthen the co-operation on nuclear and radiation safety andenergy issues. Mr Haarde highly estimated the co-operation with other regional organisations inNorthern Europe in view of the common interest, but at the same time he stressed the importance toavoid overlapping and duplication of the work being done in the region. He regarded the entry ofthe majority of the CBSS member states in the EU as a challenge for the organisation since it ispossible that their focus will be more on the EU as a whole than on their neighbouring countries. Inthis context Mr Haarde expressed his hope that an even closer co-operation between BSPC andCBSS could be fostered. He considered it to be important for the Baltic Sea Region to strengthenco-operation in cross-border issues such as protection of the environment, facilitation of trade flowsand people-to-people contacts across the borders.During the last years, the Standing Committee of the BSPC has already reached a new level of co-operation with the CBSS, as Mr Velliste pointed out, and he thanked the CBSS for theirwillingness to continue to develop the contacts with the BSPC. He regarded the CBSS as animportant actor in Northern Europe when implementing two vital projects in the EU: the NorthernDimension and the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP).Ms Heidi Hautala, a Finnish MP, expressed her satisfaction with the work of the past few yearsthanking the Standing Committee for its excellent work and the present co-operation with theCBSS. She supported her colleagues that it is not necessary to design new organisations of aparliamentary dimension in Northern Europe, but she maintained the proposal on institutionalisingthe work of the BSPC in working groups to guarantee the way forward.5. Environmental challenges in the Baltic Sea RegionThe Baltic Sea is one of the world’s busiest waterways and most sensitive ecosystems. Hence, theprotection of the marine environment is a pressing political issue in the Baltic Sea Region.The three major problems in the Baltic Sea are still eutrophication, maritime safety and the risk ofoil spills. This is why the environmental challenges in the Baltic Sea were again of major concern8during the entire 14th BSPC. The severity of this topic was raised by most speakers whilst severalproposals and comments accompanied the debate.One of the most important environmental actors for regional governmental organisations is theHelsinki Commission (HELCOM) that has been working for more than 30 years in the Baltic Seaarea now. The observer status at HELCOM has been administrated on behalf of the StandingCommittee by representatives of the Nordic Council and the State Parliament of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.During its 53rd session in July this year, the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) ofthe International Maritime Organisation (IMO) agreed upon the designation of the Baltic Sea as aParticularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA). After the BSPC’s joint application to the IMO to grant theBaltic Sea this status in 2003, the PSSA status is now regarded as a success for the entire Baltic SeaRegion. When an area is approved as a particularly sensitive area, special protection due to itsecological significance is granted, and specific measures can be used to restrict traffic in that area.Ms Sylvia Bretschneider, President of the Parliament of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, reported asthe BSPC observer at HELCOM and called this decision of the IMO a great breakthrough for theBaltic Sea countries in their efforts to protect the Baltic Sea. She named as concrete measurablesuccess as the reduction of observed oil discharges, the increase in the controlled disposal of ship-generated waste in ports, better co-operation in combating accidents and the reduction of harmfulemissions from point sources. But she also stated very clearly the remaining tasks:“However, the major political challenges – the acid test and the endurance test – still lie ahead ofHELCOM as an organisation of regional co-operation: implementation of the European WaterFramework Directive and the European Marine Environment Protection Strategy including thedevelopment of ecological quality targets for the Baltic Sea.”The European Marine Strategy will be presented by the European Commission in September 2005.It will apply an integrative approach and urge organisations of regional co-operation such asHELCOM to protect the marine environment and to assign specified tasks in the implementation ofEuropean targets. The “Marine Strategy Package” will probably be a legally binding document9which puts emphasis on the holistic ecosystem approach and builds on regional agreements; it willalso require developing Regional Action Plans for each European sea.The Commission’s explicit intention is to use organisations involved in regional co-operation inorder to achieve a voluntary integration of Contracting Parties that are not Member States of the EU– such as the Russian Federation with regard to the Baltic Sea.The European Water Framework Directive (WFD) came into force in December 2000 and sets aframework for comprehensive management of water resources in the European Community, within acommon approach and with common objectives, principles and basic measures. The WFD aims atmaintaining the “high status” of waters where it exists, preventing any deterioration in the existingstatus of waters and achieving at least “good status” in relation to all waters by 2015.Ms Bretschneider reported also on the European Commission’s concrete plans to draw up a GreenPaper on “EU’s Future Maritime Policy” which will be presented in spring 2006. There is stilluncertainty concerning the implementation of the European Marine Environment ProtectionStrategy into this Green Paper. That is why Ms Bretschneider appealed to the members of theconference to ensure that the Marine Environment Protection Strategy will be an environmentalcomponent and integral part of the Green Paper. In this context she considered HELCOM to be animportant intergovernmental institution of all Baltic Sea countries that could achieve a balancebetween the interests of both using and protecting the marine environment:“This means that HELCOM will have to master a “Herculean” task if this institution wants tocontinue to exercise significant political influence. It must be capable of playing the role of a“bracket” between the EU on the one hand, and the Russian Federation as a non-EU member onthe other in the framework of a forward-looking pan-European Maritime policy.”She concluded her statement by calling upon the BSPC to actively exercise the observer status atHELCOM in order to provide support for and influence HELCOM’s work at parliamentary level.Mr Velliste thanked the German delegation for their initiative and promised that the StandingCommittee would closely follow the drafting of the Green Paper and prepare to react. Moreover, he10gave account on the establishment of a working group on the issues of eutrophication on theinitiative of the Nordic Councils Environmental Committee.Ms Guðmundsdóttir praised this proposal as an example of a purposeful working mode. At thesame she reminded the audience that the state of the environment in the Baltic Sea is far fromsatisfactory and pointed to the failing health of the Baltic Sea:“It is, regretfully, a fact that this is due to an ongoing discharge of pollutants from industries,agriculture and urban activities around the Baltic Sea.”But not only increasing eutrophication and dwindling fish stocks caused alarm to Ms RannveigGuðmundsdóttir, she also brought the changing Artic climate and its impact on the Baltic Sea areato the discussion. According to the unambiguous results of the Arctic Climate Impact Assessmentreport (ACIA), the arctic warming and its consequences will have world-wide implications. The sealevel will rise up to one metre during this century and this is bound to lead to the most seriousconsequences for habitation, production and safety in coastal areas. In this context, Ms RannveigGuðmundsdóttir argued that no additional parliamentary structures of organisations in the BalticSea Region would be needed:“The environmental and other challenges do not need organizational multiplication; they needaction.”Instead, the BSPC should elaborate an accepted division of labour between the actors in the region.Mr Artūras Daubaras, Chairman of HELCOM, Lithuania, described the achievements of theCommission’s work, but stressed the outstanding challenges which the international community isstill facing with the protection of the marine environment in the Baltic Sea. As a representative ofthe governing body of the Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the BalticSea area, he presented the four major environmental problems to the parliamentarians:1. Eutrophication2. Hazardous substances3. Environmental risks related to increasing maritime safety4. Offshore activities and decline of biodiversity and habitats11Mr Daubaras emphasised that agriculture is the main polluter to the Baltic Sea and that the amountof heavy metals and levels of anthropogenic radionuclides in the Baltic Sea is much higher than inthe North East Atlantic and the North Sea. Due to low water temperature and low water exchangerate, the Baltic Sea ecosystems are highly sensitive and susceptible to anthropogenic pollution. Healso mentioned that HELCOM aerial surveillance flights discovered a couple of illegal oildischarges from ships.As an example of the ongoing international environmental cooperation, Mr Daubaras named theBaltic Sea Action Plan, which will cover all key environmental problems of the Baltic Sea Statesand identify actions to be taken by the contracting parties. Besides, the Plan will assist memberstates to co-ordinate their positions within EU in order to reach Baltic environmental objectives.He urged the HELCOM-members to commit both to the development of the Baltic Sea Action Planand its implementation. This would require both political will as well as financial and humanresources.Due to Mr Asmund Kristoffersen, MP from Norway and Member of the Nordic Council, theprotection of the Baltic Sea’s marine environment has been successful during the past few years, buta lot of work remains for the parliamentarians of each single country. He appealed to the membersof the conference to continue the work and invited everyone to focus on the eutrophication in theBaltic Sea. In addition to clarifying the situation of what has been done and what needs to be done,the exchange of positive developments of each participating country should be pressed ahead.Regarding the high rate of anthropogenic pollution, Ms Hautala asked for fundamental changes inthe agricultural system in the whole Baltic Sea Region. Apart from that, she highlighted theexistence of an eutrophication working group on the European level: the European RegionalDevelopment Fund INTERREG III B project called Baltic Ecological Recycling Agriculture andSociety (BERAS). In this connexion she supported her colleagues that had claimed stronger linkswith EU ecological policy.“The Baltic Sea can’t wait any longer!” With this exclamation the Swedish MP Mr SverkerThorén strongly demanded a political breakthrough in dealing with eutrophication. He regarded the12BSPC as an important factor in making this a reality and urged the conference to have a very clearresolution in this respect.His Swedish parliamentary colleague Mr Rolf Lindén expressed his hope that the commonenvironmental policy in the EU could contribute to new possibilities of combating eutrophicationthrough measures minimizing the agricultural pollution. Especially in the agricultural sector he sawa strong need for the development of expertise. Strong commitments to agriculture and shipping inall Baltic Sea States should contribute to using the unique Baltic Sea in a sustainable manner.Mr Gennady Khripel MP, Head of the delegation of the Federal Assembly of the RussianFederation, agreed with the other parliamentarians on the necessity for the working group on theissue of eutrophication.Mr Ole Stavad MP from Denmark and Member of the Nordic Council, called upon theresponsibility of every single parliamentarian of the BSPC to undertake all measures possible topromote the maritime safety of the Baltic Sea. He stressed the point that the pollution of the BalticSea affects every single Baltic Sea country and reminded of the “Baltic Carrier” oil spill in 2001,when an oil tanker collided with a freighter in international waters of the Baltic Sea betweenDenmark and Germany. The accident resulted in the release of approximately 2400 tons of bunkeroil into the environment. This should reveal the mutual dependence on maritime safety in the BalticSea. Hence, seafaring should not only be regulated on a national and regional level, but alsointernationally. According to Mr Stavad, the designation of the entire Baltic Sea as a PSSA was justthe first necessary step to be taken.Mr Lars Rise MP, Norway, used his statement to praise the many good approaches and resolutionsthe BSPC has taken since 1992, but indicated the lack of binding measures to combat environmentalthreats in the Baltic Sea. Giving the example of Norway being polluted by acid rain from Englandand the enormous costs caused by the environmental damage, he claimed binding conventions onthis issue for all Baltic Sea states and the need for stronger state liability and responsibility in thefield of transfrontier pollution. He finally demanded the inclusion of this requirement to theresolution.136. The impact of EU enlargement on the Baltic Sea RegionEven though more than one year has passed since the enlargement of the European Union in May2004, the impact of this process remained a fundamental issue during this year’s BSPC. Theaccession of the three Baltic Countries and Poland to the EU has brokered new possibilities to theregional cooperation in Northern Europe, especially with regard to the new options of additional EUfunds for the various projects in the Baltic Sea Region. An important step is the future participationof the European Parliament in the work of the BSPC’s Standing Committee.As Mr Velliste pointed out in his opening statement, the enlargement of the EU did not diminishthe need for co-operation in the Baltic Sea Region, but on the contrary strengthened the requirementfor future alliances between the Baltic Sea countries and the EU. Therefore, he underlined, anintense debate on the role of the BSPC in the context of the EU-enlargement and its impact on theregion would be needed. Especially the increasing role of the CBSS concerning the development ofthe Northern Dimension would require this debate. The Baltic Sea states should support and makemore use of the consistent and hard environmental legislation on the European level.Item Mr Paulauskas called upon the parliamentarians to take the financial resources of the EU intoaccount in order to solve the following tasks/problems:1. Environmental protection of the Baltic Sea2. Pollution of the Baltic Sea3. Protection of democracy and the respect for human rights4. Good neighbourly relationshipsMr Steenblock underlined the strong economic dynamics in the Baltic Sea Region but felt at thesame time that the advantages of these topics have not been used sufficiently. The politicalrelevance of the Baltic Sea Region and its economic impact should strengthen the influence on EU-policy both with regard to the maritime policy, agriculture and the transportation dimension. MrSteenblock emphasised the importance of the EU policy in general and demanded to pay moreattention to the processes going on in Brussels. He also required to support the EU-policy moreactively and visibly as the Baltic Sea Region needed to become of more importance in Brussels as awhole region.14Ms Bretschneider agreed completely with her colleagues in this aspect. On the question of EUpolicies she highlighted the importance of a more active involvement of the Baltic SeaParliamentarians and presented her idea of sending an observer from the conference to the Specialconference on Maritime Policy 17 November 2005 in Brussels. The BSPC representative shouldpresent the common positions of the parliamentary conferences. Furthermore, she recommendedthat expert opinions should be considered more in order to commission surveys on special topics.As a member of the European Parliament and the Chairperson of the delegation for relations withSwitzerland, Iceland and Norway and to the European Economic Area (EEA) Joint ParliamentaryCommittee, Ms Diana Wallis reflected on the impact of EU-enlargement on the Baltic Sea Regionfrom an outside perspective. She highly appreciated the new proposals for the resolution and theintegration of the EP into the Standing Committee as this would show a renewed emphasis on theEuropean level. But at the same time she stated clearly that the BSPC has to make sure that theBaltic Sea issues are heard on the European level because the EU would have many preoccupationssuch as the Constitution and the future of Eastern Europe. In general, Nordic and Balticrepresentatives should take more advantage of the European Policy’s potential and become morevisible within this aspect of policy making. Ms Wallis also mentioned that the European Parliamenthas a lot of experience of dealing with governments and elected parliamentarians and could, in thisrespect, contribute to the work of the BSPC. In order to guarantee the future exchange and co-ordination of the various activities in the Baltic Sea Region, she proposed the creation of a NorthernDimension Parliamentary Forum that could work out a new Northern Dimension action plan for thefuture.Mr Thorén spoke in favour of the new opportunities for co-operation, trade and growth in theBaltic Sea Region with regard to the EU-membership of almost every Baltic Sea state. “Every thirdcountry in the EU is Baltic”, he continued and appealed to the members of the conference toseriously deal with the environmental threats the Baltic Sea is facing, as these threats would alsoaffect the economical activities and growth in the area.7. Neighbourhood Policy of the CBSS Member CountriesIn the course of EU-enlargement, the Neighbourhood Policy has become of significant importancefor both the EU as a whole and the CBSS Member States in particular. On the question of the15European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), the countries around the Baltic Sea focus on the futuretreatment of Ukraine, Moldova and especially Belarus. The issue was raised by several speakers ofthe BSPC and provoked some intense debate.When Mr Yagya touched the sensitive question of Belarus, he suggested inviting Belarusianrepresentatives to observe the 15h BSPC next year. He argued that the policy of isolation would nothelp implementing democracy to this country and highlighted the possibilities of considerableimprovement in the Baltic Sea Region’s environmental sector through an active involvement ofBelarus. Mr Yagya illustrated his statement with some examples on successful politicalparliamentary dialogue and co-operation between the Latvian Parliament and the St. PetersburgLegislative Assembly that helped to solve social and legislative issues of concern.Mr Kimmo Kiljunen MP, Finland, reflected in his key note speech on the need for a new conceptof comprehensive security after the ending of the Cold War. As insecurity of one country wouldmean insecurity of all countries around the Baltic Sea, he advised to integrate Belarus into theBaltic Sea Parliamentary co-operation to help guarantee welfare and human rights in the region. Inthis context he gave the example of ‘The Baltic Sea Region University Network’ that alreadycooperates with Belarus successfully. Furthermore, he called upon the European Parliament tocontribute to the present challenges through strengthening the Russian-EU partnership andintegrating Ukraine more seriously into European structures. Mr Kiljunen highlighted thecomplexity of the situation describing how Ukraine is bound to Russia through historical, politicaland cultural ties and therefore pleaded for not regarding Ukraine as an isolated case from othercountries in Eastern Europe and Russia. Concluding his speech, he emphasised:“All states need to give up their absolute power in order to increase the real power. The future ofEurope’s structures means that we need to have good relationships and openness towards allEurope including Russia.”Mr Justinas Karosas MP, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Seimas, Lithuania,expressed his agreement with Mr Kiljunen and pleaded for a “balancing policy” towards Belarus.He submitted the proposal of delegating an EU-member state to improve the relations towardsBelarus and saw a big potential for Lithuania as its neighbour country to fulfil this task. Having16already proved the capability of improving the relationship with Belarus, the basis for closer co-operation between the Baltic Sea Region and Belarus within the framework of the EuropeanNeighbourhood Policy could be provided. Mr Karosas saw a potential problem in the isolation ofUkraine, Moldova and the Trans-Caucasus and strongly demanded to take this region into accountas well. Referring to the experiences and successful co-operation within the Northern Dimension,Mr Karosas argued that the accumulated experience of the Baltic Sea States could be exported tothese countries.Mr Kurt Bodewig MP of the Federal Republic of Germany, reminded the audience that thepossibility of further enlargement is opposed to the further consolidation of the EU. Therefore hestressed the importance of economic stability in the EU as a main key to the further acceptance ofthe EU by the civil societies. As he regards the ENP’s instruments to be still in early stages, MrBodewig initiated to undertake preventive inclusion strategies towards the neighbouring countriesof the Baltic Sea Region in order to avoid the development of new conflicts.Mr Rise felt that co-operation with Belarus was a difficult topic. Pointing out the seriousrestrictions to human rights in Belarus Mr Rise stated:.“The situation in Belarus is no better than in any other dictatorship... Belarus represents seriousviolations of human rights and President Lukashenka represents a big problem.”Still, he considered Belarus to be a part of Europe but strongly appealed to the members of theconference to review the Neighbourhood Policy of their respective countries.Ms Birutė Vėsaitė MP from the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania objected to these statementsand supported her colleagues: “With the isolation of Belarus we will not achieve anything.” On thecontrary, she even considered Belarus to be more important than the other neighbours of the EU anddemanded to strengthen the Baltic Sea co-operation on this issue. She also called for economic co-operation and other concrete steps to be taken towards Belarus and referred to a resolution of theBureau in the European Council on this subject.17Mr Stavad proposed better contacts with Belarus in the framework of the Baltic Sea Region as welland suggested to further develop both the relationship towards the government and the democraticopposition in Belarus.Mr Jeppe Kofod MP from Denmark claimed that concrete co-operation measures in the context ofthe European Neighbourhood Policy should be taken as well. Despite internal problems with theratification of the EU Constitution, strong efforts to improve the ENP would be needed. Thesituation of young people especially should be worked on; in this context he named the universitynetwork presented by Mr Kiljunen as a good example.Mr Khripel supported his colleagues with regard to the integration policy towards Belarus andeven assigned the task to the Standing Committee of inviting Belarusian representatives to theBSPC next year. Furthermore, a new working programme for an integrated EuropeanNeighbourhood Policy should be established. Mr Khripel stated explicitly that Russia shares theconcerns regarding the non-ratification of the EU Constitution; nevertheless he pointed out that thecurrent EU-policy would not reach a consensus with the Russian Federation.8. Stability and Democracy in the Baltic Sea RegionThe role and status of civil society and especially NGOs is generally regarded as both a resourceand a precondition for stability and democracy in the Baltic Sea Region. However, the area is stillfacing various challenges on that score. One of the main challenges concerns the differencesbetween the countries in the Baltic Sea Region in respect to NGO legislation that creates barriers toenhanced regional co-operation. The increased involvement of people and non-governmentalorganisations and the further development of regional co-operation at the civil society levelrepresent future main tasks as well.Mr Alcee L. Hastings spoke as both the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of theOrganisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and Member of the US Congress inthe very beginning of the Conference on how the BSPC can contribute to enhance co-operation anddialogue between legislators for the common good of the citizens around the Baltic Sea. Heillustrated forms and ways of closer co-operation in the enlarged Europe, including the18improvement of relations with the EU neighbouring countries and pointed to the fact that the OSCEas an active institution in reducing tensions is experienced in such matters. Hence, the fundamentalOSCE values of solidarity and co-operation could make an example of both a continuous dialogueand the free exchange of views and ideas and of building up confidence between states andsocieties. Mr Hastings mentioned that the OSCE has been active in the Baltic States and paidspecial attention to the protection and promotion of the ethnic, cultural, linguistic and religiousidentity of persons belonging to national minorities as this would form an integral part ofdemocracy. He concluded by reminding the audience of the importance to create appropriateconditions enabling them to express, preserve and develop this identity:“As parliamentarians we have an important role in implementing, by the necessary legislation, thelegal principles that our states can undertake to ensure the protection of national minorities.”Ms Outi Ojala, MP from Finland and Member of the Nordic Council and BSPC rapporteur onNGO legislation referred to her report presented at the 13th BSPC last year in Bergen when shedescribed how to remove structural obstacles for the free work of the NGOs in the region, Ms Ojalaexpressed her worries about too few achievements in this respect:“I can’t see that very much progress has been made during the last year when I left my report.”She stated clearly that NGOs are still treated very differently in the respective countries and in thevarying fields of the NGOs work. Socially involved NGOs were for instance better treated thanNGOs working on a political level as environmental organisations, she added. Pointing to the factthat free information access has not improved during the last years, Ms Ojala demanded a change inattitude towards the NGOs and to develop a real understanding of their role for democracy, welfareand prosperity in the Baltic Sea Region. Moreover, she pleaded for a stronger support of the NGOs,especially concerning financial help and legislation reforms and invited the parliamentarians of theconference to take on their responsibilities as both decision and opinion makers:“We parliamentarians should be more outspoken and clear in our support of free and active,independent civil society.”19Mr Larserik Häggman, Secretary General of the Norden Association in Finland and Chairman ofthe Finnish national platform of the NGO Forum, reported from the 5th Baltic Sea NGO Forum andthe Baltic Sea NGO Network. The network was established in Copenhagen 2001 to further developco-operation for strengthening civil society in the Baltic Sea Region. He expressed his agreementwith Ms Ojala feeling that civil society must be based on active public participation in democraticprocesses. Furthermore he pointed to the fact that there is a strong need for creating the suitableinfrastructure for NGOs in mutual co-operation with the BSPC and to guarantee financial assistanceand support systems for civil society development as a means of enhancing democracy. Noting thateconomic realities, the legislation and the way governments and authorities look at and deal withNGOs differ significantly, Mr Häggman stated clearly:“We do not try to create common standpoints on different political or other questions that do notconcern the possibilities for NGOs to function. We have in a concrete way noticed and accepted thefact that our societies are different and that the situation for NGOs is quite different as well.”However, he presented three steps to exchange experiences in regional cross-border and cross-sector co-operation:1. Annual Forums that deal with infrastructure creation, fund raising, democracy development,social improvement etc.2. Creating open thematic workshops for culture, human rights, environment, the role of civilsociety and social development3. Building up a permanent secretariat in order to stabilize the whole processMentioning that the Baltic Sea NGO network is now applying for more money from the EuropeanUnion in order to fund the development of the main network, he expressed his hope that theNetwork would be much stronger in the future with more and improved possibilities to co-operatewith the BSPC, the Nordic Council and maybe even gain Special Participant Status in the CBSS.Mr Ragnar Svenserud, Dean and Co-ordinator of TheoBalt, the ‘Theology in the Baltic Region’Network of Churches around the Baltic Sea, described the societal matters in the region from theChurch perspective. The primary purpose of the network is to bring the Orthodox, Catholic andLutheran Churches in nine of the Baltic Sea countries closer together and to offer a platform fordeliberations on issues dealing with church and society. He stressed the point that the churches have20been active contributors in fields like culture, legislation, education and charity – including evenethic norms and daily customs and thinking. TheoBalt focuses on cultural and spiritual bridgebuilding, life and culture of the nations and the basic values with reconciliation, democracy andpeace. Presenting the potential network activities, Mr Svenserud mentioned, amongst others, the notyet implemented ‘Baltic institute for Intercultural and Ecumenical Communication’, a rotating studyprogramme in co-operation with educational institutions.Ms Anke Spoorendonk, MP of the State Parliament of Schleswig-Holstein and chairman of theSouth Schleswig Voters’ Committee (the Danish minority’s party in Schleswig-Holstein), wonderedwhat had happened to her suggestion from last year’s BSPC to create the office of an ombudsmanfor democratic development and minority interests in the Baltic Sea area. She expressed her hopethat this proposal would be incorporated into the working programme of the Standing Committee.On the occasion of this year’s 50th anniversary of the Copenhagen-Bonn Declarations, MsSpoorendonk reminded the audience that members of minorities enjoy the same rights and duties asall other nationals. To her mind, minorities and human rights belong together and in this context shehinted that minorities’ policy is important for the whole Baltic Sea Region, as it provides evidenceof democracy in our society.Mr Gabriel Romanus MP, Sweden, and member of the Nordic Council, recalled a part of lastyear’s adopted resolution: “Call on governments in the Baltic Sea Region and the CBSS to ...promote the basic idea of a civil society by involving NGOs, when appropriate, in the decision-making process and to strengthen the co-operation between NGOs in the region, for instance bygiving economic support to international networking NGOs.” Mr Romanus therefore demanded toundertake more measures to put these words into practice and spoke in favour of the volunteer workin the NGOs as they tend to multiply the invested money very efficiently. The NGOs as importantopinion makers and creators of ideas for political participation of the civil society should even reachout to not so democratic countries in the region and therefore get more financial support, he argued.The results of the discussion were included in the Conference Resolution as a call on governmentsin the Baltic Sea Region, the CBSS and the EU to:“...support the development of democracy and a civil society by strengthening the role of NGOs.”219. Development of the infrastructure in the Baltic Sea Region – extension of Trans-European NetworksThe discussion of future transport issues in the Baltic Sea Region was scheduled for debate for thefirst time on a Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference. The need to debate on the development of theinfrastructure becomes clear when looking at the recent changes in this respect around the BalticSea: increasing ferry traffic, new bridges and the cross-border coalescence of regions.Considering the growing costs of traffic congestion on the European roads, pollution and numerousaccidents, the call for quicker development of transport corridors and the implementation of the ideaof moving the cargos from roads to sea seems justifiable. Such tendencies shall impact positivelythe enhancement of seaports’ effective position in the Trans-European Network forTransport (TEN-T).Mr Alexey Klyavin, Deputy Head of Department of the Ministry of Transport of the RussianFederation, reported on shipping, navigational safety and the development of port infrastructure inthe Baltic Sea. As navigation and shipping are very important issues in Russia and maritimetransport covers 90% of the volume of cargos, he highlighted the importance of maritimetransportation. In this context, he presented the “Russian Federal Transport Strategy” concerningthe maritime transport that will focus on environmental and security issues in order to providemodern transport services and to keep up with the European transport policy. Mr Klyavinunderlined that by liberalising the market and stimulating competition in this sector, ecologicalsafety and security are supposed to be guaranteed. However, he stated that coastal pollution causedby agriculture would be a greater threat to the environment in the Baltic Sea than maritimetransport. The level of risks connected with maritime transport should be minimized but notoverestimated as the number of ship accidents has decreased. Mr Klyavin pointed to the fact that 85% of ship accidents were caused by human failures and therefore demanded the implementation ofsocial measures, e.g. regarding the working conditions for employees on ships. Moreover, he gaveaccount of the Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) Victoria, a navigation and warning system thatprovides archiving of the collected routing data of vessels and warns ship owners about dangers andthe technical shape of the ships. Mr Klyavin stated that the system is supposed to start working onRussian ships next year and provide a database that can, among other things, identify polluters.22Ms Arja Alho, Finnish MP and Chairman of this session, hinted that the dilemma of how tomaximise the benefits of an efficient transport network and to limit the risks to a minimum.Mr Steenblock mentioned the importance of the “Motorways of the Sea” project as a part of theTrans-European network (TEN-T). The “Motorways of the Sea” concept aims at introducing newintermodal maritime-based logistics chains in Europe, which should bring about a structural changein the region.Mr Johnny Åkerholm, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Nordic InvestmentBank (NIB), reflected on possibilities for further improvement of transportation services in theBaltic Sea Region and described how the NIB can contribute to the infrastructural projects. Hepresented some prosperous projects supported by the NIB like the Via Baltica route and stressed thepoint that the co-ordination of land-sea traffic and the railway system needs to be developed andupgraded.“There is no doubt that good transportation is the essential part of the competitiveness of this areaif we want to make it in a world of globalisation”In this regard, he called upon the members of the conference to create long term plans fortransportation issues and to make full use of the cross-border effects in the region. He demanded toclearly structure the various problems and challenges in order to make sure that the bank’scontributions to the improvement of the infrastructure in the region would not be misdirectedinvestments. Mr Åkerholm expressed his strong hope for political support and the willingness to co-operate in the whole Baltic Sea Region and called upon the members of the BSPC to contribute tothis.Mr Tadeusz Górecki, Deputy Director of the Maritime Transport Department of the Ministry ofInfrastructure, Poland, reported on Polish ports’ position as important nodal points within the TEN-T in the Baltic Sea Region. Being a significant through-country for both north-south and west-easttransit, Poland would support the objectives of common transport policy for the whole of Europepromoting railway, inland waterway, effective and ecological road transports as well as short seashipping, he highlighted. But he also pointed to several challenges laying ahead the region:23“The reality is that Poland is still short of modern transport systems. Existing transportinfrastructure is preventing Poland from fulfilling its true cargo-handling potential.”Moreover, the Polish port system would face keen competition from land transport so they wouldneed to be modernised to comply with international logistics systems. Considering that theEuropean transportation market faces a rapid increase of freight transport, Mr Górecki underlinedthat the major significance, however, would lie with the investment providing the ports with a directconnection to the hinterland. He considered the geographical and market-related location of thePolish seaports to be well suited for playing the role of distribution centres oriented towards theBaltic Sea Region, as well as the Central and Eastern European states provided that the quality ofthe services of Polish ports would become more attractive and competitive. Mr Górecki shortlypresented Poland’s maritime and shipping policy until 2015 that aims at making full and effectiveuse of the country’s geographical location along the Baltic coast and at extending the north-southtrans-European transportation links. In this context, he named some examples for current projectslike the establishment of a ministerial Polish-Danish committee for Motorways of the Sea co-operation or the sea highway Gdańsk - Helsinki as a part of the larger Baltic Sea Motorway project.In conclusion, he expressed his complete satisfaction with the BSPC’s resolution that states “theneed to develop a comprehensive approach to a maritime policy for the Baltic Sea Region”.Mr Claes Roxbergh MP, Chairman of the Transport and Communications Committee, Sweden,expressed his deep concerns about the drastic climate changes and described the considerableincrease of carbon dioxide and the rise of temperature in the earth’s atmosphere. He named theoutstanding consequences like the rate of ice level change in Greenland. Hence, he called upon themembers of the conference to undertake crucial measures to improve the infrastructure in the regionin order to minimise these consequences. Mr Roxbergh suggested several measures concerning thetransportation and infrastructure sector:1. Every new investment done in the infrastructure sector should be long term and must lead to lessemission and more efficiency2. Better logistics as e.g. 60 % of the trucks in Europe are empty3. Avoid unnecessary transport4. Internalise external costs in order to prevent subsidising245. Higher standards for ships that lead to lower emission6. Change transport mode: from road to sea, improve the connectionsHe illustrated his demands with a simple question: “Should it not be more expensive to drive a truckthan a taxi?”Ms Astrid Höfs, MP of the Parliament of Schleswig-Holstein and Chairperson of the EuropeCommittee, also spoke in favour of an extended transport network in order to ensure the businesslocation and employment in the region. She presented the building of strong transport links acrossthe region of Fehmarnbelt through a bridge as a key project to further the exchange of goods andservices, capital and work, knowledge and innovation. Besides, this project could provide thecorresponding infrastructure for the future traffic volume in the region and close a gap in the trans-European transport network.Mr Stavad expressed his strong concern about the Russian attitude towards European transportrules. He clearly demanded that Russia should accept the Baltic Sea’s status as a ParticularlySensitive Area (PSSA) and called on the Russian Federation to follow the same requirements and toguarantee the same grade of maritime safety as all other members of the Baltic Sea States.Mr Klyavin pointed to the fact that a lot had been done during the recent years to improve maritimesafety and to minimise risks. On the controversial question of the Baltic Sea as a PSSA heexpressed his general agreement, but at the same time he stated clearly that the Russian Federationwants each single area to be evaluated in respect thereof. Accordingly, only certain districts shouldbe announced as particular sensitive areas and the corresponding criteria should be renewed.Mr Kimmo Sasi, MP from Finland, spoke in favour of Russia being involved in the co-operationregarding the transportation sector in the Baltic Sea Region and reported on a survey about theflows of transport in the region which is presently being undertaken. In addition he called upon theRussian authorities to become more efficient in their work and to improve their logistics.10. Adopting the Conference Resolution25Summarising the constructive discussions of the BSPC’s Drafting Committee, Mr Velliste finallypresented the resolution of this year’s BSPC. Despite various proposals made by the differentparties of the Committee, a good compromise between diverse political opinions could be found.Defining the Northern Dimension extensio to the Arctic region and North-west Russia marks one ofthe most important compromises. Moreover, development of democracy, co-operation withneighbouring countries and the EU’s financial instrument represent crucial topics of this year’sresolution.The resolution was adopted unanimously by the participants of the 14th BSPC.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 outdoor26recreation 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 Directive27work 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 trans-frontier 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 andHanse City of Hamburg, Germany, Kaliningrad, Latvia, Lithuania, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, NordicCouncil, Norway, Poland, Russian Federation, Schleswig-Holstein, St. Petersburg, Sweden, Åland28Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference(B S P C)Rules of Procedureforthe Parliamentary Conference andthe Standing Committee(approved by the 8th Parliamentary Conference on 8thSeptember 1999in Mariehamn, amended at the 11th Conference in St Petersburgon 1st October 2002, amended by the 14th Parliamentary Conference in Vilniuson 30th August 2005, valid after the 14th Conference has been closed)PreambleObjectives of the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC)The parliamentary Conference BSPC shall1) initiate and guide political activities in the region2) support and strengthen democratic institutions in the participating states3) improve dialogue between governments, parliaments and civil society4) strengthen the common identity of the Baltic Sea Region by means of close co-operation betweennational and regional parliaments on the basis of equality5) initiate and guide political activities in the Baltic Sea Region, endowing them with additionaldemocratic legitimacy and parliamentary authorityPart 1Participants/Members291. The Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference BSPC shall be composed of members of national andregional parliaments from the 11 Baltic Sea States, which are members of the CBSS; and the BalticAssembly, European Parliament, PACE and Nordic Council.Parliamentary delegations consist of 2-5 persons according to the size of the country or autonomousarea.The size of delegation and the number of additional participants are decided by the StandingCommittee in consultation with the Host Parliament.2. Organisations granted Permanent Participant status or Observer status according to the annexedlists are to be invited.The Annual Parliamentary Conference1. Conferences shall be held annually.2. The venue follows the principle of rotation; national as well as regional parliaments are entitledto apply for hosting the conference3. The Host Parliament issues invitations to the conference. It is responsible for practicalarrangements, provides the necessary documentation and press coverage and publishes a conferencereport.4. The Host Parliament covers all costs for practical arrangements in connection with theconference. All participants cover their own costs for taking part in the conference (travel,accommodation and other direct costs related to participation).5. The programme and agenda of the conference are decided by the Standing Committee inconsultation with the Host Parliament.6. The conference is chaired by the Host Parliament. The debates during the conference may be ledby members of the Standing Committee at the request of the chairman of the conference.7. The working language of the conference is English. The Host Parliament shall provideinterpretation into Russian, Scandinavian, German and, if possible, into other languages as well.8. After reports and introductory statements, a general discussion will be held. During thisdiscussion priority is given to the parliamentary representatives9. Decisions in plenary session shall be made by consensus between the parliamentary delegations10. The draft conference resolution is submitted by an Expanded Standing Committee. Whendiscussing the resolution, the Expanded Standing Committee decides by simple majority.Dissenting views can be explained at the Plenary Session.11. The result of the deliberations is documented in a conference resolution approved by theconference. The conference addresses the proposals and re commendations included in theconference resolution to the CBSS, to governments and parliaments on the national and regionallevel as well as to supranational bodies and international organisations as appropriate.3012. In the conference resolution the conference designates a Host Parliament for the next conferenceat the invitation of one of the participating parliaments and fixes the date.Part 2Standing Committee and Expanded Standing Committee1.1 Composition (Standing Committee)Parliamentarians of the Baltic Countries represented through the Baltic Assembly, of the NordicCountries through the Nordic Council, of Poland, Germany and Russia form the StandingCommittee as the permanent political body of the conference.The country groups and countries are represented by one or two member(s) each in the StandingCommittee. Germany, the Nordic countries represented through the Nordic Council, and Russiahave two members, while the Baltic Countries represented through the Baltic Assembly; EuropeanParliament and Poland have one member each. Each country group, country and organisationappoints its member(s) according to its own rules.1.2. Composition (Expanded Standing Committee)The Expanded Standing Committee consists of the members of the Standing Committee and onerepresentative from each of the other participating parliaments.The Host Parliament of the next annual conference shall be represented in the Standing Committee.2. Tasks2.1. The Standing Committeeis responsible for- arranging the annual conference in co-operation with the Host Parliament- following up on the implementation of the final resolutions approved by the precedingconferences- drafting an annual work programme for the BSPC- ensuring the effective operation of the BSPC between the conferences- submitting an annual report to the Conference on the activities of the BSPC and on the annualwork programme.may consider any matter of specific interest and relevance for the Baltic Sea Region, and may, ifneeded, give its opinion on such issues. Statements given by the Standing Committee shall bereported to the conference2.2. The Expanded Standing CommitteeThe Standing Committee meets twice a year in an enlarged composition (Expanded StandingCommittee).The Expanded Standing Committee is a consultative body- preparing the final resolution during the conference31- meeting annually in December – February with the CBSS Chair. The Expanded StandingCommittee receives a report from the CBSS chair on implementation of the resolutions and othercurrent questions in the region. It also considers the preparations for the upcoming conference.The chairman of the Standing Committee acts as chair of the Expanded Committee3. The Standing Committee elects a chairperson and a vice-chair for a period starting at the closureof the annual conference and continuing until the end of the following conference.4. The working language of the Standing Committee is English5. The Standing Committee is supported by the Secretary level6. As far as needed the Standing Committee is entrusted to nominate rapporteurs and to set up adhoc-working groups based on its members as well as on external experts and the Secretary level.7. Meetings of the Standing Committee take place at the call of the Chairman.8. Decisions in the Standing Committee are made by consensus.ANNEX 1Invited Parliaments and Parliamentary OrganisationsBaltic Assembly 4-5 representativesEuropean Parliament 4-5 representativesFederal Assembly of the Russian Federation 4-5 representativesNordic Council 4-5 representativesParliament of Åland 2-3 representativesParliament of Denmark 4-5 representativesParliament of Estonia 4-5 representativesParliament of Faeroe Islands 2-3 representativesParliament of Finland 4-5 representativesParliament of the Federal Republic of Germany 4-5 representativesParliament of Free and Hanse City of Bremen 4-5 representativesParliament of Free and Hanse City of Hamburg 4-5 representativesParliament of Greenland 2-3 representativesParliament of Iceland 4-5 representativesParliament of Kaliningrad Region 4-5 representativesParliament of the Karelian Republic 4-5 representativesParliament of Latvia 4-5 representativesParliament of the Leningrad Region 4-5 representativesParliament of Lithuania 4-5 representativesParliament of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern 4-5 representativesParliament of Norway 4-5 representativesParliament of Poland 4-5 representatives32Parliament of the City of St Petersburg 4-5 representativesParliament of Schleswig-Holstein 4-5 representativesParliament of Sweden 4-5 representativesParliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe 4-5 representativesParliamentary Assembly of theOrganization for Security and Co-operation in Europe 4-5 representativesANNEX 2Invited Observers1. Adrian-Ionian Initiative (AII)2. Standing Committee of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region3. Baltic 214. Baltic Chamber of Commerce Association5. Baltic Council of Ministers6. Baltic Development Forum7. Baltic Sea Commission/CPMR8. Baltic Sea Forum9. Baltic Sea Region University Network10 Baltic Sea States Sub-Regional Co-operation BSSSC11. Baltic Sea University Network12. Baltic Sea Youth Forum13. CIFE ( The International Centre for European Studies)14. CIS-IPA Commonwealth of Independent Sates – Inter-Parliamentary Assembly15. Council of Baltic Sea States CBSS16. COSAC17. European Commission18. FUEN (Federal Union of European nationalities)19. Helsinki Commission - HELCOM20. IPU21. NEKON (Northern European Knowledge Network of Excellence)22. NGO-Forum23. Nordic Council of Ministers24. North-West Parliamentary Association of Russia25. PABSEC (Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Co-operation)26. State Legislative Leaders ́ Foundation27. Trade Union Network BASTUN28. Union of the Baltic Cities UBC29. WoMen and Democracy – the Baltic Sea Region ́s Women ́ s Conference13. Programme3314th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC)Shared Concerns and Responsibilities for Stability and Democracy29–30 August, 2005, Vilnius, LithuaniaLe Meridien Villon Resort & Convention Centre•PROGRAMMEMonday, 29 August09.00–10.00OPENING OF THE CONFERENCEChair: Mr Trivimi VellisteAddresses byMr Artūras Paulauskas, Chairman of the Seimas of the Republic ofLithuaniaMr Gediminas Pavirzis, Deputy Mayor of VilniusGreetings byOSCE Parliamentary AssemblyPresident Alcee L. Hastings10.00–11.00FIRST SESSION -Cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region and ParliamentaryDimensionChair: Mr Gennady KhripelReport on behalf of the Standing Committee of the Baltic SeaParliamentary Conference (BSPC), presentation of the draft rules34Mr Trivimi Velliste, MP, Estonia, Chairman of the StandingCommittee, EstoniaReport on behalf of the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS)Mr Geir Haarde, Minister of Finances of Iceland, on behalf of theIcelandic Presidency of the CBSSAddress byMs Rannveig Guðmundsdóttir, President of the Nordic CouncilDiscussion11.30–13.00 Continuation of the first sessionChair: Mr Kent OlssonReport on behalf of HELCOMMr Artūras Daubaras, Chairman of HELCOMReport on behalf of the HELCOM rapporteur of the BSPCMs Sylvia Bretschneider, Speaker, Mecklenburg-VorpommernReport from the 5th Baltic Sea NGO Forum and Baltic Sea NGO-networkMr Larserik Häggman, Secretary General of the Norden Association inFinland, Chairman of the Finnish national platform of the NGO ForumReport from TheoBaltMr Ragnar Svenserud, Dean, CoordinatorDiscussion13.30–14.30 Drafting Committee meeting14.30–16.00SECOND SESSION -Stability and Democracy in the Baltic Sea RegionChair: Mr Valentinas MazuronisAddress byMs Diana Wallis, MEP, Chairman of the SINEEA DelegationComprehensive security, democracy and supranational co-operation in the Baltic Sea RegionMr Kimmo Kiljunen, MP, Finland35The role of the Baltic Sea Region within the framework of theEuropean Neighbourhood PolicyMr Justinas Karosas, MP, Lithuania, Chairman of the Committee forForeign AffairsDiscussion16.30–18.00Continuation of the second sessionChair: Mr Aleksandr OrgolaynenDiscussion18.00–19.00 Drafting Committee meetingTuesday, 30 August10.00–11.30THIRD SESSION -Development of the infrastructure in the region –Extension of Trans European NetworksChair: Ms Arja AlhoShipping, safety of navigation and development of portinfrastructure in the Baltic SeaMr. Alexey Klyavin, Deputy Head of Department, Ministry ofTransport, Russia.Address byMr Johnny Åkerholm, President and CEO, Nordic Investment BankPolish ports as nodal points within TEN-T (VIth corridor)Mr Tadeusz Górecki, Deputy Director Maritime Transport Departmentof the Ministry of Infrastructure, PolandAddress byMr Claes Roxbergh, MP, Chairman of the Committee on Transport andCommunications, SwedenDiscussion11.30-12.00Adoption of the Resolution and the new rules for the BSPC36Chair: Ms Sylvia Bretschneider14. List of ParticipantsSpeakers and ChairpersonsÅkerholm, Johnny President and CEO, Nordic Investment BankAlho, Arja MP, FinlandBretschneider, Sylvia President, Parliament of Mecklenburg-VorpommernDaubaras, Artūras Chairman of HELCOM, LithuaniaGórecki, Tadeusz Deputy Director of the Maritime Transport Department of the Ministry of Infrastructure, PolandGusev, Vladimir MP, Russian FederationHaarde, Geir Minister of Finances, Iceland, representing CBSSPresidencyHäggman, Larserik Secretary General of the Norden Association in Finland,Chairman of the Finnish national platform of the NGOForumHastings, Alcee L. President, OSCE Parliamentary AssemblyKarosas, Justinas MP, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of theSeimas, LithuaniaKhripel, Gennady MP, Head of the delegation, Russian FederationKiljunen, Kimmo MP, FinlandKlyavin, Alexey Deputy Head of Department, Ministry of Transport of theRussian FederationMazuronis, Valentinas MP, Member of the BSPC Standing Committee, LithuaniaOlsson, Kent MP, Member of the BSPC Standing Committee, SwedenOrgolaynen, Aleksandr Deputy Chairman of the State Duma ConstitutionalLegislation Committee, Head of the delegation, Member ofthe BSPC Standing Committee, Russian FederationPaulauskas, Artūras Chairman of the Seimas of the Republic of LithuaniaPavirzis, Gediminas Deputy Mayor of Vilnius CityRannveig Gudmundsdóttir President of the Nordic Council, IcelandRoxbergh, Claes MP, Chairman of the Transport and CommunicationsCommittee, SwedenSvenserud, Ragnar Dean, Co-ordinator, Director of Theobalt Network,Diocese of Visby, SwedenVelliste, Trivimi MP, Chairman of the BSPC Standing Committee, EstoniaWallis, Diana MEP, Chairperson of the delegation for relations withSwitzerland, Iceland and Norway and to the EuropeanEconomic Area (EEA) Joint Parliamentary CommitteeParliamentary Delegations and Organisations37Baltic AssemblyTaimla, Andres President, Chairman of the Estonian delegationSimulik, Valerijus Vice President, Chairman of the Lithuanian delegationPētersons, Aigars Vice President, Chairman of the Latvian delegationVelliste, Trivimi Member of the Presidium, Deputy Chairman of theEstonian delegation, Chairman of the BSPC StandingCommitteeMazuronis, Valentinas Member of the Presidium, Deputy Chairman of theLithuanian delegation, Member of the BSPC StandingCommitteeZommere, Ērika Member of the Presidium, Deputy Chairperson of theLatvian delegationEuropean Parliamentdos Santos, Manuel António Vice PresidentWallis, Diana MEP, Chairperson of the delegation for relations withSwitzerland, Iceland and Norway and to the EuropeanEconomic Area (EEA) Joint Parliamentary CommitteeFederal Assembly of the Russian FederationCouncil of FederationKhripel, Gennady MP, Head of the delegationGusev, Vladimir MPState DumaGrachev, Vladimir Chairman of the State Duma Ecology CommitteeLeontyev, Georgy Member of the State Duma Local Self-GovernmentalCommitteeMalchikhin, Valery Member of the State Duma Natural Resources CommitteeNikitin, Vladimir Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee for theCommonwealth of Independent States and RussianNationals AbroadOrgolaynen, Aleksandr Deputy Chairman of the State Duma ConstitutionalLegislation Committee, Head of the delegation, Member ofthe BSPC Standing CommitteeKaliningrad Oblast DumaNikitin, Vladimir ChairmanBatalin, Boris Chairman of the CommitteeZolotukhin, Sergey Deputy Chairman of the Committee38Nordic CouncilRannveig Gudmundsdóttir President IcelandAlho, Arja MP, FinlandDrífa Hjartardóttir MP, IcelandKristoffersen, Asmund MP, NorwayOjala, Outi MP, FinlandOlsson, Kent MP, Sweden, Member of the BSPC Standing CommitteeRomanus, Gabriel MP, SwedenStavad, Ole MP, DenmarkParliament of ÅlandAaltonen, Carina MPPerämaa, Mats MPThörnroos, Veronica MPParliament of DenmarkHovmand, Svend Erik MPJosefsen, Birgitte MPKofod, Jeppe MPToft, Arne MPParliament of EstoniaVelliste, TrivimiParliament of FinlandAlho, Arja MPHautala, Heidi MPKaikkonen, Antti MPKiljunen, Kimmo MPSasi, Kimmo MPParliament of Free and Hanse City of BremenArnold-Cramer, Ursula MPGünther, Martin MPOppermann, Karl Uwe MPSchmidtmann, Dirk MPParliament of Free and Hanse City of HamburgRoeder, Berndt PresidentHeintze, Roland MPKlooss, Rolf Dieter MPSarrazin, Manuel MP39Parliament of LatviaPietkevičs, Mihails MPSolovjovs, Igors MPParliament of LithuaniaPaulauskas, Artūras Chairman of the SeimasGedvilas, Vydas MP, Deputy Chairman of the Seimas, Chairman of theEuropean Affairs CommitteeJuršėnas, Česlovas MP, Deputy Chairman of the SeimasJagminas, Jonas MP, Chairman of the Rural Affairs CommitteeKarosas, Justinas MP, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs CommitteePečeliūnas, Saulius MP, Member of the National Security and Defence CommitteeParliament of Mecklenburg-VorpommernBretschneider, Sylvia PresidentHolznagel, Renate Vice-PresidentJarchow, Hans-Heinrich MPSchwebs, Birgit MPParliament of NorwayFrøiland, Ranveig MPLønning, Inge MPRise, Lars MPRød, Henrik MPParliament of PolandCzaja, Gerard Senator, Head of the delegationKalinowski, Stanisław DeputyStrak, Robert DeputyKubica, Jozef MPParliament of Schleswig-HolsteinKayenburg, Martin PresidentHentschel, Karl-Martin MPHöfs, Astrid MP, Chairperson of the Europe CommitteeKlug, Ekkehard MPRitzek, Manfred MPSpoorendonk, Anke MPParliament of SwedenJohansson, Ann-Kristine MP40Lindblad, Lars MPLindén, Rolf MPRoxbergh, Claes MP, Chairman of the Transport andCommunications CommitteeSköldestig, Berndt MPThorén, Sverker MPParliament of the Federal Republic of GermanyBodewig, Kurt MP, Chairman of Baltic Sea ForumDieckmann, Roland MPSchemel, Joachim MPSteenblock, Rainder MPParliamentary Assembly of the Council of EuropePaleckis, Algirdas MP, LithuaniaParliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in EuropeHastings, Alcee L. PresidentSt. Petersburg Legislative AssemblyYagya, Vatanyar Deputy SpeakerObservers and GuestsBaltic 21Gałczyński, Adam Chairman, PolandBaltic Development ForumBarenholdt Bruun, Malene Project Manager, DenmarkChristensen, Jörgen Senior Business and Management Advisor,DenmarkBaltic Sea Commission/CPMRMälly, Marko Executive Secretary, FinlandBaltic Sea Region University NetworkHyppönen, Kari Chairman of the Steering Committee, Finland41Baltic Sea Youth ForumWeidemann, Sandra International Adviser, GermanyCouncil of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS)Haarde, Geir Presidency, IcelandKornelius Sigmundsson Ambassador, CSO Chairman, IcelandKötschau, Gabriele Director, SwedenJankevica, Anitra Senior Advisor, SwedenHelsinki Commission (HELCOM)Daubaras, Artūras Chairman, LithuaniaNGO-ForumHäggman, Larserik Secretary General of the Norden Association in Finland,Chairman of the Finnish national platform of the NGO ForumNordic Investment Bank (NIB)Åkerholm, Johnny President and CEOParliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Co-operation (PABSEC)Bolboceanu, Igor Deputy Secretary General, TurkeyStanding Committee of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region (SCPAR)Myhre-Jensen, Kjell Head of the Section, InternationalDepartment, NorwayState Legislative Leaders’ FoundationSchőps, Alfons DirectorTheobalt Network, Diocese of Visby (Sweden)Svenserud, Ragnar DirectorTrade Union Co-operation in the Baltic Sea Region (BASTUN)Vaigur, Kristjan Co-ordinator, SwedenUnion of the Baltic Cities (UBC)Juodagalvis, Vytautas Kaunas City Municipality Council member42Diplomatic corpsGūtmanis, Armands Ambassador, LatviaHauge, Kåre Ambassador, NorwayHeinsberg, Volker Ambassador, GermanyJanson, Eva Ambassador, DenmarkKarre, Malin Ambassador, SwedenLahelma, Timo Aleksi Ambassador, FinlandMull, Stephen Donald Ambassador, United States of AmericaSkolimowski, Janusz Ambassador, PolandTropp, Andres Ambassador, EstoniaTsepov, Boris Ambassador, Russian FederationPospelov, Valery Senior Counsellor, Embassy of the Russian FederationTikhonov, Andrey Counsellor, Embassy of the Russian FederationKovalev, Anatoly First Secretary, Embassy of the Russian FederationProkofiev, Viacheslav First Secretary, Embassy of the Russian FederationOchkasov, Yuri Second Secretary, Embassy of the Russian FederationBeketov, Konstantin Third Secretary, Embassy of the Russian FederationUstinov, Evgeny Third Secretary, Embassy of the Russian FederationArkhipov, Mikhail Attaché, Embassy of the Russian FederationHeiskanen, Teppo Director of the Nordic Council of Ministers Office inLithuaniaJakaitė, Daiva European Parliament Information Bureau in LithuaniaPilukaitė, Laimutė European Commission Official (Press Officer),Representation of the European Commission in LithuaniaProkopčik, Marija Director of the Information Office of the Council of Europe inVilniusRadvilavičius, Šarūnas Coordinator of the project “Cross-border co-operation in theBaltic countries and North-West Russia”SecretariatsBaltic AssemblyTihonova, Dina Acting Head of the Secretariat, LatviaRõngelep, Ene Secretary EstoniaJankauskaitė, Renata Secretary LithuaniaPutniņa, Ingrīda Secretary LatviaBaltic Sea Parliamentary ConferenceLindroos, Päivikki Head of the SecretariatKlodt, Anna Rapporteur43European ParliamentHochel, Dionyz AdministratorOlsen, Henrik Head of the delegation SecretariatStewart, Arnold Policy and Communications AdviserFederal Assembly of the Russian FederationCouncil of FederationChaykovskiy, Evgeny Deputy Director of International DepartmentDakhova, Nadezda Advisor, Secretary of the delegationState DumaZaytseva, Arina Consultant of International RelationsDepartment, Secretary of the delegationIvanova, Elena InterpreterNordic CouncilNokken, Frida Secretary General, DenmarkAaltonen, Kristina Adviser, Social Democratic Party Group,DenmarkBroman, Kenneth Senior Adviser, DenmarkHagemann, Henrik Secretary General of the Danish delegation tothe Nordic Council DenmarkJensen, Mikkel Hyldebrandt Counsellor, Secretary of the ConservativeGroup to the Nordic Council, DenmarkKristín Ólafsdóttir Senior Adviser, DenmarkNikolajsen, Mads Secretary, Left/Green Party Group, DenmarkPedersen, Susanne Scharbau Secretary, DenmarkPetropavlovska, Alina Secretary, Left/Green Party Group, DenmarkRasmussen, Jens Nytoft Senior Adviser, DenmarkSmekal, Eva Head of Division, SwedenSørensen, Torkil Senior Adviser, DenmarkStefánsson, Stígur International Secretary IcelandThele, Rune A. Senior Adviser, DenmarkWidberg, Jan Senior Adviser, DenmarkZilliacus, Patrick Counsellor, FinlandParliament of DenmarkVestergaard, Mette CounsellorParliament of EstoniaRõngelep, Ene Adviser44Parliament of FinlandHissa, Jaakko Senior Counsellor of the InternationalAffairs, Secretary of the Finnish delegationParliament of Free and Hanse City of BremenKrause, Walter Higher Executive OfficerParliament of Free and Hanse City of HamburgWagner, Reinhard DirectorParliament of IcelandTheriault, Belinda Director of the International DepartmentParliament of LatviaAunina, Inese Head of the Saeima Press officePutniņa, Ingrīda Consultant of the Saeimas Inter-parliamentary Relations BureauParliament of LithuaniaKregzdė, Arvydas Chancellor of the SeimasDocument DepartmentPerkauskienė, Irena HeadJokūbaitienė, Danutė Documentation GroupKoncijalovienė, RitaMaliukevičienė, Izolda Translation Group (Lithuanian-English)Maniuškienė, Violeta Documentation GroupValickienė, Aušra Translation Group (Lithuanian-Russian)General Affairs DepartmentDijokienė, Aušra Maintenance GroupKaralis, Antanas Material and Technical Supply GroupMilkevičius, Alvydas Maintenance GroupVasiulis, Albertas Maintenance Group45Information Technology DepartmentAugulis, Rolandas Division for Maintenance of Information TechnologiesBartkus, KarolisBerzvinskas, Rimantas Division for Maintenance of Information TechnologiesDaunoravičius, Laimontas Division for Maintenance of Information TechnologiesFominas, Jevgenijus Division for Introduction and Safety of Information Systemsof the SeimasJonikas, Liudvikas Division for Introduction and Safety of Information Systemsof the SeimasKazlauskas, Jonas Division for Maintenance of Information TechnologiesKlimas, Janas Division for Maintenance of Information TechnologiesNeliupšis, Dainius Division for Maintenance of Information TechnologiesŠidlauskas, Andrius Division for Introduction and Safety of Information Systemsof the SeimasVileišis, MartynasInternational Relations DepartmentZiūkaitė, Snieguolė Acting HeadAndrulis, AurimasBukauskas, AndriusGailiūnas, EgidijusGališanskis, JulijanasJankauskaitė, RenataKazakevičienė, ElonaKrinickienė, EglėSiriūtė, JolitaStankevičius, RimantasStrimaitis, SkirmantasŠumskienė, LauraPublic Relations DivisionAnskaitienė, Jolanta Acting HeadJuknaitė, BernadetaSabalienė, Eglė Press and Visitors’ CenterVėta, Nerijus Parliamentary Information and Internal CommunicationGroupTranslators’ and Interpreters’ GroupPurvaneckienė, Bronė Chief SpecialistDailidėnas, Romas Russian/LithuanianDailidėnienė, Ana Russian/LithuanianIšganaitytė, Eglė Norwegian/LithuanianJasiulionienė, Alma Swedish/LithuanianKačkuvienė, Kristina English/Lithuanian46Kasputytė, Irena German/LithuanianMickūnaitė, Aurelija Norwegian/LithuanianSoroko, Beatričė English/LithuanianSpraunienė, Birutė Danish/LithuanianUrbonavičienė, Jurga Swedish/LithuanianVaičekauskienė, Loreta Danish/LithuanianZamuškevičienė, Rima German/LithuanianParliament of Mecklenburg-VorpommernTebben, Armin Director GeneralBahr, Bodo Vice-Director GeneralGutzeit, Gerald Head of DivisionLange, Dirk Press SpokesmanParliament of NorwayAndreassen, Bjørn Secretary of the delegationParliament of PolandJanuszewski, Andrzej Secretary of the delegationParliament of Schleswig-HolsteinSchöning, Jürgen Director of the ParliamentSchmidt-Holländer, Jutta Head of DivisionParliament of SwedenHjelm, Eva International SecretaryParliament of the Federal Republic of GermanyMeier, Silke Secretary of the delegationRohrbach, Christiane Ingeborg Assistant to MP Roland DieckmannParliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in EuropeOliver, R. Spencer Secretary GeneralSchøn, Tina Deputy Secretary GeneralGriddine, Vanessa Assistant to the PresidentSt. Petersburg Legislative AssemblyTerekhovsky, Sergey Chief of External Relations Department47MinistriesHaarde, Geir Minister of Finances, IcelandBulvāns, Edgars Senior Desk Officer, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, LatviaGórecki, Tadeusz Deputy Director of the Maritime Transport Department of theMinistry of Infrastructure, PolandKairienė, Rasa Director, Europe Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs,LithuaniaKlyavin, Alexey Deputy Head of Department, Ministry of Transport, RussiaOdevall, Michael representative from the Swedish Ministry of Foreign AffairsRaudonikis, Edvilas First Secretary-Acting Head, Baltic Sea Division, EuropeDepartment, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, LithuaniaMunicipalityPavirzis, Gediminas Deputy Mayor of Vilnius City48