13 BSPC Resolution ENG

Conference ResolutionAdopted by the 13th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC)The participants*, elected representatives from the Baltic Sea States, assembled in Bergen,Norway on 30 - 31 August 2004, to discuss sustainable development, protection of the marineenvironment, and shared concerns and responsibilities related to the Baltic Sea Region and thefuture of the parliamentary co-operation in Northern Europe,Convinced thata common focus on Baltic Sea issues among Parliaments is indispensable for identifyingpractical areas where actions can be taken by CBSS, HELCOM, other regional organisationsand national governments and that this will be to the benefit of not only individual countriesbut to international co-operation and to the region itself.Notingthe gradual development of strengthening of the parliamentary dimension in the Baltic SeaRegion and achieving the position of parliamentary co-operative partner in the CBSS,the Northern Dimension and the European Neighbourhood Policy promoting furtherdevelopment of regional and sub-regional co-operation.Taking into accountthat co-operation among governments and parliamentarians recognise and draw on experiencefrom NGOs in ensuring popular grass-root participation in political, social and economic life,Call on governments in the Baltic Sea region and the CBSS tosupport the Partnership in Public Health and Social Wellbeing thereby improving co-operation and co-ordination in the prevention of major public health problems,support the establishment of a Partnership in Education on Environmental Effects on PublicHealth,promote the basic idea of a Civil Society by involving NGOs, when appropriate, in thedecision-making process and to strengthen the co-operation between NGOs in the region, forinstance by giving economic support to international networking of NGOs1Call on governments in the Baltic Sea Region, the CBSS and HELCOM totake action to reduce the pressure on the marine environment and to combat eutrophication ofthe Baltic Sea in order to promote a well-balanced ecological system,take into account the need to implement the results of the commemoration of 30 years of theHelsinki Convention, and to develop common proposals under the umbrella of HELCOM forsupplementary measures to achieve further improvements of maritime safety and security inthe Baltic Sea and to submit these proposals to the IMO ́s Maritime Safety Committee(NAV),to support effective associated protective measures with respect to relevant provisions in allthe resolutions of BSPC on the protection of marine environment of the Baltic Sea.Ask the Standing Committee toelaborate proposals on how to develop the parliamentary dimension in co-operation with theCBSS and the participating parliaments and the relevant inter-parliamentary bodies.Furthermorethe Conference welcomes and accepts with gratitude the kind invitation of the LithuanianParliament to hold the 14th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference on 28 – 30 August 2005 inVilnius.*Baltic Assembly, City of St. Petersburg, Denmark, Estonia, Federal Assembly of the RussianFederation, Federal Republic of Germany, Finland, Free and Hanse City of Bremen, Free andHanse City of Hamburg, Latvia, Lithuania, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Nordic Council,Norway, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Poland, Schleswig-Holstein,Sweden, Åland.2