Asphjell speech at 27 BSPC

Dear Jørgen,First of all I would like to thank you and Åland for having hosted the 27th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference. I believe I speak for all of us present when I say that this has been a fantastic conference! You have shown us great hospitality. It is always a pleasure to visit your beautiful islands here in the middle of the Baltic Sea. A perfect venue for the BSPC!Thanks to all involved in the programme, it has been very interesting and I have learned a lot. I have also met a lot of nice people that I hopefully will meet again.I would specially like to thank the working people, that is Bodo, Sten, Maj and the rest of the staff, and of course the interpreters! You have all done a great job!Next year I will invite you outside the Baltic Sea, to the Big Ocean! No, that was a joke, although Norway’s territory consists of at least six times as much sea as land and much of our income comes from the sea. Next year’s conference will be in Oslo, the capital. By the fjord but, not in the ocean.Norway is not bordering the Baltic Sea, so why does BSPC matter for us?You are our neighbours, our friends, and our most important trading partners since historic times. Peace and cooperation in the Baltic Sea Area is also very important for Norway. We are a member of the Nordic Council, and the Baltic Sea Area has always been of great importance for the Nordic Council.I am looking forward to the coming year were the BSPC has several important issues to work with. The Working Group on Migration will continue its important work and deliver a final report with recommendations in time for the conference in Oslo. This is also an issue I expect we will discuss further during the conference.We have proposed to have a look into The Future of Working Life – Digitalization, Integration and Labour Mobility in the Baltic Sea Region. This is a very interesting topic and important for all our citizens. How will technology influence the working life in our region in the future? New opportunities, but also challenges for others. Can the Baltic Sea Region become a world champion in employing new technology?Another area where our countries are performing well is the UNs Sustainable Developments Goals. However, there is still work to be done according to a recent report commissioned by our governments in the CBSS. I believe the BSPC should see how we also can contribute to this important work.I am looking forward to a busy, but interesting year, and most of all, I am looking forward to see all of you in Oslo next year!