TWT BSPC Apningstale

The 28th Baltic Sea Parliamentary ConferenceOslo, Norway, 25 – 27 August 2019Clean Oceans & the Future of Working LifeChallenges and VisionsMonday, 26 August09.30 OPENINGH.E. Tone Wilhelmsen Trøen,President of the Storting, Opening speechPresident, Members of Parliament, Ladies and Gentlemen,Welcome to Oslo and to our parliament, the Storting! It’s a great pleasure for me to open the 28th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference, and for the Storting to be your host.It’s so encouraging to see such broad participation. We have 11 nations and 9 regional parliaments represented at this conference. This is a strong signal that we are all engaged in friendly dialogue and cooperation among neighbours in the Baltic Sea region.In a rapidly changing world, where multilateral cooperation is frequently being put to the test, we should never take this for granted.If we are to solve common, international challenges, we will need more and closer international cooperation, not less. Climate change, migration and security issues know no borders. Regional stability and friendly relations between our peoples are essential for the wellbeing of our citizens.I’m proud to say that this is the third time Norway has hosted the BSPC Conference. The first time was as long ago as 1992, against a backdrop of global unrest, when we arranged the second ever BSPC Conference. Despite some initial disagreements, it was here that we achieved the feat of agreeing to make the Baltic Sea a conflict-free area. It was also here that the institutional foundations of our cooperation were finalised, and the first BSPC resolution was adopted by consensus. I’m convinced that it’s exactly this kind of cooperative spirit that has motivated you to come together again in Oslo.The second time Norway hosted the BSPC Conference was in 2004. The title then was “Sustainable development – shared concerns and responsibilities in the Baltic Sea Region”. 15 years later, this topic is still a burning issue, with “clean oceans” being one of the main topics of this conference.Norway remains strongly committed to the Paris Agreement and the UN sustainable goals. Green solutions within shipping and the maritime industry will here be an important contribution.A key element of our Government’s ocean strategy is the acknowledgement of crossover technology and expertise between the ocean industries, and exploring new potential. Applying offshore technology in fish farming is one such example. Norway also has the ambition to cut CO2 emissions from domestic shipping and fishing by 50% by 2030. Sustainable use of marine resources is not only good for the environment, but can also contribute significantly to economic growth and our prosperity.Alongside expanded international cooperation and innovative technological development, we need to address climate change through local action. This parliament is no exception. Because of this, we have adopted our own strategy on such issues as recycling and green procurements, digital solutions to save paper and removing plastic products from the cafeteria. I invite you to inspire each other and share experiences for more action in this field!Other themes on the agenda for this conference are working life in the future, and migration and integration. This year the International Labour Organisation – ILO – is celebrating its centenary. Let us make sure that a good job and decent working conditions for all remain high on the agenda in the years to come. There’s little doubt that we all need to address the issues of modern slavery and human trafficking.We are also looking forward to hearing from the BSPC working group on migration and integration – relevant topics we are all dealing with on a daily basis in our respective parliaments.Once more a warm welcome to the Storting, and to our Main Chamber. Seated as we are during our regular sessions, by constituency ranged alphabetically, you are today filling this Chamber with the voices of the whole Baltic Sea region. That is exciting and I hope these days together will give you the chance to vitalize old friendships and to create new ones.I’d like to close by wishing you all a successful conference, good dialogues and enriching discussions.Thank you.