12 BSPC Resolution ENG

The Baltic Sea Region – an Area of KnowledgeandMaritime Safety in the Baltic Sea RegionResolutionadopted by the 12th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC),assembled in Oulu, Finland, 8-9 September 2003The participants of the Conferenceconcentrating on1. KNOWLEDGE-BASED SOCIETY in the Baltic Sea Region as well as on its impact on theLABOUR MARKET,2. MARITIME SAFETY in the context of transport and environment in the Baltic Sea Regionreferring to point 1taking note of- the globalisation and the rapid change of society from an industrial over a service-orientedtowards a knowledge-based society, founded on gender equality- the internationally recognised Information Society Index, indicating that no European Region is aswell prepared for the knowledge-based society as Northern Europe- the OECD definition of lifelong learning, which embraces individual and social development ofall kinds and in all settings – formally, in schools, vocational, tertiary and adult educationinstitutions, and non-formally, at home, at work and in the community, focusing on the standards ofknowledge and skills needed by all, regardless of agecall on the CBSS and their governments to- use the great chance which a knowledge-based society and its corresponding network offers forthe region-building process in the Baltic Sea Area, especially by creating an efficient and secure ITinfrastructure for the benefit of all citizens in the region- improve chances for the knowledge-based society by promoting language skills, including nativelanguages, and the understanding of other nations cultures- promote the mutual recognition of diplomas and the creation of multi-institutional degrees in theBaltic Sea Region based on harmonized educational standards and programmes, thus establishingthe requirements for cross-border mobility of labour resources- increase physical mobility by means of establishing a special charter for the visiting scholars andresearch fellows, including the vision of long-term goal of ultimate visa-free travel between Russiaand the EU- agree on a common strategy for the development of a knowledge-based society in the Baltic Searegion, implementing such a strategy by joint projects, joint educational programmes and jointlyoperated scientific networks, such as distance learning, distance teaching, Baltic Sea summerschools and virtual networks of Baltic Sea universities- make the Baltic Sea Region a pilot area for the knowledge-based society implementation process,carrying out observation, characterisation and classification of the measures under review, andsetting up standards for future actions in Europe- consider the possibility of establishing a data base of job vacancies in the Baltic Sea Region inorder to provide mutual exchange of labour force, and to use the existing data bases on jobvacancies and to develop them in a way which is useful for the Baltic labour market- organise, apart from studies and joint research projects, much deeper processes of communicationand learning, focusing on a series of activities in the field of culture and citizenship- attach priority emphasis to a much more effective interrelationship between education, vocationaltraining and employment- increase skills and lifelong learning in order to ensure employability, competitiveness and welfarein the labour market and in the society in the Baltic Sea States- strengthen the social dialogue in the labour market, promoting access to the labour market withequal treatment for all, and developing conditions at working places- bear in mind that the Baltic Sea Region can only flourish if there are well-functioning labourmarket structures and a qualified labour force- support technology transfer institutions in order to stimulate innovation mechanismsagree to- support the development of a network of schools of public health around the Baltic Sea, in order toimprove the societies' capacity to prevent and control serious threats to people's health and with theaim of coordinating new technologies and training programmesreferring to point 2taking note of- a growing number of shipping accidents in the European region, which already have brought aboutdevastating damage to the population, the environment and the economy and the great danger thatthe Baltic Sea can also be affected anytime by a similar ecological catastrophe- part II “Maritime Safety and Security” of the resolutions adopted by the participants of the 10thand 11th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference in Greifswald (2001) and St. Petersburg (2002) andthe ongoing process of its implementation- the results and approaches of the HELCOM/IMO/EU workshop held on 11th and 12th March2003 in Rostock-Warnemünde (Germany)- the decision, as well as the related resolutions, adopted at the 24th regular HELCOM Session, theHELCOM Ministerial Meeting, and the First Joint HELCOM/OSPAR Ministerial Meeting held on25-26 June 2003 in Bremen (Germany), as an important, though not yet sufficient European step onthe way towards recognising maritime safety and security as an priority, and hence, as an importantprerequisite for the protection of the marine environmentcall on the CBSS and their governments as well as on HELCOM tostep up their efforts in all relevant organizations, including the framework of IMO, to improvemaritime safety and security all over, especially by giving their full backing to:- the efforts towards designating the Baltic Sea as a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) withinthe IMO and introducing stricter rules for the prevention of pollution from ships- introducing on the international level within the framework of all appropriate institutions,including IMO, uniform rules to restrict access of substandard ships, and imposing a ban effectiveimmediately prohibiting access of category-1 single-hull oil tankers, to European waters and ports- looking into the possibility for unified application of rules for the ice classification of ships andarrangement of icebreaker services during the winter period in the Baltic Sea area- supporting the European Commission in implementation of its proposals for improving maritimesafety and security in accordance with the international law of the sea- establishing and identifying, as soon as possible, places of refuge and intensifying co-operationamong Baltic Sea countries in order to implement the European Community’s places of refugeconcept, and making additional efforts to quickly implement the procedure for directing damagedships to ports, and providing compensation for irrecoverable losses- a speedy ratification by the Baltic Sea States of the new IMO convention on increased liabilitylevels of the oil funds as agreed this year- giving priority to ratifying the conventions on civil liability for bunker oil pollution damage anddamage caused by dangerous goods, and to signing and ratifying a convention on the removal ofwrecks- developing a “Baltic Sea Memorandum of Understanding” among the Baltic Sea countries whichwill guarantee environmentally sound maritime transport in the entire Baltic Sea Region byreducing emissions from shipping operations, in particular exhaust emissions in ports- work for the most efficient coastal patrol and airborne surveillance possible, and for theestablishment of special zones in dangerous areas of the Baltic Sea in which large sea-going vessels(especially oil and chemical tankers) will not be allowed to sail without pilots- systematically supporting the ratification of important international conventions, so that as manyconventions as possible will be applied by the Baltic Sea countriesagree to- stress the importance of BSPC to be active in following the development of the Wider Europeinitiatives- call upon the Standing Committee to follow the assessment of the work of CBSS and to strengthenthe Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference as the Parliamentary dimension of CBSS- convey their particular thanks to the Parliament of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern for its significantcontribution in preparing this resolution- ask the Standing Committee, together with the BSPC observers in HELCOM, to pursue itsengagement in the issues related to maritime safety- thank all those involved in combating the consequences of the latest tanker accidentsaccept- with gratitude the invitation of the Norwegian Parliament Stortinget to hold the 13th Baltic SeaParliamentary Conference on 29 - 31 August 2004 in Bergen.