Simulik opening speech at 29 BSPC

29 BSPCYEARSBaltic Sea Parliamentary ConferenceOPENINGThe Lithuanian BSPC Presidency 2019-2020Mr. Valerijus SimulikPresident of the Baltic Sea Parliamentary ConferenceExcellencies, colleagues, government representatives, observers, guests and friends ofthe BSPC,It is a great honour for me to welcome you all online today here in this virtual ‘Plena-ry Hall’. Of course, we would very much have preferred to welcome all of you in ourParliament in Lithuania and to show you the beauty of our capital city, Vilnius.The preparations for this were well advanced by March of this year.Our Presidency and the activities of the BSPC have been overshadowed since Marchby the COVID-19 pandemic along with the restrictions and measures associated withit in all our countries.Nevertheless, we have succeeded in mainly realising the strategy and work programmethat we set out in August last year.By March, we had advanced and put together our regular programme. But even afterthat, we were able to move forward our work digitally and online.What has suffered since then is the direct exchange within the framework of confer-ences and events with our partners and friends. At first, that was because all physicalevents were cancelled. Only gradually, via digital formats, has the opportunity forexchange become available once again.We held our planned Standing Committee meetings both in Berlin in November andBrussels at the beginning of March and dealt intensively with the topics we had setourselves.This included the issue of ammunition dumps in the Baltic Sea in November in Berlinbut also in March in Brussels. In these discussions, the increased risk potential and thedimension of the problem became evident to us all.That is why we will also be dealing with this issue more intensively at today’s confer-ence, as the topic also plays an increased role under the current HELCOM Presidency.In March, we also dealt in-depth with the protection and sustainable use of the oceansin Brussels. I am therefore very grateful that this issue has been addressed today at thepolitical level by EU Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius. Once again, many thanksfor this.And even if there will be changes concerning the financial packages currently under-way and the budgetary discussions influenced by the pandemic: it was important tolook again at current developments and perspectives in the field of European territo-rial cooperation and macro-regional strategies in Europe in greater depth and to havethe CBSS inform us about its key issues. That is why I am also very pleased that weare hearing contributions today from the previous Danish CBSS Presidency and thatForeign Minister Linas Linkevicius, who currently represents the Lithuanian CBSSPresidency, will address us immediately afterwards.Last autumn, we deepened our cooperation with our parliamentary partners in theBlack Sea region and will continue to do so in this autumn. We also took part in theConference of Mediterranean Parliaments and other events of theirs.Our Migration and Integration Working Group has continued its work vigorously.Despite the pandemic situation the group has drawn up its final report and severalrecommendations for action. The report will be presented afterwards by the chairmanof the working group, Hans Wallmark from Sweden. Many thanks to all those whohave made this possible.Our Standing Committee meeting planned for the end of May in Vilnius was can-celled. However, in mid-June, we met online and discussed the issues at hand. We hadan intensive exchange of views on the development of the pandemic in our countries,the work of the parliaments during this period and the measures they have taken.Furthermore, we received additional statements by our member parliaments aboutthe development of the COVID-19 pandemic. These reports also provide informationabout the effects on the work of parliaments and interparliamentary organisations aswell as on legislative measures to deal with the consequences of the pandemic. Wehave published them on our website, and it’s a unique compilation of the develop-ment in the Baltic Sea countries.It was with great regret that the Lithuanian Parliament had to cancel the 29th BSPCin Vilnius. At that time, the measures taken in our countries would not have allowedthe conference to be held with the participation of all. With great uncertainties loom-ing over us, it was not possible to guarantee the physical holding of the conference inVilnius.Against this background, we then decided, after thorough discussions in mid-June, tohold this conference in a reduced form, compared to our usual annual conferences. Iam very, very grateful that, despite the particular difficulties that this entails, you areall present today, that our member parliaments are represented much as in previousyears, that we have a number of our observers and fraternal organisations in our midstand that we can deal with the core issues that we wanted to address today.I would also like to thank in particular the representatives of my home country Lithu-ania, first and foremost the President of the Republic, the President of our Parliamentand our Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs for their willingness to attend this conferenceat the level initially planned and, through their contributions today, to underline andstrengthen the parliamentary dimension of international cooperation in the Baltic Searegion.By agreeing on our resolution and taking a clear position on important issues, we areemphasising the parliamentary dimension of international cooperation in the BalticSea Region, even in times of crisis such as these. We show that not only governmentsare acting, but parliaments are also continuing their work unwaveringly.That is a crucial factor in the overall structure of international cooperation.At the beginning of the crisis, all countries were focused first of all on combating thespread of the pandemic, keeping the consequences as small as possible and cushioningthe economic impact by using financial volumes never thought possible before. Thatwas the time of priority concentration on the work in our own countries. The work ofgovernment was at the forefront everywhere.The parliaments were called upon, above all as budget legislators, to provide the finan-cial resources considered necessary to mitigate the crisis. In the meantime, interna-tional cooperation has taken on a much stronger role again. And it is precisely in thisphase that it is fundamentally crucial that the parliaments once again make their steer-ing capabilities much more robust and visible in international cooperation as well.That is why it was important that the World Conference of Speakers of Parliamenttook place digitally a few days ago.That is why it is just as important that we should be holding our conference here today,with the basic theme of a vision for 2030, however much we envisioned it differentlysix months ago. It is vital for us to ensure that the urgent issues and the directions thatwe see as appropriate are given to the governments as guidelines for their actions.That the governments in all our member countries are responding to our resolutionsand our recommendations for action was again clearly underlined by the governments’statements on our resolution in Oslo.Let us work today on a vision for 2030.Let us talk about the development of the pandemic and ways out of the crisis,let us highlight the importance of international parliamentary cooperation,let us work on the priorities and future issues that prevailed before the pandemic andwhich we need to move forward – regardless of the pandemic.In our difficult situation as a result of the pandemic, it is important that we make evenmore substantial and faster progress than previously planned in areas such as environ-mental protection and maritime policy, migration and digital cooperation.I wish all of us that we can do this as much as possible during these hours and thatwe can return as soon as feasible to direct encounters to continue our work in a morefamiliar way. But we should also continue to use and expand the opportunities thathave arisen from current developments so that in the end, overcoming all difficulties,we can achieve by 2030 what we have been striving towards for years:A safe and prosperous region, characterised by an intact environment.May we succeed in restoring the Baltic Sea, which is a key feature of many of our re-gions and home to many people, to an intact ecological status and maintain it.Let’s continue - as we want to point out in our resolution - to make every effort toensure the Baltic Sea Region remains a region of peaceful and close neighbourliness aswell as intense cooperation - based on mutual understanding, trust, democratic val-ues, the rule of law, human rights as well as equal opportunities for all.Thank you.