Conference Resolution 29 BSPC

24 08 2020, 12.20Conference ResolutionAdopted by the Digital 29th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC) on 24 August 2020The participants, elected representatives from the Baltic Sea Region States, assembling in online form on 24 August 2020,- reaffirming, in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences, the urgent call and the expectation that all Baltic Sea States continue to make every effort to ensure the Baltic Sea Region remains a region of peaceful and close neighbourliness as well as intense co-operation. It is precisely in such times of crisis that the basis of our cooperation – based on international law, mutual understanding, trust, democratic values, the rule of law, human rights as well as equal opportunities for all - is of particular importance.The COVID-19 pandemic also poses particular challenges for parliaments: the urgently needed interparliamentary cooperation is faced with the special challenge that parliamentary assemblies are by their very nature characterized by a larger number of participants.But especially now and in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is not only necessary to maintain and intensify cooperation between governments as intensively as possible, but also to ensure that the elected representatives of their people in particular, continue to cooperate closely and in a spirit of trust to provide impulses for future government action and the trustful cooperation of their countries. It is precisely in this way that the impetus can and must be given to consolidate the democratic foundations as well as the parliamentary dimension of the countries involved. The enormous tasks and efforts to contain and overcome the crisis, which are now pending and lie ahead in all countries, more than ever need parliamentary debate and parliamentary cooperation;- noting with appreciation continued practical cooperation in the Baltic Sea region within the framework of the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS), the Northern Dimension, cross-border cooperation programmes between the EU member states and Russia as well as the Interreg Baltic Sea Region programme;- welcoming the efforts of the Danish CBSS Presidency and the Bornholm Declaration from 19 May 2020 as a result of a video conference of the Foreign Ministers of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Russia and Sweden and a high-level representative of the European Union as the COVID-19 outbreak prevented them from meeting in Bornholm, Denmark;- welcoming that the new Baltic Sea Youth Platform established by the CBSS has advanced a core concern of the BSPC to increase youth participation, representation and involvement in decision-making processes throughout the Baltic Sea Region;- approving of the detailed statements of the governments of the Baltic Sea countries on the 28th resolution of the BSPC and the intensive support of the BSPC calls for action as progress in the cooperation of the Baltic Sea region;- focussing on Baltic Sea Cooperation in view of the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences; Safeguarding our Environment, Seas and Oceans for Future Generations; the Development of Digitalisation as well as Migration and Integration;call on the governments in the Baltic Sea Region, the CBSS and the EU,Regarding Cooperation in the Region in View of the COVID-19 Pandemic and its Consequences, to1. continue the relevant cooperation through the Northern Dimension Partnership in Public Health and Social Well-being to mitigate the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in the most effective way and to intensify this cooperation to combat future pandemics in the most effective way through exchange of information and best practices;2. intensify the setup of cross-sectional and transnational reference projects for collaboration and innovations in health sciences with a special focus on the early warning and prevention as well as sufficient combating of pandemics to promote public health on a high and sustainable level and to make the Baltic Sea region a globally leading and prosperous metaregion in relation to health;3. enforce Digital Health at a Distance strategies and projects, which involve mapping e-medicine initiatives bringing health initiatives into people’s homes and enabling social care from a distance, where face-to-face contacts can be replaced by virtual solutions, and increase further investments in e-health – also for their use in any future pandemics;4. continue comprehensive and systemic efforts to strengthen the Baltic Sea cooperation and increase its resilience in a changing world. These steps may include the elaboration of a strategic document for the development of the Baltic Sea Region by 2030; assessment on how meetings of Heads of Government of the Baltic Sea countries could resume; establishment of streamlined vertical cooperation in the region that would embrace national, regional and municipal levels;5. continue political dialogue and practical cooperation within the framework of the Northern Dimension Policy and its partnerships; put forward the implementation of cross-border cooperation programmes between the EU member states and Russia as well as the Interreg Baltic Sea Region programme, and actively engage in developing the new generation of these programmes for the period of 2021-2027; encourage broader involvement of all partners in various formats of cooperation in the Baltic Sea region;6. use the platforms of projects already implemented within the framework of the CBSS to study and identify the best practices of the countries of the Region in overcoming the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, including measures to preserve employment of both the population as a whole and individual groups that are particularly vulnerable in the labour market;7. work together towards common solutions and responses rather than strict national approaches, enhance strong cooperation and coordination across borders and promote mobility and trade especially in cross-border regions;8. include the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in the discussion, and acknowledge the need for mapping the different economic rescue packages taken on by the BSCP governments in order to, at a later point, compare the different strategies;9. promote and support a restart where companies, business and jobs are secured.Regarding Safeguarding our Environment, Seas and Oceans for Future Generations, to10. continue to support innovation as regards conservation and the sustainable use of the Baltic Sea in order to protect marine biodiversity;11. continue to recognise the Baltic Sea as international waters, with freedom of navigation and concerning the protection of the environment;12. continue and enhance national and international efforts to reduce emissions of nutrients to the Baltic Sea;13. ensure continuous monitoring and analysis of the state of the Baltic Sea ecosystem in line with the requirements of the Espoo Convention and again reaffirm that large scale projects that have a major impact on ecosystems in the Baltic Sea region have to comply with the obligations arising from relevant international treaties and conventions, including the Espoo Convention and the Helsinki Convention;14. support that the HELCOM chairmanship – also in light of the socio-political and economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic – pursues the objectives of explicitly considering aspects of sustainability, relevance for the climate and biodiversity as well as suitability in the updating of the Baltic Sea Action Plan and future HELCOM decisions and - in accordance with the calls for action of the BSPC - not only to update the Baltic Sea Action Plan but also to visibly accelerate and intensify its implementation, to work together to the best of all abilities to further reduce the excessive nutrient load in the Baltic Sea, as well as to strive for another Ministerial Meeting in 2021;15. acknowledging the priorities of Germany’s HELCOM Chairmanship to intensify efforts to monitor and to treat the problem of dumped munitions, wrecks and ghost nets in the Baltic Sea on a common international approach supporting the existing national and international efforts and responsibilities, moreover to strengthen existing political structures and scientific projects, also thus to make the Baltic Sea region become a global leader in the field of solving problems associated with dumped munitions and unexploded ordnance located underwater as well as in the field of wrecks and ghost nets.Regarding the Development of Digitalisation, to16. promote e-Health in appropriate areas with great efforts so that general health care can be maintained as far as possible in pandemic situations;17. promote the expansion of digital skills and resources to increase the personal interaction in the Baltic Sea Region and intensify cross-border cooperation, especially in the case that the possibility for face-to-face contacts will stay limited;18. enforce the development and establishment of a trustworthy and secure digital infrastructure as well as the strengthening of digitalisation in business, education, research and in administration, along with the goal of increasing cross-border cooperation as well as further cross-border contacts.Regarding Migration and Integration, to19. aspire to harmonize the practices concerning (1) returns (2) processing of asylum applications, and (3) reception standards provided for minor asylum applicants, while taking into account both national and human/fundamental rights’ considerations;20. strive for multinational cooperation and coordination in order to balance undesirable developments such as labour shortages and labour surpluses;21. disseminate and adopt best practices for supporting the employment and integration of special groups of immigrants which deserve particular protection;22. acknowledge the multifaceted character of integration (i.e. labour market, language, social relationships, cultural accommodation etc.). This understanding should also be put into practice at the legislative and policy levels;23. streamline public policies and allocate resources in order to facilitate desirable working conditions among the NGOs and informal networks supporting social and labour market integration of migrants;24. acknowledge the importance of civil society and NGOs in facilitating integration, where sport associations are one example of organisations that play an important, unifying role in integration helping people to get introduced to the society, activated, and bringing together new groups of people;25. promote good relations within society and promote diversity. Such measures may involve information campaigns, organisation of events and housing policy that promotes diverse residential areas;26. acknowledge the concept of three-way integration in legislation and policies. Formulate policies that enhance each aspect of the three-way integration model’s ability to function;27. compile more comprehensive data on the local level on social, economic, employment and population trends in the BSPC region, which will assist immigration and immigrant policy-making;28. give relevant projects on migration and integration, including the planned flagship project on the subject, “Recognising potential – enabling the integration of migrants”, in the forthcoming EUSBSR Action Plan from 2021 on, timely political support;29. regarding the worldwide developments in spring 2020, and considering that the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the consequences and burdens caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have necessitated a temporary reappraisal of our response to other problems and challenges, take into account the following principlesThe issue of migration and integration must continue to be given high priority;Migration in the Baltic Sea region, in Europe and worldwide, is and remains an essential issue for countries and continues to give rise to unprecedented humanitarian, economic, security and political challenges;International cooperation - including in the Baltic Sea region - must be further strengthened in this policy area;The issue of unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups needs continued political focus;30. maintain and further develop, the institutions and projects that have been set up in many countries in the Baltic Sea Region as a result of the sharp increase in refugee numbers in 2015 and 2016 and which have made a decisive contribution to improved integration, in order to better respond to future needs in this area;31. maintain and extend the support for local authorities from the state level in this task, because in the long term, they bear the main responsibility in the context of sustainable integration and implementation of long-term integration measures;32. take up successful examples of best practices in other Baltic Sea countries, some of which are highlighted in the Final Report of the BSPC Working Group on ‘Migration and Integration’, provided that they can be integrated into the respective legal and structural frameworks.Furthermore, the Conference Decides to33. establish a two-year Working Group on Climate Change and Biodiversity - based on the decisions of the BSPC Standing Committee - to submit a first report at the 30th BSPC – with particular focus on the need for joint and cross-border cooperation-enhanced solutions to preserve the biodiversity inherent to the entire Baltic Sea region and to mitigate the effects of climate change with special emphasis onthe state of policies and strategies concerning climate change and biodiversity in the Baltic Sea region;best practices in addressing the interlinked challenges of biodiversity and climate change with a specific focus on the Baltic Sea;innovations and measures to tackle climate change and preserve biodiversity;climate change adaptation and challenges for science, technology and the economyensuring efficient and environment-friendly transport and energy supply solutionsconcentrating its attention on the environmental side of climate change and biodiversity as well as on innovation, technology and further economic aspects;34. welcome with gratitude the kind offer by the Parliament of Sweden to host the 30th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference in Stockholm on 29 - 31 August 2021.