The participants, elected representatives from the
Baltic Sea States*, assembling in Helsinki, Finland, 28 - 30 August
2011,
discussing Co-operation in the Baltic Sea Region,
Integrated Maritime Policy, Civil Safety and Security, and Green
Growth and Energy Efficiency,
A. reconfirming
their commitment to act persistently for a positive and pluralistic
political, social and economic development of the Baltic Sea Region,
rooted in environmental concerns and sustainability, by listening
to and giving voice to the grassroots of their constituencies, by
driving political issues in their parliaments and relevant committees,
and by exerting political pressure on governments to fulfill the
commitments and obligations they have undertaken for the benefit of
the Region;
B. restating the mutual usefulness of close
collaboration between BSPC and CBSS, for instance by a growing and
continuous exchange between the various working bodies of the organizations,
and by pursuing a closer synchronization of political priorities
and target issues, thereby strengthening their individual as well
as combined capacity to deal successfully with the challenges of
the Baltic Sea Region;
C. commending the comprehensive Declaration of
the 16th CBSS Ministerial Session in Oslo 7 June, which, i.a., welcomes
the efforts under way in establishing cooperation between Iceland,
Norway, Russia and the EU in areas where common objectives could
be identified under the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, and which
also expresses appreciation of the work of BSPC within the CBSS
priority areas maritime policy and counter-trafficking in human
beings;
D. reiterating their strong support to
the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan, and expressing their collective
expectation that all HELCOM Governments will implement and successfully fulfill
their National Implementation Plans in order to achieve good environmental
status of the Baltic Sea by 2021;
E. maintaining that the EU Strategy for
the Baltic Sea Region must be aligned with the Northern Dimension,
which brings together EU- and non-EU- countries of the Region on
an equal footing, because a credible long-term solution to the challenges
of the Region requires participation and commitment by all of its
central stakeholders;
F. recognizing that the review of the EU
Strategy for the Baltic Sea, which will take place under Polish
Presidency of the EU Council, will give an opportunity to obtain
better synergy effects between the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea
and the key existing cooperation structures within the Baltic Sea
area
G. welcoming the establishment of a parliamentary
tier of the Northern Dimension, as embodied in a recurrent Northern
Dimension Parliamentary Forum, the latest of which was held in Norway
in 2011 and the next to be convened in Russia in 2013;
H. welcoming also the continuation and
resource allocation to concrete projects under the Northern Dimension
Environmental Partnership, the operation of the two new partnerships
under the Northern Dimension, on Transport and Logistics and on
Culture, and appreciating the mutually beneficial exchange between
BSPC and the Northern Dimension Partnership in Health and Social
Well-being;
I. acknowledging the work of organizations
and activities at sub-regional level – such as the Committee of
the Regions (CoR), Baltic Sea States Sub-Regional Cooperation (BSSSC),
the Union of Baltic Cities (UBC), and the Parliamentary Forum of
the Southern Baltic Sea (PFSBS) – and recognizing their experiences
and capacities to identify problems in the Region and implementing
concrete measures against them;
J. welcoming the joint event of the Working Group
on Integrated Maritime Policy of the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference
with the Expert Group on Maritime Policy of the Council of the Baltic
Sea States (CBSS) and the Working Group on Maritime Policy of the
Baltic Sea States Subregional Co-operation (BSSSC) on May 20th 2011,
during the European Maritime Day 2011 in Gdańsk and supporting the
further coordination and joint activities between these and other
institutions and organizations;
K. emphasizing that citizens should be
kept informed and involved in the planning and implementation of
strategies and projects that influence the development of the Baltic
Sea Region; NGO’s play an invaluable role both as opinion-makers
and independent experts, and their views, warnings and advice should
be taken seriously;
call on the governments in the Baltic Sea Region,
the CBSS and the EU,
1. support the further
development and activities of the CBSS by providing long-term resources for
its project-based and target-oriented approach in dealing with specific
issues of central importance for the Baltic Sea Region, and encourage
an ongoing collaboration and convergence of priorities with the
BSPC;
2. allocate sufficient resources and speed
up the work to develop, monitor and implement the National Implementations
Plans under HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan, aimed at achieving good ecological
status of the Baltic Sea by 2021;
3. work for a continued coordination of
the priorities and concrete activities of the EU Strategy for the
Baltic Sea Region and the Northern Dimension, thereby promoting
that all stakeholders of the Baltic Sea Region can cooperate on
an equal footing;
4. fulfill existing and encourage new commitments
to the Baltic Sea Action Summit;
5. solicit an overview to bring sharper
clarity over the availability of various funding channels and other
resources for projects and investments in the Baltic Sea Region,
to ensure that they are used efficiently and that access to funds
is widened and facilitated for all stakeholders of the Region;
6. provide financial contributions to the
BSAP Technical Assistance Fund, jointly managed by NiB and NEFCO
with the purpose of granting assistance to projects that support
the implementation of the HELCOM BSAP;
7. encourage and support initiatives, events
and mechanisms to bring stakeholders of the Baltic Sea Region together
to exchange information and coordinate priorities and activities
for the purpose of avoiding duplication and boosting their collective
impact; the Northern Dimension Parliamentary Forum and the Forum
on the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region are commendable examples;
8. promote the development of civil society
and support NGOs by financial and administrative resources;
9. promote cooperation on countering proliferation
of threats of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) in the Baltic Sea
Region;
10. revisit the political
recommendations concerning Integrated Maritime Policy contained
in the 19th BSPC Resolution from 2010;
11. to intensify research and to promote
the use of alternative marine fuels such as – for example - Liquefied
Natural Gas (LNG) in the Baltic Sea Region and others by supporting
innovative emission reduction technologies and by creating incentives
for investments in the development of the necessary port infrastructure
with a well developed distribution network and uniform industry-
and usage standards;
12. against the background of new studies
on the implications of the intended reduction of the sulphur content
of ship fuels to 0.1 % from the year 2015 in the framework of the
international MARPOL convention, take precautions and to start initiatives
to prevent a modal backshift in traffic from sea to land;
13. to support incentives for the modification
of existing ships, and to work actively within the International
Maritime Organization (IMO) for a speedy designation of further
sea areas, such as the Mediterranean Sea, as Sulphur Emission Control
Areas (SECA), thereby abolishing competitive disadvantages for the
Baltic Sea Area;
14. to work for a reduction of administrative
obstacles for cross-border maritime traffic;
15. to develop maritime spatial planning
as an important instrument for an optimized interaction between
the actors in the various maritime sectors in the interest of a
more efficient and sustainable usage of sea waters and coastal regions, and
to create national, compatible spatial planning concepts, thereby
promoting a stronger cross-border cooperation between the Baltic
Sea countries;
16. to support a sustainable port development
by the development of environmental port services, for instance
by building sewage recipient facilities in all important ports in
the Baltic Sea by 2015 at the latest, in order to reduce environmental
pollution for port residents and simultaneously strengthen the competitiveness
of the ports;
17. to further implement an integrated
maritime policy with regard to its economic and ecological significance
for the entire Baltic Sea Area, particularly by
developing and
promoting integrated maritime lead projects for the entire Baltic
Sea Area (e.g. Clean Baltic Shipping, Galileo Research Port Rostock,
SUCBAS – Sea Surveillance Co-operation Baltic Sea) also in the areas
of “green, safe transport and a clean environment” for the strengthening
of environmentally friendly goods traffic and the port cooperation
in the whole Baltic Sea Area in order to further promote the maritime
policy in the consciousness on the European level,
promoting and facilitating the cooperation
on all levels of maritime governance and by
the development of national integrated
maritime policies of the member states;
18. to support integrated activities of
the Baltic Sea Region in the areas of maritime research, technology
and innovation, in order to use the growth potential of new maritime
sectors such as energy generation in offshore installations and offshore
technologies, the security and surveillance technique as well as
maritime environmental technology and to enhance access to future markets;
for this purpose, create necessary political and judicial framework
and disseminate best practices;
19. to further develop environmentally
sustainable cruise tourism as a maritime growth industry against
the background of its importance for the whole Baltic Sea Region,
for example by attractive inland tourist offers and concepts of common
marketing in this field of tourism;
20. to proceed with the development and
implementation of measures for safe operation of ships in severe
and icy winter conditions;
21. to support projects and activities
focusing on safety of navigation, such as a Baltic Sea- wide Ship
Reporting System (SRS) and Vessel Traffic Service (VTS), and promoting
the development of the Baltic Sea Region as a pilot region for e-navigation;
22. jointly develop
trans-boundary scenarios and identify gaps for all natural and man-made
hazards and threats of the Baltic Sea Region, in order to identify
potential disasters and disruption, to build a comprehensive regional
risk register, and to strengthen the combined regional capacity
to prevent and manage hazards, by capacity-building, traing and
exercises;
23. to support the HELCOM ad hoc Expert Group
“Munitions” in order to compile all kinds of additional information
on dumping activities after World War II and check whether the general
conclusions of the “CHEMU-report” are still valid;
24. against lessons learned from the nuclear
disaster in Fukushima started in March 2011, to step up regional
cooperation for the purpose of elaborating and adopting stringent
conditions and regulations for construction, operation and decommisioning
of nuclear power plants, as well as for the storage and processing
of spent fuel, but also for grasping the opportunity to intensify efforts
to promote the development of renewable energy sources, energy efficiency
and green technologies;
25. revisit the political
recommendations concerning Trafficking contained in the 19th BSPC Resolution
from 2010;
26. initiate and support extended analyses
of the economic aspects of trafficking in human beings, promote
coordination between relevant authorities and institutions to detect
money flows stemming from trafficking in human beings (THB), enhance
the capabilities and cooperation of police, tax authorities and
other relevant institutions to track money emanating from THB and strengthen
the legal and administrative means to confiscate proceeds from,
as well as imposing stern fines on, those engaged in THB;
27. promote efforts to gain more extensive knowledge
of the nature and scope of trafficking in human beings for forced
labour taking into account the gender dimension, initiate and support the
development of joint strategies in cooperation with trade unions
and employer’s organizations and relevant authorities, strengthen legislative
and operational means of identifying and combating trafficking in
human beings for forced labour and conduct public information campaigns
about trafficking in human beings for forced labour;
28. address the special problems of trafficked children
in legislation and in administrative guidelines, employing a multi-disciplinary
approach and multi-sectoral coordination with the child’s best interest
as an overarching priority; this includes e.g. that a child should
not be detained as a matter of principle, a formal policy of non-punishment,
and a guaranteed provision of shelters with suitable facilities
tailored to the needs of the children, including professional personnel
trained in building trust with children in order to prevent their
disappearances from the shelters;
29. investigate, e g by requests to responsible
authorities, the efficiency and relevance of existing legislation
and legal measures against trafficking in human beings, and develop
and adapt, where appropriate, legislation to adequately respond
to current and developing forms of trafficking in human beings and
strengthen coordination between various sectors of the political
and judicial system;
30. make efforts to raise awareness of
trafficking in human beings, e g by supporting and conducting public
information campaigns and outreach activities, such as the “Safe
Trip” campaign by CBSS (www.safetrip.se) as well as similar initiatives
by e g private companies and NGOs, and also support measures to
facilitate the reporting to authorities of suspect cases of trafficking
in human beings, e g by means of hotlines;
31. initiate and support measures to enhance
the joint perception and understanding of THB among all actors in
the region, thereby advocating a closer cooperation and coordination
among them, and furthermore expand exchange and cooperation with
international organizations active in the fight against trafficking
in human beings, such as UN, IPU, OSCE, Council of Europe, ILO,
IOM and others;
32. present continuous evaluation and
reporting of the progress and results in the fight against trafficking
in human beings, based on jointly developed and agreed success criteria
on factors such as e g the number of convictions, safe returns of
victims, and the like; they should also monitor that programmes
and strategies are continuously updated and adapted to new and changing
forms of trafficking in human beings;
33. promote the development of favourable working
conditions for those active in the fight against trafficking in
human beings, for the purpose of reducing the drainage of experienced personnel
and enabling continuity of work and accumulation of competencies;
34. promote actions to strengthen the capacity
to identify and incriminate the middlemen in trafficking in human
beings, meaning persons indirectly profiting from trafficking in
human beings by e g facilitating contacts between potential buyers
and traffickers and/or trafficked persons, e g in the taxi, hotel
or ferry industries;
35. allocate sufficient
and long-term resources for joint regional activities and endeavours
to improve health and social well-being, recognizing the crucial
role of The Northern Dimension Partnership in Public Health and
Social Well-being (NDPHS) in regional work in this area and the
necessity to maintain support to its project facilitation and promotion
activities, aimed at helping the Baltic Sea Region make progress
towards the achievement of objectives of relevant global and European
strategies and policies;
36. take concerted action to complement
national responses to public health problems, taking into account
the gender dimension, caused by avoidable unhealthy lifestyles in
general and the harmful use of alcohol and substance abuse in particular,
leading into non-communicable diseases, and threatening social cohesion
and socio-economic development;
37. encourage consideration of health and
social well-being issues in other relevant policy areas, consistent
with the health in all policies approach.
38. adopt policies and
undertake measures to turn the Baltic Sea Region into an Eco-Region,
in which economic growth goes hand in hand with environmental integrity
and social justice, by promoting eco-innovations, sustainable consumption
and production and waste treatment, and sustainable urban and rural
development strategies;
39. facilitate research, innovation and
business development in green technologies and energy efficiency,
including research of the potential to develop renewable energy
sources in the Region, for instance by providing legal and other
incentives to SMEs in order to encourage capacity-building for sustainable
production and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR);
40. promote an integrated approach to improving energy
efficiency in households, public authorities, industry and transport,
for instance by putting in place legal conditions and physical planning
requirements that encourage investments in and conversion to energy-saving
devices and methods, as well as building public-private partnerships
to encourage more green-tech investments in the future of the Region;
41. provide incentives and conditions for
green public procurement and practices among public authorities
at all levels, for instance by introducing sustainability as a criterion
in tendering and purchasing procedures;
42. take note of the work of the Baltic
Sea Region Energy Co-operation (BASREC) and the conclusions of its
upcoming meeting of Ministers of Energy in Berlin in spring 2012;
43. launch information campaigns and activities to
raise awareness of green growth and energy efficiency and its individual
as well as collective economic and ecological benefits with a focus on
demonstrating available practical solutions for increasing energy
efficiency;
44. provide continued support to the activities
of Baltic 21, and to establish a four-year project on "Green Growth
for a Bluer Baltic Sea" in order to define common priority areas
within e.g. energy, water, transport and tourism, to develop strategies
for enhancing the development and use of renewable energies and
increasing energy efficiency, and to provide for an exchange of best
practices among actors and stakeholders;
45. urge the BSPC members
to establish networks of parliamentarians on the fight against trafficking
in human beings, in order to secure continuity of commitment and
visibility of the issue, to continuously monitor progress of various
activities in the fight against trafficking in human beings, and
to develop the relations between the executive and legislative powers
concerning the fight against trafficking in human beings; in this
endeavour, the networks should make use of handbooks and guidelines
produced by e g UN, IPU, PACE, ILO, and others;
46. grant Observer status to the Northern
Dimension Partnership in Public Health and Social Well-being;
47. support the transformation and follow-up
of the Baltic Sea Labour Network (BSLN), by establishing a permanent
Forum for Social Dialogue in the Baltic Sea Region in order to secure public
support in the field of labour rights;
48. establish a Working Group on Green
Growth and Energy Efficiency, to submit a report at the 21st BSPC;
49. adopt the BSPC Work Programme for 2011-2012;
50. adopt the revised BSPC Rules of Procedure, to
take effect after the closure of the 20th BSPC;
51. welcome with gratitude the kind offer
of the Federal Assembly of Russia to host the 21st Baltic Sea Parliamentary
Conference in the Mariinsky Palace, the Legislative Assembly of
St Petersburg, on 26 – 28 August 2012.