Sluttdokument
fra den 27. Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference
Conference
Resolution
Adopted by the 27th Baltic Sea Parliamentary
Conference (BSPC)
The participants, elected representatives
from the Baltic Sea Region States*, assembling in Mariehamn, Åland,
26–28 August 2018,
-
renew the
expectation that all Baltic Sea States make every effort to ensure
the Baltic Sea Region continues to be a region of peaceful and close
neighbourliness and intense cooperation based on democratic values,
the rule of law, human rights and equal opportunities for all. To
this end, they will pursue all the opportunities of parliamentary, governmental
and social exchange and democratic dialogue among neighbours. For
this reason, they welcome the Stockholm Declaration of the Council of
Baltic Sea States and in particular the Roadmap for Reform. They
furthermore welcome the resumption of the Council of Baltic Sea
States (CBSS) Foreign Ministers meetings including under the Swedish
Presidency but additionally call for a resumption of the Baltic
Sea States Summits. This will foster the dialogue, strengthen cooperation and
manifesting peace;
-
welcome
the comprehensive implementation statements and reports by the governments
of the Baltic Sea Region on the 26th BSPC
Resolution and the progress made to implement the BSPC's calls for action;
-
welcome
the efforts of the Swedish CBSS Presidency 2017/2018 to improve
coherence in Baltic Sea regional cooperation, acknowledge the progress
of the CBSS – based on the priorities of sustainability, continuity
and adaptability under the umbrella of the UN 2030 goals- and recognise
the achievements in areas of Sustainable Development, Youth, the
Fight Against Trafficking in Human Beings, Child Protection and
Civil Protection;
-
encourage
the Latvian CBSS Presidency 2018/2019 to continue efforts within
its three priorities: Integrity & Societal Security, Dialogue,
Responsibility;
-
share the
vision of the CBSS Vision Group, that the Baltic Sea Region shall
become a role model of ecological, economic, social and security
standards and policies, with a vibrant regional civil society and will
take into account the report of the Vision Group in their further
discussions on future developments in the Baltic Sea Region;
-
underline
again the need for political exchange among young people and will
proceed to establish a Baltic Sea Parliamentary Youth Forum based
on the youth projects of their member parliaments and parliamentary
organizations but also effect efforts to establish closer cooperation
between youth organisations in the BSR and formats such as Regeneration
2030’ involving young people in the deliberation of issues to be
discussed in the BSPC;
-
welcome
all efforts to move towards a healthy and clean Baltic Sea;
-
establish
a way, as a first step within the framework of a progressive foreign
and trade policy to address the issue of plastic litter on a global
scale;
-
strongly
welcome all concrete actions and all regulations in banning or reducing
the use of single–use plastic products that are found most often
on beaches and in oceans, along with fishing equipment lost or left
behind at sea, and intend to help raise awareness of the negative
impact of plastic waste among consumers;
-
discuss
Cooperation, the Vision of a Healthy Baltic Sea, Sustainable Energy
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, to
-
intensify
the interaction between the Northern Dimension policy and the EU
Strategy for the Baltic Sea and the Russian Strategy of social and
economic development of the North-West federal district;
-
extend the
scope of transnational programmes covering the whole Baltic Sea
area and anchor this possibility and the corresponding funding in
all macro–regional strategies on a formal level to improve relations
between neighbouring countries;
-
strengthen
cooperation in the field of migration and integration, involving
all countries bordering the Baltic Sea, to better meet similar tasks;
-
intensify
programs in the scope of visits and multinational meetings of youth
in view of meeting each other, fostering mutual understanding and
developing relations;
-
actively
support – referring to the Ministerial Declaration adopted by the
CBSS Labour Ministries in June 2017 – in the field of labour and
employment in the Baltic Sea Region, the work of the «CBSS/BSLF Coordination
Group on Labour and Employment» (CG) – focused on the cross–cutting
and topical issues pertaining to the new qualifications required for
future work patterns, and their linkage to education and the needs
of the labour market, life–long learning and comprehensive labour
market forecasting and research, including demographic challenges;
guarantee equal opportunities for men and women;
-
meet the
challenges of an ageing population, social cohesion and sustainable
development in the Baltic Sea region through increased cooperation
on incentives and practical systems for life–long learning and adult
education, adaptation of job conditions and workplaces to the needs
of older persons, anti–age discrimination policies, measures to
promote good health and flexible and gradual retirement schemes;
Regarding
the vision of a Healthy Baltic Sea – a call for more action, to
– as the BSPC supports the HELCOM Ministerial Declaration of 6 March
2018 in Brussels and shares its critical view on the state of the
Baltic Sea under various aspects – vigorously implement the decisions
contained in the Ministerial Declaration;
-
establish
effective coordination processes and policies to support the Implementation
Strategy for the sustainable Blue Growth Agenda for the Baltic Sea Region;
enhance consultations and cooperation regarding a spatial master
planning in the Baltic Sea region, considering all interests and
aspects of economy (shipping, fishing, energy, tourism, etc.), environment
and the neighbours;
-
considering
that, depending on the country, only 25 to 60 percent of the targets
of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan to be implemented by 2021 are
currently met at the national level – urgently intensify efforts
at the national and regional level to set appropriate policy priorities
so as to achieve the objectives of the BSAP by 2021 as far as possible
on schedule;
-
hold regular
HELCOM Ministerial Meetings – including all responsible ministers
of each member state in the meetings – and come to binding rules
under international law – as was the case with the measures to increase
maritime safety with the involvement of the transport ministers
–, thus bringing the issue of a clean Baltic Sea more strongly into
the political debate of each nation and region and to achieve a
more binding enforcement of the agreements reached;
-
develop
or enhance both joint and additional national and regional sustainability
strategies to achieve the UN-Agenda 2030 goals and realise the vision
of a clean Baltic Sea free from marine litter whilst promoting sustainable
agricultural practices, more sustainable shipping and tackling eutrophication
and underwater noise;
-
prepare
for and help shape the «Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable
Development» from 2021–2030 proclaimed by the United Nations, in
order to reach the goal of delivering the ocean we need for the
future we want;
-
further
strengthen the relationship between the UN Sustainable Development
Goals and human rights whilst recognising their close relationship and
mutual reinforcement;
-
take preventative
measures and immediate actions to improve the quality of waste–water
effluents and halt untreated discharges without delay and to show
determination to clean up the heavily polluted sea;
-
take urgent
efficient action on the worrying levels of plastics and micro–plastics
in the seas; support and implement the regulations on reducing or
banning single–use plastic as quickly as possible; promote public
awareness of microplastic pollution throughout the Baltic ecosystem
and encourage customers to avoid personal care products containing
plastic microbeads;
Regarding
Sustainable Energy, Smart energy distribution platforms, to
Regarding
Migration and Integration, to
-
acknowledge
objective differences in the political system as well as in the
historical and cultural background due to the scars of the Second
World War, continue discussions and reflections about flight and
migration, and share best governance practices to raise awareness
in our societies;
-
initiate
a Baltic Sea–wide data basis on integration conditions and measures
to improve the public discussion on a factual basis;
-
intensify
the dialogue on migration and integration between the countries
bordering the Baltic Sea;
-
increase
the offer of migration–specific advisory services and language training
in order to intensify integration efforts;
-
enlarge
projects for advising and supporting volunteers, local institutions
and civil society organizations working in the field of integration
and taking into account the unifying and integrating role of sports;
-
consider
migration and security perspectives in relevant other political
agendas such as trade, labour rights and environmental preservation;
-
seek holistic
and multi–facetted solutions to the challenges posed by current
refugee and migration policies which include a well–coordinated
combination of migration management, humanitarian assistance, political
solutions, European and international collaboration, fair trade
agreements and development assistance;
Regarding
Economic development and growth in the Baltic Sea Region
-
support
the Implementation Strategy for the sustainable Blue Growth Agenda
for the Baltic Sea Region;
-
acknowledge,
that the Baltic Sea is a crucial line of sea transportation (a motorway
of the sea) for all its neighbours, a resource for nutrition (fishing)
and energy (oil, gas, wind and wave) as well as a recreation area
for millions of tourists, therefore use all opportunities of Baltic
Sea cooperation to enable managing and considering all interests
and aspects of economy, environment and the neighbours;
-
further
develop the Trans-European Networks for transport in the Baltic
Sea region, take initiatives to synchronize toll systems in Europe,
in particular the Baltic Sea neighbours, to make transport via sea
and rail most economic compared to trucking;
-
aim to
make the Baltic Sea a pioneer area for automatic shipping.
Furthermore,
the Conference decides to welcome with gratitude the kind offer
by the Parliament of Norway to host the 28th Baltic
Sea Parliamentary Conference in Oslo on 25.–27. August 2019.
*Parliaments
and Parliamentary Organizations:
-
Baltic
Assembly,
-
Free Hanseatic
City of Bremen,
-
Denmark,
-
Estonia,
-
European
Parliament,
-
Faroe
Islands,
-
Federal
Republic of Germany,
-
Finland,
-
Free and
Hanseatic City of Hamburg,
-
Iceland,
-
Kaliningrad
Region,
-
Karelian
Republic,
-
Latvia,
-
Leningrad
Region,
-
Lithuania,
-
Mecklenburg–Vorpommern,
-
Nordic
Council,
-
Norway,
-
Poland,
-
Council
of the Federation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation,
-
State
Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation,
-
City of
St. Petersburg,
-
Schleswig–Holstein,
-
Sweden,
-
Åland
Islands.