Wikipedia

Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference

The Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC) was established in 1991 as a forum for political dialogue between parliamentarians from the Baltic Sea Region.[1] BSPC aims at raising awareness and opinion on issues of current political interest and relevance for the Baltic Sea Region.[2] It promotes and drives various initiatives and efforts to support a sustainable environmental, social and economic development of the Baltic Sea Region. It strives at enhancing the visibility of the Baltic Sea Region and its issues in a wider European context.[3][4]

Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference
NicknameBSPC
PurposeForum for political dialogue between parliamentarians from the Baltic Sea Region
HeadquartersSchwerin
Official language
english
President
Pyry Niemi
Vice-President
Johannes Schraps
Websitebspc.net
25. BSPC in Riga
28. BSPC in Oslo

History

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BSPC external interfaces include parliamentary, governmental, sub-regional and other organizations in the Baltic Sea Region and the Northern Dimension area, among them CBSS, HELCOM, the Northern Dimension Partnership in Health and Social Well-Being (NDPHS), the Baltic Sea Labour Network (BSLN), the Baltic Sea States Sub-regional Cooperation (BSSSC) and the Baltic Development Forum.[5]

BSPC shall initiate and guide political activities in the region; support and strengthen democratic institutions in the participating states; improve dialogue between governments, parliaments and civil society; strengthen the common identity of the Baltic Sea Region by means of close co-operation between national and regional parliaments on the basis of equality; and initiate and guide political activities in the Baltic Sea Region, endowing them with additional democratic legitimacy and parliamentary authority.

The political recommendations of the annual Parliamentary Conferences are expressed in a Conference Resolution adopted by consensus by the Conference. The adopted Resolution shall be submitted to the governments of the Baltic Sea region, the CBSS and the EU, and disseminated to other relevant national, regional and local stakeholders in the Baltic Sea region and its neighbourhood.

The beginning 1991

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The 1st Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference was held in Helsinki on 7–9 January 1991, on the initiative of the President of the Finnish Parliament, Mr Kalevi Sorsa. The title was the Parliamentary Conference on Cooperation in the Baltic Sea Area. Six successive Conferences had the English name of the “Parliamentary Conference on Cooperation in the Baltic Sea Area”. The 7th Parliamentary Conference replaced the word “Area” with “Region”. The Conference was renamed by the 8th Conference as the “Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference”.

The 1st Conference was attended by parliamentary delegations from Denmark, Estonia, Greenland, Hamburg, Iceland, Karelia, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, MecklenburgVorpommern, Norway, Poland, Schleswig-Holstein, Sweden, the Åland Islands, the Faroe Islands, and the USSR. Observers were sent by the U.N. European Economic Conference, EFTA, the Helsinki Committee, the Interparliamentary Union, the Nordic Council, and the Council of Europe. Some of the subjects discussed at the Conference were proposed after earlier consultations (a preparatory meeting was held in Helsinki on 13 September 1990) but a number of other issues were discussed at the Conference forum. This gave the Conference the character of a working meeting that identified problems in the Baltic Sea Region needing swift action. Talks held during the Conference concentrated on four subjects: economy, ecology, culture, and politics. The economic discussions were dominated by issues relating to the transition of former communist bloc countries to market economies and the economic reforms in the Soviet Union. It was emphasised that the economic development of the Baltic States and the Leningrad area was vital to the region's integration and that the West should develop an appropriate mechanism for assisting those areas. The speakers expressed their hope for a rapid opening of the East to a capitalist economy, e. g. through free economic zones. However, they also emphasised that political stability free from armed conflicts is a precondition of development. During the debate on environmental protection, the invited experts presented the situation regarding the contamination of the Baltic Sea waters. This made clear to the Conference participants that ecosystems are not divided by political boundaries and that any measures to improve the natural conditions could be only be successful though joint action. Consequently, solution of ecological problems requires not only technological solutions but also political will and broad understanding. The participants called for urgent action to prevent contamination increasing in the Baltic region. They proposed a number of concrete measures, such as a joint system of taxes and fines for environmental pollution or signing a convention on the reduction of harmful substances added to the fuel of ships using the Baltic Sea.

The Conference also pointed out the importance of developing cooperation in the fields of education and culture. The participants voiced their hope that this cooperation would enable Northern Europe to be a model for coexistence within and between regions and ethnic minorities. The Nordic Council reported a number of initiatives intended to intensify cooperation with the Baltic States: the Council opened its information centres in the capitals of those countries, and the Danish Culture Institute did the same in Riga. At the same time, Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia opened similar centres in Copenhagen. The political debate was dominated by developments in the Baltic States. Their representatives strongly protested against measures taken by the USSR authorities, and other delegates, especially the representatives from Denmark, voiced similar opinions. The discussion also concerned the security issue in the region, the proposed Nordic nuclear weaponfree zone, and cooperation to combat international crime. There was also a proposal to establish a Baltic Sea Council that would compile plans for cooperation in the region, initially in the fields of culture and economy, and later in areas such as technology, power industry, and education. This proposal was soon implemented. In autumn 1991, Denmark and Germany, considering economic and political stabilisation of the Baltic Sea Region, proposed an initiative to establish a new international organisation at governmental level. The Foreign Ministers of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, Germany, Norway, Poland, Russia and Sweden, as well as representatives of the European Commission met in Copenhagen on 5–6 March 1992. They set up the Council of Baltic Sea States, an organisation to build up democratic institutions in the region and cooperate on matters of economy, culture, environmental protection, nuclear security, and social affairs. The council is now one of the most important players for international cooperation in the region. The Conference did not produce any formal conclusions or a resolution, but it should be considered as extremely important because of its groundbreaking character. The variety of regional development concepts presented at the Conference provided a basis for further debate and cooperation between the states and regions concerned.

On May 16, 2022, the Russian State Duma announced its withdrawal from the Baltic Parliamentary Conference.

Structure

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Map of the members of the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference

BSPC gathers parliamentarians from 11 national parliaments, 11 regional parliaments and 5 parliamentary organizations around the Baltic Sea. The BSPC thus constitutes a unique parliamentary bridge between all the EU- and non-EU countries of the Baltic Sea Region.[6]

Members

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Country name Arms Flag Membership Parliament Membership status Represented since Members EU relation NATO relation
Denmark     full Folketing sovereign state 1991 5   member   member
Estonia     full Riigikogu sovereign state 1991   member   member
Finland     full Eduskunta sovereign state   member   member
Germany     full Bundestag[7] sovereign state   member   member
Iceland     full Alþingi sovereign state 1991 associate   member
Latvia     full Saeima sovereign state 1991   member   member
Lithuania     full Seimas sovereign state 1991   member   member
Norway     full Storting sovereign state 1991 associate   member
Poland     full Parliament of Poland sovereign state   member   member
Sweden     full Riksdag sovereign state 1991   member partnership
Åland     full Lagting self-governing region of Finland 1991   territory demilitarized zone
Bremen     full Bürgerschaft States of Germany   territory   member
Faroe Islands     full Løgting self-governing region of the Unity of the Realm 1991 minimal   member
Greenland     full Inatsisartut self-governing region of the Unity of the Realm 1991 OCT   member
Hamburg     full Bürgerschaft States of Germany   territory   member
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern     full Landtag States of Germany 1991   territory   member
Schleswig-Holstein     full Landtag States of Germany 1991   territory   member

St Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Karelia, Leningrad - do these need to be added?[clarification needed]

Observers

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[8]

Conference

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Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference
Nr. City Country Date
1 Helsinki   Finland 7.-9.1.1991
2 Oslo   Norway 22.-24.4.1992
3 Warsaw   Poland 5.-6.5.1994
4 Rønne   Denmark 12.-13.9.1995
5 Riga   Latvia 10.-11.9.1996
6 Gdańsk   Poland 15.-16.9.1997
7 Lübeck   Germany 7.-8.9.1998
8 Mariehamn   Åland Islands 7.-8.9.1999
9 Malmö   Sweden 4.-5.9.2000
10 Greifswald   Germany 3.-4.9.2001
11 Saint Petersburg[9]   Russia 30.9.-1.10.2002
12 Oulu   Finland 7.-9.9.2003
13 Bergen   Norway 29.-31.8.2004
14 Vilnius   Lithuania 29.-30.8.2005
15 Reykjavík   Iceland 3.-5.9.2006
16 Berlin   Germany 27.-28.8.2007
17 Visby   Sweden 1.-2.9.2008
18 Nyborg   Denmark 31.8.-1.9.2009
19 Mariehamn[10]   Åland Islands 29.-31.8.2010
20 Helsinki   Finland 28.-30.8.2011
21 Saint Petersburg[11]   Russia 26.-28.8.2012
22 Pärnu[12]   Estonia 25.-27.8.2013
23 Olsztyn   Poland 24.-26.8.2014
24 Rostock[13]   Germany 31.8.-1.9.2015
25 Riga[14]   Latvia 28.-30.8.2016
26 Hamburg[15]   Germany 3.-5.9.2017
27 Mariehamn[16]   Åland Islands 26.-28.8.2018
28 Oslo[17]   Norway 25.-27.8.2019
29 Vilnius   Lithuania 24.8.2020 (only Online)
30 Stockholm   Sweden 29.-31.8.2021

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Focus on democracy at Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference | Nordic cooperation". www.norden.org. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  2. ^ "Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC)". Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  3. ^ "Itämeren parlamentaarikkokonferenssin Suomen valtuuskunta". www.eduskunta.fi. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  4. ^ "Baltic Sea Region – BALTIC SEA LABOUR FORUM". www.bslf.eu. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  5. ^ "25 Years of BSPC Final-Edititon • BSPC". www.bspc.net. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  6. ^ "Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference | deea | Delegations | European Parliament". www.europarl.europa.eu. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  7. ^ "Deutscher Bundestag - Ostseeparlamentarierkonferenz - Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference..." Deutscher Bundestag (in German). Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  8. ^ "Observers to BSPC valid 5.9.2017 • BSPC". www.bspc.net. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  9. ^ "Speech by Minister Jan-Erik Enestam: Finnish CBSS Presidency, in 11th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference, St. Petersburg". Utrikesministeriet (in Swedish). Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  10. ^ "Vedlegg 7". Stortinget (in Norwegian). 2010-09-15. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  11. ^ Amt, Auswärtiges. "Speech by Ambassador Gerhard Almer, Head of the Task Force for the German Presidency of the Council of the Baltic Sea States 2011/2012, at the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC) St Petersburg, 27 August 2012". German Federal Foreign Office. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  12. ^ catchsmartsolution.com, CatchSmart |. "22nd Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference, Pärnu". vasab.org. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  13. ^ "The 24th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference" (PDF). Landtag Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-01-12.
  14. ^ "25th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference". saeima.lv. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  15. ^ "Parlamentsdatenbank: 27. Ostseeparlamentarierkonferenz (Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference – BSPC) vom 26. bis 28. August 2018 in Mariehamn, Ålandinseln". www.buergerschaft-hh.de. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  16. ^ "The 27th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC) | Coalition Clean Baltic". Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  17. ^ "Этот домен припаркован компанией Timeweb". vh276.timeweb.ru. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
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