News

Svetlogorsk, 6 March 2002Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen,Let me start by congratulating all of us with a very fruitful decade of concerted efforts and unprecedented co-operation. The Council implemented many excellent ideas and initiatives over these past ten years. The Prime Ministers gathered in the three Baltic Sea Summits and set up two Task Forces on Combating Organised Crime and on Communicable Disease Control. The Office of the CBSS Commissioner was established and three working groups were created. The Agenda 21 for the Baltic Sea Region – Baltic 21 was adopted and many other structures were established. Most of these will be reflected in the Anniversary Declaration and, without going into detail, I would like to stress that the adoption of the revised mandate for the CBSS Commissioner in 2000 significantly improved the capacity of the institution. I would like to congratulate Madam Commissioner for her devoted work fostering the democratic development and for her permanent support to the consolidation of non-governmental organisations in the region. By travelling to all of our countries, the exhibition “Know your neighbours” initiated by Madam Degn last year could be an appropriate symbol of the Anniversary. It was really a good idea to permit all of the members to share the responsibility for the endeavours of the Council by taking a yearlong chairmanship. The Lithuanian Presidency of 1998 – 1999 witnessed the inauguration of the CBSS Secretariat. The Council took the shape of an institutionalised organisation, encompassing activities of the members in many fields of co-operation. It is also a great pleasure for me to recall here in Svetlogorsk that the Lithuanian – Russian co-operation, modelled and developed by the Nida initiative, with the active support of the other Member States of the Council during the Lithuanian Chairmanship has permitted us to pay particular attention to the enhancement of the co-operation with the Kaliningrad Oblast of the Russian Federation. Since then, the development of the Kaliningrad Oblast has been a permanent item on the agenda of the CBSS. Multilateral support for business endeavours and gradual elimination of obstacles to trade could become a real input in ensuring a prosperous future for this part of the Russian Federation surrounded by friendly neighbours - future members of the enlarged European Union. In connection with said, I would like to stress upon that Lithuania is prepared to accept the requirements of the Schengen acquis. Lithuania favours a more flexible and transparent approach to the issue of the movement of people vis-à-vis Kaliningrad in the context of the EU enlargement. Practical measures to facilitate small border traffic and transit for Kaliningrad should be further discussed. There is an obvious need for the development of frontier infrastructure on the borders with the Kaliningrad Oblast and for modernization and expansion of consular network in the region. We are expecting a similar approach towards the issue from Russia. Notably, we strongly support the new initiative to launch the establishment of the Business Support Group for Kaliningrad. The Lithuanian Business Club and other active structures of the Lithuanian business community, operating in this region, could significantly contribute to the establishment and further activities of the new entity of the Council. The past decade was marked not only by productive intergovernmental co-operation, but also by widespread sub-national activities. The establishment of the Baltic Sea states Sub-regional co-operation and the Union of Baltic Cities made a significant impact on the regional activities of local authorities. The issue of Cross-border co-operation, of which I have spoken at length in Hamburg, became a cornerstone for the balanced development of the regions in different countries of different levels of social and economic development. It is especially encouraging that the initiatives and projects are coming from the grass-roots – two districts of Lithuania are members of the BSSSC, Lithuanian local authorities take part in four Euroregions together with partners from Poland, Latvia, Sweden, Denmark, Belarus and Kaliningrad Oblast of the Russian Federation. There is no shortage of ideas, rather of finances and, sometimes, of experience. We should think how to improve support for this very important level of regional co-operation. Dear Colleagues,The introduction of the Northern Dimension Initiative as a concentrated policy of the European Union in the north of Europe has become a consolidating factor for the developments in the region. The Northern Dimension Action Plan and the conclusions of the Luxembourg Conference of the Ministers are a good basis for further action. Lithuania had taken this initiative seriously, and together with the Russian partners had launched wide ranging consultations, resulting in two Nida Initiatives. As a result, we have a wide variety of joint projects for co-operation with the Kaliningrad Oblast of the Russian Federation. It should also be mentioned that it is not so easy to attract funding to these projects and synchronisation of the relevant EU programmes – PHARE, TACIS, ISPA and INTERREG – is still a matter of priority. Talking about the Northern Dimension, I would like to tell about the role of the Council in this Initiative. The initiative of the German Chairmanship to collect suggestions and draw the List of Priorities and Projects of the Council for the Northern Dimension Action Plan became a turning point in the thinking of the CBSS as an active participant in this process. The Russian Presidency promoted further this idea. The list of the leading countries for each of the nine sectors of the List of Priorities and Projects had been established. A special CBSS and European Commission session on the implementation of the Northern Dimension Action Plan had proven the importance of this undertaking, and permitted better scrutiny of the activities in the Northern Dimension area.With the kind agreement of other Member states, Lithuania took the lead in transport sector. We believe that the development of the pan-European transport routes is of paramount importance for the future of the region. We are in favour of finding a balance of interests and suitable solutions taking into consideration the necessity of an equal development of the road, rail and sea transport network in all parts of the Baltic Sea area to satisfy the needs of the growing economic co-operation in the region. The Via Baltica and Via Hanseatica highways and Rail Baltica will connect the Baltic States, Finland and Northwest Russia including Kaliningrad Oblast with the pan-European road and rail system and will have a huge impact on the economic and spatial development of the surrounding areas of those routes.Talking of the past is the best way to look into the future. I can see a special role for the Council as a mediator and an active partner for the European Commission in the implementation of the Northern Dimension Action Plan. In a few years time, further EU enlargement will overcome all doubts and suspicions regarding the positive outcome of this unprecedented historic process for the Baltic Sea Region. I can see the Council as a strong contributor to a positive development of EU - Russia relations. The CBSS should become the best possible forum for the EU member and non-member states to discuss the implementation of infrastructure projects in transport and energy sectors, development of information and communication technologies, and in many other fields of common interest. We have laid a solid foundation for this approach in the past ten years.As the Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, I see a special value of the positive experience of regional co-operation, which the CBSS could provide for the other regions in Europe. In our view, the combination of efforts between the pan-European and regional structures could provide a positive effect on the resolution or prevention of the existing and future tensions. We have proposed that closer, and, possibly, permanent links should be established between the Council of Europe and the Council of the Baltic Sea States. I am pleased that the Chairman and the other Members have supported the idea of a joint meeting of the Council of Europe and the CBSS. Regional co-operation and its impact on the stability and democratic reforms in Europe has been chosen by the Lithuanian Chairmanship as the main theme for the 110th session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. Taking this opportunity, I would like to invite all of my colleagues once again to visit Vilnius on 2nd and 3rd of May, and take an active part in the discussions of the session.Thank you.