26 February 2009
Members of the European Parliament, of the Baltic Sea Parliamentary
Conference, of the Conference of Parliamentarians of the Arctic
Region, of the Baltic Assembly, of the Nordic Council, of the West Nordic
Council and of the network of Barents parliamentarians met in the
European Parliament in Brussels on 25-26 February 2009 at the First
Northern Dimension Parliamentary Forum to discuss the development
of the Northern Dimension Policy in the Baltic Sea Region and in
the Arctic Region and to coordinate the policies of the parliamentary
bodies within the Northern Dimension region.
A. having regard to the first ministerial meeting of the renewed
Northern Dimension held in St Petersburg, 28 October 2008 where
the ministers expressed their satisfaction with the level of cooperation
between the Northern Dimension and the four Regional Councils in
the North: the Barents Euro-Arctic Council, the Council of the Baltic
Sea States, the Nordic Council of Ministers and the Arctic Council;
B. having regard to the Northern Dimension Policy Framework Document
and the Political Declaration on the Northern Dimension Policy approved
on 24 November 2006, welcomes the updated, more permanent, high
profile, and structured Northern Dimension Policy, based on the
principles of co-ownership of the four equal partners (Iceland,
Norway, Russia, and the EU), that came into force on 1 January 2007;
1. underlines the importance and value
of parliamentarians from different countries to meet and discuss
issues of common concern;
2. emphasizes that the Parliamentary Forum shall not take
the shape of a new institution, but rather a recurrent place for
representatives of the different parliamentary bodies in the north;
3. supports the overall aim of the Northern Dimension to
provide a common framework for the promotion of dialogue and concrete
cooperation, strengthening stability, well-being and intensified
economic cooperation, promotion of economic integration and competitiveness
and sustainable development in Northern Europe;
4. encourages the partners of the Northern Dimension to
focus on issues of specific relevance in the North such as its fragile
environment, public health and social issues, cultural and indigenous peoples
issues;
5. is deeply concerned of the effect of climate change on
sustainability of the lives of the indigenous people in the Arctic
region, in terms of both the general environment and the natural
habitat, and underlines that any international decisions relating
to these issues must fully involve and take account of all peoples
and nations of the Arctic;
6. recognizes the increased importance of the Baltic Sea
Region;
7. encourages close coordination between the Baltic Sea
Strategy and the new Northern Dimension. The Northern Dimension
provides a joint overall framework for mutual cooperation on an
equal basis between EU, Russia, Iceland and Norway. In order for
the Baltic Sea Strategy to be efficient, it needs to be aligned
with the Northern Dimension policy;
8. promotes coordination between intergovernmental actors
and other stakeholders in the Baltic Sea Region, for the sake of
environmental and financial efficiency, encouraging the evolution
of a division of labour and responsibilities in accordance with
their respective objectives and competencies;
9. underlines the need for coherent and targeted leadership
in order to drive the issues of the Baltic Sea Region. The Baltic
Sea Strategy could contribute to the Northern Dimension process
by bolstering the vertical and horizontal dialogue between stakeholders
and actors of the Region. A closer synchronization of the actors
would strengthen both their individual and their combined impact.
Cooperation in the Region should be strengthened by building networks,
not institutions;
10. stresses the need to implement the HELCOM Baltic Sea
Action Plan (BSAP) and supports the work of the BSAP Implementation
Group;
11. highlights that more knowledge is needed about climate
change, its consequences for society, and our preparedness and capabilities
to adapt to change. More effective actions – by means of e.g. technology
transfer, research and development, and vocational training – should
be promoted in order to reduce pollution and emissions and to develop
renewable energy, energy efficiency and energy savings in all sectors
in the Baltic Sea Region;
12. supports action and investments by Northern Dimension
participants, and the maritime industry, to put appropriate resources
in place to provide for emergency response capabilities, search
and rescue capabilities, and specific spill response capabilities,
as the Oceans open to marine shipping, and to take preventive measures
to avoid shipping accidents;
13. recommends to extend cooperation to reduce the vulnerability
and improve the adaptability to the consequences of climate change,
as well as to the enhancement of the capacity to prevent and manage
adverse consequences of climate change (such as natural hazards
and technological accidents);
14. underlines the need to coordinate and cooperate on strategies
before the COP-15 in 2009 (Copenhagen) in order to provide consolidated
support from the Baltic Sea Region and the Arctic Region to ambitious
measures for the mitigation of man-made CO2 emissions;
15. expresses satisfaction over the newly established Northern
Dimension partnership on transport and logistics and underlines
the importance of infrastructure in creating sustainable and prosperous societies;
16. underlines the importance of environmental considerations
when developing the partnership on transport and logistics, using
environmentally friendly technologies and solutions;
17. asks for reports on the implementation of the partnerships
within the Northern Dimension, to be presented at the next Northern
Dimension Parliamentary Forum;
18. calls on the President of the European Parliament to
forward this final statement to the speakers of the parliaments
and to the governments of Iceland, Norway and Russia, to the institutions
of the European Union and to the national parliaments of the European
Union;
19. welcomes with gratitude the kind invitation of the Norwegian
Parliament to host the Second Northern Dimension Parliamentary Forum
in 2011.