ERU, Alm.del - 2012-13 - Bilag 367: Slutdokument fra den 22. Østersøkonference i Pärnu, Estland den 26.-27. august 2013

Conference ResolutionAdopted by the 22ndBaltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC)The participants, elected representatives from the Baltic Sea Region States*,assembling in Pärnu, Estonia, 26-27 August 2013,discussing Co-operation in the Baltic Sea Region, Economic Growth and Innovation,Green and Blue Growth and Energy Efficiency, and Creative Entrepreneurship,emphasizing the importance of the parliamentary dimension of cooperation in theBaltic Sea Region, and asserting that it strengthens the democratic legitimacy ofcooperation,reaffirming their commitment to the principles of sustainable ecological, economicand social development, and reiterating their appeal to governments to make sincereand forceful efforts to implement the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan,stressing the mutually beneficial interaction between CBSS and BSPC at all levelsand in all fields, and acknowledging that a close coordination between the legislativeand executive branches will facilitate the implementation of programmes andprojects for the benefit of the Baltic Sea Region and its citizens,call on the governments in the Baltic Sea Region, the CBSS and the EU,Regarding Co-operation in the Region, to1.ensure effective and systematic implementation of priority projects in theBaltic Sea region, jointly identified on the basis of regional strategies and policies,and to use regional cooperation structures such as the Northern Dimension andRegional Councils in this work;2.make sustained efforts to facilitate mobility within the Region, in particular bytackling administrative and physical hurdles, such as customs regulations andpractices, and visa restrictions between Schengen and non-Schengen countries;3.promptly undertake further action in order to reduce euthropication andpollution of the Baltic Sea, in particular by joint efforts to improve the capacity forpurification of sewage waste;4.facilitate the establishment and work of democratic NGOs in the Baltic SeaRegion, and to provide political and financial support for their internationalcooperation and activities;

5.acknowledge the importance of the Baltic Sea Secretariat for Youth Affairs foryouth cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region, and to support its work as well as theestablishment of an annual Baltic Sea Youth Forum; in this regard, to support alsothe decision of the XI Baltic Sea NGO Forum on the creation of a Baltic Sea YouthNetwork; and furthermore to underline the need to continuously strengthen andensure effective methods and solutions for improved cooperation;6.make the utmost use of the CBSS core political position in the BSR in creatingand implementing a commonly agreed strategic vision of the region;Regarding Growth, Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship in the BalticSea Region”, to7.initiate and support awareness-raising activities on the necessity of innovationfor the sustainable development and competitiveness of the Region, applying acomprehensive approach that recognizes innovation as a key element both in theproduction of goods and the provision of services, and places strong emphasis onenvironmental sustainability and social cohesion;8.foster a conducive climate for innovation, for instance by developing nationalprogrammes and strategies for innovation and by instructing public agencies andauthorities to adopt action plans for innovative management and operations;9.promote innovative knowledge and skills in basic, vocational and highereducation, for instance by making innovation a more explicit strand in educationalcurricula and by allocating resources to basic R&D on innovation;10.handle the demographic change also as a source for innovation, where specialattention should be put on the development and marketing of barrier-free offers andservices;11.take measures to ensure an appropriate regulatory environment thatencourages innovation and eliminates bureaucratic obstacles;12.support the creative industries as an engine of growth and employment;

13.provide fiscal incentives for innovation, such as tax reliefs, to stimulate theestablishment and growth of innovative enterprises and services;14.in order to strengthen the maritime economy, evaluate if and how (whenapplicable) economic incentives can be considered for fleet modernization;15.ensure availability of and access to funding and seed money to supportinnovative initiatives and enterprises, and to facilitate the development of bankableprojects in the field of innovation;16.note the importance of public-private partnership in the Baltic Sea Region,and welcome the establishment of the CBSS Pilot Financial Initiative (PFI) as a newmechanism of public-private partnership and encourage financial institutions in theRegion to join the PFI;

17.exploit the synergies and added value by enhancing interregional cooperationon innovation in the Baltic Sea Region, e g by facilitating mobility and by supportingknowledge diffusion, networks and clusters on innovation both within and betweensectors;18.take measures to unlock the potential that exists in the coastal and marineenvironment, which will lead to sustainable growth and employment opportunities;19.strengthen innovation, growth and cooperation within the maritime economy,e.g. by supporting research and development in marine technologies, such asalternative propulsion systems, as well as in emerging maritime sectors, such as bluebiotechnologies, aquaculture and offshore energy, by facilitating interregionalcooperation in shipping and ship-building, and by developing logistics andinfrastructure, for example for the provision of LNG and electricity in Baltic Seaports;20.promote entrepreneurship and a joint transnational cooperative platform fortourism, being a sector that can contribute substantially to innovation and growth inthe Baltic Sea Region; furthermore to focus on coastal and maritime tourism;21.take measures to harmonize labour market and security standards foremployees in the creative economy, and launch action plans for enhancedtransparency, tolerance and diversity in society, being key elements in a creativeeconomy;22.make efforts to ensure that the transformation to a knowledge-based societyis not detrimental to economic progress or living conditions in urban and rural areas,e.g. by promoting urban-rural innovation cluster opportunities;23.support the funding of projects devoted to “Culture and cultural identity” andmodel projects in the sector of creative industries;Regarding Green Growth and Energy Efficiency, to24.strengthen efforts to create public awareness on how green growth andenergy efficiency can support social welfare and economic development in theRegion;25.strengthen cooperation for developing common technical standards andbuilding codes defining quality of building, common rules of recognition andevaluation of experts for building evaluation, common criteria for green publicprocurement (GPP), where appropriate, in order to create a larger market for newproducts and innovative solutions that support green growth26.support and strengthen efforts by the national grid operators, co-ordinatedwith agreements on a broader European scale, to improve the connections ofnational grids across borders, in order to facilitate investments in renewable energyproduction, including offshore, and contribute to energy supply security;27.further develop and implement financing schemes that support green growthand energy efficiency, and to develop legislation that facilitates innovative financingof energy efficiency investments in infrastructure, businesses and buildings;

28.to encourage the development of new cleaner technologies and support theuse the best currently available technologies in order to improve maritime safety,develop clean fuels and energy efficient solutions for both land and water transportin the Baltic Sea Region;29.against the background of the upcoming tightening of the limits for sulfuremissions in the Sulfur Emission Control Areas to support efforts of the HelsinkiCommission to found a “Green Technology and Alternative Fuels Platform forShipping”;30.welcome the results of the Conference of the Heads of the Baltic Sea stateson environmental protection (St. Petersburg, April 5-6, 2013) held in the frameworkof the Russian chairmanship in the CBSS, as an important step towardsenvironmental rehabilitation in the BSR;Regarding Trafficking in Human Beings, to31.follow up the 10 recommendations drawn up by the BSPC Rapporteurs on THBin their final report presented to the 22. BSPC in Pärnu, Estonia;Furthermore the Conference Decides to32.establish a Working Group on Innovation in Social and Health Care, to submita first report at the 23rdBSPC;33.to note the work of the IPCC in relation to the forthcoming 5th AssessmentReport (AR5), and to deliberate on its implications for the Baltic Sea Region;34.adopt the BSPC Work Programme for 2013-2014;