State Secretary Eide: Statement at the 10th Ministerial Session of the Council of Baltic Sea States

Statement by State Secretary Espen Barth Eide, Norway, at the 10 ^th Ministerial Session of the Council of Baltic Sea States. 7 June, 2001

Mr. Chairman,

Over the last decade, the Council of Baltic Sea States has developed into an important institution. It not only provides a framework for regional co-operation in the Baltic Sea area, but also plays a significant role in facilitating the process of broader European integration. One of the reasons the CBSS has become such a success is its flexible and relatively informal character and its focus on non-military challenges. We should take great care to preserve these qualities.

Norway has always welcomed an active involvement by the EU and the EU Commission in regional cooperation in northern Europe. As a partner country, Norway has supported the Northern Dimension from the beginning.

I am therefore pleased that the Luxembourg conference showed that there is broad support for the Northern Dimension and the priorities of the Swedish presidency. This creates a good basis for the future work.

The Norwegian emphasis is on nuclear safety, energy, health, indigenous peoples and environmental issues. The proposal on the Northern Dimension Environmental Partnership is, in my view, a constructive initiative that will strengthen the cooperation in that area. We look forward to studying the report from the European Council in Gothenburg on this subject.

Norway considers EU enlargement and the strengthening of the cooperation between the EU and Russia to be important contributions to stability and welfare in the Baltic region. But we must not forget that the EU and Russia are also living side by side further north, in Karelia and Murmansk. The challenges are similar throughout the region.

Mr. Chairman,

People-to-people contacts and cross-border activities are central to Norway’s approach to regional cooperation. With their networks and experience, the regional bodies play a unique role as frameworks for discussing the local needs and problems in the regions covered by the Northern Dimension.

This is why Norway has highlighted the importance of the regional bodies in the implementation and further development of the Feira Action Plan. The Barents Euro-Arctic Council, the Council of the Baltic Sea States, the Nordic Council of Ministers and the Arctic Council all have long experience and well developed networks. If the efforts of these regional bodies are coordinated with those of international financial institutions, the resulting synergy will give added value to the Northern Dimension.

The regional councils cover very similar fields of activity. At the same time, the challenges they face are quite different. The time has come to take a closer look at how their work could be coordinated without losing the distinctive characteristics of each council. We therefore plan to invite the CSO presidencies of these Councils to a meeting in early autumn to discuss informally how their activities could be better coordinated.

Successful cross-border cooperation depends to a large extent on the active participation of local and subregional authorities and institutions. I am therefore pleased to note that a proposed legal text for a fund for subregional development is among the papers that is presented to this Council. The text has been prepared by Norway and the objective of the agreement is to establish a flexible, small-scale financial instrument that will encourage cooperation between local and regional authorities in the CBSS member states.

Mr. Chairman,

Later today we will be signing an agreement on the exchange of radiation-monitoring data. Norway will be the depository country for the agreement. We are pleased to be entrusted with that responsibility. The agreement is an important new tool for dealing with the challenges posed by nuclear activities.

Last week I led a Norwegian expert delegation that visited the main storage site for spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste of the Russian Northern Fleet. The site, located in the Andreeva Bay in a military on the Kola Peninsula, has never before been opened for inspection by foreigners. At the site, some 22000 rods of spent nuclear fuel and large quantities of liquid and solid radioactive waste are stored under deplorable conditions. Norway plans to cooperate closely with Russia in the stabilisation and cleanup of the area. The visit illustrated the immensity of the task of improving nuclear safety in our region, but was also an illustration of the new openness and spirit of transboundary cooperation that characterises this field. I would like to join Foreign Minister Lindh in her call for the MNEPR-agreement to be concluded without further delay.

Foreign Minister Tuomioja drew our attention to the dramatic spread of communicable diseases in the Baltic Sea Region. Norway sees this as one of our major challenges today. The plans and ideas drawn up by the partners, are now at the implementation stage. This will involve hundreds of actors in the field of public health. It is predominantly a programme for the transfer of knowledge and technology, and as such, a valuable contribution to the Action Plan of the Northern Dimension.

Mr. Chairman,

I would like close by thanking the German Presidency for its excellent work during its year in office.

Russia is taking the helm of the Council of the Baltic Sea States at a very important juncture, when the Baltic Sea Region is becoming increasingly central in the process of European integration. We look forward to cooperating with Russia in pursuit of our common goals.

Thank you.