Spatial planning in the Baltic Sea Region - Vision and Strategies

Dear Mr Klimmt, dear Mr Chairman, dear European colleagues,

I am grateful for the opportunity to address the CEMAT conference on behalf of the VASAB co-operation. I also thank my Baltic Sea region colleagues for assisting me in preparing this statement.

Let me first of all introduce VASAB.

VASAB - that is short for " Vision and Strategies around the Baltic Sea" – is an important trans-national co-operation among the ministries responsible for spatial planning and development in eleven countries in the north-eastern part of Europe.

A few years back, our part of the world looked very much different, with a dividing iron curtain drawn right up the middle of the Baltic Sea region. The principles and concepts of spatial planning and development were not the same in these two parts of Europe, as you are well aware. Now, old historic ties have been revived and given rise to co-operation across the Baltic within many fields, including spatial planning and development.

The VASAB initiative was taken in 1992 at a ministerial conference in Karlskrona, Sweden. At this historic conference the ministers decided to prepare a common vision and strategies for spatial development of the Baltic Sea region - "VASAB 2010". These are now being implemented by a number of projects throughout the region. I am proud to remind you that VASAB 2010 was the very first programme of its kind. And - by introducing the spatial dimension into national development policies during the first crucial years of independence, VASAB co-operation also strengthened the authorities responsible for spatial planning.

"VASAB 2010" is now being succeeded by "VASAB 2010 Plus". The draft "Plus" report, with a comprehensive analysis of the vision and strategies for the region, is expected to be ready in December 2000. In this connection I want to draw your attention to the concertation process, which is due from December onwards. In this process it is very important that the people who have been actually involved in the project co-operation also take part. In the meantime, you can familiarize yourself with the content by looking at the leaflet in your conference material ("Baltic co-operation in spatial planning"). A more comprehensive interim publication ("VASAB 2010 Plus") is available as a room document.

As for the future objectives of VASAB co-operation, the decisions will be taken after the concertation process. At this stage I would however, like to suggest some actions for the coming year, which I think may be important in the future development of the Baltic Sea region.

My proposals are:

Firstly, on the basis of the "VASAB 2010 Plus" report, and seen in the perspective of the CEMAT Guiding Principles, I propose to start the work on a set of "Guiding Principles" for spatial planning and development in the Baltic Sea region;

secondly, to carry out a pilot project on how, in more concrete terms, spatial planning can contribute to sustainable development;

thirdly, to establish a working group to improve co-ordination of the Interreg, Phare and Tacis financial programmes within the Baltic Sea region, and

finally, a closer co-operation of VASAB with other Baltic organisations under the umbrella of the Council of Baltic Sea States (CBSS).

With the draft of the comprehensive VASAB 2010 Plus report soon on the table, I think the time has come to formulate some short and concrete principles for spatial planning in the Baltic Sea region.

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"VASAB 2010 Plus" has a twofold purpose – i.e. to evolve new policies and, to improve their implementation. On the policy side we want to elaborate and broaden the scope of present vision and strategies, reflecting the uniqueness and diversity within the Baltic Sea region in a better way. In improving the policies, the link of the vision to the overall goal of sustainable development needs to be defined more precisely. Here the "Guiding Principles" can be of considerable value, as they point to some crucial elements of spatial planning.

We should also be more aware of the real differences between the East and the West. In order to reach common goals different approaches and strategies will be required, just because the points of departure are so different. It would therefore be of great value to lay down some concrete guiding principles for spatial planning in the Baltic Sea region - thus adding a regional value to the CEMAT principles.

Another point for improvement is the elaboration process itself. There is a growing need to put more emphasis on the ways and means by which local and regional development ideas can better incorporated. This applies also to the role of universities and research institutions in the development of the Baltic Sea region. We are much in favour of the CEMAT principles of subsidiarity, reciprocity and vertical co-operation. As you know, these are stating that the regional tier must be responsible, in conjunction with local authorities and the public, for ensuring the sustainability and coherence of spatial development.

We should pay more attention to the process qualifications required. VASAB has recently compiled a compendium of the spatial planning systems throughout the region. This compendium is now being put on the web, with links to actual plans and the people who worked with them. In Norway, professionals working with municipal and regional planning have established a network among themselves, as support and encouragement in their daily work. This forum has recently been visited by a group of Estonian planners, considering a similar network in Estonia. Such people to people contacts could give rise to the exchange of experiences and real learning across the Baltic. The experience of these planners tells me that this is not least important at the local level.

I would then like to move on to the pilot project looking into the potential of spatial planning as a way of achieving sustainable development. In the context of human rights and social justice, spatial planning becomes very important for developing democracy and empowering the people. It also provides the common arena and point of reference required to assess and direct sector policies and municipal policies towards regional objectives, combining them into comprehensive and sustainable regional policies. A concrete example might include recommendations to sectors in "Agenda 21 for the Baltic Sea region", on which actions they should take from a spatial planning point of view. The newly developed tool of strategic environmental assessment, in combination with land use planning, can be of great value here. In the context of the Nordic ministers of spatial planning, at a meeting in Bornholm only yesterday, we decided to supplement the Nordic environmental action plan with such an analysis.

As for the implementation of the "VASAB 2010 Plus", we are looking further into the institutions and instruments available, broadening the scope of co-operation and networking. The "Plus" report will identify the actions, which need to be taken at trans-national level both in relation to the Baltic Sea Region and in a wider European context.

Finance is here a crucial question. CEMAT should consider establishing working groups for improving the financial mechanisms, co-ordination and application within each of the Interreg III B co-operation areas.

The Council of Europe calls for all its member States to be included in the spatial development co-operation among European Union Member States. VASAB will promote the setting up of politically and economically significant projects within the framework of the Community Initiative Interreg III B. From a VASAB perspective priority should be given to projects bridging partners in the east and west, to any project involving Russia and to any project involving Belarus.

This makes the Interreg, Phare and Tacis programmes provided by the European Union important tools in implementing VASAB strategies at national, regional and local level. However, the situation with participation of partners from transition countries in the Interreg, Phare and Tacis co-operation is very unsatisfactory and demands urgent and concrete measures. VASAB is not expecting the European Union to provide all the financing required, merely to co-ordinate its own programmes.

Lastly, we are looking into the future role of VASAB co-operation, related to other intergovernmental organisations operating in the Baltic Sea region.

More emphasis should be put on VASAB as a political organisation. Also in the future, VASAB will be an important partner in bridging the eastern and western parts of the Baltic Sea region. I consider it very important to address VASAB’s particular role in achieving even-handed trans-national co-operation, in which all countries may participate on equal terms.

We are therefore seeking closer co-operation with other organisations within the umbrella of the Council of Baltic Sea States (CBSS). The Third Baltic Sea States Summit in Bergen this year recommended that the CBSS should in the future encompass all regional intergovernmental, multilateral co-operation among the group of CBSS countries – without infringing on the responsibility of field ministers for their own field of competence and expertise.

The VASAB Secretariat should strengthen the successful co-operation that exists with the Interreg Secretariat in Rostock. The secretariat location is, however to be maintained in an eastern Baltic Sea region country.

Mr. Chairman, let me conclude.

In the workplan of VASAB I have proposed to start work on a set of guiding principles for spatial planning in the Baltic Sea region, a more concrete project on how spatial planning can contribute to sustainable development, and to sort out some important financial and organisational matters. These matters should be addressed in the year to come, and hopefully the results can be presented at a new Baltic Sea ministerial conference in the autumn 2001. Mr Klimmt and Mr Holter have kindly invited this conference to be held in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, during the German chairmanship. In our preparations for this important event, we will continue to draw on the work already carried out by CEMAT, and stand ready to co-operate further on issues of mutual concern.

Thank you Mr. Chairman.