Brussels, 22/08/2002 (Agence Europe) - The European Economic and Social Committee has published its declaration to the Ministerial meeting on the future Northern dimension of the EU, which will be held on 27-29 August in Greenland. This declaration was prepared with other social and economic actors from partner countries outside the EU, which are implicated in Northern dimension policies (see EUROPE 27 July p 18). In its declaration, the Committee welcomes the efforts made to implement the 200-2003 Action Programme, and expresses its desire that other priority action areas (environmental and nuclear safety, the fight against organised crime, the situation in Kaliningrad) and others are examined more deeply in the next Action Programme. The Committee recommends:
1) That Ministers reach agreement during the Danish Presidency on the preparation of a follow-up Action Programme beginning in 2004. This Action Programme should be based on a strategy and guidelines for Northern Europe and improve relations between neighbouring countries and the enlarged Union. Following enlargement, EU and Russian mutual interests should occupy a key place in EU policy within the Northern dimension; emphasis on the promotion of trade and investment, restructuring of the energy sectors and other natural resources, the training of human resources and social issues. Particular attention must be given to the development of infrastructure in the cross border framework projects;
2) That the EU takes measures to guarantee that the management and funding of the Northern dimension policy is well directed and co-ordinated, which would facilitate the creation of a powerful unit within the Commission and by the more intense participation of EU Member States, partner countries and the appropriate regional organisation (mainly the Council of States of the Baltic Sea) in the management of this policy;
3) That EU Member States and individual partner countries benefit from dialogue and consultation, contacts and experience of the main actors in civil society in the countries concerned during the preparation and implementation of the new Action Programme. According to the Committee, it will be necessary to encourage more co-operation between actors from civil society on the challenges of the Northern dimension. In order to more effectively study how to achieve the goal, the Committee aims to organise a multi-lateral conference in 2003 to bring together social and economic actors from the countries involved in the Northern dimension and which will be in a way that will enable civil society organisations to support the new programme;
4) The Danish Presidency of the EU will develop an Arctic agenda for the EU, as well as other actions in favour of the Northern dimension (many subjects involving the Arctic are - research and technology, nuclear safety, transport, energy, environment and telecommunications - which are relevant to the central themes in the EU's Northern dimension, the Committee points out.