Brussels, 02/04/2003 (Agence Europe) - The second Forum on the Northern Dimension, organised by the European Economic and Social Forum (EESC) on 19 March in Brussels with the participation of the Council of Baltic Sea States and representatives from civil society from al the countries involved in the Northern Dimension (see EUROPE 28 February p 18), concluded with the adoption of the Presidency's conclusions offering total support for the 2003 launch of a new action plan for 2004-2006.
In these conclusions, the Forum recommends that this new plan includes measures aiming to promote human resources, education at all levels (notably apprenticeships for life long learning), as well as exchanges of researchers, teaches and students. It considers that the terms figure in the new action plan guidelines, according to which sustainability is the key word at local, regional and international levels for personnel, "as the essential starting point" for future action. It also adds that the actions plan should promote employability and qualified labour, as well as identifying cross-border cooperation in this area.
The forum: 1) takes note of the considerable disparities in terms of welfare between the different countries in the region, as well as the numerous obstacles that hinder cross border cooperation in economic and social domains in the region; 2) supports "the all actions, which would improve trade, sustainable business cooperation and investments in production, services and transport". This would require, "actions to facilitate border-crossing, to improve predictable and efficient environment for companies, to support entrepreneurship and SMES, as well as to tackle corruption and organised crime"; 3) draws attention to the need to develop further the transport infrastructure, both for goods and persons, in the region"; 4) encourages, "cooperation in environmentally sustainable exploitation and to develop transportation of natural resources, including oil, gas and electricity"; 5) stresses "the importance of informing relevant civil society organisations at local, national and regional level about the Northern dimensions, as well as of engaging them in actions to develop and implement the Northern Dimension".
The Forum welcomes the proposal in the guidelines, to "build solid structures to implement the action plan. The leading role of the European Commission was considered necessary also in the future for the success of actions". The Forum also considers that "a well functioning monitoring and information system will be of immense importance in this respect. Participants in the Forum expressed the preparedness of organised civil society in all countries concerned to play their full part in the implementation".