Strasbourg, 09/09/2005 (Agence Europe) - The second action plan for the Nordic dimension of the EU expires in 2006, and the ministers in question will be meeting in Brussels on 21 November to draft a political statement indicating the guidelines for the framework document for the following phase of this strategy, which was launched eight years ago during the Presidency of the Finnish Prime Minister, Paavo Lipponen. The European Commission is already working on this text, Commissioner for Development Louis Michel announced on Thursday to the members of the European Parliament (speaking on behalf of the Commissioner in charge of External Relations and the development policy, Benita Ferrero-Waldner), as part of a broad consultation opened on this subject with the four Nordic regional organisations, the financial institutions in question, the European Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions. It is important that all parties, particularly Russia, feel that they are genuinely a part of this strategy, he said.
According to several MEPs, including Eija-Riitta Korhola (EPP-ED, Finland), more consistency is absolutely required for this policy, to prevent it from remaining an empty framework. It should have its own budgetary line, said Alex Stubb (Finland, also a member of the EPP-ED group), who also insisted that it should be "rejuvenated" and focus more on problems relating to the Baltic Sea. This sea, which has an average depth of 59 m (as opposed to a depth measured in kilometres in the Mediterranean), is particularly vulnerable, especially in case of accidents involving oil tankers, he said. All those who took the floor raised the subject of the Baltic, calling for a genuine strategy for this sea, which enlargement has made into an interior sea of the Union. This point in particular was made by the Finnish Green Satu Hassi, her compatriot Esko Seppänen (European United Left/Nordic Green Left ) and Niels Grunland of Sweden, who stressed the fragility of the Baltic ecosystem, and the negative impact of the presence of Russian nuclear power stations near Saint Petersbourg. Russia, said the Lithuanian Girts Kristovskis (UEN), defends its own "imperialistic" interests in the Baltic and brings pressure to bear on the Baltic states. It is a large country which should become more involved in the debate on the Nordic dimension, said Finnish Socialist Riitta Myller -and so also should Norway and Iceland, added British Liberal Diana Wallis. This is certainly what the Commission would like to see, confirmed Louis Michel, but Russia would have to attend the ministerial meeting in November and participate fully in other activities under the heading of the Nordic strategy. This is also true of Norway and Iceland. As for funding, this will continue to be taken from the framework of existing programmes (TACIS and neighbourhood). Should there be a specific strategy for the Baltic region as part of action for the Nordic dimension? "This would have its merits", Mr Michel acknowledged, but added that the Baltic Sea was dealt with mainly as part of the internal policies of the Union, as eight of its neighbouring States were members of the Union. Tume Kellan (EPP-ED, Finland) stressed the need for a "specific Baltic dimension", and Paul Rübig (EPP-ED, Austria) underlined the economic potential of the region and the role it could play in supplying the EU with energy. British Conservative Christopher Beazley, president of the Baltic intergroup, expressed his "gratitude" to Douglas Alexander, British Secretary of State for European affairs, for the "enthusiasm" he had shown during discussions with the relevant members of the European Parliament on the ministerial meeting of 21 November.