Brussels, 04/11/2008 (Agence Europe) - “Since the 2004 enlargement of the European Union, the Baltic has practically become an internal EU sea. We want to develop the Baltic area into a key region in Europe and world-wide, making it clean and liveable, attractive and safe,” said European Commissioner for Regional Policy Danuta Hübner, announcing the launch of a major on-line consultation exercise on the EU's future strategy for the Baltic Sea Region. Member States, regional and local authorities, NGOs, inter-governmental bodies and the general public are invited to put forward their views on the strategy between now and 31 December 2008. The consultation exercise, which is also open to non-EU Member States such as the Russian Federation, Iceland and Norway, will inform a Commission communication, formally proposing the strategy, in June 2009. The communication will be accompanied by an action plan identifying key players, financial instruments for implementation and a timeframe for completion. The adoption of the strategy will be one of the priorities of the Swedish Presidency in the second half of 2009.
The consultation exercise presented on Monday and available at http: //ec.europa.eu/ regional_policy/consultation/baltic/consultation_en.htm, seeks feedback on the four main proposed objectives of the strategy: 1) making the region more environmentally sustainable: high levels of pollution are affecting water, soils, air and biodiversity. The Baltic Sea has been damaged by eutrophication (oxygen deficiency), over-fishing, hazardous substances and invasive species. The region also faces problems in relation to nuclear waste management and risk prevention. 2) Making the region more prosperous: to increase and maintain its competitiveness, the eight member states bordering the Baltic (Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland) need to work better with each other, with the rest of the EU and in the global marketplace. Innovation should be promoted through small and medium enterprises and EU legislation needs to be fully implemented, especially single market rules. 3) Making the region more accessible and attractive: the region is handicapped by long distances, internally and from the rest of Europe. Incompatible transport systems are also a problem. By 2020, Baltic freight transport is anticipated to rise between 60 and 80%, with a significant increase in traffic expected in particular from Russia, Central Asia and the Far East: this situation needs to be addressed urgently, says the Commission. Robust and efficient supply of energy is another priority issue, especially in view of current volatility in energy prices. National electricity grids and gas pipelines need to be better interconnected. 4) Making the region safe and secure: the strategy will focus on the prevention of organised crime (human trafficking, illicit drugs, cyber crime etc.), corruption, and the fight against racism and xenophobia. It envisages better cooperation between police forces, as well as promotion of public health and crisis management. The safety of economic activities such as maritime transport and the protection of critical infrastructure (transport, energy and information networks) is another priority. (G.B./transl.rt)