BSSSC Key Priority Areas Top key objectives 2009 - 2010
BSSSC will continue to act as a political network organisation open to all regions in the Baltic Sea area bringing added value to regional co-operation on every side of the Baltic Sea. BSSSC will be a co-operation partner to other BSR organisations at the national, regional and local level and will continue to advocate the views of sub- regions to national authorities and EU institutions. Envisaged activities of BSSSC in the years 2009 and 2010 include:
1. Science and Education
BSSSC regards education and science as key elements for the further development of the Baltic Sea region which is already home for a considerable number of world-class universities and research institutions. Therefore, the organisation will support all efforts to strengthen European research within the region by supporting border crossing co-operation in the field of science. Academic co-operation, e.g. the exchange of students as well as that of scientists, will be strengthened by promoting the European instruments of funding. Additionally, BSSSC will support co-operation in primary and secondary education. In this context the organisation specifically appreciates the extension of European programmes for regional co-operation in education. Besides, BSSSC will support the exchange of experiences within the field of school management and school organisation hereby using European programmes of funding like Comenius Regio.
2. Maritime Policy
The Baltic Sea is a fragile environment which we all heavily depend on, not only as an area for transportation but also as an area for production of food and for recreation. BSSSC will continue its commitment for an ambitious implementation of the European maritime policy in the Baltic Sea region. One major objective is the development of the region into Europe’s maritime best practice region by 2015. Therefore, BSSSC will continue the dialogue with the EU Commission on an appropriate implementation of the European maritime policy matching the needs and consulting the expertise of the regions. The organisation will support projects of an integrated maritime policy suitable to mitigate the environmental effects of maritime activities in the region. For example, it will initiate the introduction of land-based power supply for ships in all relevant ports of the Baltic Sea region and the introduction of environmentally differentiated fair-way and/or harbour dues in order to set incentives for the usage of low-sulphur fuels.
3. Climate Change and Sustainable Development
BSSSC is convinced that it is essential to undertake major efforts in Europe to cope with the effects of the climate change until the year 2020. The organisation underlines the need to coordinate and co-operate on strategies to achieve at least a 20% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. The necessary changes will not occur by themselves but must be addressed at a political level – also by regional and local authorities. BSSSC shall contribute to the further development and implementation of this process. Thus, the BSSSC Annual Conference in October 2009 in Zealand, Denmark, will focus on how regions can cope with the challenge of climate change. It will serve to give a special regional input to the following UN climate summit in Copenhagen by the end of the year. Furthermore, BSSSC will support and contribute to the implementation of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan and will continue the constructive cooperation with Baltic 21 and BSSSC.
4. Youth Policy
Youth exchange and youth initiatives are important factors for creating a common space of successful co-operation in the Baltic Sea Region. Having successfully carried out a youth conference on the EU Baltic Sea Strategy in February 2009 in Hamburg, BSSSC will now concentrate on the CBSS conference on youth empowerment in Copenhagen in May 2009 and will organise a youth conference on youth participation and sustainable lifestyles
in Region Zealand, Denmark in October 2009.
5. Transport and Infrastructure
Together with the so-called Amber Coast Transport Initiative BSSSC aims to open up the untapped hinterland transport potential of the Baltic states linking Kaliningrad Oblast and Poland with Belarus (including Western Russia and Northern Ukraine). In close co-operation at the policy level (e.g. transport ministries) together with administrative agencies (e.g. port authorities, customs) and commercial entities (e.g. private multi-modal transport operators) the initiative will organise an exchange of best practice based on a round table approach including institution building. Furthermore, BSSSC will continue to support the development of the project “TransBaltic – Towards an integrated transport system in the Baltic Sea Region” as a flagship-project in the framework of the EU Baltic Sea Strategy.
Other focal points of the work of BSSSC in the next two years will be the promotion of intensified co-operation with Russia, better use of EU programmes for projects in the region, public health and quality of life with a working group on communicable diseases and antibiotic resistance as well as the continued co-operation in the Baltic Sea Strategy of the EU.
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