Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-09-16-Speech-3-064"
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"en.20090916.6.3-064"2
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"Mr President, I am delighted to have the opportunity to present one of the main priorities of the Swedish Presidency – the development of the strategy for the Baltic Sea area. This proposal was largely inspired by the initiative taken by the European Parliament back in 2005 in a cross-party working group led by Christopher Beazley. Sweden intends to use its Presidency to draw up a coherent, comprehensive strategy for the area based on proposals from the Commission.
One of the main events is an extensive high-level meeting that will take place in Stockholm tomorrow and the following day. Naturally, Sweden and the other countries neighbouring the Baltic have a great interest in the strategy for the area, but we also believe it could serve as a model for other regions and other regional strategies that would be useful to the entire EU. By working across borders and between different sectors in a particular region, we can deal collectively and more effectively with common challenges such as pollution and environmental destruction. We can create new business opportunities and new jobs, and improve transport links.
Consequently, it is important that regional strategies form part of a wider European policy. The proposed strategy for the Baltic Sea area is the result of a request made by the European Council to the Commission in December 2007 and the initiative was supported by the European Parliament in a resolution of 12 December 2007. It is hoped that the strategy will gain the backing of the European Council meeting at the end of October.
The aim of the strategy is to improve the environment in the Baltic Sea area and to increase integration and competitiveness in the area. The strategy addresses four challenges in particular: ensuring a sustainable environment, increasing wealth, improving accessibility and attractiveness, and guaranteeing security and certainty in the area. Getting to grips with the environmental issues is, of course, one of the main priorities. There are very serious threats to the Baltic Sea environment which, in turn, means that there is a risk that its economic development will be affected. This is a very sensitive marine environment that is exposed to various kinds of environmental impact.
Decisive efforts are needed, and quickly. In particular, overfertilisation and algal blooms caused by excess nutrient run-off are threatening the ecological equilibrium of the Baltic Sea. At the same time, the Baltic Sea is also affected by pollution from land-based sources, hazardous substances and the effects of climate change. As a result of these acute and serious environmental threats, the Baltic Sea area is an obvious priority in the area of the environment and we hope that conclusions will be adopted in December.
However, the serious state of health of the Baltic Sea area is not the only challenge faced by the region. The economic crisis has made the matter of jobs and growth highly topical. Most of the countries in the Baltic Sea area are small and are dependent on exports. This means that we must increase integration in order to strengthen competitiveness throughout the entire Baltic Sea region. Our aims and goals in this respect are clear. We want the internal market to function better in our region than anywhere else, and we want the new Lisbon strategy for jobs and growth to be implemented effectively in this part of Europe.
We must address the crisis by increasing cooperation and commitment in our immediate area. Global competitiveness requires cross-border cooperation between countries and enterprises, in research and through innovations.
The aim of the strategy for the Baltic Sea area is not to create new institutions. Rather, we are endeavouring to use the instruments and policy areas that already exist such that together, they benefit the area in a more strategically coordinated and intelligent way. Neither does the strategy involve new resources being injected into the area. It is based on existing EU programmes and existing structures and on finding better ways to coordinate.
Naturally, our objective cannot be achieved overnight, but our goals are ambitious. We deserve a cleaner Baltic Sea at the centre of an area that offers prospects for sustainable economic development across borders, supported by the entire EU. If we can achieve this, then I am convinced that we will be serving the interests of the Baltic Sea area, and I hope that we will also create a model that can be adapted and applied effectively in other regions. I would like to express my thanks for the positive cooperation of the Commission on this matter, and not least the European Parliament – which is, after all, the institution that originally took the initiative and has been a driving force in connection with cooperation in the Baltic Sea area throughout."@en1
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