I would then like to move on to the pilot project looking into the potential of spatial planning as a way of achieving sustainable development. In the context of human rights and social justice, spatial planning becomes very important for developing democracy and empowering the people. It also provides the common arena and point of reference required to assess and direct sector policies and municipal policies towards regional objectives, combining them into comprehensive and sustainable regional policies. The newly developed tool of strategic environmental assessment, in combination with land use planning, can be of great value here. In the context of the Nordic ministers of spatial planning, at a meeting in Bornholm only yesterday, we decided to supplement the Nordic environmental action plan with such an analysis.
Finance is here a crucial question.
The Council of Europe calls for all its member States to be included in the spatial development co-operation among European Union Member States. However, the situation with participation of partners from transition countries in the Interreg, Phare and Tacis co-operation is very unsatisfactory and demands urgent and concrete measures. The Third Baltic Sea States Summit in Bergen this year recommended that the CBSS should in the future encompass all regional intergovernmental, multilateral co-operation among the group of CBSS countries without infringing on the responsibility of field ministers for their own field of competence and expertise. The secretariat location is, however to be maintained in an eastern Baltic Sea region country. Mr. Chairman, let me conclude .