A4-0158/95

Resolution on the Commission communication to the Council 'Orientations for a Union approach towards the Baltic Sea Region' (SEC(94)1747 - C4-0011/95)

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the Commission's communication to the Council of 25 October 1994 'Orientations for a Union approach towards the Baltic Sea Region' (SEC(94)1747 - C4-0011/95),

- having regard to the conclusions of the European Council in Cannes of 26/27 June 1995 on cooperation in the Baltic Sea region,

- having regard to the Council's conclusions of 29 May 1995 on a Union policy in the Baltic Sea region,

- having regard to the Commission's communication to the Council of 13 July 1994 on the Europe agreements and beyond: a strategy to prepare the Central and Eastern European countries for accession, COM(94)0320, and the follow-up document of 27 July 1994, COM(94)0361,

- having regard to its resolution of 30 November 1994 on the strategy of the European Union to prepare for the accession of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe with a view to the European Council in Essen (9-10 December 1994) (( OJ C 363, 19.12.1994, p. 16.)),

- having regard to the conclusions of the European Councils held in Copenhagen in June 1993 and Essen in December 1994 on the strategy for the accession of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe,

- having regard to its resolution of 9 February 1994 on Kaliningrad (Königsberg), a Russian exclave in the Baltic region: situation and outlook from a European viewpoint (( OJ C 61, 28.2.1994, p. 74.)),

- having regard to the report of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Security and Defence Policy and to the opinions of the Committee on External Economic Relations and the Committee on Regional Policy (A4-0158/95),

A. whereas it is in the interest of the entire Union to contribute to a favourable and stable political, economic and social development in Poland, the three Baltic States and the Kaliningrad and St. Petersburg regions in North-West Russia, as well as to re-establish those States as important players in European development and in ever closer cooperation in Europe,

B. whereas nine states border on the Baltic Sea; four are Members of the Union, Poland is associated through a Europe agreement and Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania will soon have such agreements; whereas Russia, the ninth state, is not a member but is associated with the Union through a Partnership Agreement (( The partnership agreement with Russia has not yet been ratified, however.)),

C. whereas supporting regional cooperation has a multiplier effect on the scope and effectiveness of Union programmes. This applies both to the Union's policy towards the Baltic region and its partnership with the Mediterranean,

D. whereas at this stage of economic transition, free trade, market access, and economic, social and ecological development are crucial factors in bridging the gap in living standards between the eastern and western parts of Europe,

E. whereas the most acute threat to life in and around the Baltic Sea is posed by various forms of pollution, which are themselves a product of environmental destruction on land,

F. whereas the inhabitants of the Baltic region have a common European cultural heritage which must be re-established and stimulated,

G. whereas the Baltic region is the only part of the world in which the EU shares a common land border with Russia, giving the area a special security dimension,

H. whereas stability in the Baltic region must be built with Russia, not against her; a sustainable security system can only be built in alliance with the USA and in cooperation with a democratic Russia,

I. whereas Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland are already associated partners in the WEU and all the states bordering on the Baltic are participating in NATO's partnership for peace,

J. whereas economic cooperation in the Baltic calls for a regional approach, and wherever the European Union is a natural partner because of its great experience in this field,

The Baltic region - part of the new Europe

1. Considers that the Baltic region is an important part of the new Europe and, therefore, advocates a comprehensive Union policy designed to promote stability, democratic, economic, social and environmental development and the rule of law in the region and to further the integration into Europe of the applicant countries, Poland and the three Baltic States, by supporting their accession strategy;

2. Welcomes the Commission's communication to the Council on a Union approach towards the Baltic Sea region, SEC(94)1747;

3. Welcomes the conclusion of Europe agreements with the three Baltic States, signifying that those states will form part of the Union's accession strategy for the countries of Central and Eastern Europe on the terms set out in the conclusions of the European Council held in Copenhagen in June 1993 and confirmed by the Essen Council in December 1994 , and calls for the accession to be based on the merits of the individual applicant states;

A framework for growth

4. Welcomes the Union's free trade agreement with the three Baltic States and proposes, as the next step, the formation of a pan-European free trade area enabling all the Baltic coastal states to compete on European markets and improved cooperation between the other Central and Eastern European countries;

5. Welcomes the financial support that the Union has provided for the region's economic development through the Structural Funds, PHARE, TACIS and other resources and stresses the importance of further aid giving priority to cooperation with and between social organizations with a view to the development of a just society and with particular attention being paid to establishing democracy and the rule of law, to physical and intellectual infrastructure and to the environment in the region,

6. Considers that the entire Baltic region ought to be incorporated into the planning of trans-European networks, and notes that the Via Baltica and the Helsinki-St. Petersburg corridor have already been approved as corridors within that network;

7. Stresses that transport networks and port networks must be subjected to a strategic environmental impact assessment;

8. Stresses the importance of investment and private enterprise for economic development in the region and, in particular, emphasizes the benefits of joint ventures in terms of transferring knowledge, language training and cultural exchange, and calls for similar efforts to be made with a view to the further training of civil servants, in particular in the former communist countries;

Sustainable development in and around the Baltic Sea

9. Proposes that the Union's Baltic programme should give priority to the environment; proposes that the LIFE programme for environment projects, which is now open to the Baltic, should be used to a greater extent in the region; points out that the environment section of the PHARE programme is too restricted and must be expanded, and stresses that such measures can be implemented through possible changes within existing Union programmes;

10. Calls for a target to be set for the cleaning of the Baltic and for the implementation of the action programme drawn up by the Helsinki Commission, HELCOM;

11. Stresses the need for the Union as a whole to cooperate to improve nuclear safety in the region and facilitate access by the eastern coastal states to clean and safe sources of energy;

Re-establishing the cultural heritage

12. Proposes that the Union should support cultural exchange in the region, in particular by promoting exchange in the media sector;

13. Proposes an increase in resources for the Eurofaculty project and its expansion to include Kaliningrad and St Petersburg universities, using funds from the Tempus/Phare and the Tempus/Tacis programmes;

Protection of the public

14. Stresses the importance of establishing the rule of law in the region and of combating the smuggling and crime problem;

15. Welcomes the inclusion of combating crime as an aspect of the Europe agreements with Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania; supports the further development of Europol and proposes that a local office be set up in the eastern Baltic, for example in Riga;

16. Considers that the sea borders and coastguard systems in the Baltic must be strengthened, as must efforts to combat gun running and drug smuggling;

Towards common security

17. Considers that the Stability Pact has been successful in establishing a constructive dialogue at the Baltic Regional Table and stresses the importance of this work continuing within the OSCE as part of the Union's Baltic policy;

18. Considers that support must be provided to facilitate the successful integration of minorities, particularly the Russian-speaking inhabitants of the Baltic States, and notes that the Council of Baltic Sea States (CBSS) now has its own Ombudsman for human rights, democratic development and the rights of minorities;

19. Calls upon all Baltic Sea States to adhere to the European Convention on Human Rights, and to recognize the right of individual applications to the European Commission of Human Rights (Article 25 of the Convention) as well as the compulsory jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights (Article 46 of the Convention), and guarantee the principles of the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the rights of minority groups;

20. Takes the view that a reduction of the military presence in the Kaliningrad area would make a vital contribution to stability in the region and thus constitute a significant impetus to incorporate the Kaliningrad area in regional cooperation;

21. Points out that the regions of Kaliningrad and Karelia and the Petersburg and Kola area present a particular challenge for balanced socio-economic development, and calls on the commission to include these regions in appropriate EU aid and cooperation programmes, taking account of the comprehensive problems of military conversion and nuclear safety in these regions;

22. Endorses accession by Member States and associated countries to all security structures in which other Member States already participate, while recognizing the right of each nation to decide its own security policy;

Promoting regional cooperation

23. Considers that the Council of Baltic Sea States (CBSS) and the Barents Euro- Arctic Council are important partners in cooperation in terms of the Union's policy on the Baltic regions, one reason being that they form a cross-border bridge between European Union Member States and non-members;

24. Takes the view that economic cooperation in the Baltic region calls for a regional approach and therefore proposes a Union programme for the Baltic which covers the entire region and incorporates multilateral and interregional cooperation;

25. Proposes that some of the funds under the Union programmes applicable to the region in accordance with generally applicable rules should be earmarked for Baltic cooperation and instructs its Committee on Budgets to investigate the available possibilities within the scope of the present budget;

26. Proposes that the Commission expand and update the cross-border section of Phare to extend its scope in the region and that it open Tacis to cross- border cooperation; proposes that practical forms of coordination and joint planning are set up for Phare CBC, the Structural Funds/Interreg II and Tacis and that sea borders be counted as borders in all cross-border programmes;

Developing cross-border cooperation

27. Takes the view that the prompt establishment of EU representation in the Baltic States' capitals is of the utmost importance for political dialogue with those countries, for monitoring the implementation of Phare and in terms of their support for and knowledge about the Union;

28. Proposes that the Union should extend the CBSS' role in identifying projects and priorities for the region, that the Commission should give greater consideration to the activities and decisions of the CBSS and that the CBSS should also continue its dialogue with the international financial institutions with a view to improving coordination between the various forms of cooperation;

29. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission, and to the governments and parliaments of the Member States of the Union and of the member states of the CBSS.