Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on 'Relations between the European Union and the countries bordering the Baltic Sea'
Date: 1997-12-10
Institutions: European Economic and Social Committee
Subjects: Baltic Sea, Central and Eastern European countries, EU relations, European Union, trade relations

9.3.98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 73/57

Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on ‘Relations between the European Union
and the countries bordering the Baltic Sea’

(98/C 73/17)

The Economic and Social Committee’s information report on relations between the European
Union and the countries bordering the Baltic Sea was adopted unanimously by the Section for
External Relations, Trade and Development Policy in January 1997. At its March 1997 plenary
session, the Committee decided unanimously to forward the report to the Council of Ministers
and the Commission.

At its plenary session on 10 July 1997, the Economic and Social Committee, acting under Rule
23(3) of its Rules of Procedure, decided to draw up an opinion on ‘Relations between the
European Union and the countries bordering on the Baltic Sea’.

The opinion is based largely on the contents of the above report.

The Economic and Social Committee has already adopted several opinions on relations
between the EU and the countries of the Baltic Sea region. These are listed in Appendix I and
are taken into account in the information report and this opinion without being referred to
directly.

The Section for External Relations, Trade and Development Policy, which was responsible
for preparing the Committee’s work on the subject, adopted its opinion unanimously on
25 November 1997. The rapporteur was Mr Hamro-Drotz.

At its 350th plenary session (meeting of 10 December 1997) the Economic and Social Committee
adopted the following opinion by 119 votes in favour, with six abstentions.

1. Background and current situation

1.1.
There are nine Baltic Rim countries: Germany,
Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Poland, Lithuania,
Latvia and Estonia. Certain other countries are often
included in the Baltic Sea cooperation area, e.g. Norway.

The Baltic Sea has had an enormous influence on the
history of Europe. It is a vital route in northern Europe
and has through the ages acted as a link between the
countries and peoples of the Baltic Rim.

1.2.
In recent years, the situation in the Baltic Sea
region has changed drastically, following normalization
of east-west relations. The changes are underpinned by
the following factors, in particular: the enlargement of
the European Union, involving the accession of Sweden
and Finland in 1995, the reunification of Germany in
the early 1990s, the newly regained independence of
the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania), Poland’s
improved economic and political situation, the con-
clusion of a partnership and cooperation agreement
between the EU and Russia.

The Baltic Sea, including the Gulf of Bothnia
1.3.
and the Gulf of Finland, is gradually becoming an inland
sea for the EU and is increasingly surrounded by the
EU’s single market. A new age has dawned, in which
people’s independence is respected. This new situation
is based on trust and peaceful co-existence between
neighbouring countries in the region.

The countries of the Baltic Sea region are blessed with
natural resources, production facilities and human
resources. Closer cooperation between the countries in
the area is making it possible to exploit these resources.

In recent years, trade between the countries
1.4.
bordering the Baltic Sea has increased by nearly 20 %
per year (1). The internationalization of companies
operating in the economies in transition in the region is
still in its infancy, and, according to the above-mentioned
ETLA study, the greatest obstacles to economic cooper-
ation between these countries are to be found in
legislation and its implementation, scant acceptance of
foreign firms, high investment costs, problems in goods
transport and crime. High inflation, the continuing high
levels of collective ownership, privatization arrange-
ments and shortcomings in the public decision-making
process also reduce economic cooperation opportunities.
Growth in foreign trade between the countries of the
Baltic Sea Region, the increase in direct corporate
investment and incipient production cooperation are,
however, signs that the outlook for economic growth is
improving (2).

(1) Näringslivets forskningsinstitut/ETLA: Barriers to Econ-

omic Cooperation of the Baltic Rim countries.

(2) Professor U.Kivikari: The Legacy of Hansa — The Baltic
Economic Region, Otava Publishing 1996, C.Fredriksson:
Handel och investeringar i O¨ stersjöregionen 1996.

C 73/58

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

9.3.98

1.5.
The Baltic Sea is affected by a number of
unfavourable conditions and continuous pressure from
pollution and man’s over-exploitation of nature. The
EU and the Baltic Sea states have, on several occasions,
noted that common initiatives to fight pollution must
be strengthened and that the measures adopted so far
have been unsatisfactory. The Baltic Marine Environ-
ment Protection Commission (HELCOM) has been
operative since 1974. All the countries in the surrounding
area are members of the commission, as is the EU.

1.6.
The recent political changes in central and eastern
European countries mean that development is needed in
several policy areas: in administration, infrastructure,
and in the extent to which the countries are ready for
cooperation and integration. The EU’s contribution
towards development in the countries of the Baltic Sea
region, Poland and Russia comes mostly from the Tacis,
Phare and Interreg programmes. Economic support is
also provided by institutions such as the European
Investment Bank (EIB), the International Monetary
Fund (IMF), the International Bank for Reconstruction
and Development (IBRD),
the European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the Nordic
Investment Bank (NIB) and the Nordic Council. A
considerable input of bilateral aid is also provided by
individual countries, particularly the EU Member States
around the Baltic. During 1990 to 1994, aid to the Baltic
Sea region amounted to some ECU 4,5 billion (about
15 % from the EU, 45 % from national aid and 40 %
from international bodies), and for 1995-1999 is expected
to rise to approximately ECU 4,7 billion (about 20 %
from the EU, 45 % in national aid and 35 % from
international bodies) (1).

The Baltic Sea States’ international relations and
1.7.
relations with the EU have been enshrined in several
agreements. Relations have undergone huge changes in
recent years, and will probably be strengthened and
developed further in the future. The most important
agreements are shown in the table in Appendix II.

The coastal states in the area can be divided into

1.8.
three groups:

1) EU Member States (Germany, Denmark, Finland

and Sweden);

2) countries which have signed Europe (association)
agreements (Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia);

3) one country which has signed a partnership and

cooperation agreement with the EU (Russia).

1.9.
The European Union has established guidelines
for its Baltic Sea Region strategy. In Autumn 1994,
the European Commission set about preparing the
guidelines for the EU’s Baltic Sea policy. The Com-
mission’s Baltic Sea initiative was adopted, and the
conclusions of the European Council meeting in Florence
in June 1996 stated that: ‘the European Council reiterates

(1) Communication from the European Commission, CSE

(96) 608 final: Baltic Sea Region Initiative (BSRI).

the importance of the effective implementation of the
Union’s strategy towards the Baltic Sea region, among
other things in relation to the need to further develop
the Union’s relations with Russia.’ (2)

1.10.
There are many cooperation forums operating
in the Baltic Sea region. There is a myriad of local
and sectoral cooperation initiatives. The trade union
organizations, for instance, are working on a coordi-
nated initiative within the framework of the Sodicoba
project. The Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) was
established in 1992 to provide a forum for national
governments. Apart from the coastal states, Norway
and Iceland are also members, as is the EU via the
European Commission.

1.11.
The Heads of Government of the CBSS member
states met EU leaders at a summit meeting in Visby
in May 1996. The aim was to consolidate the Baltic Sea
region as a dynamic, democratic and stable part of the
new Europe. The summit approved a declaration,
containing inter alia the following statement: ‘The heads
of government discussed various measures in the three
areas of increased people-to-people cooperation and
civic security, economic development and integration
and strengthened environmental protection which could
be implemented through action programmes to be
further elaborated by the CBSS.’ (3) The CBSS Ministerial
session held in Kalmar, July 1996, endorsed the
implementation of the action programmes, in accord-
ance with the summit recommendations (4).

1.12.
Since the ESC’s information report was pub-
lished, important events have taken place in the Baltic
Sea region and in Baltic Sea cooperation:

1)

In July 1997, the European Commission published
Agenda 2000(5), which addresses the EU’s enlarge-
ment strategy, funding for enlargement, etc. At the
same time, the Commission published its reports on
the applicant countries, including the Baltic Sea
states of Estonia (6), Latvia (7), Lithuania (8) and
Poland (9).

Following on from these reports, the Commission
recommends that accession negotiations with the
Baltic Sea countries should first start with Poland
and Estonia. Negotiations with the other Baltic Sea
applicant countries should start when they are better
prepared for membership. A Europe-Conference is

(2) European Council meeting in Florence, June 1996.
(3) Baltic Sea States Summit 1996: Presidency Declaration and

Action Programme.

(4) CBSS, Fifth Ministerial Session, Communiqué.
(5) COM(97) 2000 final, volumes I, II and summaries and

conclusions on the applications for accession.

(6) COM(97) 2006 final.
(7) COM(97) 2005 final.
(8) COM(97) 2007 final.
(9) COM(97) 2002 final.

9.3.98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 73/59

being planned to enable all European countries to
discuss integration.

The aim is for a decision to be taken at the
Luxembourg Summit in December 1997 on the
choice of candidates and starting dates for the
negotiations and other relevant measures on the
basis of the conclusions of the European Council in
Copenhagen in 1993 and the Commission reports.

2)

In June 1997, the European Parliament adopted its
report on the Commission’s Baltic Sea Region
Initiative (1).

The report emphatically endorses increased cooper-
ation in the region. The European Parliament rec-
ommends that cooperation between Baltic Sea region
MPs should be launched. The EP also calls on the
Commission to present a report this year on how
cooperation is proceeding and the kinds of resources
it is likely to require.

3)

In May 1997, the Commission presented a Communi-
cation on cross-border cooperation within the frame-
work of the Tacis programme (2).

The Commission adduces the growing importance
of the Baltic Sea region within an enlarged European
Union as one of the reasons for the need for
cross-border cooperation. The new instrument
encourages neighbouring regions to cooperate more
on cross-border projects, e.g. expanding infrastruc-
ture. A number of Tacis-funded projects are up-and-
running.

4) The CBSS’s working group for economic cooper-
ation (WGEC) submitted a report on its work to the
CBSS’s Ministerial Session in July 1997 (3). The
conclusions of the CBSS Ministerial Session in
Kalmar, July 1996, show that the countries had
tackled the following areas in particular: cross-
border customs formalities, transport and communi-
cations, energy, small and medium-sized enterprises,
the financial sector, legislation, land reform and
spatial planning, trade agreements and support
measures.

The consensus is that most of the above views are
being addressed in, inter alia, the EU’s pre-accession
strategy and in cooperation with Russia, and that
many of the issues are being taken up by other
it is therefore important to
cooperation bodies:
coordinate Baltic Sea cooperation with these efforts.

(1) Report on the Commission Communication on the Baltic

Sea Region Initiative, A4-0196/97, PE 220.283/fin.

(2) Communication from the Commission on Cross-border
Cooperation within the framework of the Tacis pro-
gramme, COM(97) 239 final.

(3) Annual Report for the period September 1996 to June

1997, WGEC 52.

Emphasis is placed in particular on the importance
of national decisions and executive measures in
accordance with the report’s guidelines.

5) The CBSS held its Sixth Ministerial Session in
Riga in July 1997. The Communiqué (4) notes with
satisfaction that progress had been made in cooper-
ation in a number of areas in the previous year,
following on from the Commission’s Baltic Sea
initiative, and in the action programme approved at
the CBSS Ministerial Session in July 1996. The
Ministerial Session called on the Baltic Sea countries
to continue their efforts in these cooperation areas
and to set up a permanent secretariat for improved
administration. Denmark has the presidency of the
CBSS for the coming year until the next Ministerial
Session in Denmark in 1998. The next summit of the
Heads of State and Government of the Baltic Sea
states is being planned for early 1998.

6) The floods in Poland, Germany and the Czech
Republic in the summer of 1997 have caused a much
greater influx of dirty water into the Baltic Sea and
this is polluting the Baltic and surrounding areas
considerably. The increasing eutrophication of the
Baltic has, inter alia, led to a considerable increase
in the amount of poisonous blue algae. These have
spread to such an extent that an increasing area of
the Baltic Sea is more or less out of bounds for
leisure activities during the warm summer months.

2. Recommendations

2.1.
Following on from the conclusions contained in
the ESC’s information report and recent developments
in the area, the ESC notes that:

— major changes are taking place in the non-EU Baltic
Sea countries, and in relations between the countries
in the region; these changes are helping to strengthen
the importance of the Baltic as a region, with
potential benefits for Europe as a whole;

— the Baltic Sea region is a growth area with a range
of economic strengths and production potential; it
also serves as a route for transit traffic flowing in
many directions, which can also benefit Europe as a
whole;

— there are large discrepancies in the levels of prosperity
of the Baltic Sea countries — particularly between
EU countries and third countries — and there are
still many elements of uncertainty which are an
obstacle to cooperation in the region.

(4) CBSS 6th Ministerial Session, Communiqué.

C 73/60

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

9.3.98

In the light of the above, the Committee would

2.2.
make the following recommendations:

1) The ESC emphasizes that the EU and its Member
States can increase stability in the area by providing
support for the reforms in the economies in transition
in the region, in accordance with the principles of a
market economy and a society based on citizens’
rights and the rule of law. The Committee sees
cooperation between the EU and the coastal states
of the Baltic Sea as an important multilateral means
of preventing political conflict and as a way of
boosting economic development, security, peace and
prosperity in Northern Europe. Cooperation should
not merely enhance relations between the EU and
the Baltic Sea states; it should also encourage the
non-EU countries of the region to cooperate more
closely amongst themselves. Since the Baltic is the
only region where the EU and Russia share a border,
Baltic Sea cooperation should also be a means of
strengthening cooperation between the two. The
ESC would therefore emphasize the importance of
good, multilateral cooperation in the region and
believes the EU should actively encourage and
develop cooperation efforts. All the countries of the
region must be wholeheartedly committed if the
cooperation is to bear fruit.

2) The ESC feels that Baltic Sea cooperation does not
require any new multilateral agreements, but rather
that existing agreements and enlargement efforts, in
accordance with, inter alia, the guidelines contained
in the Commission’s Agenda 2000 proposal, can
be used as a blueprint for the development of
cooperation. The EU Member States which have
still not ratified the EU-Baltic Sea States Agreement
of June 1995 should do so without delay. It is
also in the EU’s interest that the partnership and
cooperation agreement (PCA) with Russia should
enter into force. The challenge for the coming years
will be to reap the largest possible benefits from
existing agreements and to pursue purposefully the
opportunities the agreements offer. The Baltic Sea
needs a valid, clear and well-structured and coordi-
nated strategy. Baltic Sea cooperation provides a
natural basis for a Northern dimension to the EU’s
activities. This could be linked to, inter alia, the
activities of the Euro-Arctic Council of the Barents
(established in 1993), the cooperation of the Nordic
countries and closer cooperation with the non-EU
countries of the neighbouring region. The EU should
work actively to develop its strategy in this regard.

3) The ESC feels that accession negotiations between
the EU and the applicant Baltic Sea states should,
preferably, all begin at the same time, as should
the negotiations with the other central European
applicant countries. Should this not be the case, then
it is of the greatest importance that extra support be

provided for those countries which are unable to
launch negotiations, so that they can improve their
position as soon as possible. The ESC feels that the
Commission’s enlargement strategy in Agenda 2000,
particularly concerning pre-accession partnership, is
necessary for this. The ESC hopes that the position
of individual applicant countries as regards the
launch of accession negotiations will be monitored
on an annual basis and that the Committee will
be afforded an opportunity to take part in the
monitoring process.

4) The ESC feels it important that Baltic Sea cooper-
ation should be linked to the EU’s main policy areas,
inter alia, concerning enlargement and partnership
infrastructures for
objectives (cf. Agenda 2000),
transport and communications, energy, the environ-
ment, education and employment, social dialogue,
structural and regional support, and the functioning
of
the single market as regards the applicant
countries.

In particular EU strategy should aim to develop
working cooperation, underpinned by the most
concrete action plan possible in questions of common
interest. The ESC feels that cooperation should be
built on four pillars: economic growth and social
development; democracy and security; people-to-
people cooperation; and environmental protection.
The Committee endorses the activities which have
thus far been carried out within the framework of
the CBSS and which are underpinned by the action
programmes adopted at the Ministerial Session
of July 1996, and by other Baltic Sea cooperation
forums, and would encourage these bodies to con-
tinue their efforts.

5)

In the economic field, the ESC feels that measures
are required in the following areas: an improved
climate for company operation and cooperation,
improvement and adjustment to the energy network
and the transport networks for goods, people and
information, simplification of border formalities,
reduction in criminal business activities, harmon-
ization of rules governing trade, marketing, invest-
ment and competition, promotion of investment
guarantees and smoothly functioning financial sys-
tems. Non-EU countries need help in modernizing
their economic legislation and their institutions,
including customs administration, and in corporate
marketing and exports, goods distribution and logis-
tics. Transit trade and membership of non-EU Baltic
Sea states in the WTO should be encouraged. Special
attention should also be paid to agriculture and
trade in food products.

6) The ESC would emphasize that cooperation in the
Baltic Sea region should also consist of cultural and
social objectives of common interest. These include

9.3.98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 73/61

employment, the treatment of ethnic minorities and
fundamental rights, such as equality in the workplace
and social security, in the economies in transition.

Baltic Sea states to achieve good regional cooper-
ation.

The single market is closely tied up with social
aspects. Consequently, enlargement should not be
confined to merely introducing an area of free
movement; rather, enlargement and other cooper-
ation efforts should be moulded along the lines of
in which there is also an
the European model,
attempt to reduce social tension, unemployment and
injustice in the workplace.

7) The ESC is gravely concerned about the destruction
of the environment in the Baltic Sea region. Environ-
mental pollution recognizes no borders, and can best
be tackled through regional cooperation. Resolute,
urgent action is needed to protect the Baltic Sea and
its coastal areas from pollution and eutrophication
caused by a series of serious discharges into the
require new common
environment. This will
measures and resources, and the Committee would
emphasize that the EU should, first and foremost,
support the activities of HELCOM for the implemen-
tation of the Baltic Sea Protection Programmes
1992-2012 and Agenda 21 for the Baltic Sea.

8) The ESC believes that regional and local cooperation
in the Baltic Sea region is of key importance.
Cross-border
cooperation between towns and
municipalities, businesses, educational establish-
ments, trade unions, children and youth organ-
izations, sports, women’s and agricultural organ-
izations, etc., should be encouraged. Similarly, the
ESC attaches importance to cooperation between
civic organizations and support for such cooperation.
The EU should adopt measures to boost bilateral
cooperation between the countries of the region.
The ESC also endorses the EP’s call for regional
cooperation between Baltic Sea region MPs.

It is the ESC’s belief that cooperation in the Baltic
Sea region should, above all, centre on the needs of
economic and social operators. It is important that
trade and industry, employees, farmers, consumers
and other key interest groups in society receive
adequate information and that their views be taken
into account through appropriate social dialogue.
These groups should therefore be included in Baltic
Sea cooperation at local, national and international
levels. Structured interaction and appropriate con-
sultation mechanisms could provide the best way to
harness the know-how, experience and opinions of
these groups; this is the best way for the EU and the

The ESC would point out that several of its earlier
opinions have emphasized the importance of estab-
lishing bilateral contacts between itself and CEEC
socio-economic interest groups. The ESC would
reiterate this proposal and calls on the EU to support
the establishment of joint committees and other
opportunities — particularly for the socio-economic
interest groups of the applicant countries — to
establish contact with and get to know the ESC.
This could be of considerable assistance in preparing
non-EU countries
for closer cooperation and
accession.

9) The ESC believes that support for societal change in
the non-EU member countries of the region is
required so that a functioning society based on the
rule of law can be achieved as soon as possible.
There should be a shift in emphasis from direct aid
to the creation of a suitable climate for investment.
To this end, technical support should be sufficiently
comprehensive and focus particularly on improving
know-how and
programmes
(especially Tacis, Phare and Interreg) which also
involve the Baltic Sea states, should be implemented
as effectively as possible. The Committee therefore
emphatically endorses the recent measures taken by
the Commission to improve the administration of
the programmes.

skills. Existing

In order to get the best value from the support
programmes in the Baltic Sea region, the Commission
should also introduce measures to make it possible
to combine projects from different programmes and
to place greater emphasis on local and cross-border
projects. The ESC endorses the Commission’s recent
initiative to encourage cross-border cooperation.

The ESC therefore calls for better coordination of
the main objectives of support provided by the
EU, international credit institutions and individual
countries, and recommends that
the EU allow
sufficient scope for Baltic Sea cooperation in future
structural and regional policies, and in the EU’s
financial framework for 2000-2006. In the future,
EIB support could also focus on the Baltic Sea region
across the Russian border.

10) The ESC takes the view that the CBSS provides a
suitable forum to maintain and boost coordination
of cooperation efforts in the Baltic Sea region. To
this end, the role of the CBSS and EU participation
should be stepped up. The Committee endorses the
plans to establish a CBSS secretariat, and common

C 73/62

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

9.3.98

databases etc. should be set up so that advances
in Baltic Sea cooperation can be monitored and
recorded reliably. The ESC believes it is important

for all countries in the Baltic Sea region to redouble
their efforts to implement nationally the guidelines
established by the CBSS.

Brussels, 10 December 1997.

The President

of the Economic and Social Committee

Tom JENKINS

APPENDIX I

Other ESC opinions and information reports dealing with relations between the EU and the countries
bordering the Baltic Sea

— EC relations with the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, additional Opinion, September 1991

(Rapporteur: Mr Petersen);

— Economic and social organizations in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe — consultative

mechanisms, Opinion, November 1992 (Rapporteur: Mr Masucci);

— Relations between the European Community and the Baltic States, Opinion, March 1993 (Rapporteur:

Mr Petersen);

— European Union/CEEC relations: common horizontal problems in the fields of the environment,
energy, transport and telecommunications, Information Report, December 1993 (Rapporteur: Mr
Masucci);

— Relations between the EU and Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, Opinion, January 1995 (Rapporteur:

Mr Petersen);

— Evaluation of the Phare programme, Information Report, October 1995 (Rapporteur: Mr Gafo

Ferna´ndez);

— Pan-European transport conference and social dialogue — from Crete to Helsinki, Own-initiative

Opinion, April 1996 (Rapporteur: Mr Eulen);

— Commission report on the Single Market in Europe in 1995, Opinion, May 1996 (Rapporteur: Mr

Vever);

— Commission communication on integrated management of coastal zones, Opinion, July 1996

(Rapporteur: Mr Bento Gonçalves);

— White Paper on the preparation of the associated countries of central and eastern Europe for
integration into the internal market of the Union, Opinion, September 1996 (Rapporteur: Mr
Masucci);

— The implications for the CAP of the accession of the countries of central and eastern Europe,

Opinion, December 1996 (rapporteur: Mr Bastian);

— Relations between the European Union and the countries bordering the Baltic Sea, Information

Report, March 1997 (Rapporteur: Mr Hamro-Drotz);

— Enlargement of the European Union, Opinion, October 1997 (Rapporteur: Mr Masucci);

— Commission Communication ‘Agenda 2000’, Opinion, October 1997 (Rapporteurs: Mr Cal and Mr

Moreland).

9.3.98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 73/63

APPENDIX II

TABLE 1

International relations in the Baltic Sea region

SW RU

PO

ES

LA

LI

(NO)

(IC)

EU Member State

EU candidate state

Other agreement with EU

Member of WTO

Member of OECD

Member of UN

Member of ILO

Council of Europe

OSCE

Nordic Council

EFTA

EEA

Free-trade agreement with
EFTA

CEFTA

Three Baltic States, free-trade
agreement 1994 (7)

Member of NATO

NATO partners (NACC)

CBSS

WEU

GE

DE

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

(8)

FI

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

(1)

(2)

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

(4)

X

X

X

(8)

X

X

(8)

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

(1)

(1)

(1)

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

(3)

(3)

(3)

(5)

(5)

X

X

X

X

X

X

(5)

(6)

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

(8)

X

(8)

(1) Membership negotiations in progress.
(2) Has applied for membership.
(3) Observer.
(4) Since 15 November 1993.
(5) Since 1 June 1996.
(6) Has concluded free-trade agreement with Poland.
(7) The Presidents of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania issued a joint declaration in Vilnius in May 1996 in which, inter
alia, they stressed their countries’ intention to work together in close cooperation in the international community.

(8) Associate partners or observer members.