Get the Flash Player to see this player.
The Baltic Sea Region on Top of Europe: back to the future
The other day, I found in my files the report from the first Baltic Sea Conference that took place in Copenhagen for exactly 15 years ago – 5-6 March 1992 – where the Council of Baltic Sea States was established. And the rapporteur wrote in conclusion: “A positive and almost enthusiastic attitude was noticed among all participants.” There is nothing like the good old days, is there? The Soviet Union had just ceased to exist, the Baltic countries had been free for just over half a year – and we had all agreed on adding yet another building block to the European architecture - so enthusiasm was indeed on its right place. Sometimes we all dream about going back in time. Revisiting our own pleasant “memory lanes” and often concluding that “those were the good old days” and that “the world back then was a much better and safer place”. Of course we all knew that there were difficult days ahead of us. But none of us could have expected, what we were to achieve over a surprisingly short span of years. And there is no doubt in my mind, that the CBSS has played an imperative role in this positive transition. Many of us involved with the Baltic Sea Region back then are – believe it or not – still around. Look at one of today’s speakers, the Right Honourable Carl Bildt. When the CBSS was established he was a Prime Minister of Sweden – or – as I have heard him jokingly say – Prime Minister of “a different country”. I was at that time the Foreign Minister of Denmark, and the Foreign Ministers in those days were, of course, MUCH busier than today where you can make public diplomacy over the internet……..and even via your personal blog! • The idea was born in Rostock a few months earlier. • German-Danish initiative. • Basic philosophy: We need a place to sit and talk – all of us, big and small. • Genscher: Important that the Federal Republic engaged itself – and that Russia engaged itself. Important that länder and oblasts were actively involved – but that was not enough. The wisdom of this point has become obvious. • And the list was long in the report from that first meeting, 15 years ago, when ideas was put on the table on what this new organisation should deal with. Because there were so many relevant all the relevant regional issues: Transport and communication, energy, environment, health, culture, tourism, information – as well as humanitarian issues, minority protection and human rights….
Well the geopolitical environment is indeed different than it was in 1992. Russian, Polish, Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian are these days quite commonly heard spoken in the streets of Stockholm, Helsinki, and Copenhagen. People, goods and services travel relatively freely across our borders. And you can read about the progress every year in Baltic Development Forum’s State of the Region Report. Once the president of Estonia Toomas Ilves, when he was his country’s foreign minister, jokingly stated that the ambition of his country was to become yet another “boring Nordic country”. Based on the State of the Region Report, I would say that all three Baltic countries are rapidly succeeding in achieving this goal. I would, however, hasten to add, that these countries have in some areas even gone far beyond our achievements in the Nordic countries as well as in most other parts of Europe. Just look at their growth rates, their economic policy, their talented work force, their entrepreneurial spirit and many other qualities… And on top of that they will no doubt join the Euro long before Sweden and my own country Denmark even start talking about yet another referendum. *** Most of these positive developments are of course to be credited to the countries themselves, although there are a number of external circumstances such as stability, security and peace that have been fundamental for their successes. In this regard, the CBSS has served a unique purpose in a region with so many scars from its recent history. And though we don’t talk about them every day, some of them still remain. Let me be frank with you! Relations between Poland and the Baltic States on the one hand and Russia on the other still leave ample room for improvement. Much has changed to the better – but the tone of the dialogue is not comparable to that of - for instance - the Nordic countries in their intergovernmental, bilateral relations. This is why we still need a forum like the CBSS, where we all meet on an equal basis. I am stressing this because larger countries like Germany and Russia might find it tempting to solve issues bilaterally rather than have them discussed within a multilateral forum like the CBSS. This would go against the basic vision of Baltic cooperation – and I want to use this opportunity to urge both Berlin and Moscow to realise how important federal involvement is in this dynamic region for all good purposes in order to strengthen stability and security. This being said, the relevant regions within the big countries should of course play an important role within the Baltic Sea structures – like Hamburg and the two Northern Länder of Germany as well as the Northern Regions of Poland and the oblasts in North West Russia, St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad. Because the current situation requires much more from CBSS than just strengthening stability and security through its role as a contact forum. First of all economic cooperation must improve. In this regard, an excellent proposal was recently put forward by the Swedish CBSS-presidency to put spotlight on some already identified and too well known barriers to trade by a special High Level Task Force. A very light and non-bureaucratic structure which could draw political attention to matters hindering our companies and citizens to work and travel across borders in our Region. All countries within the CBSS have earlier this year agreed to this proposal – except one. Regrettably the very same major country where the initial idea of the CBSS was fostered. I find that very hard to understand. The problems have already been identified – so now it is time to go into the “political mode” and put pressure on the governments – and get things done! If the CBSS – and particularly the Baltic Sea Region at large – shall be able to compete globally, we need bold action and not defensive political gestures.
The Baltic Sea Region is doing well, but is of course faced with global competition like all other parts of the world. Consequently our region needs to make its mark much more effectively within the EU as well as globally in order to remain successful over time. We have various existing structures like the CBSS, the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Arctic Council and the Barents Council. We also have excellent institutions supporting the development of the region like the NIB, Helcom, BDF, BSSC, Baltic Metropoles and others. Finally – thanks to our Finnish friends – we have the less institutionalised, but very comprehensive Northern Dimension, which as of this year has an even stronger platform through the new framework document and its very concrete partnership structures. This is all very well. This vast number of structures may, however, look like what Carl Bildt during the recent Baltic Development Forum Summit dubbed a “cluster of Councils”. Our region is generally known for its prosperity, innovation, competitiveness, decent social models, and environmentally mainly sound policies. We do have many things to be proud of and which the world can learn and benefit from. But we are also in fierce competition on wages, resources and not least talents. This is why we need a new vision for our region. A strong vision backed by politicians, business, research centres – and our citizens. A vision to be make us all feel, that we are part of a great, dynamic and attractive area. We could start to think of our Region as “the Top of Europe”. I did not invent this term, but I like it very much. We must develop and position this brand globally as part of a new vision. And we must develop the necessary structures to underpin its development to the benefit of the 11 countries within our region. Any new structure should be fitted to implement this visionary, political ambition with a broad appeal to business, science, tourism, civic society etc. In this regard, you may look to ASEAN and its quite successful structures for cooperation on economic development, branding and political influence since 1967. Last but not least, there needs to be financial flexibility supporting the implementation with appropriate means stemming from the budgets of the Baltic Sea countries, the European Commission, and other regional organisations such as the Nordic Council of Ministers. Let us be bold and courageous in our vision. And let us consider whether some of our current structures should be merged and reshaped to fit the challenges I just described. The Nordic Council of Ministers, for instance, has a budget of more than 110 million euro per year. The CBSS has less than 10% of this amount to realise its scope within in 11 countries. In my view we must strengthen the ties with the Nordic Council of Ministers. Duplication should be avoided. The same goes for the Barents Council and - with some modifications – the Arctic Council. Why not pool all relevant issues from these organisations under one strong umbrella organisation on “Top of Europe”? And why not take a close look at whether it might be relevant to merge the CBSS and the Northern Dimension structures, and maybe even find a way to incorporate these within the structures of the new Northern Dimension. In conclusion, ladies and gentlemen – it cannot be concealed that The Baltic Sea is close to my heart, both because of nature’s wonders and because of the history. I grew up when The Baltic Sea was a blind alley on the political map of Europe – and I feel privileged to live in a time, when we have the possibility to make our common region into what is was in the past: A place in which people and goods and ideas can move freely from coast to coast, to the benefit of us all. This is where our future is!
|
