The presiding nation of the Council of the Baltic Sea States, (CBSS) for 2003-2004 was Estonia. It was for Estonians to organize and host the 5th Baltic Sea States Summit that took place at Laulasmaa, near Tallinn on June 21st. Leaders from Baltic Sea states as well as European Union and European Commission representatives attended. This summit was the first since the 3 Baltic states became EU members, thus there was greater EU expectation expressed, at least in the corridors, if not in the meeting rooms, for achieving cohesion of mutual interest.
Laulasmaa is a picturesque vacation region mere minutes away from the Estonian capital, where governmental retreats are found catercorner to the summer residences of the regular people. Tallinners - and many other coastal Estonians may just take the proximity of the Baltic Sea for granted. It is always there, for business and pleasure. The summit site was thus an appropriate symbolic choice.
The Baltic Sea has long been under tremendous environmental abuse. The PR work of HELCOM, the Helsinki based Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission since the 1970's has kept this issue in the public awareness. The fact that the shallow Baltic takes the longest of any international water body to completely circulate old water for new by tidal motion. It is no wonder then, that oil transport on the waters of this fragile, highly sensitive ecosystem ranked high on the agenda. The biggest threat on the main these days is the use of old single-hulled tankers for the transport of heavy grades of oil. The most visible newsworthy result of the meeting was the endorsement of a ban on single hulled vessels for oil transport. Declared by the International Maritime Organization, the ban is scheduled to come into force next April.
On an other oily note, the CBSS meeting brought recently appointed and anointed Russian PM, the unctuous Mikhail Fradkov to Estonia for the very first time, where he made news more by negative acts, such as snubbing his Estonian counterpart Juhan Parts's request for a mano-a-mano direct meeting, than by any positive declaration. A bilateral meeting would have showed intent to work on common goals, cement bonds; instead Fradkov took the PMs of Poland and Finland with him to the scheduled face on face luncheon with Parts. Fradkov was also grilled by a media interested in concrete solutions to strained relations between Russia and Latvia, Estonia, brought on by the Putin administration's claims of discrimination. And as far as the tankers go - Fradkov shrugged and said that, as Russia is party to maritime safety treaties, and, as the country has few such tankers, it is not a problem for Moscow. However - all it takes is one such poorly maintained vessel leaving Ventspils on a stormy night to create an environmental disaster with lasting result.
Perhaps Fradkov thought that he could get away with ignoring the tanker issue, dissing Parts. After all, the importance of the summit had been questioned, as a regional affair. The heads of government of Sweden, Germany and Denmark chose not to attend (caught up in the euro2004 football madness? ) And it was not merely to dance to the EU's fiddlers. Norway, though it has no Baltic littoral attended, and that country is not an EU member. Iceland also attended becuase of common maritime interest.
Russia is the root source of the majority of the problems that threaten the stability and security of the region. Most prominent here are the far-reaching tentacles of organized crime and communicable disease. This was discussed; no treaties, however, were signed. The spread of AIDS and TB has been addressed by the WHO as perhaps the key issue that affects future security in regions where Russian influence - either unofficial or through the underworld - is strong.
That is the dark side of the moon. The bright side is that the Baltic Sea region can now be considered to be one of the most dynamic areas on the continent, which provides a model of sustainable economic and social development. That is the main reason for the extended European presence. The future of co-operation is in providing a valuable additional framework for constructive interaction between the EU and Russia. The example provided at Laulasmaa was in the context of the EU's Northern Dimension policy.
In many respects the ideals need to be fine-tuned. It is all well and good to talk about the Baltic Sea region as a testing ground for ideas and objectives within accepted governmental frameworks. The difficulty is in having Russia outside of the EU's constraints. While the EU can demand - and receive - reliance on good governance especially with regard to binding legislation, administration of same is going to be a Herculean task should Russia not comply.
In our information society there is little excuse for not being aware of the need for proactive behaviour by governments. The tanker issue is only the tip of the iceberg. We wish to avoid irreparable damage to our common marine environment by enacting measures such as the one agreed to at Laulasmaa - enforcing it is another kettle of fish.
Fish don't talk, people do. Protecting not only marine life but sentient bipeds as well was of importance at the summit, and some calls from Laulasmaa should be heard. Sadly, the list of human woes is longer than environmental issues. Strengthening civil society is a must - and a strong effort is required by the EU, CBSS, UN, to do more, to achieve more, to work on combating trafficking in human beings (originating in Russia). Cross-border co-operation only works through mutual respect and shared goals.
The sense one received from the coverage of the summit was that most of the players at the table are more than willing and able to do just that. One player, though hopes that international difficulties and regional tensions will hamstring effective implementation and enable it to prolong its presence of criminally overweighed importance in the region.
The Chair of the Council was transferred from Estonia to Poland at the end of the summit. It also bears noting that one of the most difficult responsibilities was handed to Finland: the Finns will be chairing a working group on fighting organized crime. Good intentions long established, the next step is to prove that the Baltic region is not merely a testing ground, "model region", but a place where those intents bring real results.
Leader: Good intentions need real results
Arvamus
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