Tuomioja : Läänemere piirkonna koostöö teelahkmel

Välisminister Erkki Tuomioja esines 20. oktoobril Tamperes Läänemere instituudi seminaril "Läänemeri ja koostöö muutuvas Euroopas". Ettekande pealkiri oli "Baltic Sea Cooperation at a Crossroads".

First I would like to express my gratitude to the organisers for the opportunity to address this 10th anniversary of the Baltic Institute of Finland.

We are today celebrating an institution which is very typical of today's Finland. I understand that this institute is very much an endeavour of the City of Tampere. But at the same time, this institute is a well-functioning framework where several important actors in our society are involved. In the local and regional context, this is a good practical example of local and regional authorities, academic institutions, the business community and even a couple of ministries defining common interests and finding joint solutions.

The fact that all these different stakeholders have been working together, pursuing common goals, has in my opinion, been one of the most important characteristics behind the development of our national success stories, be it Nokia or Finland as the most competitive economy in the world.

In Baltic Sea co-operation, the City of Tampere and the Pirkanmaa region may seem to be somewhat out of place. However, the activities of cities and regions which are not littoral to the Baltic Sea are most welcome and a testimony of their awareness of the importance of connections.

Since its establishment in 1994, the Baltic Institute of Finland has been an example of international cooperation and networking in the Baltic Sea Region. The Institute's projects - mostly in the fields of the environment and the information society - illustrate well today's Baltic Sea cooperation. The Baltic Institute has been an active partner for our Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian and Polish neighbours. I have been informed that today the Institute works more and more with partners in St. Petersburg. Institute's projects with St. Petersburg, for example "e-St. Petersburg" and "Enhancing Air Quality Monitoring System in St. Petersburg" are good examples of practical, partnership-based projects between Russia and Finland.

The trend seen in the Institute's projects, shifting from the Baltic States to Northwestern Russia, reminds us generally of the history of Finnish cross-border co-operation with the adjacent areas. When we started this co-operation, we stressed the importance of supporting our neighbours in the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland. Today, the focus is more and more towards Northwestern Russia.

When examining the recent developments of the Baltic Sea co-operation, we can see how our aims and goals have evolved. Firstly, a dominant goal was to build up societies that had regained their sovereignty. That mission can be considered accomplished. But right at the very beginning, another aim of the Baltic Sea co-operation was to create a forum for a dialogue between the Baltic States and Russia. This dialogue is now mostly channelled through the EU-Russia co-operation structures. And – last but not le of Finland. Today, the focus is more and more towards Northwestern Russia.

When examining the recent developments of the Baltic Sea co-operation, we can see how our aims and goals have evolved. Firstly, a dominant goal was to build up societies that had regained their sovereignty. That mission can be considered accomplished. But right at the very beginning, another aim of the Baltic Sea co-operation was to create a forum for a dialogue between the Baltic States and Russia. This dialogue is now mostly channelled through the EU-Russia co-operation structures. And – last but not leaof Finland. Today, the focus is more and more towards Northwestern Russia.

When examining the recent developments of the Baltic Sea co-operation, we can see how our aims and goals have evolved. Firstly, a dominant goal was to build up societies that had regained their sovereignty. That mission can be considered accomplished. But right at the very beginning, another aim of the Baltice have actively promoted the strategic partnership between the EU and Russia in a good neighbourly spirit.

Also the EU-Russia relations as a whole have developed very positively, especially since the signing of the EU and Russia Partnership and Co-operation Agreement (PCA). The relations between the EU and Russia have not always developed smoothly. The atmosphere and results have varied from one summit to another.

After the EU-Russia summit in Rome last year, a thorough internal evaluation of the EU-Russia relations was undertaken in the EU. The analyses and recommendations of the evaluation report gave the EU's actions the lucidity necessary for the various negotiations during last spring. The EU and Russia agreed upon extending the PCA to the new Member States. They also agreed upon a joint declaration on Russian concerns related to the EU enlargement. A protocol was signed on the conditions of the WTO membership of Russia. As to the ratification of the Kyoto protocol, one result of the negotiations was a promise to speed up the process. This process seems to be well on its way, which is very welcome.

A relatively new structure for the EU-Russia co-operation is the work towards the four common spaces. From now on, the action plan for the four common spaces is designed to be the main steering instrument for the co-operation. The negotiations have been intensive, and the progress will be discussed at the EU-Russia Summit in November.

As to our Finnish interests in this framework, environmental issues are of major significance. As bordering neighbours, the environment is clearly our common concern, ranging from the climate change to nuclear safety, safety of maritime transport and the state of our border waterways. For the time being, we feel that it is of utmost importance that an environmental meeting be convened in the framework of the Permanent Partnership Council (PPC) during this autumn. This meeting should deal with the whole range of the environmental co-operation, including its forms and mechanisms.

We have recently, once again, had an intensive discussion on human rights issues. These are included, inter alia, in the common space of freedom, security and justice. Finland, for her part, has encouraged Russia to co-operate with the international mechanisms dealing with human rights. As we all know, Russia is a member of both the Council of Europe and the OSCE. We have condemned all forms of terrorism for which there can be no justification. As to the war in Chechnya, I believe it cannot be solved by the use of military force without a political solution.

Visas are a significant question in the current EU-Russia relations. I would like to stress that the facilitation of the movement of people between the EU and Russia is a goal shared by the EU, Russia and Finland alike. The summits have agreed that the flexibility provided by the Schengen Agreement should be utilised and that the facilitation should be based on the principle of reciprocity. We are satisfied with the fact that both parties have expressed their preparedness for negotiations, and we are open for Russian proposals for these talks.

Finland's EU membership has brought a wider European perspective to our bilateral relations with Russia. Our bilateral relations are developing positively. Interaction is increasing on all levels and is expected to do so also in the future. Last year six million people crossed our eastern border.

We may from time to time have agenda issues that could be regarded as contentious, but we are also prepared to deal with these issues in an open and frank way.

Our southern neighbours, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, have recently joined the EU. One of the consequences for us will be that our own assistance to the neighbouring areas will be shifted to Northwestern Russia, to the area of Northern Dimension. O