Draft, as of 12/08/2010

Draft, as of 12/08/2010 JOINT STATEMENT OF THE 16TH BALTIC COUNCIL On 22 October 2010 in Riga, the Republic of Latvia, the Baltic Assembly and the Baltic Council of Ministers convened for the 16th Baltic Council to evaluate progress on the priorities set for 2010 and to define the objectives for 2011. The Baltic Council notes with satisfaction the signs of economic stabilisation in the Baltic States. Along with the positive developments in the global economy, the steep decline of the Baltic economies over the last two years has stopped, the unemployment level has decreased and exports show an upward trend. The Baltic Council congratulates Estonia for its forthcoming accession to the euro area. Euro adoption in Estonia will provide a good basis for further sustainable economic growth in the Baltic States. The Baltic Council highly values the close cooperation among the Baltic States on defence and security policy issues. We consider that the adoption of NATO’s new Strategic Concept will strengthen the security and unity of the Baltic States and the Alliance in facing the threats and challenges of the 21st century. The Baltic Council declares the following: - cooperation of the Baltic States in the area of economy and finance should be consistently strengthened in order to develop a stable and predictable business environment favourable for Baltic enterprises and foreign investors, to facilitate the development of knowledge-based economy and research, and to increase the competitiveness of the region, recognizing that consolidating strategic resources of the Baltic States would be an important step towards this end; - joining the euro area has to be considered as a medium-term strategic goal for Latvia and Lithuania; - the Baltic States should strengthen cooperation in project development during implementation of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region; - the Baltic Electricity Market Interconnection Plan (BEMIP) is a success story, and its implementation should be continued in accordance with the set schedule; - the Memorandum of Understanding on the TEN-T priority project No. 27 Rail Baltica, which was signed on 8 June 2010, is welcomed. The Baltic States should provide coordinated support to the joint transport infrastructure project Rail Baltica; - according to the new trilateral agreement regarding environmental issues concluded on 4 June 2010 in Dagda, the Republic of Latvia, the Baltic States should coordinate their environmental protection projects, such as implementation of the Baltic Sea Action Plan and activities for tackling climate change; - the activity of the Task Force on Health established under the purview of Baltic Council of Ministers is welcomed. The Baltic States should particularly strengthen cooperation in the area of health care by implementing joint projects; - NATO’s air policing mission in the Baltic States is a proof of the solidarity of the Alliance and the presence of NATO in the Baltic States. Each Baltic State as a host nation should continue to increase support to NATO’s air policing mission by promoting the approval of a permanent mandate for the mission; - the Baltic States attest their readiness to continue contributing to NATO’s operation in Afghanistan, which is one of the security policy priorities of the Baltic States; - the Baltic States should strengthen their mutual relations and their relations with the Nordic countries in order to address common regional and global issues more efficiently. We welcome the NB8 Wise Men Report, and we believe that its implementation will be an additional incentive for further intensification of Baltic–Nordic cooperation. The Baltic Council defined the following priorities for cooperation in 2011: 1) development of a regional energy market and issues related to energy security; 2) development of knowledge-based economy; 3) development of infrastructure – Rail Baltica, Via Baltica and other issues related to transport and transit. The 17th Baltic Council will be held on 24 – 25 November 2011 in Tallinn, the Republic of Estonia, during the Estonian presidency. Ērika Zommere President of the Baltic Assembly Aivis Ronis Chairman of the Cooperation Council of the Baltic Council of Ministers Riga, 22 October 2010