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In the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, the European Commission proposes to direct efforts towards development and strengthening of the region’s economic potential, and emphasizes the necessity of strengthening the links between urban and rural areas.

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Lithuania’s standpoint Much attention in the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region is dedicated, as mentioned above, to environmental and transport infrastructure projects. Undoubtedly, the implementation of these projects will enhance consumer protection standards and provide opportunities to reinforce the attractiveness of the Baltic Sea Region. It can be expected that the implementation of safety and security projects will ensure a higher standard of living of the population in the region.

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It must be admitted that although tourism is singled out in the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region as a separate action and the action is proposed by the European Commission, it still lacks content and specific projects. Tourism, as part of free movement of services, has a large potential, and a separate study needs to be carried out to assess it and determine its strengths and opportunities. The study and subsequent pilot projects could be implemented across the entire EU.

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Ecotourism and rural tourism are of particular significance as Lithuania has a massive natural potential for tourism: the coastal nature complex, inland water bodies (Lithuania has 2 850 lakes, 760 rivers) and forests, which occupy 33 per cent of the country’s territory. Protected areas are particularly appealing to tourism (5 national and 30 regional parks and 26 reserves). Numerous health and recreation resources of resorts may satisfy a huge demand for wellness services and resort development. The following towns have a status of a resort: Birštonas, Druskininkai, Neringa and Palanga; they have an abundance of scientifically tested mineral water and medicinal peat resources and a microclimate favourable for health promotion (rehabilitation). The available natural resources allow for development of more intensive recreational activities. Druskininkai and Birštonas have inland waters and recreational forests suitable for that activity, Palanga has the Baltic Sea, sea beaches, recreational forests and the unique Palanga Botanical Park, Neringa has the Baltic Sea, the Curonian Lagoon, beaches and dunes, as well as recreational forests. Lithuania has an immense potential in this area which starts to be put to an increasingly better use. However, the rural tourism sector is still in need of support, particularly in the areas of infrastructure and information services.

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Cross-border cooperation initiatives with Belarus and the Kaliningrad Oblast (Russian Federation) are maintained and promoted. The respective agreements with Belarus and Russia are under way, which will enable persons residing within the distance of 50 km on both sides of the border to cross border unhindered. The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania is of the opinion that such cooperation projects will reinforce the importance and attractiveness of relations between the EU and Russia as well as the EU and Belarus. On the other hand, the possible threats of such cooperation, namely illegal migration, increased volumes of smuggling and crime rates, cannot be forgotten. Thus it is necessary to take measures to prevent such threats, to ensure the necessary material resources and adequate technical preparedness for the implementation of the agreements on the local border traffic.

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The EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region does not contain a separate part dedicated to consumer protection. This, to a certain extent, is an acknowledgement that in this respect the states of the region are an example to the other EU Member States or third countries. On the other hand, with a view to creating more favourable conditions and bringing citizens closer to the European Union and its institutions as well as to decision-making processes, it is expedient to seek ways to implement it.

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One example of how EU citizens are encouraged to participate in the European Union decision-making process is the activity of the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions. These EU cooperation forums could become a good basis and a regional formation for talks on the activities and results achieved.

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PART IV

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CONCLUSIONS The Baltic Sea Region represents a unique part of the European continent. Here, the EU’s only internal sea connects the EU Member States with the Russian Federation (the Leningrad Oblast) and its western part – the Kaliningrad Oblast. An opportunity provided by transport by sea and territorial proximity, as well as historical links and political and economic integration allow for a new evaluation of the Baltic Sea Region’s prospects for future development and forms of further cooperation.

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The Baltic Sea Region had suffered a lot of losses due to partitions of Europe carried out by the totalitarian regimes in a relatively small territorial space inhabited by related European nations. This led to the creation of the forced phenomenon of the Iron Curtain in the second half of the 20th century. Subsequent democratic changes in the region, the re-establishment of independence of the Baltic States and the end of the Cold War changed the geopolitical situation of the region itself and the neighbouring regions.

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The last decade of the 20th century changed the Baltic Region in substance following the integration of the states of the region into the transatlantic and European structures. Currently 8 EU Member States – Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Lithuania, Finland, Sweden and Germany all seek to make a more effective use of the benefits of membership in international organisations, to enhance their visibility in the region and to reinforce mutual cooperation.

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The changes of the recent decades have created favourable conditions for a new evaluation and reinforcement of the identity of the states of the Baltic Sea Region. The political and economic reforms of the states of the south-eastern coast of the Baltic Sea – Estonia, Latvia, Poland and Lithuania, constitute a phenomenon of unique experience and results, which could serve as a good example for other states seeking European integration. Although this is not a predetermined process, its comprehensive benefit for the whole region and in a broader sense – to the whole Europe moving towards unification, would be considerable.

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General conclusions and proposals 1. The Baltic Sea Region connects nations and states with diverse historical and political experiences and cultural heritage, which, despite differences in the past, are united in creating the present and a common safe future.

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2.The EU strategy for the Baltic Sea Region is a perfect instrument giving a sense to and consolidating the dramatic political changes which took place in the Baltic Sea Region 20 years ago.
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3.The political initiative of the European Parliament, which in 2006 urged the European Commission to draft the Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, signifies the appearance of a new and first-of-its-kind macro-Euroregion in the European Union. Lithuania supports all these actions and hopes for their further implementation.
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4.The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania believes that the main objective of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region is reinforcement and expansion of European integration processes in the Baltic Sea Region, promotion of further trans-national cooperation and development of EU relations with the neighbouring countries in the region. The Baltic Sea Region may become a useful ground for testing new EU initiatives and reinforcing EU cooperation in the areas of environmental protection, maritime policy, energy policy, strengthening of internal market and cooperation with the neighbouring countries.
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5.Although the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region covers 8 EU Member States, it is an initiative of the whole European Union, creating the opportunities and need for all Member States to get involved and participate in it. The EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region is neither attempting to shift the attention of the whole EU to Northern Europe or the Baltic Region nor seeking to compete with the region of the Mediterranean Sea or other regions. The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania considers the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region to be the key EU initiative to increase the attractiveness of the whole EU, to enhance cooperation between regions, to support the development of the identity of European regions and to encourage the development of micro-relations within the Baltic Sea Region and beyond.
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6.The following remain top priorities of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region: 1) assuring of the quality of life of the population of the Baltic Sea Region and the entire region’s economic attractiveness by enhancing the competitive advantage of the economies. Creation of a foundation and conditions for a long-term new generation economic and environmentally friendly growth in the Baltic Sea Region, which will provide yet another stimulus for the economic growth in the entire EU; 2) promotion of the EU’s visibility and efficiency in the Baltic Sea Region and its attractiveness in neighbouring regions; 3) a new approach and coordinated action of all the states of the region in the areas of environmental protection and climate change; 4) close interaction of the policies and initiatives implemented by the EU in the region and improved management, consolidation of relations with Europe's neighbours – the states of Central Asia.
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7.The EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region is an important project, which may and should accelerate further strengthening of the region’s identity and inter-governmental cooperation. However, taking into account various challenges facing the region, they cannot be allowed to get regionalised, leaving them within the sole competence of the states of the region. The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania believes that ensuring comprehensive interest and involvement of the whole EU is of utmost importance for further development of welfare and security in the Baltic Sea Region.
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8.The EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region is a pilot project of such kind for promotion of cooperation between macro-regions; thus the initiation of other similar projects in the EU may largely depend on its success and results achieved.
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9.The four key areas of activities proposed in the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region are an ambitious yet, undoubtedly, necessary attempt to join efforts of Member States and to achieve the welfare objectives in the region and the entire EU. However, it is evident that for achieving the set objectives, particularly in the areas of environmental protection and energy, long-term efforts and financial investment are needed.
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10.When implementing the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, it is essential to envisage how to combine the earlier EU initiatives, particularly the Northern Dimension, Eastern Partnership, strategic partnership with Russia and other initiatives, without losing the integrity of their impact and avoiding unnecessary duplication. It also has to be noted that the priority areas of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, namely environmental protection and accessibility and security of the region, are implemented as a harmonious entirety of all the existing and pursued initiatives.
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11.The EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region as a new cooperation initiative may constitute a useful platform for establishing measures for practical cooperation between the EU and Russia and, in the future, also Belarus, since it creates conditions for full use of the actual potential of neighbourhood and cooperation. Obviously, such cooperation requires mutual obligations and consistent implementation thereof.
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12.The implementation of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region must be paralleled with inter-parliamentary cooperation of the states of the region in relevant forms. An active and efficient parliamentary dimension of the Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region would enable to summarise various political initiatives of the states and seek their harmonious interaction.
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13.It is essential that the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region gradually involves and incorporates not only the central authorities but also the local and regional authorities of the states. It is important to encourage, on different levels, public debate on the Action Plan for implementation of the Strategy, the objectives set and progress made by Lithuania and, by various measures and means, increase public awareness of the issues.
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14.The effectiveness of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region will be determined by its practicality and direct influence when jointly dealing with specific issues, thus non-governmental organisations, social, economic and other partners of the region have to be involved in the implemented activities as widely and actively as possible.
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15.The implementation of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, which started during Sweden’s Presidency of the European Union, will continue when the EU Presidency is taken over by other states of the Baltic Sea Region. Further implementation and development of the Strategy may become one of the priorities during Lithuania’s Presidency of the European Union in 2013.
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Conclusions and proposals regarding the individual areas of cooperation 1. The favourable factors of economic growth in the Baltic Sea Region, such as high economic competitiveness of the states of the region, great development opportunities in the new EU Member States, strong scientific and technological capability of the region and good investment conditions, may turn this region into one of the key growing macro-regions of the 21st century EU.

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2.Further economic competitiveness of the states of the Baltic Sea Region directly depends on the implementation of the objectives established in the EU’s Lisbon Strategy. Good examples of such practice in the region and wider application of them allow to expect a horizontally successful, knowledge-based economic transformation.
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3.Special attention in the Baltic Sea Region must be dedicated to the establishment of research and higher education and business clusters and strengthening, in every possible way, of trans-national cooperation in this area. The existing potential of the region provides good opportunities for further development of individual specialised fields of research and development.
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4.Member States surrounding the Baltic Sea Region have a large potential for further European integration, currently, only 2 out of 8 Member States belong to the economic and monetary union. Due to the prolonged global economic crisis and its impact, as well as preparedness to accept the requirements of the EU economic and monetary union, further expansion of the euro zone in the region may take place only in 2012–2016.
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5.Lithuania’s economic development and foreign trade opportunities are closely linked with the markets of the states of the Baltic Sea Region; thus it is essential to continue to pay much attention to the development of diverse relations on various levels. Lithuania must, in every possible way, encourage further investment in the Baltic Sea Region, and improve conditions for foreign investment.
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6.The Government of the Republic of Lithuania must pay particular attention to the development policy for small and medium-sized enterprises by introducing the best regulation practice. The success of the Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region largely depends on the actual economy, as well as the participation of small and medium-sized enterprises, thus the promotion of best practices and cooperation are essential factors.
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7.The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania proposes that the Government of the Republic of Lithuania take effective measures with a view to achieving that the next EU financial perspective for 2014-2020 better reflects the integral needs of projects and methods of financing of the Baltic Sea Region. The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania considers that funding for integral infrastructure, environmental, energy and other projects important to the Baltic Region and to the entire EU should be allocated under a separate EU budget article.
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8.Joint projects for the whole Baltic Sea Region implemented co-ordinately may help to better absorb the funds already assigned from the EU Cohesion Fund and make a favourable impact on all the states of the region.
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9.The issue of particular relevance in the states of the Baltic Sea Region is the implementation of trans-national energy interconnection plans, which must ensure energy security of the states and users. The promotion of energy cooperation in the region may be one the successful directions for further development of this Strategy.
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10.An important role of transport sector and infrastructure has to be acknowledged in ensuring economic viability of the states of the Baltic Sea Region as well as transport viability of the region’s population. Currently, the development of the missing links of the integrated transport (by land) (particularly in the east coast of the Baltic Sea) requires long-term and considerable financial investment.
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11.The Baltic Sea Region is significant in the sense that it is a natural communication bridge between the West and the East, thus an increase in the volume of transit of goods and services is envisaged also in the future. With a view to ensuring the efficiency of transit and quality of infrastructure, further investment is needed, as well as strengthening of trans-national cooperation, not only within the EU, but also with Russia, Belarus and countries of Central Asia.
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12.The EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region is expected to accelerate full integration of the land transport (by road and rail) infrastructure of the Baltic States into the trans-European transport network. The project Rail Baltica has to retain its priority on both the national and EU level.
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13.The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania believes that all states of the Baltic Sea Region will continue to pay special attention to the development of communications networks and modern Internet infrastructure, including broadband. Due to geographical conditions, states of the Baltic Sea Region must aim to become leaders of the communications sector in the whole of the EU.
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14.Due to geographical conditions and urbanisation, the Baltic Sea Region is characterized by well-preserved and authentic landscapes, particularly in rural areas. This provides great opportunities for the development of rural tourism and ecotourism in the region, preserving traditional businesses and lifestyles.
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15.When implementing the Strategy, it is necessary to encourage the application of alternative measures in fisheries, which would reduce negative impact on the environment, and ensure the continuity of economic activity, as well as to improve monitoring programmes of the state of the natural values and their protection, enhance cooperation with Russia and Belarus with a view to exchanging information relating to environmental protection and ecological disasters.
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16.The EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region allows to better coordinate and prioritize the EU support for Russia and in the future possibly also to Belarus in the areas of environmental protection, development of transport infrastructure and other areas, with a view to ensuring the effect of synergy in the whole region. The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania believes that it is necessary to further improve mutual coordination of various initiatives and measures financed by the EU.
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Proposals relating to coordination of the implementation of the Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region 1. The successful implementation of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region will depend on an effective and clear system of coordination, and the implementation of national initiatives and practical actions. The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania hopes that the European Commission’s Directorate General for Regional Policy will have the necessary administrative resources to devote sufficient attention to coordination and monitoring of the implementation of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region. The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania believes that regular assessment of the implementation of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region is necessary. It should be prepared by the European Commission.

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2.The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania is convinced that the issues relating to the implementation of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region and consideration of results should be included in the agendas of the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions.
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3.The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania proposes that the Committee on European Affairs of the Seimas consider a possibility of establishing a separate sub-Committee or a working group which would supervise the progress of the Action Plan for implementation of the Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region. This would help to develop parliamentary relations between the states of the Baltic Sea Region in a targeted manner.
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4.The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania proposes that the Government of the Republic of Lithuania together with the Governments of the other Baltic Sea Region Member States provide the basis for the best methods and measures of coordination of joint actions. Seeking to better coordinate the implementation of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania proposes that a possibility of establishing a network of Baltic Sea Region integration centres in all the Baltic Sea Region Member States be considered. Further issues relating to the activities of such a network should be considered by national Governments.
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5.In the course of carrying out the Action Plan for implementation of the Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, it may emerge that the proposed priorities and actions, when reconsidered in the future, may be amended and supplemented. part V region’S COMPETITIVENESS INDICATORS AND ANALYSIS Population (millions) Denmark 5.472 Estonia 1.34 Latvia 2.27 Poland 38.12 Lithuania 3.37 Finland 5.3 Sweden 9.18 Germany 82.22 Norway 4.74 Russia* 142 * the total population of Russia Eurostat data, 2008 Population density (per sq. km) Denmark 126.7 Estonia 30.9 Latvia 36.5 Poland 122 Lithuania 53.9 Finland 17.4 Sweden 22.3 Germany 230.4 Norway 15.3 Russia* ~8.3 *calculating the total area of Russia Eurostat data, 2007 Population (in percentage based on types) Metropolitan areas (over 250 thousand people) Urban areas (200–250 thousand people) Rural areas In total Denmark 7.34 5.94 2.53 5.31 Estonia 2.23 1.65 1.81 1.85 Latvia 4.07 2.54 3.24 3.14 Poland 35.92 41.17 58.46 44.86 Lithuania 4.55 3.95 4.76 4.34 Finland 2.25 9.30 4.06 5.94 Sweden 11.77 11.88 5.61 10.02 Germany 2.61 3.69 4.52 3.65 Norway 0.00 0.02 0.10 0.04 Russia 22.82 9.30 6.40 11.96 Belarus 0.00 6.59 6.02 4.71 Czech Republic 2.77 2.47 0.00 1.83 Slovakia 0.00 0.60 0.00 0.27 Ukraine 3.66 0.90 2.50 2.08 In total 100 100 100 100 United Nations Environment Programme, 1997 Use of territory (in percentage, as compared to the total area of the Baltic Sea basin) Territory Forests Farming Animal husbandry Urbanization Lakes Denmark 1.91 0.10 5.69 1.38 6.66 1.53 Estonia 2.64 2.70 3.15 2.77 2.69 2.00 Latvia 3.76 3.08 4.89 7.84 3.93 1.03 Poland 18.11 7.99 41.42 39.43 22.11 3.62 Lithuania 3.78 1.74 8.52 4.42 3.71 0.94 Finland 17.65 25.33 6.70 1.14 5.81 23.88 Sweden 24.38 34.79 7.71 3.10 30.91 28.21 Germany 1.62 0.39 3.72 4.31 3.56 0.56 Norway 0.78 0.83 0.08 0.18 0.24 0.88 Russia 18.82 19.32 8.22 18.27 13.44 36.16 In total 100 100 100 100 100 100 United Nations Environment Programme, 1997 Gross domestic product (in Euros) Purchasing power parity per capita, 2007 GDP per capita, 2007 GDP per capita, expressed in purchasing power parity, 2008, EU 27 = 100 Denmark 30 500 41 700 119 Estonia 17 000 11 400 67 Latvia 14 400 8 800 56 Poland 13 300 8 100 57 Lithuania 15 000 8 900 61 Finland 29 000 34 000 116 Sweden 31 300 36 300 121 Germany 28 100 29 500 116 Eurostat data GDP growth indicators, 2007 (in percentage) Region/state Percentage Baltic Sea Region 5.9 European Union 2.9 Denmark 1.8 Estonia 7.1 Latvia 10.3 Poland 6.5 Lithuania 8.8 Finland 4.4 Sweden 2.7 Germany 2.5 Eurostat data Unemployment rate (in percentage) 2006 2007 2008 2009 2009 I quarter II quarter February March April May June July EU 8.2 7.1 7.0 8.2 8.8 8.2 8.5 8.7 8.8 8.9 9.0 Euro zone 8.3 7.5 7.6 8.8 9.3 8.8 9.0 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 Denmark 3.9 3.8 3.4 4.8 5.9 4.7 5.2 5.7 5.9 6.1 5.9 Poland
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13.9 9.6 7.2 7.7 8.2 7.8 8.0 8.2 8.2 8.2 8.2 Finland 7.7 6.8 6.4 7.4 8.3 7.4 7.7 8.0 8.3 8.5 8.7 Sweden 7.0 6.2 6.1 7.5 8.6 7.5 7.9 8.3 8.6 8.9 9.2 Germany 9.8 8.4 7.3 7.3 7.6 7.3 7.4 7.6 7.6 7.7 7.7 Norway 3.4 2.6 2.5 3.1 3.1 3.2 3.1 3.1 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) data Direct foreign investment per capita, 2007 (million Euros) Competitiveness Report by the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, 2008 Expenditure on research in 2006, average growth of such expenditure in 2001–2006 and its distribution based on sources of financing (million Euros) In total Business State funds Higher education establishments Private non-profit sector Million Euros Growth in percentage Million Euros Growth in percentage Million Euros Growth in percentage Million Euros Growth in percentage Million Euros Growth in percentage EU 27 213 127 3.6 135 716 3.2 28 777 4.1 46 666 4.2 1 968 7.4 Denmark 5 349 4.6 3 560 3.9 360 -6.5 1 396 11.5 32 0.4 Estonia 151 25.3 67 32.5 20 23.6 61 20 3 26.2 Latvia 112 24.4 57 32.7 17 15.9 39 19.5 0 – Poland 1 513 2.7 477 0.1 560 6.2 469 1.6 7 23.3 Lithuania 191 15.9 53 14.9 44 3.8 94 26.8 – – Finland 5 761 4.5 4 108 4.6 539 2.7 1 079 5.3 36 3.8 Sweden 11 691 2.2 8 754 1.5 525 12.1 2 387 2.7 25 20.9 Germany 58 231 2.3 40 531 2.2 8 100 2.5 9 600 2.4 – – Norway 3 997 5.6 2 130 3.3 637 7.5 1 229 9.5 – – Russia 8 453 16 5 630 14.8 2 285 18.5 517 19.8 21 20.9 USA 273 772 -2.5 192 571 -3.1 30 471 -2.7 39 095 0.8 11 635 -0.6 Eurostat data Dynamics of export of transport services in the states of the Baltic Sea Region (million Euros) States of the Baltic Sea Region 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Change (in percentage) 2003–2007 2008 I quarter 2008 II quarter 2008 III quarter Denmark 15 815 17 286 21 732 26 477 29 086 83.91 7 453 7 982 8 394 Estonia 858 978 1 001 1 139 1 309 52.56 317 344 370 Latvia 798 805 989 1 138 1 352 69.42 377 384 413 Poland 3 512 3 378 4 397 5 556 6 723 91.43 1 676 1 877 1 918 Lithuania 826 1 089 1 278 1 545 1 710 107.02 431 456 466 Finland 1 768 1 932 1 959 2 195 2 377 34.45 565 589 677 Sweden 5 945 6 587 7 003 7 335 8 082 35.95 1 999 2 204 2 234 Germany 23 909 27 048 30 994 33 574 37 509 56.88 9 418 9 986 10 479 Competitiveness Report by the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, 2008 Transportation of freight by sea in Europe, 2007 (in percentage, compared to the total volume of freight) Atlantic Ocean Baltic Sea Black Sea Mediterranean Sea North Sea Other seas 14.0 20.4 6.1 27.6 26.9 5.0 Eurostat data Largest sea ports in the Baltic Sea Region (calculated in TEU – conventional shipping container units) Serial No.

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Port 2006 2007 2008 1.

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Saint Petersburg 1 449 958 1 688 932 1 971 698 2.

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Goteborg 811 508 840 550 862 500 3.

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Kotka 461 876 570 881 627 765 4.

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Gdynia 461 170 614 373 610 767 5.

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Aarhus 427 000 504 000 458 000 6.

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Helsinki 416 527 435 000 428 000 7.

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Klaipėda 231 548 321 432 373 263 8.

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Helsingborg 230 000 300 000 240 000 9.

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Kaliningrad 151 047 252 146 213 210 10.

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Oslo 172 065 196 252 209 000 11.

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Riga 176 826 211 840 207 122 12.

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Tallinn 152 399 180 911 180 927 13.

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Hamina 166 983 195 292 178 804 14.

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Rauma 168 952 174 531 172 155 15.

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Gdansk 78 364 96 873 163 704 16.

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Szczecin 42 424 47 976 62 913 17.

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Stockholm 37 635 44 563 41 000 18.

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Turku 20 120 21 983 22 736 19.

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Ventspils 14 241 16 846 14 148 20.

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Kiel 19 028 20 064 12 860 Data of the International Sea Port of Hamburg, 2009 Industrial fishery in the Baltic Sea State Eastern cod, tonnes Baltic herring, tonnes Salmon, items 2006 2007 2008 2006 2007 2008 2006 2007 2008 Denmark 8 333.2 5 938.2 6 815.2 125.9 14.2 4.2 30 969.0 12 785.0 4 390.0 Germany 1 903.4 1 500.2 2 258.8 3 583.2 1 840.3 3 305.4 3 489.0 3 447.0 5 018.0 Estonia 548.7 886.8 849.6 11 265.8 13 344.3 15 982.6 150.0 325.0 296.0 Latvia 4 039.1 4 018.4 3 970.1 2 514.5 2 978.7 3 201.6 3 192.0 4 414.0 1 411.0 Lithuania 3 196.0 2 949.7 2 599.3 1 033.5 3 492.0 1 306.8 9.0 390.0 280.0 Poland 14 278.2 20 790.4 7 875.3 15 098.4 18 854.6 11 278.8 36 466.0 40 774.0 38 131.0 Finland 393.5 591.3 663.6 11 242.6 15 152.5 22 170.6 64 268.0 62 582.0 51 283.0 Sweden 9 826.0 9 750.5 8 961.0 39 402.4 42 221.7 48 303.6 21 233.0 18 022.0 7 918.0 Data of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Lithuania Number of aliens arriving in Lithuania based on the country of permanent residence, 2007 (thousands) Countries Trips in total Day trip visitors Market share of day trips (in percentage) Tourist trips Market share of tourist trips (in percentage) Share of all trips (tourist and day trips) attributed to tourist trips (in percentage) Russia 618.8 394.5 14.5 224.3 15.1 36.3 Germany 225.9 46.8 1.7 179.1 12.1 79.3 Belarus 383.7 209.3 7.7 174.4 11.7 45.4 Poland 973.7 814.9 29.9 158.8 10.7 16.3 Latvia 1 220.8 1 101.6 40.4 119.2 8.0 9.8 UK 89.2 6.0 Estonia 140.4 81.3 3.0 59.1 4.0 42.1 Finland 44.4 3.0 Norway 42.5 2.9 Italy 41.7 2.8 Denmark 32.2 2.2 Sweden 31.9 2.1 France 26.3 1.8 Netherlands 25.5 1.7 USA 24.7 1.7 Spain 16.0 1.1 Czech Republic 11.1 0.7 In total:

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4 214.4 2 728.6 100.0 1 485.8 100.0 35.3 Data of the Department of Statistics under the Government of the Republic of Lithuania Power generation (1 000 GWh) 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Estonia 9 9 9 8 9 8 9 10 10 10 10 Latvia 3 5 6 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 Poland 143 143 143 142 145 146 144 152 154 157 162 Lithuania 17 15 18 14 11 15 18 19 19 15 12 Norway 105 112 117 123 143 122 131 107 111 138 122 Finland 69 69 70 69 70 74 75 84 86 71 82 Sweden 141 149 158 155 146 162 147 135 152 158 143 Germany 555 552 557 555 572 586 572 599 617 620 637 Eurostat data Share of nuclear energy generation, as compared to the total power generation, 2009 IAEA data Number of nuclear power reactors in operation, 2009 IAEA data Greenhouse gas emission (as compared with the level of 1990; 1990 = 100) 1996 2001 2006 2012 Estonia 50.8 42.9 44.3 92 Latvia 48.5 41.1 44.9 92 Poland 79.6 68.4 71.1 94 Lithuania 47.1 41.2 47 92 Norway 106.2 110.1 107.7 101 Finland 108.8 105.6 113.1 100 Sweden 107.2 95.6 91.1 104 Germany 90.4 84.1 81.5 79 Eurostat data Greenhouse gas emission (million tonnes of CO2 equivalents) 1996 2001 2006 Estonia 21.7 18.3 18.9 Latvia 12.6 10.7 11.6 Poland 448.4 385.5 400.5 Lithuania 23.3 20.3 23.2 Norway 52.8 54.7 53.5 Finland 77.3 75 80.3 Sweden 77.3 69 65.8 Germany 1 114.7 1 036.3 1 004.8 Eurostat data Water testing in the Baltic Sea Region (nitrogen and phosphorus mmol/l), samples taken in September 2008 Place of testing Description Amount of nitrogen mmol/l Amount of phosphorus mmol/l Sonderborg (Denmark) Coastal water testing 29.5 1.16 Sonderborg (Denmark) Open sea water testing 26.3 1.3 Tartu (Estonia) City centre river Emajogi water testing 235.7 3.98 Tartu (Estonia) Coastal water testing 215.2 0.77 Sillamae (Estonia) Coastal water testing 36.3 0.97 Sillamae (Estonia) Open sea water testing 36.7 0.88 Pori (Finland) Coastal water testing 72.6 1.84 Pori (Finland) Open sea water testing 20.5 0.24 Katowice (Poland) River Rawa, tributary of the Brynica, water testing 1 159.5 54.15 Kolobrzeg (Poland) Port water testing 225.7 2.08 Kolobrzeg (Poland) Open sea water testing 73.3 2.2 Nacka (Sweden) Coastal water testing 41.3 0.92 Nacka (Sweden) Open sea water testing 21.4 0.37 Osby, Skane (Sweden) Small lake in Skane (through which the river Helge flows into the Baltic Sea), shore water testing 114.3 0.54 Osby, Skane (Sweden) Small lake in Skane (through which the river Helge flows into the Baltic Sea), lake water testing (off the shore) 104.3 0.43 Soderkoping (Sweden) Slatbaken, Baltic Sea coast, No 1 48.2 2.35 Soderkoping (Sweden) Slatbaken, Baltic Sea coast, No 2 46.7 2.25 Baltic Sea Project Newsletter

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PART VI

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AREAS of actions and priority projects of the EUROPEAN UNION STRATEGY FOR THE BALTIC SEA REGION Action, priority project Coordinating state Number of actions Pillar I : To make the Baltic Sea Region an environmentally sustainable and safe place 1. To reduce nutrient inputs to the sea to acceptable levels Poland, Finland 5 2. To preserve natural zones and biodiversity, including fisheries Germany 2 3. To reduce the negative impact of hazardous substances Sweden 3 4. To become a model region for clean shipping Denmark 2 5. To mitigate and adapt to climate change Denmark 3 Pillar II: To make the Baltic Sea Region a prosperous place 6. To remove hindrances to the internal market Estonia 6 7. To exploit the full potential of the region in research and innovation Poland, Sweden 2 8. Implementing the Small Business Act: to promote entrepreneurship, strengthen SMEs and increase the efficient use of human resources Denmark 9 9. To reinforce sustainability of agriculture, forestry and fisheries Finland, Lithuania, Sweden (fisheries) 7 Pillar III: To make the Baltic Sea Region an accessible region 10. To improve the access to, and the security of the region’s energy markets Latvia, Denmark 3 11. To improve internal and external transport links Lithuania, Sweden 5 12. To maintain and reinforce attractiveness of the region in the fields of tourism, education and health Germany 10 Pillar IV: To make the Baltic Sea Region a safe and secure place 13. To become a leading region in maritime safety and security Denmark, Finland 4 14. To reinforce protection from crises and emergencies at sea and on land Denmark 2 15. To decrease the volume of, and harm done by, cross border crime Finland, Lithuania 3 Horizontal actions European Commission 10 The European Union Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region and the Action Plan for its implementation Lithuania’s participation in the implementation of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region:

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Areas of responsibility and projects Priority area Responsible body Equivalent in the drafted Action Plan for implementation of the Strategy To reinforce sustainability of agriculture, forestry and fisheries Ministry of Agriculture To reinforce sustainability of agriculture, forestry and fisheries To improve internal and external transport links Ministry of Transport and Communications To improve internal and external transport links To decrease the volume of, and harm done by, cross border crime Ministry of the Interior To decrease the volume of, and harm done by, cross border crime Priority project Responsible body Equivalent in the drafted Action Plan for implementation of the Strategy To develop a Baltic Sea Region Programme for Innovation, Clusters and SME-Networks Ministry of Economy Develop a Baltic Sea Region Programme for Innovation, Clusters and SME-Networks To develop a common Baltic Sea Region strategy to promote services innovation Information Society Development Committee under the Government of the Republic of Lithuania Develop a common Baltic Sea Region strategy to promote services innovation To set up cross-sectoral reference projects for innovation in health and life sciences (Health Region) Lithuanian Institute of Biotechnology Set up cross-sectoral reference projects for innovation in health and life sciences (Health Region) Monitoring of the Baltic Energy Market Interconnection Plan Ministry of Energy Establish a list of priority projects in the frame of the BEMIP To cooperate for smarter transport Ministry of Transport and Communications Cooperate for smarter transport Shorter plane routes Ministry of Transport and Communications Shorter plane routes To enhance cooperation – on a voluntary basis – between the region’s universities Vilnius University Enhance cooperation – on a voluntary basis – between the regional Universities of the Baltic Sea Region To identify and remove barriers hampering mobility of researchers and students in the Baltic Sea Region (the so-called Fifth Freedom) Ministry of Education and Science Identify and remove barriers hampering mobility of researchers and students in the Baltic Sea Region (the so-called Fifth Freedom) To take preventive measures against trafficking in human beings Ministry of the Interior Take preventive measures against trafficking in human beings To establish a Youth Resources Centre Lithuanian Youth Council Establish Youth Resources Centres The European Union Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region and the Action Plan for its implementation

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