Commission launches Baltic Sea region initiative
At the request of the Madrid European Council of December 1995, the European Commission has adopted an initiative to strengthen political stability and economic development in the Baltic Sea region. The Partnership and Cooperation Agreement and the pre-accession strategy for Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania will lead to a progressive improvement of trade and investment opportunities. To improve the border-crossing facilities in the region, the Commission will support the establishment of a Baltic free trade area between Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Substantial progress has already been made in restructuring enterprises in the countries in transition, notably with support from PHARE and TACIS. The Commission proposes the preparation of an indicative Baltic Sea region framework of assistance which will include four priority areas: - Transport systems need to be improved and integrated into the trans-European network. The Commission is ready to co-finance projects, such as the "Via Baltica" and the development of ports. It also wants to ensure free access to maritime transport services, a multimodal transport exchange, the promotion of short-sea shipping and the improvement of cross-border telecommunications; - Energy efficiency and the interconnection of electricity and gas networks must be improved. The European Energy Charter and Energy Charter Treaty offer a basic framework for the free flow of energy and for energy investments. The Commission is also ready to contribute towards improving the safety of nuclear reactors; - Cooperation in the field of environmental protection should be enhanced. The Commission will strengthen the coordination of PHARE, TACIS and INTERREG in order to support the projects developed under the Joint Comprehensive Environmental Action Programme of the Helsinki Commission aimed at environmental improvements, such as transboundary water management; - The Commission will support promotional activities for tourism, an important source of foreign exchange.
Countries
Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden