CHIEF EDITOR
Pawel Zaboklicki
EDITING & LAYOUT
Iwona Smigerska Belczak
EDITORIAL BOARD
Risto Veivo
Ewa Kurjata
Pawel Zaboklicki
Iwona Smigerska Belczak
PUBLISHER
Union of the Baltic Cities
Secretariat
Waly Jagiellonskie 1
PL-80853 Gdansk
POLAND
tel. +48 58 3010917
tel. +48 58 3019123
fax +48 58 3017637
e-mail: info@ubc.net
www.ubc.net
ISSN 1506-6266
PROOF-READING
Ewa Kurjata
COVER PICTURE
City of Riga.
Statue of Rolands
-symbol of city
independence
and free trading.
Photo: Andris Krievinsh
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Dear UBC Friends,
This
issue of the UBC bulletin is connected with the historical
moment for our region. On 1 May 2004 Estonia, Latvia,
Lithuania, Poland are joining forces with Denmark,
Finland, Germany, Sweden in the European Union. The
Baltic Sea becomes almost an inland sea of the EU.
In the near future we will have free movement of capital,
labour and commodities across the Baltic Sea. The
national legislations in fundamental matters will
be based on a common European legal foundation. We
will live in a common area, based on democracy, freedom
and human rights, area with stable economic and political
system. Stability combined with qualified labour force
and good educational system will certainly boost the
economic development in the whole region. Already
now the Baltic region is the fastest growing region
in Europe. UBC will make all efforts to make this
development sustainable, taking into account also
social and environmental dimensions. Our region possesses
strong resources - natural, human, institutional,
cultural and financial. In the enlarged Europe the
cities of the Baltic Sea Region united in UBC will
more effectively utilise all these capacities for
the benefit of their citizens.
At the General Conference
in Klaipeda 18 October 2003, UBC adopted the resolution
appealing to the European Commission for regular consultations
with local authorities associations, on EC policies
which affect local authorities. In January 2004 Commissioner
Michel Barnier sent a letter to UBC informing that
on 19 December 2003 the Commission adopted a communication
on ,JDialogue with associations of regional and local
authorities on the formulation of EU policy".
In this communication the EC proposes to give the
regional and local representatives an opportunity
of expressing their views - via their associations
- during annual hearings which will concentrate on
the Commission's annual work programme, and the major
policy initiatives that have a significant regional
and local impact. UBC and our sister organisation
Conference of Atlantic Arc Cities welcome the EC communication
as continuation of the work began with the publication
of White Paper on Governance. However CAAC and UBC
are of the opinion that consultations between the
EC and local authorities associations should take
a form of a dialogue; it can not be only oneway communication.
Both organisations decided to send a joint statement
to the EC expressing their views on proposed consultation
procedures. Currently the Commission is in the process
of identifying the associations to be invited to participate
in this dialog. It is important for all of us to lobby
and make sure that UBC and other regional associations
are included on that list. It would not be good if
only pan-European organisations and national associations
would represent local authorities in the dialogue
with the Commission.
At the last UBC Board meeting
in Vaasa in March, CBSS informed about a joint project
with the Nordic Council of Ministers aimed at enhancing
cross-border cooperation at the "external"
EU borders in the region. The goal of the initiative
is to encourage local actors, authorities, private
sector, NGOs, to establish a constructive dialogue
on both sides of the "external" border.
CBSS invited other Baltic Sea actors including UBC
to participate in the project.
UBC welcomes financial instruments
for CBC to be available for new EU member states since
May 1st, namely INTERREG programs and Norwegian
instrument within EEA agreement. At the same time
UBC is very concerned that cooperation between local
authorities across the Baltic Sea may decrease due
to insufficient funding. Since several years UBC has
been strongly promoting the idea to give the maritime
borders in the BSR the same status as the land borders,
which would allow cross-sea projects funding for example
through Interreg IIIA. There are few exceptions -Interreg
IIIA programs across maritime borders between Denmark-Sweden
and Sweden-Finland. UBC encourages the EC and Baltic
Sea countries to establish an Interreg IILA area across
the Baltic Sea, to allow cooperation between Denmark-Poland,
Sweden-Lithuania etc. Such decision is crucial for
development of cross-border cooperation between the
local authorities across the Baltic Sea.
I do hope
one thing will not change in our region after the
EU enlargement - the beautiful Baltic summer!
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Per Bodker Andersen
UBC President
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Kolding, 1 May 2004
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