VIII General Conference
Turku, 29 September - 2 October 2005
We are very proud that UBC has chosen Turku
as the venue of the Conference, states Mr Armas Lahoniitty,
the Mayor of Turku and 1st Vice President of
UBC. Turku will do its very best to ensure that the meetings
as well as technical arrangements will satisfy our colleagues
from the Baltic sister cities, he promises.
 The
main theme of this year's General Conference (29.9.-2.10.05)
will be "Towards a New Baltic Sea Agenda", as
confirmed by the UBC Executive Board meeting in Lulea.
On the Thursday evening, key note speakers
will address the participants about how they see the present
and future development of our region from political, cultural
and business perspectives. Among invited speakers is Mr
Matti Vanhanen, Prime Minister of Finland.
The evening continues with a lively get-together
dinner.
On Friday, 30 September, participants are
invited to discuss challenging issues, such as the EU Budget
Framework and its Implications for the Baltic Sea Region,
Cities and Good Governance, Cities and Competitiveness,
Good Neighbourhood Policies as well as Logistics issues.
The Mediterranean cooperation has often been
seen as an example for the Baltic Sea Region. Therefore,
a representative from the Mediterranean Region has been
invited to discuss how our Southern partners see us. "This
could be a very interesting discussion", says Mayor
Lahoniitty. "Maybe we can learn more from each other".
 On
the Friday afternoon, parallel working groups will continue
to debate the themes of the morning plenary session. The
day ends with a festive dinner in the historical castle
of Turku.
On the Saturday, 1 October, the UBC will
discuss its General Assembly issues. After a long working
day, the historical Voluntary Fire Brigade house will welcome
participants to a lively dinner. The participants will also
be able to participate in optional thematic excursions.
We hope that the Turku Conference will be
an important milestone for the UBC's development. Our region
needs strong structures to tap all the development potential
it possesses. For this, we need a stronger UBC, emphasizes
Mayor Lahoniitty, who will end his long municipal career
after the UBC conference. He will retire at the end of 2005.
by Mikko Lohikoski
Director of Communication and
External Affairs, City of Turku
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