V UBC General Conference

Mrs Lillian Westerberg, on behalf of the Mayor of the City of Stockholm, proposed 24-25 September 1999 for the conference date. The Board accepted the proposal. President Anders Engström reminded that the first day of the UBC General Conferences has so far been devoted to specific themes while the second day was devoted to internal UBC matters. The Board decided that the main theme of the V General Conference will be devoted to the "EU enlargement process in the Baltic Sea Region". The Board encouraged all member cities to provide the Secretariat with proposals of questions, related to the above topic, to be handled at the conference.

UBC Strategy and Regulations

Mr Bartuomiej Sochanski, UBC Vice-President, responsible for drafting the UBC Strategy, reminded that the Strategy has been extensively discussed during the last three Executive Board meetings. Mr Sochanski informed that the latest draft, revised after the last Executive Board meeting in Klaipeda, was sent out to Board members and only minor comments have been made. Secretary General Pawel Zaboklicki, responsible for drafting the UBC Internal Regulations, informed that the latest draft was sent to the Board members after the last Board meeting. The Secretariat received only a few comments to the latest draft of the Regulations. The Board decided that the Strategy and the Regulations shall be sent out for comments to all member cities.

New Member Cities

Secretary General informed the Executive Board about new applications for Union membership submitted by: Bützow (Germany), Jekabpils (Latvia), Sillamäe (Estonia) and Vordingborg (Denmark). Representatives of applying cities made presentations introducing their cities and requested the Board to accept them as UBC members. The Board decided to accept the above mentioned cities as members of the Union of the Baltic Cities and wished them successful cooperation with other UBC members. The number of Union member cities reached the figure 84.

IBSC and CPMR

Mr Radoul Kovatchev, Managing Director, made a presentation on the aims and structure of the International Black Sea Club which is an organisation similar to the Union of the Baltic Cities operating in the Black Sea region. Mr Tommy Karlsson, Executive Secretary, introduced the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions of Europe and its Baltic Sea Commission, which associates regions from Baltic countries. The Board thanked Mr Kovatchev and Mr Karlsson for their presentations and expressed hope for fruitful cooperation between our organisations.

Commission on Urban Planning

Mr Jussi Kautto, Development Chief, Helsinki, reminded that the question of UBC involvement in the field of urban planning has been raised at the 16th UBC Executive Board meeting held in Stockholm in January 1997. The Board appointed a working group led by Helsinki to prepare the basis for the creation of the new UBC commission dealing with urban planning.

Mr Kautto put forward a proposal to establish the UBC Commission on Urban Planning. The Board decided to create the new commission with the cities of Helsinki, Malmö and Umeå as leading cities. The Board encouraged all member cities to take active part in the Commission's work.

Mr Mikko Jokinen, co-chairman of the UBC Commission on Environment, reminded that the Baltic 21 (Agenda 21 for the Baltic Sea Region) final document was officially adopted by the Council of the Baltic Sea States during the last meeting of the Ministers for Foreign Affairs held in Nyborg on 22 June 1998. Mr Jokinen stressed that UBC should play a major role in the implementation of the Baltic 21 programme at the local level. The Board appointed Mr Jokinen to represent UBC in the Senior Officials Group responsible for the implementation of the Baltic 21.

Mr Pawel Zaboklicki presented the three latest UBC publications, namely: Baltic Cities Bulletin 2/98 devoted to education in Baltic cities; new colour brochure introducing the Union of the Baltic Cities and a small UBC leaflet. Mr Zaboklicki expressed thanks to those cities which sent stories to the Baltic Cities Bulletin and photographs for the UBC colour brochure. The Secretary informed that the mentioned publications will be sent out to all member cities and may be used for general UBC information and public relations purposes.

The Chairmen of UBC working Commissions submitted reports on Commissions' activities since the last Executive Board meeting held in Klaipeda on 26-27 June 1998. The Board adopted the reports and encouraged the Commissions to continue their important work.

Mr Finn Risom, Aalborg, recalled a letter sent out by the Secretariat, including a call from Kaliningrad and Baltijsk for humanitarian help, in connection with the severe crisis in Russia, which dramatically affected living conditions in these cities. Several representatives of the cities present at the meeting informed about the aid for Kaliningrad and Baltijsk already sent or being presently organised. The Board urged the member cities to organise aid for Kaliningrad and Baltijsk if possible.

Following an invitation from Mr Martti Sinisalmi, Mayor of Pori, the Board decided to hold its next (23rd) meeting in Pori on 5-6 March 1999.