Klaipeda received the European Flag of Honour

European Award to Klaipeda

In 1999 Klaipeda was awarded the Council of Europe Flag of Honour for international cooperation and local efforts to propagate European unity ideas. 
The dramatic political changes in modern Europe allow local authorities to become advanced actors in the processes of internationalization. Klaipeda municipal authorities promote almost day-to day contacts among citizens of our 14 twin-cities. For ten years now our local policy has clearly focused on practical support of national efforts towards adjustment to the EU requirements, and European values. Klaipeda authorities are strongly orientated towards transnational co-operation with the aim to consolidate nation's democratic achievements, and towards implementation of the national EU policy. 
Our Baltic twin-cities get engaged in joint cooperation projects, aiming at contributing to better integration of the Baltic region. The position of the city is that contacts on local level are very significant in promoting advantages of a democratic mode of life even in the places under unfavourable political circumstances, such as e. g. in Mogiliov, Byelorussia. 
During ten years of independence, international cooperation includes not only municipal politicians or officials, but also hundreds of public and private organizations, NGOs, the university, schools, and stimulates personal exchanges. Many of Klaipeda citizens have got good friends in twin cities of Liepaja, Karlskrona, Lübeck, Kaliningrad, North Tyneside (England) and even Kuji (Japan). 
Klaipeda was the first Lithuanian city to have presented economic-

cultural potential of the city and the county to different EU Directorates and regional offices in Brussels. It was one more effort to make efficient international marketing of the city. 
The European Flag of Honour was awarded to Klaipeda on the celebration of the 10th cooperation anniversary with the cities of Karlskrona and Lübeck. The Mayors and twin-city delegations from eleven countries participated. The high distinction of the Council of Europe given to our city is an immeasurable inducement for further activities.

Kotka Maritime Library

Kotka Maritime Library was opened at the end of July 1999. The Library serves everyone interested in "the sea" and seafaring. It is maintained by Kymenlaakso Polytechnic, the City of Kotka, and a number of maritime interest groups. 
The Library performs educational and public functions. It serves maritime educators and students, professionals and the industry. It further endeavours to promote and stimulate maritime training, research, culture and business life and to enhance the public's interest in seafaring and the City of Kotka.

The collections of the library include about 6 000 books, 300 charts, 40 magazines. It also has good onlineconnections to several database, and exchanges. Furthermore the Library promotes retrieval skills and the usage of information networks. Library is ready to sell information services to external organisations. 
Kotka Maritime Library also maintains the virtual "Lighthouse". The Lighthouse can be used to search information on maritime 

training, companies, ships, boating, maritime history, as well as anything that has to do with the sea and seafaring. 
The Lighthouse aims at collecting as many useful links as possible. Kotka Maritime Library does not specialize in a certain sector in the maritime field. Therefore the Lighthouse, too, has information on a wide variety of subjects, and has an impressive thematic index. Maritime database can be found separately, and www-collections contain various lists of the internet sites and information sources in the maritime field. These include a list of Finnish maritime libraries and their collections which can be browsed through the internet. The search pages offer a comprehensive selection of different types of servers and search engines.

Murder in the Nordic Degree

Germany's only festival devoted to the Nordic and Baltic cinema, the Nordic Film Days Lübeck, is actively preparing its 42nd edition, which will take place on November 2 to 5, 2000. Some 100 features, documentaries, shorts, children's and youth films from Scandinavia and the Baltic states will be shown again this year. In addition, there is the regional showcase Filmforum Schleswig-Holstein. 
The selection process is just getting underway, but the topic of the retrospective, always the highlight of the programme, has been decided upon. This year it is devoted to "Northern Murders". This may sound like a strange title for a retrospective, but what it is referring to is nothing less than a revolution in the Nordic cinema, an attempt to shake off the stodgy, slow-moving, philosophising image of the Scandinavian films and enter the 21st century on the forefront of the world cinema. For example, take crime thrillers. The authors such as Sjöwall-Wahlöö and others paved the way with their detective stories. It is time to survey this other face of the Nordic cinema, which has had