Welcome to VII UBC General Conference!
Dear members of the Union of the Baltic
Cities,
 I
would like to heartily welcome you to the 7th
UBC General Conference in Klaipeda! We will, as usual, devote
one day of the General Conference to a theme that is important
for our cities. This year the conference will mirror the
impacts on us and on Europe of the Baltic Sea Region business
development, the Baltic Wave.
Our region, the Baltic Sea Region, is one
of the most attractive growth centres in EU and in fact
in the world. Our skilled work-force, our high educational
and technological level and our good environment creates
a very attractive business climate and a steady and sustainable
growth.
The cities have an important role in this
process. Most economic activities take place in cities.
The ideas, the money and the people meet there and push
the development forward. The political and administrative
capacity of the cities are also an important growth factor
in the process.
I would like to heartily welcome you to our General Conference
in Klaipeda to discuss and get inspired on the role of cities
in the process of developing our region. In that way we
can all be part of the strengthening of the Baltic Wave
of economic development, for the benefit of our citizens
and coming generations.
Welcome to the 7th UBC General
Conference!
Per Bodker Andersen
President of the Union of the Baltic Cities
Dear members of our large Baltic cities
family, dear Guests,
 It
is my pleasure and honour to open hospitably our town of
Klaipeda is gates to you, coming from all over the Baltic
Region, other parts of Europe and even other continents
to the great congress of the Baltic cities.
During the last decade we all were witnesses
and creators of the great historic change that next spring
would be crowned by birth of the new European Union. The
times pose very special challenges for cities - large or
smaller ones, from the EU or accession countries, for everyone
will have to operate under new conditions. What is to be
done that "the Baltic wave" in economics would
be strong and overwhelming, how cities should act to achieve
the ambitious objective to make the Baltic Region the most
competitive and dynamic society in Europe? Our conference
is the evidence that by working together cities are eager
to find the right answers. More partners than competitors,
the Baltic cities are keen to act locally to harmonize the
contrasting economic landscapes in the eastern and western
parts of the region. Business development is one of major
instruments to contribute to this process. I wish that keys
to success performance of business in our cities are found
during the discussion of the conference.
We are especially glad that the high conference
will share with us the solemn moments of awarding our town
with the Council of Europe Prize'2003 for international
co-operation and propagation of European unity ideas. This
award is an exceptional historic event not only for Klaipeda,
but for the whole Lithuania, the people of which have sacrificed
so much to be part of the free world. So, welcome to Klaipeda
to rejoice over the European award and discuss our common
future.
Rimantas Taraskevicius
Mayor of Klaipeda
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