Östersjön kräver handling

Som handelsresande i demokrati är varje dag ett litet äventyr, särskilt i St Petersburg där fem miljoner människor har sina hem. Här trängs konsuler, knivmakare och allt däremellan! Skälet till besöket var denna gång något som heter Baltic Sea Day som ordnas av St Petersburg och Helcom varje år den 22-23 mars, Östersjöns egna dagar.

Här inleddes i tiderna det arbete som ledde till att St Petersburg numera är försett med väldiga reningsverk som gör utsläppen i Finska viken mindre. Här har också Helcom jobbat hårt med det förslag som senare nådde IMO och resulterade i svaveldirektivet som sedan 2015 gjort sjöfarten i Östersjön miljövänligare och från och med 2020 rullas vidare ut på världshaven. Möten som detta gör alltså skillnad på riktigt. Dessutom får man träffa otroligt intressanta människor, som till exempel EU-kommissionärer och ryska federationsrådets starka ordförande Valentina Matvienko som jag ska tillbaka och träffa om bara tre veckor.

Min uppgift denna gång var att på Östersjökonferensens (Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference – BSPC) vägnar ge en parlamentarisk överblick till alla församlade regeringsrepresentanter. Och bjuda in till den stora konferensen som äger rum på Åland i augusti. Som alltid lyfter jag i dessa sammanhang demilitariseringen, neutraliseringen och den självstyrelse som i tidernas gryning var omstridd men i det stora hela fungerat rätt bra. Det åländska välståndet som skapats av flit och mod och näsa för affärer är minst lika stort och oftast större än det vi hittar i vår omvärld. Åland upplevs också som intressant och många är de som vill diskutera vår vardag i samband med möten som detta.

Hela talet till Östersjöns ära löd ungefär så här, tyvärr bara på engelska:

Excellences, friends,
on behalf of the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference, let us first of all thank you for inviting us to address the XIX Baltic Sea Day.

The Baltic Sea Day here in St. Petersburg each year is a crucial component of our common efforts to promote sustainable development in the Baltic Sea Region.

Especially in politically difficult times, a constructive dialogue and close cooperation are of fundamental importance.

From the very beginning, the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference has dealt intensively with environmental issues. Their solution is also necessary independently from all other political disputes. Environmental problems are our common problems. Environmental pollution do not stop at our borders.

That is why we also have to solve them together.

Our aim is to be progressive and to urge governments to act progressively and also to convince those who are still hesitant in their actions.

Since the beginning of our cooperation – and since 17 years as an official observer – the 27 parliaments and parliamentary organizations of the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC) have actively supported the work of HELCOM and called on our governments to give HELCOM the political support it needs to execute the necessary measures. Many topics the BSPC has been dealing with refer to issues that HELCOM is concerned with, such as, to mention only a few, the good ecological status of the Baltic marine environment, stricter emission regulations, stricter controls on eutrophication and the Baltic Sea as a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area.

And – as I pointed out already at the Ministerial Meeting of HELCOM in Brussels on 6 March – we do this because the people who elected us expect us to provide them with a good environmental status and a clean and healthy Baltic Sea. The environment is similar to peace on earth. It’s the foundation of all human life.

That is why it is so important to achieve the goals that we have set ourselves for example with the Baltic Sea Action Plan and to do so within the very time frame set in the plan. We are in a hurry, 2021 is soon to be here, and that is why we have to implement the 2030 sustainable development goals.

I myself come from Åland, the selfgoverned, neutralised and demilitarised Islands of Peace as we are called. We have 6.700 larger islands and we are situated in the middle of the Baltic Sea. For us, the sea is a central lifeline and living space. We see it every morning and say goodnight to it every evening.

That is why we have a vital interest in the well-being of the Baltic Sea. That is why we have developed a wide-ranging sustainability strategy which we hope will be acknowledged as Best Practice and repeated by others. We do it because we love our Baltic Sea.

Therefore, we consider it necessary to keep emphasizing the political will regarding a clean Baltic Sea but also a good environmental status at all. It calls for action rather than talk.

For that reason, I am glad about this International Environmental Forum “Baltic Sea Day”.

Apart from all the progress achieved by HELCOM in the meantime, the current situation shows us that appeals alone are not enough. We must act more widely and stringently and make greater efforts. The priorities from our point of view are eutrophication, marine litter, hazardous substances and underwater noise.

We support the agreements in the new ministerial declaration and the path the ministers were taking on this basis. At the same time, however, we call for stricter action at national level to guarantee the achievement of the objectives that in our mind are necessary in order to reinstate the health of the Baltic Sea.

The crucial foundation of the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference is: We want to be a political platform for cooperation, for commitment and for competence in the political dialogue of parliaments, governments and civil societies in the Baltic Sea region.

We should not take for granted that we parliamentarians can always find satisfactory solutions. But we have an obligation to our citizens to contribute to solving problems.

In order to achieve that, we must strengthen inter-parliamentary cooperation as well as the influence of parliaments. Their common will is of crucial importance in order to look for answers to international challenges. We parliamentarians as representatives of the citizens in our countries need to continuously work on deepening dialogue, on compromise and on cooperation related to the democratic values to face future international challenges, especially environmental problems.

The Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference in Mariehamn on 26-28 August 2018 will offer dialogue, debate, solutions, friendship and a strong will to increase cooperation, prosperity, sustainability and a healthy environment in the region.

I invite you to come to Åland and to the conference. Let us – parliaments, governments and societies – strengthen our efforts working toward a good environmental status of our Baltic Sea, which is a lifeline for all of us.

You are welcome to participate in order to fulfill the will of all people depending on the health of the Baltic Sea!


Det är viktigt att nationerna håller vad de lovar och uppfyller de krav vi gemensam kommit överens om. Sade jag bland annat och berättade också om Åland. Foto: Pavel Tkachev.
Publiken var både stor och insatt i vikten av att vidta åtgärder för att göra Östersjön friskare. Foto: Pavel Tkachev.


Publiken på plats bestod av miljöministerierna runtom hela Östersjön. På bilden ser man lanseringen av ReGeneration2030 som lyfts särskilt av CBSS.
Ännu en publikbild! Foto: Pavel Tkachev.
Panelen redo för action. Längst till höger CBSS:s representant Olga Zuin som bland annat marknadsförde ReGeneration2030 som arrangeras på Åland veckan före den stora Östersjökonferensen 28-28 augusti. Bredvid henne undertecknad. Foto: Pavel Tkachev.

Den här handstilen har dessvärre sett sina bästa dagar men det handlar om svaveldirektivet och dess oerhört positiva konsekvenser för människor och klimat.

Innan jag satte mig på tåget till Helsingfors gällde såklart att säga hej då för denna gång till kamrat Lenin. Fast det dröjer inte så länge till nästa gång. Om tre veckor ska jag tillbaks för att bland annat prata kultur med Valentina Matvienko, en av de riktigt starka krafterna i dagens Ryssland.

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