Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference

25. BSPC in Riga

The Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC) was established in 1991 as a forum for political dialogue between parliamentarians from the Baltic Sea Region. BSPC aims at raising awareness and opinion on issues of current political interest and relevance for the Baltic Sea Region. It promotes and drives various initiatives and efforts to support a sustainable environmental, social and economic development of the Baltic Sea Region. It strives at enhancing the visibility of the Baltic Sea Region and its issues in a wider European context.

History

BSPC external interfaces include parliamentary, governmental, sub-regional and other organizations in the Baltic Sea Region and the Northern Dimension area, among them CBSS, HELCOM, the Northern Dimension Partnership in Health and Social Well-Being (NDPHS), the Baltic Sea Labour Network (BSLN), the Baltic Sea States Sub-regional Cooperation (BSSSC) and the Baltic Development Forum.

BSPC shall initiate and guide political activities in the region; support and strengthen democratic institutions in the participating states; improve dialogue between governments, parliaments and civil society; strengthen the common identity of the Baltic Sea Region by means of close co-operation between national and regional parliaments on the basis of equality; and initiate and guide political activities in the Baltic Sea Region, endowing them with additional democratic legitimacy and parliamentary authority.

The political recommendations of the annual Parliamentary Conferences are expressed in a Conference Resolution adopted by consensus by the Conference. The adopted Resolution shall be submitted to the governments of the Baltic Sea region, the CBSS and the EU, and disseminated to other relevant national, regional and local stakeholders in the Baltic Sea region and its neighbourhood.

Structure

BSPC gathers parliamentarians from 11 national parliaments, 11 regional parliaments and 5 parliamentary organizations around the Baltic Sea. The BSPC thus constitutes a unique parliamentary bridge between all the EU- and non-EU countries of the Baltic Sea Region.

Members

Members and Observers:

Country name Arms Flag Membership Parliament Membership status Represented since Members EU relation NATO relation
Denmark Denmark full Folketing sovereign state 1991 5 European Union member NATO member
Estonia Estonia full Riigikogu sovereign state 1991 European Union member NATO member
Finland Finland full Eduskunta sovereign state European Union member partnership
Germany Germany full Bundestag sovereign state European Union member NATO member
Iceland Iceland full Alþingi sovereign state 1991 associate NATO member
Latvia Latvia full Saeima sovereign state 1991 European Union member NATO member
Lithuania Lithuania full Seimas sovereign state 1991 European Union member NATO member
Norway Norway full Storting sovereign state 1991 associate NATO member
Poland Poland full Parliament of Poland sovereign state European Union member NATO member
Sweden Sweden full Riksdag sovereign state 1991 European Union member partnership
Åland Åland Islands full Lagting self-governing region of Finland 1991 European Union territory demilitarized zone
Bremen Bremen (state) full Bürgerschaft States of Germany European Union territory NATO member
Faroe Islands Faroe Islands full Løgting self-governing region of the Unity of the Realm 1991 minimal NATO member
Greenland Greenland full Inatsisartut self-governing region of the Unity of the Realm 1991 OCT NATO member
Hamburg Hamburg full Bürgerschaft States of Germany European Union territory NATO member
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Mecklenburg-Vorpommern full Landtag States of Germany 1991 European Union territory NATO member
Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein full Landtag States of Germany 1991 European Union territory NATO member

StPetersburg,Kaliningrad,Karelia,Leningrad

See also

External links

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