Joint Statement
by the Presidiums of the Baltic Assembly and the Nordic Council
on the Occasion of the Joint Meeting
Vilnius, 15-16 April 1996
Introduction
The Baltic Assembly, representing the Estonian, Latvian and
Lithuanian Parliaments and the Nordic Council, constituted by
members of the Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian and Swedish
Parliaments and the Parliaments of the autonomous regions of
Aland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands, met in Vilnius,
Lithuania, on 15-16 April 1996 to reinforce the existing co-
operation between the two Organisations, and to discuss issues of
mutual interest.
Baltic-Nordic Relations
We, Parliamentarians of the Baltic Assembly and the Nordic
Council, declare our commitment to contribute to promoting
security, stability and prosperity of the region and ever closer
cultural links between our nations, building co-operation on all
levels on common heritage and joint democratic values.
We express our deep satisfaction with the co-operative framework
existing between the Baltic Assembly and the Nordic Council,
manifestly laid down in the 1992 Agreement on parliamentary Co-
operation between the two Organisations.
The Co-operation Agreement will be reviewed in the course of
1996, in order to ensure that it will well serve our joint
political ambitions. The Nordic Council will continue its
scholarship programme for Parliamentarians from the Baltic States
with a view to possibly expanding the programme to include
parliamentary staff from the three parliaments.
We also note with content the existing Governmental co-operation
between the Baltic and Nordic countries, bilateral as well as
multilateral through the Baltic and Nordic Councils of Ministers.
Regional Dimension to Baltic-Nordic Co-operation
We, Parliamentarians of the Baltic Assembly and the Nordic
Council, recognise the fundamental importance of regional inter-
Parliamentary co-operation as a contribution to stability,
security and social and economic development in the Baltic
region. We underline the political significance of the
Parliamentary Conferences on Co-operation in the Baltic Sea Area
and the documents adopted by these Conferences. We welcome the
new Baltic Sea Area initiative by the European Commission.
We urge Baltic and Nordic Governments, as well as the Baltic and
Nordic Councils of Ministers, to do their utmost to promote and
develop existing co-operation, in particular within fields that
are vital to prosperity in the Baltic region such as protection
of the environment, common energy projects, creation of
information infrastructure and common transport projects, and
hence essential for the livelihood of people in our countries.
Such co-operation should comprise, inter alia, encouraging
Baltic, Nordic and European financial institutions to co-ordinate
their activities in the Baltic States to enhance sustainable
development.
Furthermore, we call for joint and co-ordinated Government action
to be taken, in order to ensure sustainable development and to
mitigate the effects of environmental hazards including nuclear
accidents and waste. We also encourage Parliaments and
Governments to seek close co-operation in addressing trafficking
of narcotics and doping substances and other forms of organised
crime.
Likewise, we call on Governments to undertake, in a context of
international co-operation, concerted efforts to curb irregular
movements of people, while ensuring individual needs of
international legal protection and recognising the value of
facilitating, e.g. through exemption and/or harmonisation of visa
requirements, intra-regional contacts between human beings, in
particular the establishment and extension of visa-free travel
arrangements between the Baltic States and the Nordic Countries
for citizens of these countries, when conditions so allow.
We recognise that successful integration of all population groups
into societies will contribute to stability in the whole region.
High standards of civil rights enjoyed by all inhabitants of the
Baltic States and the Nordic countries can only strengthen
loyalty with their State of residence.
In view of the summit meeting of the Baltic Sea States, to be
held in Visby on 3-4 May 1996, we urge participating Heads of
Governments to recognise the necessity to base their joint
efforts on broad popular support.
European Dimensions to the Baltic-Nordic Co-operation
As expressed by Representatives of Baltic and Nordic
Governments, an enlargement of the European Union (EU)
constitutes a historic opportunity for the Baltic region and such
an enlargement will promote peace, freedom, stability and
prosperity in all of Europe.
We have noted, with satisfaction, the support from Nordic
countries for a process of enlargement of the EU that will
comprise three Baltic States on an equal footing with other
States having concluded Europe Agreements with the EU, and/or
submitted their candidature for EU Membership. Negotiations
should start simultaneously with all candidates not later that
six months after the conclusion of the EU Intergovernmental
Conference (IGC).
We call on Nordic Parliaments and Governments to assist the three
Baltic States in their own efforts to prepare for EU membership,
e.g. through advice on approximation of national legislation to
EU standards, and to share, as appropriate, experience gained
during the EU Intergovernmental Conference with their Baltic
colleagues.
We appreciate the Baltic participation in the Nordic contingent
to the IFOR peace-enforcing mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina as a
concrete expression of common values and a significant
contribution to the efforts to bring peace and security in Bosnia
and all of Europe.
Future Co-operation
We look forward to the continuation of intra-regional co-
operation between the three Baltic States and the five Nordic
countries, with Parliamentary as well as Governmental dimensions
on the basis of the "five-plus-three formula", while recognising
that certain challenges facing our societies may call for
international response on a wider scale.
We pledge to continue regional Parliamentary co-operation and to
convene, in due course, further joint meetings between the Baltic
Assembly and the Nordic Council.