I am delighted to attend the Baltic Sea Labour Forum Round Table, and I would like to thank the organizers for the possibility to address this Conference.  

I am pleased that the BSLF Roundtable takes place in Helsinki during the Finnish Presidency of the Council of the Baltic Sea States.  I very much appreciate the joint efforts by many stakeholders in the past years in promoting transnational social dialogue and labour market policies in the Baltic Sea Region.  The excellent work carried out under the Baltic Sea Labour Network project has led to the establishment of the Baltic Sea Labour Forum.  These issues have been on the agenda for some time, but now the regional dialogue in this field has reached a permanent status under the auspices of the Baltic Sea Labour Forum. 

Finland started its Chairmanship in the Council of the Baltic Sea States in July.  Our Presidency priorities are based on the achievements of the previous Presidencies and on the five long term priority areas of the CBSS.  In order to further enhance regional cooperation, we are working on the basis of three guiding principles: coherence, cooperation and continuity. 

Our goal is a pragmatic and result-oriented cooperation based on coherence. The aim is to enhance coherence among the different actors in the Baltic Sea Region and promote synergies between the regional councils, the Northern Dimension and the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region.  We can also strengthen the cooperation and coordination between the sub-regional organizations, intergovernmental networks and strategic partners of the CBSS, including the Baltic Labour Forum.

Finland is also chairing the Barents Euro-Arctic Council for the next two years.  We took over the Presidency just earlier this week at the Barents Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Troms.   The double Presidency gives us a good opportunity to improve the synergies between the regional actors in Northern Europe.  

The CBSS is the most important intergovernmental organization in the Baltic Sea Region.  Moreover, it is the only regional structure that gathers the heads of Governments together to discuss issues of regional importance. The CBSS Summit is organized every two years, alternating with the CBSS Foreign Ministers meeting. The last Foreign Ministers Meeting was held in Kaliningrad last June during the Russian Presidency.   Finland will host the CBSS Summit in the beginning of June next year in Turku.  Parallel to the Summit, the Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for Baltic Sea Region, the Baltic Development Forum, as well as the Baltic Sea NGO Forum will be also take place there.  We expect around 1000 participants to attend the various events during the Baltic Sea Days in Turku.   

The Finnish CBSS Presidency is carried out under the theme Clean, Safe and Smart Baltic Sea.  Based on the five long-term priorities of the CBSS we have selected three priority areas: maritime policy, civil security and people-to-people cooperation. 

Regarding the maritime issues special attention is paid to clean shipping, with focus on alternative fuels.   In this connection we are coordinating efforts to create ”Green Technology and Alternative Fuels Platform for Shipping”. Working closely with HELCOM and other partners the aim is to draw up a roadmap on how to promote development and use of clean and green technology and alternative fuels in the region.  

In civil security we attach particular emphasis on nuclear and radiation safety, cooperation of the border control authorities and management of maritime accidents. One example of the cooperation in this field is a project conducted by the Finnish Border Guard. The project identifies the emergency preparedness measures implemented by the Baltic Sea States with the aim to share best practices in developing operating models and cooperation practices in maritime rescue.  

People-to-people contacts and a well-functioning civil society are important elements in building a stable and secure society, and essential parts of the regional cooperation.   Also youth affairs continue to be an important aspect of cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region.  The CBSS attaches great importance to the youth cooperation.  In recent years youth cooperation in the CBSS format has taken many shapes and forms.   Although the CBSS Expert Group of Youth Affairs has been dissolved, Finland is committed to maintain the youth issues on the CBSS agenda and we are willing to find new ways to address these issues.  We support practical activities for youth and more active involvement of youth itself in the discussions.   

Ladies and Gentlemen,

This Round Table has an important role in promoting the issues related to youth and mobility of labour. The two focus areas, youth unemployment and mobility of labour, are of utmost importance and crucial for the economic and social development of the Baltic Sea Region.  Let me use this opportunity to have a broader look at the future of the Baltic Sea region and European Union from a social perspective.

It is clear that the internal market of the EU and the mobility of the labour enhance the opportunities for economic growth in the future. In order to have a welfare society that would be at the same time solid and flexible, economic growth is necessary, not least because of the challenge posed by demographic change. 

The Baltic Sea region has economic potential which we have not yet fully taken advantage of. When planning the ways to find new methods we have to take international competition and more globalized markets into account. These can bring entirely new challenges we have to face. We should address these challenges through close cooperation and agreementsbetween all the social partners.

In the future we need more Social Europe where the rights of the workers and the welfare of the citizens should be a priority of all EU-institutions. This is the way to build an equal, sustainable and prosperous Europe.  From the Nordic perspective, we cannot allow an unbalanced stress on unregulated economic competition in the single market to introduce harmful and socially unsustainable practices to the labour markets.

Companies which respect core labour standards should not be put in an unfavourable position in the market. On the contrary, socially responsible behaviour should be rewarded. Companies using questionable methods in seeking profits should not be allowed to compete unfairly with those employers who respect labour standards.  This is not sustainable either politically or socially.

We should encourage and support business to thrive ethically and under fair rules. This is in many ways one of the key of the Nordic countries´ success in the numerous international rankings where countries are judged on various social, economic and ecological criteria, including competitivess.

Since the end of the Second World War, during a relatively long period of time the Nordic labour market has brought quite good results – also when it comes to an equitable distribution of wealth and income. Unfortunately this trend has been reversed during the last twenty years with growing inequalities, higher poverty rates and increasing marginalization.

Full respect for labour rights in Europe is one way to counter this negative trend. The Financial crisis has clearly shown a need to have more regulation in the globalized market. Regulation is also needed to guarantee that the mechanisms in the labour market are functioning well. A labour market based on rules agreed between the social partners in Europe should be recognized as a strong impetus for enhancing growth and productivity. This is the case in the Baltic Sea region as well.

In Finland we have had a clear principle in our labour markets which should be the universal norm in other European countries as well: The same standards, working conditions and wages should be given to all employees in the same job in the same country regardless of their nationality or country of origin. This principle should be enforced at the state level and the instruments necessary to guarantee equal conditions and right for everyone should be adequately resourced.  

I have full confidence in the perspectives for cooperation in the Baltic Sea region. We have a lot in common, but we have not yet fully used our potential. We are in some respect different, but that should only make us more attractive to each other. We have much in common today and our future is in our hands.

I welcome the creation of the permanent Baltic Sea Labour Forum – an important tripartite platform and a network for cooperation between employers, trade union organizations, governmental and parliamentary institutions.  I remind you that supporting the regional social tripartite dialogue is also mentioned as one of the priorities in our CBSS Presidency Program, under the people-to-people cooperation. 

The international CBSS Secretariat was one of the partners who attended the Hamburg meeting in November 2011 where the Baltic Sea Labour Forum was established.  The CBSS has also further supported the work of the Forum, for example by funding its Working Group on Mobility of Labour’s project ”Cross-Border Information Management in the Baltic Sea Region” from the Project Support Facility, a new financial instrument of the CBSS, which was launched earlier this year.  

I wish all the possible success for CBSS in its work. I am confident that the large amount of strength, wisdom, experience and courage we have here from different backgrounds and countries shall also bring important results in the future.

Dear Colleagues, representatives of the Regional Council and of the Indigenous Peoples, Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Finnish Chairmanship of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council aims to promote dynamic, inclusive and sustainable development of the Barents region.

Finland bases its Chairmanship on the work of the previous chairs. The successful Norwegian chairmanship has laid a good basis for further work in many sectors.  The Kirkenes Summit Declarationfrom June this year gives a valuable guidance for our work.  The basic principles of our work will be Coherence, Cooperation and Continuity.

Finland will pay special attention to economic and business cooperation. We will focus on sustainable mining and promotion of the use of clean technology. In the coming years, investments are being made in different sectors: energy, mining, transport and logistics, shipbuilding and offshore infrastructure.   At the same time environmental issues are becoming more and more important. This means that more attention needs to be paid to waste management, energy efficiency, energy saving, water management, waste water purification and low emissions.

Transport and logistics is another priority sector of the Finnish Chairmanship.  Development of mining, and other industries, as well as trade and tourism requires well functioning cross-border transport connections. Finland will follow up the groundbreaking work of the Norwegian Chair on the Joint Barents Transport Plan.  Our objective is a joint vision of how the transport system in this region should be developed. In this work, and especially in the implementation phase, we underline the importance of close cooperation between the Barents transport cooperation and the Northern Dimension Transport and Logistics Partnership. The Northern Dimension is a tool for the European Union to build transport cooperation with neighbouring countries. The Barents cooperation represents the regional voice and it is important that this voice is heard also in Brussels.  

Environment and climate change are key priorities during our BEAC chairmanship.  For example:

–          We want to encourage the sharing of best environmental practices in various sectors, including mining sector.

–          The results of the ten years work on hot spots are positive. However, efforts are still needed in many of the hot spots.

–          The forest ecosystems in the region are under increased pressure from land-use, exploitation and climate change. This is why the Barents Protected Areas Network project continues to be of high importance.

–          Climate change is the major concern for the Arctic regions and therefore implementation of Action Plan on Climate Change for the Barents Cooperation will be in our focus.  

The well-being of the people in Barents region is the overriding objective of our work.  Promoting young people´s social inclusion is a key priority of the Finnish Chairmanship of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council.  Finland pays special attention to young people´s opportunities to participate in the society and their access to education and employment. In this context, the also role of the NGOs is crucial.

Finland will continue promoting the mobility of young people in the Barents region as requested also by the Barents youth conference in 2012. Finland will focus on the efficient functioning of the Barents Youth Cooperation Office in Murmansk.  

I have mentioned here some of the high priority sectors.  The Finnish Chairmanship gives its full support also to other working groups in their important work, such as tourism, cultural cooperation, education, health and social well-being and emergency and rescue cooperation.  Finland has started preparations for the Barents Rescue exercise that will be organized in Northern Finland in 2015.

Finland emphasizes the important role of the indigenous peoples in the Barents cooperation. We have made recently a financial contribution to ensure the functioning of the Indigenous Peoples Working Group. We are prepared in cooperation with other member states to seek a more permanent solution to the financing of the Working Group.

We are committed to close cooperation and communication between the regional actors and the people living in the Barents region.  This is of key importance in the Barents cooperation, where the regional level cooperation has such a vital role. 

The Finnish Chairmanship underlines the importance to strengthen coherence between BEAC and the other regional councils – the Arctic Council, the Council of the Baltic Sea States and the Nordic Council of Ministers – as well as with the Northern Dimension. Much of this work needs to be done at the working group level. This is an issue that will be on the agenda of the Deputy Ministers’ Meeting in April in Helsinki. 

Finland is prepared to make a comprehensive overview of the financial sources of Barents cooperation. We will set up an ad hoc working group to investigate the possibility to establish a Barents Financing Mechanism as stated in the Communique of this Meeting.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Finland is looking forward to a good cooperation with all the members of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council, the incoming Chair of the Barents Regional Council Arkhangelsk, other Barents regions and all stakeholders. I wish you all welcome to the next Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in 2015 in Finland!

The Finnish Chairmanship Brochure is available in this room.

Dear Colleagues and representatives of the members of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council, the Regional Council and the Indigenous Peoples, Ladies and Gentlemen.

Let me begin by expressing my thanks to the City of Tromsø and the Troms County for the warm hospitability we have experienced during our stay here in Tromsø, the Arctic Knowledge Capital.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Barents cooperation celebrated its 20 years in Kirkenes in June this year.  The Kirkenes Summit reconfirmed the principles and the importance of Barents cooperation in addressing the challenges and opportunities that the region is facing today. The Barents cooperation continues to have a special role in connecting authorities at governmental, regional and local level as well as indigenous peoples.

The future of the Barents economy looks promising.  The Barents Region has potential for extraction of base metals and also for many critical minerals for the European and global industry.The expanding mining industry as well as the massive investments in oil and gas production in the Barents Sea increase economical activity and livelihood in the Barents Region. In long term the opening of the Northern Sea Route will bring additional economic opportunities. Also international and regional tourism in the Barents region is growing.

It is vital for the well-being of the people living in this region and of the surrounding nature that all economic activities in the sensitive arctic and subarctic regions take place in an environmentally responsible way. This is also a precondition for development of the tourism industry and the continuation of traditional livelihoods.

More information is essential for consolidation of conflicting interests and for development of sustainable extractive industry in arctic conditions.  The Barents cooperation has its role in this work.Finland has been strongly committed to environmental cooperation in the BEAC, and the Working Group on Environment has achieved significant results during the Finnish chairmanship of the Working Group. 

Finland welcomes the Action Plan on Climate Change as important achievement for the Barents Cooperation. The Action Plan systematizes and gives guidance to the efforts to mitigate the negative effects of the climate change. The regional climate change strategies developed in the three regions of northern Finland can provide an example for other regions in the Barents area.

In this context I would also like to underline the importance of Barents rescue cooperation and thank Norway for the excellent organization of the Barents Rescue Exercise 2013 in Troms County. This exercise was based on a scenario of a huge rock slide caused by erosion.

Functioning transport connections in the Barents region play a key role in the region’s development. I would like to thank the Norwegian Chair for the valuable work on the Joint Barents Transport Plan. We all share common interests in the efforts to develop transport infrastructure in the northern areas. Finland will proudly take the work forward with the aim of finding a common approach to the development of transport and logistics networks in the Barents region.

Last year there were 12 million border crossing on the Finnish-Russian land border. Finland issued 1,35 million visas – most of them multiple entry –  to Russian citizens, of which 150.000 in Murmansk and Petrozavodsk. The high number of border crossings indicates that citizens of our countries have more and more contacts with each other. This is positive development.

Enhancing people-to-people contacts and cooperation with civil society across the Barents region is important.  I would like to pay tribute to the forms of interaction which focus on people.  Cooperation in the field of culture, youth, education and health has an important role in exchanging knowledge, experiences andbest practices and in learning to know each other better.

The Indigenous peoples are an integral part of Barents cooperation and their participation in the activities of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council is of utmost importance. In 2012 the government of Finland renewed its aim to ratify the ILO Convention 169. The Government also established a ministerial working group on Sami matters. The group discusses and takes political decisions in matters relating to the Sami. Finland is also actively taking part in the negotiations on a Nordic Sami Convention between Finland, Sweden and Norway.

I am pleased to note that during the past few years the Barents cooperation hasbeen able to benefit of the financing from the EU-Russia cross-border cooperation programmes. Especially, the multilateral Kolarctic Programme has become an important funding source for cooperation projects in the Barents Region. Finland will strive to enhance closer cooperation among the different stakeholders for the forthcoming programming period.

The Government of Finland adopted in August a new Arctic Strategy, which is broader than the previous one from 2010. The new strategy examines the possibilities for bolstering Finland’s position regarding the Arctic region; the creation of new business opportunities; the Arctic environment and the region’s security and stability; the position of the northern parts of Finland; international cooperation; and the Finnish Arctic expertise.

The cooperation in the Barents region is an important part of the wider arctic cooperation. Its strength lies in its practical nature and its regional and local dimension. To maximize the effectiveness of regional cooperation, synergy and coherence should be strengthened between different regional cooperation bodies with similar objectives, such as the Arctic Council, Council of the Baltic Sea States and the Northern Dimension,

In conclusion, let me thank the outgoing Chair of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council, Norway, for the outstanding work for our common Barents region. I would also like to thank the Region of Norrbotten for chairing the Barents Regional Council and welcome Region of Arkhangelsk as the new regional Chair.  Many thanks also to the working Group Chairs and the International Barents Secretariat for their important work.