Oil transport risks high on agenda of Baltic States Council meeting

Prime Ministers of Baltic Sea countries meet in Estonia

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The countries on the Baltic Sea have endorsed a ban on single-hulled vessels for the transport of heavy grades of oil. Declared by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), the ban is to take effect in April next year.
      Prime Ministers of the Baltic Sea states gave their backing to the plan in a communiqué issued at the summit meeting of the Council of Baltic Sea States held on Monday in Laulasmaa, just outside the Estonian capital Tallinn.
      The meeting brought Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov to Estonia for the first time.
      "Russia is a party to treaties on maritime safety. Single-hulled oil transport vessels are not a problem for us. We do not have many of them", said Fradkov.
     
In addition to environmental questions, the main topics of the meeting included the prevention of communicable diseases, and the fight against organised crime. At the meeting, the local press bombarded Fradkov with questions about Russia’s strained relations with Estonia and Latvia.
      Fradkov held bilateral talks only with Lithuania’s Prime Minister Algirdas Brazauskas. A planned meeting with Estonian Prime Minister Juhan Parts ended up being a lunch held together with the Prime Ministers of Finland and Poland.
      "It is unfortunate that we did not meet officially. Bilateral meetings would be important so that the meeting would not turn into empty declarations", Parts said, openly admitting his disappointment.
     
The importance of the summit of the Council of the Baltic Sea States had been called into question, because the heads of government of Germany, Sweden, and Denmark were not present. It is perhaps indicative of something that the Prime Ministers of the non-EU countries Russia and Norway were there. Norway is officially considered a Baltic Sea State, even though it does not have any shoreline on the Baltic Sea.
      "The Council of Baltic Sea States operates as a body that links Baltic Sea countries that are members of the EU and those that are not, for the promotion of common interests", explained Polish Prime Minister Marek Belka.
      The Chair of the Council was transferred from Estonia to Poland. Finland is to chair a working group on fighting organised crime.


Links:
  Council of the Baltic Sea States web site: BALTIC SEA STATES SUMMIT - Laulasmaa, 21 June 2004

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