TALLINN - The fifth summit of the Council of Baltic Sea States took place outside Tallinn last week, causing an unusual flurry of activity as luxurious cars shuttled heavily guarded VIP guests to the summit venue in the village of Laulasmaa, 20 kilometers west of the capital.
The summit, attended by prime ministers from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Russia, Poland and Norway, focused on regional cooperation, the CBSS' renewed role in the enlarged EU, marine safety and environmental protection. Visiting ministers represented the governments of Germany, Iceland, Sweden and Denmark, while Estonia's Siim Kallas represented the European Commission.
The heads of government agreed that, in connection with the resolutions of the International Maritime Organization, the transportation of fuel oil in single-hull tankers in the Baltic Sea must end by April 5, 2005.
Estonian Prime Minister Juhan Parts expressed his delight with member states' consensus on this position, saying that the reduction of Baltic Sea pollution risks had been one of the Estonian CBSS presidency's priorities.
Since 1992, single-hull tankers have been gradually phased out due to their relatively high risks. Existing single-hull tankers were allowed to operate until they reached the age of 30. However, accidents with the Erika tanker off the coast of France in 1999 and the Prestige tanker in 2002 put pressure on speeding up the phase-out schedule for single-hull tankers.
Experts have previously said that such tankers are one of the major environmental risks in the Baltic Sea. In a written statement released last week, Parts said the cooperation between the Baltic Sea countries has played an important role in the enlarged Europe.
"For instance, the framework of CBSS enables us to add significant value to the dialogue between the European Union and Russia," he said.
According to Parts, the summit participants agreed that although the CBSS plays an important role as a coordinator of intergovernmental cooperation, it must at the same time be as flexible and informal as possible and should not overlap with the activities of other organizations that operate in this region.
The meeting was not without disappointments, however. Russia's prime minister failed to squeeze in a tete-a-tete with his Estonian and Latvian counterparts, despite the wishes of the latter two.
Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov told reporters that such meetings were not planned, and that he had an opportunity to communicate with Parts at lunch.
The Estonian prime minister expressed his regret, saying that for neighboring countries such a meeting would be logical and could help eliminate stereotypes and slogans that are often inappropriate.
Fradkov did have a private meeting with Lithuanian Prime Minister Algirdas Brazauskas, during which they discussed bilateral trade options and the transit of Russian military personnel to and from Kaliningrad Oblast through Lithuanian territory.
At a press conference after the summit, Fradkov told reporters that development between citizens of CBSS countries could eventually lead to visa-free regime within Europe. He also noted that because of the CBSS, Russia could seize "expanded opportunities" regarding the North European gas pipeline project, the Baltic Energy Circle and various other transport projects.
According to the press service of the Russian government, the summit clearly outlined the sensitive issues dealing with the Russian-speaking populations of Latvia and Estonia. Fradkov himself said that not being a simple issue at all, it was a sensitive one for Russia, Estonia and Latvia. He added that solutions must be sought in accordance with EU and Council of Europe principles.
Andres Kasekamp, professor of Baltic politics at the University of Tartu, said the overall outcome of the summit was satisfactory.
"Agreement on the single-hulled tankers issue was the chief goal of the Estonian CBSS presidency. Not much else was expected," he said.
In Kasekamp's opinion, it was disappointing that Fradkov, the highest-level Russian official to come to Estonia in several years, did not use the opportunity to meet bilaterally with his Estonian host Parts.
"It seems that even though the Baltic states are now in the EU and NATO, the Russian side has not modified its approach," said Kasekamp.
Now that the Baltics are in the EU, the role of the CBSS will certainly diminish, Kasekamp predicted.
"The member states can now deal with most issues in various EU frameworks. However, the CBSS still has some value since it is one of the few fora where the Baltic states and Russia can discuss issues behind a common table," the professor added.
