Foreign Minister Tuomioja : Cross-border co-operation, the Finnish experience

Statement by Mr Erkki Tuomioja, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland at the 10th session of the Council of the Baltic Sea States, Hamburg, June 7, 2001

Mr Chairman

Dear colleagues, ladies and gentlemen,

Let me first thank the German CBSS Presidency for hosting this ministerial here in Hamburg and also for the very active and successful chairmanship. During the last year the Baltic Sea co-operation has got a lot of positive attention and new dynamism that is for the benefit of the whole region.

We have tried to work hard and systematically, not least in the framework of the EU’s Northern Dimension to increase co-operation and support European integration processes, open to all, in the Baltic Sea region. We all have to do our share to enhance co-operation, security and stability in our region. The Council of the Baltic Sea States is an important tool for this work.

Mr Chairman, let me say a word about cross-border co-operation and our experiences from the Finnish-Russian co-operation in this regard.

Neighbouring area cooperation between Finland and Russia started some ten years ago. Our goal was to support the reform process in Russia, increase economic co-operation and produce joint answers to common challenges such as the environment. This co-operation has developed into a multibillion project involving both public and private actors in both sides of the border.

Some three million persons crossed the Finnish-Russian border last year. Last year we issued approximately 320.000 visas for Russian tourists and businessmen. This year this amount will further increase. This increase has been mainly due to the recovery of the Russian economy and, to a lesser extent, to the Schengen agreement. Also the trade has increased significantly after the decline in 1998.

Last week I had an opportunity to acquaint myself with the visa situation at our consulate in St Petersburg. It became clear that this amount of cross border traffic definitely requires a well arrangements as well as an effective co-operation and border management. The Finnish authorities responsible for border management - border guard, customs and police - have created this year a co-operation system with their Russian counterparts which I think other countries in our region could use as a model. A similar co-operation arrangement was established with the three Baltic states already in 1999.


We have also established co-operation in the whole Baltic Sea region between the authorities responsible for border control and surveillance. This is based on the trilateral experience of Finland, the Russian Federation and Estonia. According to our assessment a smooth and effective border control is possible also under the Schengen regulations.

In our co-operation with the Russian adjacent regions and the Russian Federation we have been able to deal with almost all activities of a modern society. In addition to border issues, I would like to draw your attention to some other questions which can affect all representatives around this table.

The risk caused by the communicable diseases, particularly HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis is rapidly increasing in the Baltic Sea region. The worrying development in Kaliningrad and St Petersburg is already known. According to the latest information the HIV/AIDS epidemic is also spreading in other Baltic Sea State areas. This development is a grave concern for us keeping in mind the amount of contacts between us all. We feel that immediate additional joint action is needed to tackle this problem.

The Task Force on Communicable Disease Control of the CBSS member states has our full support. We are participating actively in the Task Force activities on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and the primary health care. Finland is also financing, with two million Finnish marks, an HIV project in the Russian Carelia. We encourage all CBSS countries in the region and beyond to pay full attention to this threat that has immediate cross border affects.

Another major concern for us and for the whole Baltic Sea region is of course the environment. On the top of our agenda is the south-western waste water treatment facility in St Petersburg. I very much welcome the financial arrangements which will hopefully able the reconstruction work of the facility.

In this connection I would like to mention the new Northern Dimension Environmental Partnership developed by the EBRD and NIB. This Partnership is an innovative structure which gives possibility to work on major environmental projects with the involvement of donor countries, the European Commission as well as the international financial institutions including the EIB.

The old Tshernobyl type nuclear reactors in Sosnovyj Bor and Ignalina still pose a major environmental threat for the Baltic Sea region. The commitment and financial support from the international community, including European Commission, is absolutely necessary for tackling this problem.

Another environmental issue that deserves the attention of all the CBSS member states is the maritime safety. New harbours will be built. Also the transport via the existing harbours will increase.The Russian Federation has decided to build a new oil terminal in Primorsk. This will mean a significant increase in crude oil transportation in the Baltic Sea. Our concern is the crossing of the two routes, the Primorsk route and the Helsinki-Tallinn route, which amplifies the risk of collision. That is why we have been urging for a new vessel monitoring system to be established by the Finnish, Russian and Estonian authorities responsible for security of sea transport. This is not only a concern for us and the Russian Federation, it is a concern for the whole of the Baltic Sea region.

Thank you for your attention.