Barroso: Nordic-Baltic region is a beacon of reform in Europe
The Nordic and Baltic countries provide an eminent example of regional cooperation showing the way ahead in times of crises, states EU Commission President Barroso at a high-level meeting at the Baltic Development Forum on June 2nd in Vilnius.
EU Commission President Barosso with Norways PM Stoltenberg and Lithuanias PM Kubilius, who along with other regional leaders urged for increased cooperation in the Nordic-Baltic area at the Baltic Development Forum.
- Photographer
- Silje Bergum Kinsten/norden.org
The Baltic Development Forum (BDF) brought together heads of state from the entire region, along with the EU President and leading business executives, in an effort to set the course ahead out of the current crisis.
- Economic consolidation must be followed by fiscal and structural reform to ensure smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, Barosso stated, holding up the Nordic-Baltic region as an example to be followed by the rest of Europe.
Barroso pointed particularly at the Nordic-Baltic contribution to sustainable growth by removing barriers to trade, promoting cooperation on research and innovation, and integrating energy markets.
Focus from other participants was also on the areas of transport and energy, with a call for increased coordination and fewer cross-border hindrances coming from all three Prime Ministers of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, along with the Prime Ministers Vanhanen and Stoltenberg of Finland and Norway, and the Vice Prime Ministers Espersen and Olofsson of Denmark and Sweden.
The Baltic states are to enter the Nordic electricity exchange network Nordpool soon and the region is also among the most evolved in terms of introducing smart grids and increasing energy efficiency.
- The crisis underlines how interdependent we are and shows the need for more regional integration, said Norway’s Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, who urged for a boost to joint infrastructure planning.
The importance of strengthening ties to Russia was also underlined by politicians and business executives alike, who linked EU's Baltic Sea Strategy with the Northern Dimension Partnership of the EU, Russia, Norway and Iceland.
Head of the BDF Uffe Ellemann-Jensen, former Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs, sensed a renewed urgency at this year’s event.
- In times of crisis we all come together and move ahead at a stronger pace, he said in conclusion to the high-level meeting on the second and final day of the Baltic Development Forum.
The Nordic Council of Ministers and the European Investment Bank have issued a State of the Region report along with the BDF organization, entitled “The Top of Europe Recovering: Regional Lessons from a Global Crisis”.
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