Nordic Council puts spotlight on democracy at Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference

Silja Dögg Gunnarsdóttir from Iceland and Britt Lundberg from Åland represented the Nordic Council at the conference.

“We believe that the economic success of the Nordic Region is thanks in no small measure to the region’s high level of equality, inclusion, transparency, and trust, as well as low level of corruption,” said Lundberg in her speech during Tuesday’s general debate.

In her speech, Lundberg also highlighted the Nordic Council’s international strategy, which states that the council will work to promote democracy, the rule of law, equality, and human rights.

“Although I’m very pleased that our societies around the Baltic Sea are based on respect for democracy, human rights, and equality, I think there’s always room for improvement. So I’d like to ask everyone in this room the following: Are we doing enough to promote equality in our societies? Are we doing enough for women’s rights and gender equality? Are we doing enough to protect vulnerable minorities in our region? Are we doing enough to protect freedom of the press? Can we learn from each other?” Lundberg asked.

In addition, Lundberg spoke about the environment and provided specific examples of easy ways that we can help to reduce waste in the Baltic Sea. By way of example, she mentioned the Green Kayak project in Copenhagen. Green kayaking works by people borrowing a kayak at no cost in return for them collecting rubbish. Kayaks can reach places that would otherwise be impossible to access, making them an effective way to collect rubbish from our waters.

BSPC 2018 featured several hot topics, such as the environment of the Baltic Sea and energy. Monday’s opening speech was given by Finnish President Sauli Niinistö.