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The Baltic Sea countries strengthen cooperation on energy and
climate
The Nordic and
Baltic countries and Poland, Russia, Germany and the European
Commission (the Parties) convened for a conference of ministers in
Copenhagen on 17-18 February 2009 on the Baltic Sea Region Energy
Cooperation (BASREC)
The conference was
opened by Mr Bertel Haarder, Minister for Education and Minister
for Nordic Cooperation, who in his opening speech emphasised the
importance of finding regional solutions that simultaneously cater
for the climate, security of energy supply and the need for renewed
economic growth. Denmark currently holds the presidency of the
Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) and BASREC.
The Parties agreed on continuing and strengthening cooperation on
energy in the Baltic Sea region. Cooperation contributes to
stability, growth and development in the region by promoting a
market-based, secure, competitive and sustainable energy
system.
The ministers welcomed the European Commission’s Second Strategic
Energy Review and endorsed plans from European Commissioner for
Energy, Mr Piebalgs to establish a “Baltic Energy Market and
Interconnection Plan”, comprising electricity, natural gas and gas
storage facilities. The objective is to ensure more efficient
connections between countries in the Baltic Sea region and the rest
of Europe, and hence more effective and integrated energy
markets.
It was also agreed that BASREC is to draft a declaration on climate
and energy to be submitted at the COP15 United Nations Climate
Change Conference in Copenhagen in December 2009. The declaration
stresses the importance of energy efficiency, increased use of
renewables and other “low-carbon” technologies, such as Carbon
Capture and Storage (CCS) as key instruments for meeting the
climate change challenges.
The Parties further decided to cooperate on realising the potential
from promoting the use of district heating and combined heat and
power (CHP) throughout the region as an important tool to make
utilisation of energy much more efficient. In addition this will
improve security of supply and benefit the climate.
For further information, please contact Mr Bertel Haarder, Minister
for Education and Minister for Nordic Cooperation through head of
press Ms. Line Aarsland +45 24 40 74 71
or Mr Hans Jørgen Koch, Deputy State Secretary, Danish Energy
Agency, mobile tel.: +45 29 66 41 47