The Baltic Sea countries strengthen cooperation on energy and climate

18. February 2009

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 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 . 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

Communiqué adopted at the Baltic Sea Region Energy Cooperation (BASREC) Conference of Ministers in Copenhagen 17-18 February2009

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