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On 5 February in Germany, Rostock, during a Conference on the European Union’s Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Vygaudas Ušackas welcomed this strategy and indicated that its implementation will allow focusing the attention and support of the European Union countries in creating a dynamic and innovative economy of the Baltic Sea region countries.

“The purpose of this strategy and the task that joins all the countries of the Baltic Sea region is to release the region’s potential and to create a dynamic region, which is open for innovations and has a guaranteed economy growth and a competitive business environment. This would help to find a common answer to important issues for everyone, such as the environment”, said the Minister.

Minister V.Ušackas expressed hope that the Strategy would help to reduce the isolation of the Baltic Sea region countries in the areas of transport infrastructure and energy links. The Minister invited Germany and other EU’s Baltic Sea region countries to support the European Commission’s strategic energy security plan, according to which it is suggested to allot 175 million euros for an electricity cable, which would connect Sweden with Lithuania or Latvia. The European Parliament and other EU countries will still have to approve of this strategic energy security plan.

During the conference, V.Ušackas also indicated that the implementation of various infrastructure projects in the Baltic Sea region would be swifter, if people from different countries in the region were united by common identity.

“Even though people living around the Baltic Sea are unified by one rallying factor – the common sea, the idea of a united community is still vague in the region,” said V.Ušackas, inviting the countries to promote tourism and exchange of people, especially youth. The Minister suggested that this year in October the second Summit of the Baltic Sea region countries on the issues of tourism is organized in Lithuania.

The Minister indicated that promotion of regional cooperation on various levels, seeking to share the experience in priority areas, such as the development of the renewable energy, will be one of the goals of the future Lithuanian Chairmanship over the Council of the Baltic Sea States in 2009-2010.

The Baltic Sea region will become the first EU region, which will have its own strategy.

The Minister V.Ušackas also discussed the Baltic Sea region strategy and bilateral cooperation in the areas of tourism and transport during the meetings with Prime Minister of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Erwin Sellering, President of the Landtag Sylvia Bretschneider, and Member of the German Bundestag, Deputy Chairman of the Bundestag’s Committee of European Affairs and President of the Kuratorium of the German-Lithuanian Forum Kurt Bodewig.

Over three hundred officials and experts from the Baltic Sea region countries and the European Commission were taking part in the conference that was organised by the Government of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and the European Commission.