The PABSEC Participation in the 40th Session of the Baltic Assembly, Vilnius, 4-5 November 2021
Ms. Maria Alexandra Kefala, Vice-Chair of the PABSEC Economic, Commercial and Financial Affairs Committee (Greece), represented the PABSEC at the 40th Session of the Baltic Assembly, which took place in Vilnius (Lithuania) on 4-5 November 2021.
The Session discussed cooperation in reopening the region, energy security and the role of the Baltic states in addressing the security challenges near the external borders of the EU. The members of the Assembly adopted the Resolution and the Final Document of the 40th Session of the Baltic Assembly.
At the Session, Ms. Kefala addressed the participants and pointed that the Baltic Assembly and the PABSEC have deepened their cooperation through mutual participation in the meetings and conferences, and in the sidelines of international parliamentary events. She also underlined that the main element that connects the two regions is the importance they attach to their seas. She added that although the distance between the Baltic and the Black Sea is big, the aims are similar and common. She also stressed that the two Assemblies acknowledge that the parliamentarians should work together in protecting and ensuring security, peace, and prosperity in their regions, establishing the rule of law, safeguarding the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms and, moreover, encourage economic, commercial, technological, environmental, cultural and educational cooperation among the states. Ms. Kefala added that the regional assemblies and structures have an important role to play by debating and finding solutions to challenging regional and global problems such as climate change, sustainable development, energy security, fighting terrorism and organized crime, issues that cannot be dealt with by single countries alone. Recently, the Covid-19 pandemic was added to the priority list of challenges, showing the importance of regional and international cooperation. Moreover, she informed the participants about the PABSEC’s current and future activities and the way that the national parliaments and the Parliamentary Assembly worked during the past period confronting the impact of the pandemic and realigning to the new realities. Ms. Kefala also highlighted that both the members of PABSEC and the Baltic Assembly are convinced to increase cooperation reinforcing contacts, sharing experience, and best practices, fostering understanding between political decision-makers. In this respect, she underlined the importance to enhance the cooperation among the Parliaments and the Inter-Parliamentary Assemblies in different regions. She ensured the participants that the PABSEC is open and ready for deepening the cooperation with the Baltic Assembly and other Interparliamentary Assemblies, not only from Europe but from other parts of the world, on the issues of common interest.
The Baltic Assembly is a platform for cooperation between the parliaments of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. At the 40th Session of the Baltic Assembly, Lithuania passed the Presidency on to Latvia.