JOINT STATEMENT
OF THE CHAIRPERSONS
OF THE FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEES
OF THE PARLIAMENTS OF
ESTONIA, FINLAND, ICELAND, LATVIA, LITHUANIA, NORWAY, POLAND AND SWEDEN
TO THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENTS
CONCERNING THE NORD STREAM GAS PIPELINE
1 December 2006
Vilnius, Lithuania
Having regard to:
the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 1982,
the United Nations Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context of 1991 (the Espoo Treaty),
the Address of the Council of the Baltic Sea States to the Heads of the Baltic States and Governments, the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Organisation of the United Nations of 26 June 1992,
the Report on Chemical Munitions Dumped in the Baltic Sea submitted to the 15th Meeting of Helsinki Commission on 8-11 March 1994,
the HELCOM Recommendation No 17/3 on Information and Consultation with Regard to Constructions of New Installations Affecting the Baltic Sea,
the document Risk Assessment and an Environmental Impact Assessment for the North-European Gas Pipeline Project adopted by the 7th Meeting of Helsinki Commission on 10-14 October 2005,
the Resolution on the Dangers Connected with Construction of the Gas Pipeline in the Baltic Sea adopted by the Baltic Assembly on 26 November 2005,
the Communication from the European Commission to the Council and the European Parliament Thematic Strategy on the Protection and Conservation of the Marine Environment,
the draft Marine Strategy Directive currently discussed by the European Parliament,
The Chairpersons of the Foreign Affairs Committees of the National Parliaments of the Nordic and Baltic States assert that:
noting the status of the Baltic Sea as an extremely vulnerable sea and the fact that the construction of the Nord Stream gas pipeline may pose great danger to the normal functioning of the Baltic Sea ecosystems,
noting as well that due to the construction of the Nord Stream gas pipeline, an early environmental impact assessment is required under a number of international agreements as an essential precondition for engaging in the planned a activity (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 1982, United Nations Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context of 1991, HELCOM Recommendation No 17/3 on Information and Consultation with Regard to Constructions of New Installations Affecting the Baltic Sea),
stressing the duty to cooperate, inform and consult among the Baltic Sea states as the potentially affected countries and the principle of prevention under the international legislation (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 1982, United Nations Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context of 1991 (the Espoo Treaty), HELCOM Recommendation No 17/3 on Information and Consultation with Regard to Constructions of New Installations Affecting the Baltic Sea),
welcoming the ongoing cooperation of Parties of Origin under the Espoo Treaty to study the environmental aspects of the Nord Stream gas pipe project,
noting the promise on behalf of the Nord Stream gas pipe project that the Espoo Treaty will be applied throughout the project,
The Chairpersons of the Foreign Affairs Committees of the National Parliaments of the Nordic and Baltic States:
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Encourage the national governments to continue to cooperate under the Espoo Treaty in order to assess the impact on the Baltic Sea ecosystem before the start of the construction of the Nord Stream gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea, as provided for in the aforementioned international instruments;
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Call on the governments to adhere to the position that the construction of the gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea should not start before the legal and independent environmental impact assessments are carried out.
