22nd SESSION OF THE BALTIC ASSEMBLY |
President of
GiedrÄ— PURVANECKIENÄ– Republic of Lithuania | Vice President of
JÄnis REIRS Republic of Latvia | Vice President of
Andres TAIMLA Republic of Estonia |
Vilnius, 29 November 2003
RESOLUTION
ON THE ECOLOGICAL THREAT OF OILFIELD D-6 TO THE BALTIC SEA
The Russian Oil Company Lukoil Kaliningradmorneft is going to exploit an oil deposit located in the Baltic Sea shelf close to the border of the Republic of Lithuania, which will soon become the EU border.
The Baltic Assembly expresses its concern over the construction of new oil extraction platforms in the Baltic Sea shelf, near the Curonian Spit, which is a UNESCO World Heritage nature site, as well as over an increasing risk of polluting the Baltic Sea with oil, and requests not to start oil extraction in the oilfield D-6 until an assessment of risk and possible environmental impact is carried out in a transboundary context, and before accident response plans and monitoring programmes are co-ordinated with Lithuania, and before preliminary agreed guarantees for possible compensation for damage.
The Baltic Assembly expresses approval of the European Commission's position on "a concern over the plans of Russia to launch the development of the oilfield in the sensitive ecosystem of the Curonian Peninsular without having firm guarantees of the preservation of the environment meeting the international standards" (Reply of the European Commission of 18 November 2003 to a group of MEPs).
The Baltic Assembly urges Russia to speed up the ratification of the Espoo Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context.
Vilnius, 29 November 2003
RESOLUTION
AGAINST TRAFFICKING IN WOMEN AND CHILDREN
The Baltic Assembly,
taking into consideration that trafficking in women and children is becoming a serious and growing problem all over the world;
expressing its concern that trafficking in women and children is not decreasing in the Baltic States, and that the Baltic States are gradually turning into not only a source of sexual services, but also into the countries of sex tourism;
expressing its opinion that one of the obstacles to the fight against trafficking in women and children is gender inequality which is based on patriarchal attitudes;
complying to the Brussels Declaration on Preventing and Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, adopted at the European Conference on Preventing and Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, in September 2002;
complying to the Statement and Recommendations concerning Trafficking in Women in the Nordic and Baltic countries, adopted at the Informal Nordic Baltic Ministers' Meeting in Stockholm, Sweden, in 9 April 2003,
calls on the Parliaments and the Governments of the Baltic States:
- to draw up harmonised legal acts in all Baltic States, related to combating the prostitution, including criminalized purchase of sexual services;
- to improve the work of law enforcement bodies, to pay attention to ensuring the enforcement of the adopted legal provisions;
- in conjunction with women's non-governmental organisations, to improve education of people on the issues of gender equality, eradication of patriarchal attitudes and prejudices;
- to gradually review school curricula, with gender equality taken into account, to speed up the introduction of sexual education in secondary schools;
- to take measures on banning advertisements and announcements about sexual services.
Vilnius, 29 November 2003
RESOLUTION
ON INTEGRATION IN THE FIELD OF MARITIME TRANSPORT
The Baltic Assembly,
taking into account
the importance of maritime transport and ports for the economies of the Baltic States - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania;
integrating into the European Union under similar conditions;
promoting cruise shipping and short sea shipping for common interests and co-operation,
recommends:
- to encourage information exchange between competent authorities on the issues of integration into the European Union in the field of maritime transport, as well as resolution of the problems that may arise;
- to promote more active participation of competent authorities in the activities of the Cruise Europe and other organisations of cruise shipping, in order to disseminate information of the opportunities on the eastern coastline of the Baltic Sea;
- to initiate the unification of efforts of the countries of the eastern coastline of the Baltic Sea, seeking to jointly represent the interests of these countries in the institutions of the European Union, to develop short sea shipping services and appropriate infrastructure related to it.
Vilnius, 29 November 2003
RESOLUTION
ON THE MARITIME CULTURAL HERITAGE IN ESTONIA, LATVIA AND LITHUANIA
The Baltic Assembly,
taking into account that the Baltic States, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, are maritime States;
realising the need to strengthen the self-awareness of society in each of the Baltic States as maritime States;
understanding the importance of the maritime cultural heritage for the promotion of mutual understanding and co-operation of the nations and the States in the field of culture, opening-up of the heritage for tourism;
expressing concern for an increasing vulnerability of maritime cultural heritage,
calls on the Parliaments and Governments of the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Latvia and the Republic of Lithuania and proposes:
- to initiate the ratification of or accession to the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage;
- to define the maritime cultural heritage;
- to draw up State programmes related to the search for, accounting, monitoring and preliminary investigations of underwater cultural heritage;
- to obligate institutions of the protection of cultural properties to enter the underwater cultural heritage identified by investigating teams, into State registers;
- to ensure preservation and use of cultural properties of ports and coastlines, their opening-up for tourism.
Vilnius, 29 November 2003
DECISION
ON THE SUPPORT FOR THE PROPOSAL TO THE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE TO INVESTIGATE AND CONDEMN INTERNATIONALLY THE CRIMES OF THE TOTALITARIAN COMMUNIST REGIME
The ideology of National Socialism was condemned by the international community at the Nuremberg Trials. Although the crimes of the totalitarian Communist regime are no less grave, they have not yet been evaluated.
The Baltic Assembly supports the proposal of a group of the members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to adopt a resolution condemning on international level the totalitarian Communist regime (document no. 9875 of 25 September 2003) and to establish for this purpose a politically independent committee the task of which is to compile and evaluate information about human rights violations as well as crimes against humanity during the totalitarian Communist regime.
Vilnius, 29 November 2003
RECOMMENDATION
ON OBSERVATION OF CHEMICAL MUNITIONS DUMPED INTO THE BALTIC SEA
Toxic substances and explosives contained in the chemical munitions dumped into the Baltic Sea by the Allied armed forces after World War II constitute a long-term threat to the environment of the Baltic Sea and to the population of the region.
In order to identify the scope of the problem and to reduce the potential threat and the anxiety of the population, it is necessary to maintain continuous observation of the condition of the said chemical munitions and explosives and their impact upon the marine environment, as well as to assess the possibility of eliminating the potential negative impact of these substances.
Therefore, the Baltic Assembly,
being mindful of the fact that all the Baltic Sea region countries have signed the Helsinki Convention on the protection of the environment of the Baltic Sea, that the Convention bas been ratified by all the member states and is in force in the entire Baltic Sea area, and that it obliges all member states to cooperate openly and honestly;
appreciating the studies made on this issue by the Baltic Sea Environmental Protection Commission (the Helsinki Commission, or HELCOM) from 1992 to 1998 and the significant contribution of Denmark as the leading country in providing the necessary resources;
taking into consideration the fact that HELCOM has prepared its findings about the chemical munitions dumped into the Baltic Sea on the basis of studies made in 1994 and that since that time the situation in the Baltic Sea and our knowledge about the hazardous nature of the dumped munitions could have changed; and
being aware of its responsibility to the Baltic States and to the population of the countries of the entire Baltic Sea region,
calls upon the Governments of the Baltic Sea States to offer the Baltic Sea Environmental Protection Commission (HELCOM) all available archival and cartographic information about the places where chemical munitions have been chaotically dumped and
calls upon HELCOM to make repeated studies in the Baltic Sea with a view to determining potential polluted areas in it, assessing the potential danger presented by the chemical substances and the products of their disintegration, preparing solutions to reduce the potential threats and, on the basis of the new studies, to prepare new recommendations.
Vilnius, 29 November 2003
DECISION
ON AMENDMENTS TO THE BALTIC ASSEMBLY STATUTES
The Baltic Assembly decides to amend the Baltic Assembly Statutes in the following manner:
1. Subparagraph 6 of paragraph 2 of Article 6, paragraph 3 of Article 13, subparagraph 8 of paragraph 2 of Article 17, paragraph 6 of Article 25, paragraphs 2 and 3 of Article 34, and paragraph 5 of Article 49 shall be amended by striking out "Secretary of the Baltic Assembly" and substituting "head of the Secretariat of the Baltic Assembly".
2. Paragraph 1 of Article 1 shall be amended by striking out "the Regulations of the Baltic Assembly approved in Tallinn on 8 November 1991" and shall be set forth to read as follows:
1. The Baltic Assembly (BA) is an international organisation for co-operation among the parliaments of the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Latvia and the Republic of Lithuania, founded on the basis of the Joint Decision adopted by the members of the Supreme Councils of the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Latvia and the Republic of Lithuania in Vilnius on 1 December 1990. It functions on the basis of the Agreement of the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Latvia and the Republic of Lithuania on Parliamentary and Intergovernmental Co-operation of the Baltic States signed in Tallinn on 13 June 1994, the present Statutes and other legal acts adopted by the Baltic Assembly and its bodies.
3. Paragraph 3 of Article 1 shall be amended and set forth to read as follows:
4. The Baltic Assembly shall have its own symbols and a flag, the use of which shall be governed by the appropriate regulations approved by the Session.
4. Article 2 shall be amended by striking out "head and deputy head" and substituting "chairman and deputy chairman", and shall be set forth to read as follows:
Article 2. Composition of the Baltic Assembly
The parliament of each of the Baltic States shall appoint 20 parliamentarians to the Baltic Assembly (national delegation, including its chairman and deputy chairman), in accordance with the approved rules of procedure and the principle of proportional political representation in the national delegation.
5. Subparagraph 10 of paragraph 2 of Article 6 shall be amended by adding "declarations" and shall be set forth to read as follows:
10) adoption of declarations, recommendations, resolutions, decisions and statements.
6. The Baltic Assembly Statutes shall be amended by striking out the title of Chapter 3 "Sessions of the Baltic Assembly", inserting former Articles 26-32 after Article 7, the said Articles becoming Articles 8-14 respectively, and former Articles 8-25 becoming Articles 15-32 respectively.
7. Paragraph 1 of Article 11 (former Article 29) shall be amended by striking out "Chairman of the BA Presidium or by one of the Vice Chairmen" and substituting "President of the Baltic Assembly or by one of the Vice Presidents", and shall be set forth to read as follows:
1. The work of the Session shall be directed by the President of the Baltic Assembly or by one of the Vice Presidents.
8. Paragraph 3 of Article 13 (former Article 31) shall be amended by striking out "the Chairman or Vice Chairmen of the Presidium" and substituting "President or Vice Presidents", and shall be set forth to read as follows:
3. The minutes of the Session shall be signed by the President or Vice Presidents, and by the head of the Secretariat of the Baltic Assembly.
9. Paragraph 2 of Article 15 (former Article 8) shall be amended by striking out "head" and substituting "chairman", and shall be set forth to read as follows:
2. The Presidium of the Baltic Assembly shall comprise the chairman of each national delegation and his/her deputy appointed by the parliament of the respective state.
10. The title of Article 16 (former Article 9) shall be amended and set forth to read as follows:
Article 16. President and Vice Presidents of the Baltic Assembly
11. Paragraph 1 of Article 16 (former Article 9) shall be amended by striking out "Chairman and two Vice Chairmen of the Presidium" and substituting "the President and two Vice Presidents of the Baltic Assembly", and shall be set forth to read as follows:
1. The work of the Presidium shall be directed by the President and two Vice Presidents of the Baltic Assembly.
12. Paragraph 2 of Article 16 (former Article 9) shall be amended by striking out "head" and substituting "chairman", striking out "Chairman of the Presidium", "Chairman" and substituting "President of the Baltic Assembly", "President", and shall be set forth to read as follows:
2. At the end of each Session of the Baltic Assembly, the chairman of the national delegation of the next presiding state shall become the President of the Baltic Assembly for the next calendar year. The incumbent President shall perform his/her functions till 1 January.
13. Paragraph 3 of Article 16 (former Article 9) shall be amended by striking out "heads" and substituting "chairmen", striking out "Vice Chairmen of the Presidium" and substituting "Vice President of the Baltic Assembly", and shall be set forth to read as follows:
3. The chairmen of the other two national delegations shall become Vice Presidents of the Baltic Assembly.
14. Article 16 (former Article 9) shall be amended by adding paragraph 4:
4. In the absence of the President of the Baltic Assembly, his duties shall be carried out by the Vice President of the state which presided last. When the latter is not available, the duties of the President of the Baltic Assembly shall be carried out by the other Vice President.
15. Paragraph 2 of Article 17 (former Article 10) shall be amended by adding new subparagraphs 1-5, subparagraphs 1-9 becoming subparagraphs 6-14, and shall be set forth to read as follows:
2. It shall be within the competence of the Presidium:
1) to draw up the strategy and principal directions for the development of the Baltic Assembly activities;
2) to co-ordinate the co-operation with the Prime Ministers who make up the Baltic Council of Ministers;
3) for solving conceptual issues, to convene the Consultative Council which shall comprise: the Presidium of the Baltic Assembly and the chairmen and deputy chairmen of the committees of the Baltic Assembly;
4) to set tasks and priorities for the Baltic Assembly activities;
5) to maintain relations of the Baltic Assembly with other international organisations;
6) to register the members of BA committees and commissions;
7) to register BA party groups (factions) and their members;
8) to hold a competition to select a candidate for the head of the Secretariat of the Baltic Assembly and to present the selected candidate to the Session for approval;
9) to convoke an extraordinary Session of the Baltic Assembly;
10) to present a draft agenda of the Session;
11) to appoint responsible committees for considering the submitted documents;
12) to draw up a draft budget in conjunction with the BA Secretariat and consider the draft report on the implementation of the budget to be presented at the Session by the Budget and Audit Committee;
13) to bring the documents adopted at sessions of the Baltic Assembly to the attention of the national parliaments;
14) to resolve other issues which are within its competence.
16. Paragraph 2 of Article 18 (former Article 11) shall be amended by striking out "Chairman of the Presidium" and substituting "President of the Baltic Assembly", and shall be set forth to read as follows:
2. A meeting of the Presidium shall be convened by the President of the Baltic Assembly who fixes the time and venue of the meeting and submits a draft agenda of the meeting.
17. Paragraph 6 of Article 18 (former Article 11) shall be amended by striking out "the minutes of Presidium meetings" and substituting "Presidium meeting minutes in the English language", and shall be set forth to read as follows:
6. Copies of Presidium meeting minutes in the English language shall be forwarded to the members of the national delegations not later than within two weeks after a Presidium meeting.
18. Paragraph 1 of Article 19 (former Article 12) shall be amended and set forth to read as follows:
1. The Presidium of the Baltic Assembly shall have the power to act if its meeting is attended by one member of the Presidium from each BA member state, including the President of the Baltic Assembly.
19. Paragraph 2 of Article 19 (former Article 12) shall be amended by striking "Chairman of the Presidium" and substituting "President of the Baltic Assembly", and shall be set forth to read as follows:
2. Decisions of the Presidium shall be adopted by consensus. In the event of failure to reach a consensus, the President of the Baltic Assembly may make a proposal to put the issue on the agenda of the Session. In this case, the Session shall adopt a decision by consensus of the national delegations.
20. Paragraph 2 of Article 21 (former Article 14) shall be amended by adding subparagraph 7:
7) present reports on their work to the Session of the Baltic Assembly.
21. Paragraph 1 of Article 23 (former Article 16) shall be amended by striking "heads" and substituting "chairmen", and shall be set forth to read as follows:
1. The Budget and Audit Committee shall be a standing committee to which two members from each national delegation, who are not the chairmen or deputy chairmen of the national delegations, shall be appointed.
22. Paragraph 4 of Article 25 (former Article 18) shall be amended by striking "secretary of the national delegation of the state in which the committee meeting is being held" and substituting "Secretariat of the Baltic Assembly", and shall be set forth to read as follows:
4. Minutes of committee meetings shall be provided by the Secretariat of the Baltic Assembly. The time and venue of a meeting, names of the participants, issues considered, main viewpoints expressed and decisions adopted shall be entered in the minutes. The minutes shall be signed by the presiding officer of the meeting and by the person who took the minutes.
23. Paragraph 6 of Article 25 (former Article 18) shall be amended by striking out "the minutes of committee meetings" and substituting "committee meeting minutes in the English language", and shall be set forth to read as follows:
6. Copies of committee meeting minutes in the English language shall be forwarded to the members of the committees and the head of the BA Secretariat not later than two weeks after the meeting.
24. The title of Chapter 5 shall be amended by adding "and other interest groups", and set forth to read as follows:
CHAPTER 5
PARTY GROUPS (FACTIONS) AND OTHER INTEREST GROUPS
25. Article 32 (former Article 25) shall be amended by adding paragraph 5:
5. The party groups (factions) shall function in accordance with the Regulations on Activities of the Party Groups (Factions) of the Baltic Assembly, which are an integral part of these Statutes.
26. Chapter 5 shall be amended by adding new Article 33:
Article 33. Other Interest Groups of the Baltic Assembly
Other interest groups shall function in accordance with the regulations on activities of interest groups of the Baltic Assembly, which shall be an integral part of the Baltic Assembly Statutes
27. The Baltic Assembly Statutes shall be amended by inserting Chapter 5 "Secretariat of the Baltic Assembly" and Article 47 after Article 33, the said Chapter and Article becoming Chapter 6 and Article 34 respectively, and repealing former Articles 48-52.
28. The Baltic Assembly Statutes shall be amended by former Articles 33-46 becoming Articles 35-48 respectively.
29. Paragraph 1 of Article 39 (former Article 37) shall be amended and set forth to read as follows:
1. The secretary of the delegation of the state presiding at the Baltic Assembly shall make a list of the draft documents which have been submitted in time for consideration at the Session and which meet the requirements laid down in the Statutes and shall send it to the Secretariat of the Baltic Assembly and the secretaries of the national delegations of other states, together with the draft documents.
30. Paragraph 1 of Article 40 (former Article 38) shall be amended by striking "BA Secretariat" and substituting "secretary of the delegation of the state presiding at the Baltic Assembly", and shall be set forth to read as follows:
1. Immediately after receiving a draft document, the Presidium of the Baltic Assembly shall appoint a responsible committee to work on the initiated draft, taking into account the sphere of activity of each committee. The secretary of the delegation of the state presiding at the Baltic Assembly shall indicate the responsible committee in the list of draft documents and shall organise the translation of the draft and its forwarding to the members of the responsible committee through the secretaries of the national delegations.
31. Paragraph 2 of Article 41 (former Article 39) shall be amended by striking "BA Secretariat" and substituting "secretary of the delegation of the state presiding at the Baltic Assembly", and shall be set forth to read as follows:
2. The secretary of the delegation of the state presiding at the Baltic Assembly shall be informed about the rapporteur appointed by the committee and shall indicate his/her name in the list of the draft documents in preparation.
32. Paragraph 1 of Article 45 (former Article 43) shall be amended and set forth to read as follows:
1. After adopting decisions on the drafts, the Presidium shall prepare the Final Document and shall present it to the Session for adoption. The Final Document shall list all the documents adopted at the Session, specify the most important issues discussed, indicate the priorities of the Baltic Assembly activities for the next year, as well as indicate where and when the next regular Session will take place.
33. The Baltic Assembly Statutes shall be amended by Chapter 6 "Property, Funds and Budget of the Baltic Assembly" becoming Chapter 4 respectively, amending Article 49 (former Article 53), and shall be set forth to read as follows:
Article 49. Property and Funds of the Baltic Assembly
1. The activities of the Baltic Assembly shall be financed with the funds received as membership fees.
2. The Baltic Assembly may, in accordance with the established procedure, hold and use for its activities the property and funds received as donations, inheritance or proceeds from economic activities relating to its objectives (selling of souvenirs bearing its symbols, publishing of printed matter, etc.).
3. Each national parliament itself shall cover the expenses related to the participation of its delegation at sessions of the Baltic Assembly, in meetings of the Presidium, the committees and the commissions, in the Baltic Council, as well as in the events held by the international co-operation partners of the Baltic Assembly.
4. The expenses necessary for ensuring the activities of the Baltic Assembly shall be shared equally by the parliaments of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
5. The head of the Secretariat of the Baltic Assembly shall, in accordance with the Baltic Assembly Statutes, have the right to use the property and funds of the Baltic Assembly.
6. Joint expenses relating to the Baltic Assembly activities shall be financed from the budget of the Baltic Assembly.
7. Immediately after the adoption of the decision on the budget, the Presidium shall inform the parliaments and the governments of the Baltic Assembly member states about the contributions that are to be made to the Baltic Assembly budget.
8. The funds of the Baltic Assembly shall be used pursuant to the Regulations on the Use of the Baltic Assembly Funds, which are an integral part of these Statutes.
34. The Baltic Assembly Statutes shall be amended by repealing Articles 54-58.
35. The Baltic Assembly Statutes shall be amended by Chapters 7 and 8 becoming Chapters 5 and 6 respectively, and Articles 59-63 becoming Articles 50-54.
36. Article 50 (former Article 59) shall be amended and set forth to read as follows:
Article 50. Organisation of Co-operation
1. The co-operation between the Baltic Assembly and the Baltic Council of Ministers shall be based on the 13 June 1994 Agreement on Interparliamentary and Intergovernmental Co-operation of the Baltic States, the 14 April 1996 Protocol on Co-operation between the Baltic Assembly and the Baltic Council of Ministers, these Statutes and other legal acts. The co-operation between the Baltic Assembly and the Baltic Council of Ministers shall be implemented by the Presidium and standing committees, and it shall be co-ordinated by the Secretariats of the Baltic Assembly and of the Baltic Council of Ministers.
37. Paragraph 2 of Article 52 (former Article 61) shall be amended by striking out "heads" and substituting "chairmen", and set forth to read as follows:
2. The parliament of each Baltic State may adopt a decision to withdraw from the Baltic Assembly. In this event, the activities of the Baltic Assembly shall be deemed terminated in six months from the day on which the parliament of the Baltic State which made such a decision gave notice of it to the Presidium or the chairmen of other national delegations to the Baltic Assembly.
Vilnius, 29 November 2003
REGULATIONS
ON ACTIVITIES OF THE PARTY GROUPS (FACTIONS) OF THE BALTIC ASSEMBLY
Article 1. Party Groups (Factions) of the Baltic Assembly
In order to express similar political interests and views and on the basis of an appropriate joint declaration, the members of the national delegations may form party groups (factions).
Article 2. Tasks and Competence of the Party Groups (Factions)
1. The task of the party groups (factions) shall be to consider the issues which are of importance for the members of the appropriate party group (faction), to take joint stands on such issues, as well as to consider and prepare for adoption the documents which have been referred to them by the Presidium at the sessions.
2. The party groups (factions) shall have the right:
1) to initiate the adoption of documents of any form;
2) to submit draft documents to the Presidium or the Session, and make proposals to put them to a vote;
3) to exercise control over the implementation of the documents prepared by them and adopted by the BA;
4) to bring the documents adopted at the BA Session to the attention of the party groups (factions) of the national parliaments to whose competence the matter belongs;
5) to submit questions to the Baltic Council of Ministers and to get answers to these questions.
Article 3. Appointment of Members of the Party Groups (Factions)
1. Members of the national delegations may form party groups (factions). A party group (faction) must consist of at least 5 members from at least two national delegations.
2. Any member of the national delegation may belong only to one party group (faction).
Article 4. Chairman and Vice Chairmen of the Party Group (Faction)
A party group (faction) shall elect the chairman and vice chairmen according to the principle of rotation of presidency, and shall inform the Presidium of the Baltic Assembly thereof.
Article 5. Meetings of the Party Groups (Factions)
1. Meetings of the party groups (factions) shall be held at least once a year.
2. Meetings of a party group (faction) shall be convened by its chairman, who shall draw up the agenda and set the time and venue of the meetings.
3. The members of other party groups (factions) of the Baltic Assembly, members of the appropriate party groups (factions) of other parliamentary co-operation organisations, representatives of the party groups (factions) of the national parliaments, representatives of the Governments, and experts may be invited to meetings of the party groups (factions).
Article 6. Decisions of the Party Groups (Factions)
1. The party group (faction) of the Baltic Assembly shall the power to act, if its meeting is attended by at least one member of each national delegation of the Baltic Assembly, including the chairman or a vice chairman of the party group (faction).
2. Decisions of the party group (faction) shall be adopted by consensus of the members of the party group (faction) who attend the meeting.
Article 7. Financial Support for the Party Groups (Factions)
Party groups (factions) shall be entitled to equal financial support.
Vilnius, 29 November 2003
DECISION
ON AMENDMENTS TO THE STATUTES ON THE BALTIC ASSEMBLY PRIZES FOR LITERATURE, THE ARTS AND SCIENCE
The Baltic Assembly,
proceeding from the proposals of the Joint Judging Committee of the Baltic Assembly Prizes for Literature, the Arts and Science,
proposes to approve the following revised version of the Statutes on the Baltic Assembly Prizes for Literature, the Arts and Science:
"STATUTES ON THE BALTIC ASSEMBLY PRIZES
FOR LITERATURE, THE ARTS AND SCIENCE
I. General Provisions
1. The Baltic Assembly Prizes for Literature, the Arts and Science (henceforth - the Prizes) were established upon the Resolution of the Baltic Assembly Session of 31 October 1993, in order to facilitate the development of literature, the arts and science in the Baltic States, to assess the most distinguished achievements in these fields and to disseminate these achievements in other states.
The Prizes have been established in order:
- to demonstrate the mutual interests of the countries in this region for the upholding of their national identity and self-esteem by supporting outstanding achievements in literature, the arts and science;
- to maintain a continuous interest among the people in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania about the developments in the Baltic States by creating the possibility to learn about each other's achievements;
- to strengthen co-operation among the Baltic States in the fields of literature, the arts and science;
- to promote an interest among a growing number of people in the intellectual values and languages of the Baltic nations,
- to raise the level of literature, the arts and science in the Baltic States.
2. The Prizes shall be awarded within the framework of the mutual co-operation program of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, upon the basis of the resolution passed by the Joint Judging Committee approved by the Baltic Assembly.
3. The Baltic States shall allocate at least EUR 5,000 per each prize.
The nominal value of the Prizes shall be set annually in accordance with the resources allocated in the budget. The monetary awards presented to the winners shall be exempted from taxes.
II. Procedure for Awarding the Prizes
1. The Baltic Assembly Prize for Literature shall be awarded annually at the session of the Baltic Assembly to an author for a novel, a play, a collection of poems, short stories or essays, or any similar written composition in Estonian, Latvian or Lithuanian. The work must have been published for the first time within the past three years.
2. The Baltic Assembly Prize for the Arts shall be awarded annually at the session of the Baltic Assembly either to an author or to a performer for a work of art or a series of works presented (performed before an audience) within the past three years in fine arts, applied arts, in music, architecture, theatre or cinema. It also may be awarded to a director, soloist, actor, ballet artist or a group of artists for outstanding artistic achievement accomplished within the past three years.
3. The Baltic Assembly Prize for Science shall be awarded annually at the session of the Baltic Assembly to an author for outstanding research work or series in the humanities, social or natural sciences, which is of international importance, has a considerable impact on the Baltic region and has been published within the past three years.
III. The Joint Judging Committee
1. The Joint Judging Committee of the Baltic Assembly Prize shall consist of nine people. The works nominated for the Prizes in literature, the arts or science shall be assessed by the respective experts. Each country shall delegate three persons to the Joint Judging Committee and determine the procedure for their selection.
2. The members of the Joint Judging Committee shall be outstanding specialists in the fields of literature, the arts and science.
3. The members of the Joint Judging Committee shall be replaced every three years. Every year at least one member of the Joint Judging Committee from each state must be replaced. After rotation has begun to function normally, the same person may not serve on the Joint Judging Committee for more than three consecutive years.
4. The Joint Judging Committee shall elect a chairperson and two vice chairpersons from their midst who shall change each year in accordance with the procedure for their rotation (among the countries).
5. The Joint Judging Committee meetings shall be convened at least once a year and shall be recorded in writing in the languages of all three countries and translated into English.
The Joint Judging Committee decides its own internal working procedures.
The Joint Judging Committee meetings shall take place alternately in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
6. The Joint Judging Committee meetings shall have full powers if at least two representatives from each country participate.
In addition to the regular meetings for awarding the Prizes, the Joint Judging Committee may convene other meetings if the necessity arises. The Committee meetings may be convened upon the suggestion of the Baltic Assembly, the Joint Judging Committee chairperson or the jury representatives from any of the respective countries. Every year the members of the Joint Judging Committee shall be entitled to discuss the regulations of the competition and the procedure for awarding prizes, and to propose amendments to these Statutes.
The Joint Judging Committee shall be entitled to make a decision not to award any one of the Prizes. The Prize shall also not be awarded if the Joint Judging Committee is not able to reach an agreement, that is, to make a concrete decision with a simple majority vote. The unused resources shall be transferred to the following year's budget.
The Joint Judging Committee shall make its decisions and the substantiation for them known to the public.
7. The Prize nominees from each Baltic country shall be assessed by the appropriate judging committees.
Only the appropriate judging committee of each Baltic country shall be entitled to select works for submission to the joint competition of the Baltic States and the works shall be submitted together with all the necessary information (the curriculum vitae of the nominee, reviews and other related materials, like audio- and video cassettes, slides etc.). 8. Works and their authors shall be nominated for the Prize by the Joint Judging Committee. The Joint Judging Committee shall assess the works nominated by the appropriate judging committee of each Baltic country.
IV. Nominating the Work and Awarding the Prizes
1. Works shall be submitted to the appropriate judging committee of each Baltic country in accordance with the regulations of the competition prior to 1 June, and to the Joint Judging Committee one month before the awarding of the prizes. The appropriate judging committee of each Baltic country shall assess these works and nominate no more than the best two works from the fields of literature, the arts and science for review by the Joint Judging Committee.
In order to assess a musical work, fine arts and theatrical productions, it is recommended to organize concerts, exhibitions and performances.
2. The decision on awarding the Prize shall be submitted to the Baltic Assembly Secretariat no later than two weeks before the session of the Baltic Assembly.
3. The same person (group of persons) may not receive the Prize more than once.
V. Presenting the Prize
1. The prize - a special statuette, a certificate signed by the President and Vice Presidents of the Baltic Assembly, and a monetary award - shall be presented at a Baltic Assembly awards ceremony, and the names of the prize winners and information on their achievements shall be published in the press of all three Baltic States.
2. The literary work, the author of which has been awarded the Baltic Assembly prize, shall be published in compliance with the Baltic Assembly Regulations for Publishing the Works of the Baltic Assembly Prize Winners. The prize-winning works in the arts and science shall also be given publicity in all three Baltic States.
VI. The Administration of the Joint Judging Committee
1. Activities of the Joint Judging Committee shall be co-ordinated by the Baltic Assembly Secretariat, which also provides assistance to the judging committees of the Baltic countries.
2. Each year funds shall be appropriated for ensuring the activities of the Joint Judging Committee in accordance with the budget of the Baltic Assembly of the current year.
VII. Duties of the Joint Judging Committee
1. The Joint Judging Committee, in conjunction with the Baltic Assembly Secretariat, shall be responsible for the proper utilisation of allocated funds.
2. The Joint Judging Committee shall provide the Baltic Assembly with a report on its activities.
The Statutes on the Baltic Assembly Prizes for Literature, the Arts and Science shall be adopted, amended and, if necessary, the awarding of the Prizes shall be suspended by the Session of the Baltic Assembly."
Vilnius, 29 November 2003
DECISION
ON AMENDMENTS TO THE BALTIC ASSEMBLY REGULATIONS FOR PUBLISHING THE WORKS OF THE BALTIC ASSEMBLY PRIZE WINNERS
The Baltic Assembly decides to amend the Baltic Assembly Regulations for Publishing the Works of the Baltic Assembly Prize Winners in the following manner:
1. Paragraph 1 shall be amended by striking out "close" and set forth to read as follows:
1. The Baltic Assembly shall announce a tender for Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian book publishers on publishing the works of the Baltic Assembly prize winners for literature.
2. Subparagraph 1 of paragraph 4 shall be amended by striking out "awarded", and shall be set forth to read as follows:
1) an application for participation in the tender. The application must provide justification for the choice of the translator;
3. Paragraph 4 shall be amended by adding following paragraphs 5, 6 and 7:
5) presentation of planned marketing activities;
6) a possible sample of the cover of the book which is planned to be published;
7) copies of the books which were published by the publisher over the recent years.
4. Paragraph 7 shall be amended by adding a new sentence and shall be set forth to read as follows:
7. The applications for participation in the tender may be submitted within two months from the day of announcement of the tender. Upon the expiry of this term, the commission shall examine applications and make a decision, within one month. The commission shall within two weeks inform in writing each participant about the results of the tender. The materials submitted by the publishers who have not won the tender, shall be returned to the said publishers.
5. Subparagraph 2 of paragraph 9 shall be amended by striking out "two years" and substituting "one year", and shall be set forth to read as follows:
2) the whole allotted sum shall be made available to the publisher after presenting an advance copy of the book. Pursuant to the Statutes of the Baltic Assembly on the Prizes for Literature, the Arts and Science, the book must be published within a period of one year.
Vilnius, 29 November 2003 .
DECISION
ON AMENDMENTS TO THE REGULATIONS ON THE FLAG OF THE BALTIC ASSEMBLY
The Baltic Assembly decides to amend subparagraph 1.3 of the Regulations on the Flag of the Baltic Assembly by striking out "the Chairman of the Presidium of the Baltic Assembly" and substituting "the President of the Baltic Assembly". The said subparagraph shall be set forth to read as follows:
1.3. The President of the Baltic Assembly shall use a standard. The dimensions of the standard shall be 15 x 30 cm.
Vilnius, 29 November 2003
DECISION
ON AMENDMENTS TO THE REGULATIONS ON THE USE OF THE BALTIC ASSEMBLY FUNDS
The Baltic Assembly decides to amend the Regulations on the Use of the Baltic Assembly Funds in the following manner:
1. Paragraphs 2, 7, 14, 16, 18, 19, 23, and 24 shall be amended by striking out "Secretary of the Baltic Assembly" and substituting "head of the Secretariat of the Baltic Assembly".
2. The Regulations shall be amended by adding new paragraphs 7 and 8 which shall be set forth to read as follows:
7. The budget of the Baltic Assembly for the coming year shall be approved at the Session, and the target figures of the said budget shall, in compliance with the decision of the Budget and Audit Committee, approved by the Presidium, be prepared and submitted by the head of the Secretariat of the Baltic Assembly to the parliaments in March of the current year.
8. An initial draft of the budget of the Baltic Assembly shall be drawn up pursuant to the general principles of financing the activities of the Baltic Assembly, by the Secretariat of the Baltic Assembly in conjunction with the Presidium and presented to the Budget and Audit Committee. The first draft of the budget must be prepared and submitted to the Budget and Audit Committee prior to 1 October. The Budget and Audit Committee shall, in conjunction with the representatives of other committees, consider the submitted draft of the budget, and shall make amendments to it. The draft shall be presented to the Presidium prior to 1 November, which shall submit it to the session of the Baltic Assembly for approval in compliance with the procedure laid down in the Statutes of the Baltic Assembly.
3. Former paragraph 7 shall become paragraph 9.
4. Former paragraphs 8 and 9 shall be repealed.
5. The Regulations shall be amended by adding new paragraph 13 which shall be set forth to read as follows:
13. In the event of getting unplanned donations and income, the Budget and Audit Committee shall report on the use thereof at the next session.
6. The Regulations shall be amended by adding new paragraph 14 which shall be set forth to read as follows:
14. Pursuant to the Statutes of the Baltic Assembly, the head of the Secretariat of the Baltic Assembly shall enjoy the right to dispose of the property and funds of the Baltic Assembly.
7. Former paragraphs 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 shall become paragraphs 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19 respectively.
8. The Regulations shall be amended by adding a new chapter "Use of Discretionary Budgetary Funds" which shall consist of paragraph 20 and shall be set forth to read as follows:
20. The procedure for using discretionary funds of the Baltic Assembly shall be drawn up by the Budget and Audit Committee and submitted for approval at the session.
9. Former paragraphs 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22 shall become paragraphs 21, 22, 23, 24 and 25 respectively.
Vilnius, 29 November 2003
