Euroregion Niemen and its Prospects
By Mr. U. Vaichulis, Mayor of Mariampole
| Compilation of materials from
the meeting of the Committee of Senior Officials of the Council of the Baltic Sea States (Kaliningrad, 17-18 February 1999) |
Europe like the rest of the world experienced numerous wars, genocide of nations, occupation oppression and hostility. Animosity between states and nations became particularly aggravated during the Second World War. Neighbouring nations may overcome animosity by solving together common economic and social problems in border areas. Common work helps to get to know neighbours better and to dissipate unfounded suspicion
While searching for ways to achieve this goal in Western Europe after the Second World War, a process started of encouraging co-operation between frontier regions, which grew very popular. Border regions having their own political self-governments formed unions of border regions - Euroregions.
Usually, national minorities take a very active part in Euroregion activities. Being granted more confidence and freedom of action, they exert a positive influence on international co-operation.
In 1990, with the beginning of changes in Eastern and Central Europe, opportunities for co-operation opened in this region as well. In the process of reforming the state government, the independence of local and regional authorities, as well as opportunities for regional governments to co-operate with representatives of local and regional authorities of the neighbouring countries noticeably increased. Co-operation agreements have been signed presenting opportunities for enhancing economic and cultural activities of the border areas.
In 1980 the European Outline Convention (Madrid Convention) on transfrontier co-operation between territorial communities or authorities was signed. Countries-signatories to this Convention pledge to support and encourage co-operation, leaving to the states the right to limit the communities and the local governments, spheres and forms of their activities, as well as to appoint representatives controlling these authorities. Appended to this Convention are model agreements between state and local authorities on cross-border co-operation. These are also used when forming Euroregions.
The right of local governments to co-operate with partners across the border is stated in the 1985 Council of Europe Charter of European territorial self-governments.
As the number of Euroregions increased, the Assembly of European Regions (AER) adopted in 1996 in Basel the Statutes (declaration), defining the notion of Euroregion. Systematising the activities became necessary because:
The main conditions mentioned in this agreement and indispensable for the successful development of the whole Euroregion are as follows:
The initiative to establish the Euroregion NIEMEN with the participation of the border areas of Lithuania, Belarus, Poland and Kaliningrad Oblast, was put forward at the 3rd Baltic Economic Forum in Wigry near Suwalki (Poland) which took place on 11 February 1995. On 9 February 1996 in Suwalki the first meeting of the border regions' representatives was held, where the organisation and the activities of the Euroregion were discussed. The draft Agreement and Statutes were prepared. On 6 June 1997 in Augustow the three-party agreement and the statutes were signed.
The Euroregion Niemen was established with the aim of promoting the co-operation of the border regions in economy and infrastructure, spatial planning, education, public health, culture, sport, tourism, environment protection etc. Beyond any doubt, the results of these activities will depend on all parties' involvement in the organisation and implementation of various projects.
On the same day, when the Agreement and the Statutes were signed, the participants held the first meeting of the Council of the Euroregion. At the meeting the Council and its Presidium were appointed. By consensus, the Presidency of the Council was offered for the first six months to the Polish representative - the Voivode of Suwalki Province Mr. C. Cieslukowski, who also became Chairman of the Council's Presidium.
On November 27, 1997 in Druskininkai the second meeting of the Council took place, where the Regulations of the Euroregion institutions were approved. During that meeting, the participants were informed that the Euroregion Niemen had been admitted into the European Union of Border Regions. The Council confirmed its membership in this Union.
At the Council meeting in Suwalki on January 23, 1998 Mr. Cieslukowski announced his resignation from the post of the Chairman of the Council. After the elections in Poland, the new Voivode of Suwalki Mr. P. Podchaski delegated 4 new Polish representatives to replace the former ones. The situation within the co-ordinating institutions of the Euroregion Niemen became uncertain.
In accordance with the multilateral agreement, and led by the desire to resolve this issue, the representatives of Mariampole took the initiative. The third meeting of the Council took place on June 22,1998 in Mariampole.
The renewed council and its presidium were approved. The Lithuanian party delegated the Mayor of Mariampole U. Vaichulis, who became the new chairman of the Euroregion Niemen Council for the next term. The Belarus representative, chairman of the Grodno Regional Administration Mr. M. Belayev and the Polish representative, the Voivode of Suwalki, Mr. P. Podchaski were approved.
It was decided to form 4 working groups for co-operation in the areas of economy, social matters, tourism, environmental protection and spatial planning. The working groups and the secretariat elaborated and put forward for approval by the Council a number of plans and projects. Those were evaluated by the council and became a benchmark for the development of the council. We hope to involve as wide public circles as possible in co-operation within the Euroregion Niemen.
Upon signing the agreement, the parties also signed the Statutes, according to which they should have created the co-ordinating office for co-operation.
Although at that moment the Euroregion did not exist officially, the Polish Party took the initiative to fulfil the functions of the Secretariat. Starting from 1995 it was done unofficially and from June 1997 to June 1998 - officially in Suwalki as the Polish representative was the chairman of the Euroregion Niemen Council. On the Belarus side, the cross-border co-operation will be co-ordinated by the Grodno office.
The Lithuanian party opened the local office in Mariampole. At the initiative of the Mariampole district authorities, the documents necessary for establishing the office were accumulated. All local governments of the district were invited to jointly found the institution in question.
The Director of the Mariampole Office Guintaras Skamarochus will carry out the responsibilities of the Euroregion's Secretariat for the term of the Lithuanian chairmanship in the Euroregion's Council, which started on June 22, 1998.
The offices are not subordinate to each other. They fulfil administrative and co-ordinating functions in their respective countries. The Secretariat is an executive and administrative institution with co-ordinating functions within the Euroregion. It organises the preparatory work for the council and presidium meetings, draft resolutions and other documents to be presented to the council with regard to the cross-border co-operation of the regions. The secretariat collects and disseminates the information necessary for the co-operation.
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