Nordic co-operation has long traditions. Existing co-operation structures, wide-ranging skills and a Nordic culture emphasising negotiation and agreement are assets worth defending. At their best, these ensure economic growth, security and solidarity. Such a social environment is a great competitive asset.

In a globalising world, however, the Nordic countries depend increasingly on development elsewhere. The current round of EU enlargement will have a significant impact on development in the Nordic countries and the entire Baltic Sea region. In the last few years the progress made by Poland and the Baltic countries towards the enlarging EU has improved conditions for their co-operation with the EU countries. This development has overcome obstacles impeding more thorough integration by Poland and the Baltic countries with the European Union Member States.

The fact that Russia, on the other hand, has largely remained outside of this positive development has increased insecurity and perpetuated inequality in a manner undermining the prospects for economic and social development throughout Northern Europe.

The regions of Northwest Russia need new economic and social co-operation projects to avoid being left behind neighbouring regions of Europe as they accelerate their progress towards EU enlargement. The EU's Northern Dimension project, initiated by Finland, includes elements that foster conditions for development and co-operation in and between Russia and the other Baltic Sea countries.

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The Northern Dimension partnership covers projects promoting trade, investment and transport. These projects improve the infrastructure for transport, telecommunications and production. The projects also support energy co-operation and work to improve the state of the environment. Co-operation also includes work to establish sound labour force policies, industrial relations and social welfare and healthcare sectors.

Governments, enterprises and organisations in the business community have played a visible role in developing these projects and in seminars presenting them. Public approval and participation is also needed when promoting the Northern Dimension politically and in the fields of trade, transport connections and investment co-operation. Participation in the Northern Dimension projects of joint venture employees, other working people and the trade unions of various countries is especially important for the success of the projects.

The trade union organisations of the Baltic Sea countries have risen to these challenges. In the late 1990s multilateral co-operation between trade unions from the entire Baltic Sea region became increasingly goal-directed. An important step was taken in 1999 by founding the Baltic Sea Trade Union Network (Bastun), which serves as an umbrella organisation for the employee confederations of the Nordic countries, Germany, Poland, the Baltic countries and Northwest Russia. These organisations represent more than 20 million wage and salary earners.

The union organisations of the network use various forums to promote their goals in developing the region economically and socially, including the European Union, organs of Baltic Sea and Nordic co-operation, and ties with national governments.

The network has been used to implement co-operation projects in the region focusing, for example, on the vocational training and labour legislation systems of the Baltic countries. Lawyers from trade unions in the Central and Eastern European countries have been trained in European labour legislation. The latest co-operation project concern the social security systems and employment policy of Poland and the Baltic countries, thereby establishing conditions for EU enlargement. Russian trade union organisations were involved as observers. This project will continue into 2003, targeting employment policy in particular.

Bastun has an important influence in the Baltic Sea region. It is of primary importance for the trade union movement to be able to increase its influence in the places where decisions are taken on the region's political and economic orientation. This debate has already begun within our Baltic Sea network, and the vision is that the network's status at the intergovernmental Council of Baltic Sea States CBSS will be upgraded.

Bastun has sought to influence especially the decisions taken by ministers of labour and social affairs at the CBSS by organising its own conferences to coincide with the meetings of these ministers. Bastun participated in the ministerial meeting in Kaliningrad and raised the special issues of the region at its own conference, focusing above all on employment and social policy. During the current Finnish CBSS presidency Bastun is involved in the Northern Dimension labour market conference in Helsinki and will organise the network's presidency meeting in Finland to inform the country presiding over the CBSS about issues of interest to the region's working people.

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Besides multilateral co-operation, the Baltic Sea region trade unions are engaged in a great deal of bilateral co-operation. Much of this takes place between partners working in geographical proximity across national borders. This work often calls for action and participation by both partners.

The Finnish trade union movement has pursued projects and co-operated with trade unions in the Baltic countries, especially in Estonia, and with Russian trade unions working near the long Fenno-Russian border. One large-scale Tacis-funded project has seen Finnish trade union organisations working with the employee confederation of the Russian Republic of Karelia with a view to promoting democracy and education. There are plans to expand this project in the near future.

Norwegian trade union organisations have standing co-operation arrangements with the trade unions of the Murmansk and Archangel region. This incorporates multilateral project co-operation. The other Nordic trade union organisations have also long been actively involved in Northern Dimension issues, and co-operation with the trade unions of the Baltic countries and Poland began long before the EU enlargement process.

The projects of wage and salary earner organisations focus on democracy, improving social conditions, working life and the labour market. The objective is to improve the social infrastructure, and to reinforce the rule of law, democracy and civil society. These ambitions are strengthened by respect for the fundamental rights of employees, by versatile development of working life, and by creating effective labour market systems and industrial relations. Achievement of such goals is a condition for reaching economic objectives. For example foreign investors in search of productive investment opportunities are impressed not only by standards of cost-effective production, but also by the basic structure of society, including industrial relations.

Over the last few years the trade union movement's co-operation work in Central and Eastern Europe has become more institutionalised. The regional trade union organisations of Northern Finland, Sweden and Norway have founded a regional council to promote their cross-border co-operation. This work goes on in association with the European trade union umbrella organisation ETUC. As part of promoting the Northern dimension as a whole, this co-operation has been extended to cover the central trade union of the Murmansk region as well. The union organisations of Southern Sweden and Denmark have a common cross-border regional council, and similar arrangements are now being established to combine the employee confederations of Finland and Estonia.

These regional councils have access to Interreg and other EU funding opportunities.

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The trade union movement's role in developing the EU's Northern Dimension is to focus on projects and other concrete co-operation. Further benefits and a clearer sense of direction could be achieved by expanding the trade union movement's participation rights and by increasing financial and other resources for regional co-operation in Central and Eastern Europe. The results of the Northern Dimension projects could also be improved by developing information exchange and tripartite co-operation between the trade union movement, the business community and public authorities.

The progress made in integrating the Baltic Sea region increases the need to protect the interests of wage and salary earners amidst these changing conditions. One natural and important step to take in this area is to enhance co-operation between the Council of Nordic Trade Unions (website in Swedish and Finnish) and the Russian trade union confederation FNPR (website in Russian). Co-operation could be promoted on several fronts to establish a partnership.

Bilaterally this could mean systematic exchange of information and experiences, and mutual participation in events focusing on Baltic Sea issues.

The Council of Nordic Trade Unions and the FNPR may also develop, within the Baltic Sea Trade Union Network, initiatives seeking especially to tackle and reinforce relations between Russia and the EU Member States surrounding the Baltic Sea. Initiatives would focus especially on labour market issues and economic development.

Co-operation between the Council of Nordic Trade Unions and the FNPR could also promote the bilateral relations of trade unions in both central organisations. The more trade unions are involved, the better will be our prospects of influencing developments.

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I hope that this historic discussion at the Executive Board meeting of the Council of Nordic Trade Unions will become a starting point for close and versatile co-operation between the basic trade union organisations of the Baltic Sea region.

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Read also:

• Target-oriented representation of common interests with neighbouring countries, by Turo Bergman, Deputy Director, SAK International Affairs