The Council of the Baltic Sea States met in Pori on 10-11 June 2003 for its 12th Ministerial Session

At the invitation of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland, the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) - consisting of the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Russia and Sweden and a member of the European Commission - met in Pori on 10-11 June 2003 for its 12th Ministerial Session. The Presidency of the EU was present, and representatives from France, Italy, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the United States attended as observers. Since the 10th anniversary meeting of the Council in Svetlogorsk in March 2002, several important events have shaped the CBSS agenda for its second decade. In particular, the Council welcomed the conclusions from the 4th Baltic Sea States Summit meeting in St. Petersburg in June 2002 and the role accorded to the CBSS therein. The Council confirmed its readiness to continue acting as co-ordinator and focal point for intergovernmental regional cooperation. The Council underlined the significance of the conclusion of EU accession negotiations with Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland with a view to their accession by 1 May 2004. This enlargement of the Union is expected to create new opportunities for developing the Baltic Sea region as a whole and thus will be an important contribution to realizing the region’s great potential. The Council welcomed the ongoing elaboration of a new EU initiative on Wider Europe. The CBSS has successfully overcome old dividing lines in our region. The Council will put this experience at the service of intensified regional and cross-border cooperation within this initiative. The Council welcomed the results of the EU-Russia Summit in St. Petersburg on 31 May 2003 and expressed its conviction that the relationship between the enlarging Union and the Russian Federation will continue to develop in a constructive and mutually beneficial manner. The 13th Ministerial Session of the CBSS will be held in Poland in 2005.