Actions and flagship projects

Actions and flagship projects

Increase productivity in traditionally state and municipal services by gradually further opening for free competition in such areas as waste management, recreational activities, postal services, related logistics and the broader communications sector, supply of local energy etc. to secure full access to the respective markets in the BSR.

• 
  RECO Baltic 21 Tech. Harmonised approach to public procurement in the BSR through waste management. Waste management is a matter of central concern to Baltic Sea countries, where there are significant disparities: whereas in Germany or Sweden around 3% of household waste goes to disposal, the figure in Poland is over 90%. Insufficient transnational actions in the field of waste management clearly hamper the development of this area in the BSR. The project aims to address this problem by fostering sustainable waste management (WM) in the BSR. The aim is to strengthen the capacity of Baltic Sea countries to improve their waste performance and meet the various EU directives. RB21T is also expected to create innovative business opportunities in the Clean-Tech industry. Operationally, RB21T will establish a transnational and cross-sectoral platform for exchange of expertise in waste management in the BSR, which will increase its competitiveness. RB21T will directly target and assist 30 decision makers on the local/regional and national level about to realise a waste management investment, drawing on the latest research and Best Available Technologies (BAT). Lead: Germany and Sweden. Deadline: December 2013.
  

Timely and consistent implementation and application of the Services Directive and other relevant directives, especially those affecting SMEs and those aiming at the liberalisation of service markets (e.g. the Third Postal Directive which sets a deadline for full market opening by 31 December 2010 for the majority of Member States). Besides requiring Member States to take concrete legislative measures, the Directive asks them to put in place a variety of practical measures such as Points of Single Contact for service providers, electronic procedures and administrative cooperation. It also introduces innovative tools, such as the review of national legislation and the process of mutual evaluation. Close cooperation between the bodies responsible in each Member State for implementing the Services Directive has been established over the past two years within the ‘Nordic-Baltic cooperation group’. This cooperation could be further enhanced through exchanges of good practices, including for setting up the Points of Single Contact, and through engaging business associations in the process.

• 
  Cross-border e-services in the Baltic Sea region. The Digital Agenda for Europe (DAE) and the Single Market Act II (SMA II) have both defined as a key element the need to overcome barriers in the digital world and thus act as a driver for growth. It is not enough to have very good e-solutions developed within Member States if they are useful only for their own citizens. It can even be seen as discriminatory and contradicts with the logic of an increasingly mobile world. A fully functioning Digital Single Market in 2015 will require that all persons (including legal persons) to be able to operate in the digital space across borders. In addition to the ongoing study by the European Commission on the barriers to cross-border services in the EU (analysis of the needs for cross-border services and assessment of the organisational, legal, technical and semantic barriers³⁸) and the ongoing and upcoming EU-wide Large-Scale Projects (STORK II, eSens and etc.) there is a need for bilateral discussion between neighbouring Member States to select priority areas where cross-border services give the most value, based on their current socio-economic situation and ongoing relations between countries. The goal of the current flagship project is to foster the introduction of new cross-border services in the BSR. Tasks of the project are to facilitate discussions between Member States in the Baltic Sea region to understand the needs for cross-border services from specific neighbouring Member States points of view, analyse the possibilities to implement cross-border services using existing infrastructure or by expanding local solutions across borders, share experiences about solutions for cross-border services and select areas where additional resources are required for overcoming existing barriers. Lead: Estonia. Deadline for progress review: December 2013.
  

Enhanced cooperation between national authorities in managing the Single Market. Improved and increased administrative cooperation between national authorities in the BSR on the implemen­tation of Single Market Directives should be developed, with the ‘Nordic-Baltic cooperation group’ for the Services Directive serving as an inspiration. National authorities are also encouraged to cooperate within the BSR on the provision of training in single market law to national civil servants and court officials; and on the provision of information to citizens and businesses about their rights and opportunities in the Internal Market. Such close cooperation on Single Market issues between the authorities of the BSR should be developed in the context of and in line with the Commission’s Recommendation on Partnerships, which was adopted in June 2009.

• 
  Remove remaining single market unjustified barriers by strengthening the practical cooperation between the responsible authorities. The project divided between 2 leaders, and initially consisting of 5 areas, in embracing 3 modules:
  

1. 
   Identification of the internal market unjustified barriers to trade between the countries of the region. Lead: Poland.³⁹ The general objective to be achieved under the project should be to collect extensive information on the unjustified barriers on the internal market which hinder the free movement of persons, goods, services and capital between the countries of the region. The study paper of the barriers will be based, inter alia, on the analysis of the SOLVIT cases.
   
2. 
   Exchange of best practices on the practical functioning of Product Contact Points and Points of Single Contact. Lead: Sweden.⁴⁰ The project aims to provide a platform for exchanges of experience on establishing, financing and developing the contact points in the Baltic Sea region. Several network meetings have been held. It was pointed out that there are significant differences between Member States as regards on how national product contact points satisfy the requirements in the Regulation 764/2008.
   
3. 
   Networking on general internal market issues – general competence of the participants, depending on countries’ interests and engagement.
   

• 
  Encourage sharing of competences between accreditation bodies. Cooperation between accreditation bodies could be a cost-effective way of sharing competence and offering a wide range of accreditation services to companies, without having all the facilities in each Member State. Lead: Sweden – Swedish Board for Accreditation and Conformity Assessment. Deadline for progress review: 2015.