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On 25 March 2022, the members of the Presidium of the Baltic Assembly participated in the spring Plenary Session of the Benelux Parliament in Brussels, Belgium. The main debate of the theme session addressed hydrogen technology. The signing of the Joint Statement of the Baltic Assembly, the Benelux Parliament and the Nordic Council on digitalization also took place during the day. Afterwards, the delegations of the three organizations exchanged their views on the security situation in Europe. After the discussion, members of the Baltic Assembly and Nordic Council addressed the Plenary Session that was followed by a moment of silence to honor Ukraine and its losses that the country and its people had to suffer due to the Russian invasion.
Views on the security situation in Europe
President of the Baltic Assembly Jānis Vucāns informed the participants that in many of the previous meetings the role of disinformation and fake news in modern society has been discussed, but only some understood that this was preparation for war. "Now there is war in Europe that touches the Baltic States to the highest possible degree, and not only Russia but also Belarus is responsible for this situation," added Jānis Vucāns. He concluded his address by informing that it is needed to do everything to help the Ukrainian army and the Ukrainian refugees, as well as to stand in solidarity against Russia and Belarus to stop the war. He encouraged the participants to do everything in their power to help the Ukrainian people and the army.
Chair of the Benelux Parliament Patricia Creutz-Vilvoye informed about the recently adopted statement and added that it is very important to show solidarity with the population in Ukraine. In the Statement on the current situation in Ukraine, the Benelux Parliament strongly condemns the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine. The statement also underlines that the unlawful and unjust actions by the Russian Federation constitute an immediate threat to peace and stability in Europe, and that these actions are dangerously undermining the security of the Baltic and the Nordic States, with whom the Benelux Parliament has a strong cooperation. The Benelux Parliament also affirms that they will explore which measures can be set up – in the framework of interregional cooperation with the Baltic Assembly, the Nordic Council, or the Eastern Partnership – in order to assist Ukraine and help to bring about stability and will examine to which extent further cooperation with the Baltic and the Nordic States can be developed in the field of interregional defence cooperation, in the field of protection of the cyberspace and information space against disinformation and cyber-attacks from the Russian Federation.
Thematic Debate on Hydrogen Technology
During the debate on hydrogen technology, President of the Baltic Assembly Jānis Vucāns addressed the participants by informing about hydrogen usage in the Baltic States, as the topic of energy connectivity has also been high on the agenda of the Baltic Assembly for many years now. He informed that the Baltic States are cooperating on identifying and developing potential joint and hybrid projects across the Baltic Sea. By acknowledging the renewable energy potential and opportunities to step up the green transition, the Baltics want to intensify cooperation on sustainable low carbon technologies, in particular, renewable energy.
“The Baltic States have worked together on strengthening energy security through investments in liquefied natural gas import terminals, pipelines, interconnectors and everything in between. We are well equipped to shift to a low-carbon future and we have major plans for renewables,” Jānis Vucāns stated. At the end of the speech, he encouraged everyone to enhance cooperation in order to achieve these essential objectives together.
Photos
© Photos by the Benelux Parliament
