It is a traditional annual meeting. This year, the Baltic Council of Ministers (BCM) is chaired by Latvia. Latvian Minister of the Environment Raimonds Vējonis, Lithuanian Minister of the Environment Gediminas Kazlauskas and Estonian Minister of the Environment Jaanus Tamkivi intend to discuss issues of transposition and implementation of the EU Marine Strategy Directive, cross-border waste transportation and options for strengthening control over waste transportation. They will also exchange information on the possibilities of creating GMO free regions in the Baltic countries. Further topics of discussion include renewable energy resources, the envisaged new nuclear power plants in Belarus and Russia (Kaliningrad), and the national allocation plan for greenhouse gas emission allowances. The Ministers will also sign a new environmental cooperation agreement between Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The objective of the agreement is to promote and further improve the current successful environmental cooperation between the Baltic countries. For this reason, the agreement is supplemented by addition of new areas, such as strategic cross-border environmental impact assessment, global climate change, water protection and river basin management, green public procurements, as well as discussing and solving environmental issues of common interest in the European Union. In addition to the Minister, the Estonian delegation includes Allan Gromov, Deputy Secretary General on International Cooperation, Sulev Nõmmann, head of the Marine Environment Department, Mari-Liis Ummik, specialist at the Waste Department, and Siiri Kerge, specialist at the EU and International Cooperation Department. See the signed agreement here: Brita Merisalu (2010-06-03)
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