• Regional Youth Council Schleswig-Holstein
• Baltic Youth Office
• Baltic Times
• Norden

• Partner

• 
• Union of the Baltic Cities
• 
• Commission on Youth Issues
• 
• BSSSC
• 
• Baltic Sea Net

• Council of the
  Baltic Sea States

Meeting 25-26 Nov. 2002 in Warsaw

Participants: see attached participants list

(Piret Talur arrived at 3 p.m.)

Monday, 25 November (Hotel Europejski)

14.00

Welcome by Agnieszka Dybowska, Polish Ministry of Education and Sport

- she announces that there will be a Youth Office in the Ministry starting January 2003

Presentation round of the participants

- Petra Marselius announces that the Swedish Youth Division will move in January 2003 from the Ministry of Justice to the Ministry of Education

14.30

Presentation of the work of the Secretariat by Sandra Weidemann

• UBC co-operation, BSSSC network


• there should be a clarification about the tasks of the Working Group and the Secretariat


• the WG is a platform for the co-operation between ministries in the (Baltic Sea Region (BSR)


• Björn asks for an annual written report on the progress and the work of the Secretariat


• Alwin explains the involvement of the Secretariat in the “Image campaign for international youth work” in Germany (promoting the international youth exchange possibilities in Germany, at the moment there is very small enthusiasm among young people in Germany for that)

15.00

Vilnius Plan of Action, some input from Snieguole (Lith.)

• she proposes to have more representatives of youth projects at the next conference


• one output was the enlargement of the youth budget for the youth ministry


• Thies pointed out that there were not so many ministers- that was the criticism of the young people present


• Petra and Alwin thank Lithuania for the very good organisation of the conference


• Snieguole proposes the evaluation of the conference and the work in between the conferences as a preparation for the next one


• Alwin presents a German project “Youth @ net” that is designed to bring the 70000 youth initiatives in Germany into the Internet (10000 more in 4 years – public private partnership)

The draft of the terms of reference will have to be confirmed in the ministries before they are officially accepted
Task for the WG

Main issues (proposed by Petra and Björn)

• intergovernmental contacts/co-operation between the youth ministries in the member states


• implementation of the Plans of Actions


• taking initiatives for promoting youth cooperation in the BSR (especially BYF – Baltic Youth Forum)

Discussion on using the WG meetings as a forum for exchange of experience, for exchange of the main national youth policy ideas and objectives. Proposals to prepare short reports on the current activities in each country and general trends in the BSR. Moreover the hosting country should give an overview of its youth policy and structure.

Tasks:

• Adopt working plan of the Secretariat


• Annual budget and contribution of member countries


• Separate line – financing : countries, that do not contribute to the budget either in cash or budget, do not have a vote on budgetary questions


• National reports at the meetings


• Promote youth policy co-operation in the BSR

Membership in the WG

• membership of ministries: ministries decide who will come – mandate of the ministries; secretariat asks ministries to give one/two names who represents the ministry


• ministries might invite guests and experts


• No voting rights for the Regional Youth Council of Schleswig-Holstein


• Invite a representative from the BYF as an observer for all the meetings (e.g. from the country that is hosting the meeting or the country that hosts the BYF Secretariat)

Financial questions

Annual report on the financial situation of the Secretariat, financial contribution is no prerequisite for the membership in the Working Group

Members that do not contribute to the budget would not get the right to take budgetary decisions
Decision making and quorum

• meeting twice a year; once per year in Germany; the other meeting in another country on a rotating basis; hosting country would cover the costs for boarding and lodging additionally to the regular contribution to the budget


• quorum: more than half (6) of members are present – strive for consensus; if no consensus, than decision is taken by 2/3 of members present eligible to vote

Advisory Group of the WG

• following the chairmanship in CBSS


• advisory group(three countries) on rotating basis connected to chair of CBSS and reaches decisions on the basis of the working plan for the secretariat; – chairing country; responsibility of preparing the meetings and chairing them;


• the group is currently represented by Russia, Finland, Estonia


• Germany will host the next meeting in Spring (Mözen); Estonia invites to next year meeting of the WG in Autumn

Tasks of the Secretariat:

• Annual reports – past activities, future working ideas


• at the Spring meetings: work-plan of the coming year, look into the next years budget


• Autumn: Look into the account of previews year


• Follow up of the Plans of Action

Petra:

Secretariat represents itself and gets on the basis of the working plan a mandate to act on behalf of the working group

26 November (in the Polish Ministry of Education and Sport)

9.00

Working Plan – task for the Secretariat

Study visit to Brussels with a concrete theme, e.g. INTERREG

The Secretariat prepares a plan/program for the study visit for the meeting in Spring, with proposals for topics, program and expected costs as well as financial support

brochure: exploring the concept of the publication, e.g. “understanding Poland”

(German proposal)

sending one copy to each working group member

basis for publishing Baltic Sea information

• the Secretariat was asked to send out information (email) of the daily work, e.g. once/month, also on how the coop. with the advisory group in between the meetings develops


• summary of the different points of work and tasks from the Visby and Vilnius Plans of Action in one document as a basis for future work in the WG – working document


• Baltic Sea Youth Centre: the Secretariat has to prepare some background information about the need, what tasks for the centre, coop. with BYF and Lithuania


• the hosting country presents a national report on youth policy and current activities, priorities and initiatives (give room for this in the agenda)

Budget question:

Contributions in kind – Russia:

Proposals for PR-flyer for the Secretariat and brochure of work and study

Proposal for Russia hosting a seminar for the working group

Finding a solution in case of financial difficulties with Russia (paying travel costs)

Organise a seminar/workshop (together with BYF, BSYP) in Russia – BSSYA proposes topics and program (see spring academy)

Russia is officially member in the WG, membership and rights for decision taking are not necessarily based on the payment of the contribution
Recognition of the BSSYA and the WG in CBSS

Letter to the CBSS secretariat with the report and the minutes of the meeting
BSPC

Letter to BSPC for finding a financial solution for youth participants at the conference
Centre for Children at risk

Reports from Norway about the work of the Centre and possibilities of co-operation

Next meeting:

Spring (March) in Schleswig-Holstein (Mözen) – Finland chairs the meeting

Autumn (October/November) in Tartu, Estonia

external evaluation of youth co-operation in the BSR, (Sweden together with BYF and Secretariat), some preparation for discussion

this evaluation will be the basis for the organisation and preparation of the next conference

Invite Lars Lööf (Centre for Children at risk) or Ulrich Paschold from Germany on the topic of the Centre for Children at risk to the next WG meeting

Increase efforts for including Russia in the working group – invite Galina Kuprianova to the next WG meeting and include her, as Mikhail Kazharinov in the communication process

11.30

end of the meeting

farewell speech by the Polish Deputy Minister (Tadeusz Slowiecki)

Protocol by

Sandra Weidemann

(Baltic Sea Secretariat for Youth Affairs)

List of Participants

Estonia: Piret Talur piret.talur@hm.ee (Ministry of Education)

Finland: Emma Kuusi emma.kuusi@minedu.fi (Ministry of Education)

Germany: Alwin Proost alwin.proost@bmfsfj.bund.de (Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth)

Latvia: Inese Vaivare vaivare@vjic.lv (Ministry of Education and Science)

Lithuania: Snieguole Andruskaite snieguolea@vjrt.lt (State Council of Youth Affairs)

Norway: Lise Grette lise.grette@bfd.dep.no

Björn Hansen bjorn.hansen@bfd.dep.no (Ministry for Children and Family Affairs)

Poland: Agnieszka Dybowska dybowska@menis.gov.pl

Barbara Sohar (Ministry of National Education and Sport)

Sweden: Petra Marselius petra.marselius@justice.ministry.se (Ministry of Justice)

Regional Youth Council Schleswig-Holstein: Thies Grothe thies.grothe@gmx.de

John Goss john.goss@ojb.schleswig-holstein.de

BSSYA: Sandra Weidemann sandraw@balticsea-youth.org