Baltic Assembly
Encyclopedia
The Baltic Assembly is an international organisation which aims to promote co-operation between the parliament
s of the Republics of Estonia
, Latvia
and Lithuania
. It attempts to find a common position in relation to many international issues, including economic, political and cultural issues. The Baltic Assembly’s decisions do not bind the member governments but are only advisory.
on 1 December 1990. It works under regulations approved on 8 November 1991 in Tallinn
. On 13 June 1994 the three nations agreed to the structure and rules of the organisation.
The budget of the BA is funded by the three member governments.
The official languages of the Baltic Assembly are Estonian
, Latvian
and Lithuanian
.
The headquarters and secretariat of the organisation is in Riga
, Latvia. The Baltic Assembly has its own flags and symbols.
Each member of the BA participates in at least one committee.
As of 2006 the three political groupings are the Conservative-Right
Party Group, the Centre Party Group and the Social Democratic
Party Group.
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
s of the Republics of Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
, Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
and Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
. It attempts to find a common position in relation to many international issues, including economic, political and cultural issues. The Baltic Assembly’s decisions do not bind the member governments but are only advisory.
Formation
The organisation was formed after a decision to establish it was made in VilniusVilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
on 1 December 1990. It works under regulations approved on 8 November 1991 in Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
. On 13 June 1994 the three nations agreed to the structure and rules of the organisation.
The budget of the BA is funded by the three member governments.
The official languages of the Baltic Assembly are Estonian
Estonian language
Estonian is the official language of Estonia, spoken by about 1.1 million people in Estonia and tens of thousands in various émigré communities...
, Latvian
Latvian language
Latvian is the official state language of Latvia. It is also sometimes referred to as Lettish. There are about 1.4 million native Latvian speakers in Latvia and about 150,000 abroad. The Latvian language has a relatively large number of non-native speakers, atypical for a small language...
and Lithuanian
Lithuanian language
Lithuanian is the official state language of Lithuania and is recognized as one of the official languages of the European Union. There are about 2.96 million native Lithuanian speakers in Lithuania and about 170,000 abroad. Lithuanian is a Baltic language, closely related to Latvian, although they...
.
The headquarters and secretariat of the organisation is in Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
, Latvia. The Baltic Assembly has its own flags and symbols.
Sessions
The BA meets in session twice yearly, once in the spring and once in autumn. The venue of these sessions rotates through the three Baltic member nations.Composition
The BA comprises sixty members. Each of the parliaments of the three States appoints twenty of its members to the Assembly. Each of the national parliaments appoints two of the members to be head and deputy head of the national delegation. The six head delegates and deputy head delegates form the BA’s Presidium. The Chairman of the Presidium is the head of the national delegation of the country hosting the next session of the BA. The heads of the other two national delegations are Vice Chairmen of the Presidium. The Presidium controls the BA between sessions. The Chairman acts as the co-ordinator of the work of the BA, is its representative with other bodies and liaises with the three members’ governments.Committees of the Baltic Assembly
The following are the standing committees:- Budget and Audit,
- Communications and Informatics,
- Economic and Social Affairs,
- Education, Science and Culture,
- Environment Protection and Energy,
- Legal and
- Security and Foreign Affairs.
Each member of the BA participates in at least one committee.
Political groupings
The 20 members of the BA from each country are chosen so that their political make-up reflects the proportions within their home parliament. The members may then form cross-national party groupings of at least five members from at least two nations.As of 2006 the three political groupings are the Conservative-Right
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
Party Group, the Centre Party Group and the Social Democratic
Social democracy
Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism...
Party Group.
Achievements
The BA claims the following as its achievements between 1991 and 2003 :- Withdrawal of Russian troops from the member States,
- Formation of the Baltic Council of Ministers as an institution of governmental co-operation,
- Development of common Baltic economic, educational and information technology policies,
- Harmonisation of legislation in conformity with requirements of the European Union,
- Improvement of border-crossing procedures,
- The establishment of the Baltic Assembly Prizes for Literature, Arts and Science.
List of literature winners
| Year | Author | Country or Region |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Arvydas Juozaitis |  Lithuania |
| 2010 | Ene Mihkelson Ene Mihkelson Ene Mihkelson is an Estonian writer.-Education:Mihkelson studied literature after completing her secondary education. She worked as a teacher and then as a researcher for the Estonian Literary Museum.-Literature:... |
 Estonia |
| 2009 | Inga Abele |  Latvia |
| 2008 | Knuts Skujenieks Knuts Skujenieks Knuts Skujenieks is a Latvian poet, journalist, and translator from fifteen European languages.He spent his childhood near Bauska, Zemgale... |
Latvia |
| 2007 | Marcelijus Martinaitis | Lithuania |
| 2006 | Nora Ikstena | Latvia |
| 2005 | Hasso Krull | Estonia |
| 2004 | Pēteris Brūveris | Latvia |
| 2003 | Vytautas Bubnys | Lithuania |
| 2002 | Jaan Tätte | Estonia |
| 2001 | Justinas Marcinkevičius Justinas Marcinkevicius Justinas Marcinkevičius was a prominent Lithuanian poet and playwright.-Life and career:Marcinkevičius was born in 1930 in Važatkiemis, Prienai district. In 1954 he graduated from Vilnius University History and Philology faculty with a degree in Lithuanian language and Literature. He joined the... |
Lithuania |
| 2000 | Jānis Rokpelnis | Latvia |
| 1999 | Jaan Kross Jaan Kross -Early life:Born in Tallinn, Estonia, studied Jacob Westholm´s Grammar school, Kross attended the University of Tartu and graduated from its School of Law... |
Estonia |
| 1998 | Sigitas Geda Sigitas Geda Sigitas Geda was a poet and translator in Lithuania.- Education and career :He studied history and philology at Vilnius University. In 1966 his collection Pedos came out. He was also a leading figure in the Movement for the Support of Perestroika or Sąjūdis... |
Lithuania |
| 1997 | Jaan Kaplinski Jaan Kaplinski Jaan Kaplinski is an Estonian poet, philosopher, and culture critic. Kaplinski is known for his independent mind, focus on global issues and support for left-wing/liberal thinking... |
Estonia |
| 1996 | Judita Vaičiūnaitė | Lithuania |
| 1995 | Uldis Bērziņš Uldis Berzinš Uldis Bērziņš is a Latvian poet and translator.He studied Latvian philology at the University of Latvia and published his first collection of poetry in 1980... |
Latvia |
| 1994 | Emil Tode | Estonia |