CIVIL DIMENSION OF SECURITY Visit to Kaliningrad 22-23 March 2002 Secretariat Report This Secretariat Report is presented for information only and does not necessarily represent the official view of the Assembly International Secretariat, 28 April 2002 Following the Plenary meeting that was held at the Federation Council, Moscow, on 21 March 2002, which gathered the Civil Dimension of Security, Defence and Security and Political Committees of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA), fourteen members of the Committee on the Civil Dimension of Security visited the Oblast of Kaliningrad on Friday afternoon 22 and Saturday 23 March, to inquire about the economic, political, social and security situation in the enclave and to continue to foster enhanced dialogue and co-operation on the issues facing the region. This visit followed on from last year's Sub-Committee Report on Prospects for Democratic Reform in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia/Serbia, Belarus and Kaliningrad [AU 192 CC/DG (01) 3], which was approved in Ottawa in October 2001. The visit, which took place at the invitation of Governor Admiral Vladimir Egorov and Mr Nikolai Tulaev, Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Security and Defence, Federation Council, was the first of its kind by a NATO PA delegation. It was thus of symbolic importance to both the delegates and their hosts in the Regional Duma. Alice Mahon, Vice-Chairperson of the Committee, led the delegation that was received on its arrival at Kaliningrad airport by Mr Tulaev. An official meeting presided over by Governor Egorov, Regional Duma Chairman Nikitin and Mr Tulaev, was held at the Regional Duma, with several high representatives attending, including Messrs. Matochkin and Ginzburg, respectively Chairman of the Duma's Economic Policy Committee and Chairman of the International Relations Committee. Three roundtables presided over by Polish Consul General Yaroslav Czubinski were held, moreover, at the Consulate General of Poland in Kaliningrad, on EU enlargement; Health, environment and crime; and Civil society development and Information and the media. The roundtables gathered numerous representatives of the Oblast, officials from Lithuania and Denmark, from Hamburg Chamber of Commerce and TACIS Local Support Unit, as well as members of the local State and independent media. A guided tour of Kaliningrad City and an excursion to Svetlogorsk resort on the Baltic Sea concluded the visit. In the course of this day and a half Governor Egorov and the members of the Regional Duma set out to highlight their concerns over transit between Kaliningrad and mainland Russia and the system of visas that Poland and Lithuania will have to introduce at the latest when they join the European Union. These worries were echoed at the Polish Consulate General, inter alia by Ambassador Artur Kuzniecov, Head of the Representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry in Kaliningrad, and by Mr Vytautas Zalys, Lithuanian Consul General. Further concerns were voiced over the economic situation and political impetus in the enclave; over the issues of crime, drug trafficking and the related threats to general safety and public health; as well as over the democratisation process and freedom of the media in the Oblast. THE VISA ISSUE Regarding the visa issue that was examined at length in last year's Sub-Committee Report, Governor Egorov declared that the Russian position vis-à-vis the EU enlargement was known. He called for dual passports and cheap five-year multiple entry visas for Kaliningraders and Lithuanian and Polish residents - the main investors in the Oblast -, underlining that Sweden had decided to open a Consulate General "which could be the place where visas could be obtained". He went on to specify that the issue will be taken up by European External Relations Commissioner Christopher Patten, when the latter visits Svetlogorsk on 20 May with a view to preparing the 29 May EU-Russia Summit in Moscow. Chairman Nikitin stated he understood there was no alternative to the EU enlargement, emphasizing with other Regional Duma officials the need for a "civilised way" to be found so as not to hinder the right of the inhabitants of Kaliningrad to travel freely to mainland Russia, and vice-versa. The question of a "special" status for the enclave was not answered as such by the Kaliningrad authorities and Regional Duma members. At the time of writing this report, Berlin and Moscow had begun talks over the future status of the Oblast, while the European Commission had yet refused to consider any kind of "special" status or privileged treatment outside existing programmes and frameworks. The Commission's attitude has been that Kaliningrad is essentially an internal Russian problem, a view that has been shared by the European Parliament. On 24 April 2002, Moscow submitted a new memorandum to the Commission, which proposed fixing "corridors" without visa obligation through Lithuania, Latvia and Poland. The Commission seems to have rejected this solution, planning, rather, to find "technical, financial and consular facilities aimed at facilitating to a maximum the obtaining and use of visas for Kaliningrad citizens" (Bulletin Quotidien Europe No. 8199, Thursday 25 April 2002, p. 11). At the Polish Consulate General, Ambassador Kuzniecov referred to points 3 and 4 of the January 2002 European Parliament Draft report on Kaliningrad, which "[r]egrets the continuing uncertainty about the scope for flexible interpretation of the Schengen acquis, in particular as regards the use of simplified visa procedures", and which "[c]alls on the [European] Commission (É) to achieve a balance between the need solidly to secure the EU's external borders and the need to make visa and transit arrangements easier for the inhabitants of Kaliningrad (and, in the case of transit, also for the inhabitants of the rest of Russia)" (EP Draft report 2001/2046(COS), 11 January 2002). Ambassador Kuzniecov expressed particular concern over the estimated percentage of visa refusals given by EU officials, which should not exceed 3% of the total number of visa requests. Three percent "means that 30,000 inhabitants of Kaliningrad will never be issued a Schengen visa", he said. This figure was taken up by NATO PA delegate Lord Jopling, who referred to the estimated 30,000 drug addicts in the enclave and asked whether it would be wrong to refuse visas to people with a criminal record or to drug addicts with tuberculosis or diagnosed as HIV positive. Kaliningrad Region Ombudswoman Irina Vershinina asked in turn whether it would imply that people diagnosed as HIV positive would not be allowed to see their relatives in motherland Russia. While he would not comment on the drugs issue, Consul General Zalys confirmed that the biggest problem was that of transit visas to mainland Russia, a problem for which there is an urgent necessity to develop a concrete and practical programme, he said. THE ECONOMIC SITUATION IN THE ENCLAVE Governor Egorov stressed at first that the expression "black hole" used inter alia by the Western press to depict the Oblast, was rather unfriendly and superficial. His comment was taken up by Regional Duma Chairman Nikitin and Mr Ginzburg, who underlined that problems in the enclave looked more dramatic because of the OblastÔs location, surrounded as it is by NATO - and soon-to-become NATO - countries. They said that Kaliningraders had a feeling of belonging to the European West and called for rehabilitating the image of the enclave, which should be seen as a bridge between Europe and Russia. Governor Egorov and Chairman Nikitin also reminded the NATO PA delegates that Russia's Security Council had adopted a federal development programme for the Kaliningrad area worth US$ 3 billion up to the year 2010, which was to start at the time of writing this report. Recognizing that the economic problems in the enclave were "very big", Governor Egorov called for Russia and Europe to solve them "together", possibly on a "50-50%" basis. Referring to the 1996 Free Economic Zone (SEZ) that granted Kaliningrad favourable tax treatment and tariff advantages for imports and exports (including to mainland Russia), Mr Matochkin indicated for his part that the speed of economic growth in the Oblast had deteriorated "like the rest of Russia", with inter alia the agricultural and fishery production slumping over the last ten years and an average monthly salary not exceeding US$ 200. The Chairman of the Economic Policy Committee went on to point out that there was no clear understanding of, and no political decision on economic problems in the enclave. This "suspends the development of the region", he said, adding that while the EU "lacks a clear position", "Russia itself should design its own policy towards Kaliningrad". It should be noted here that, whilst Moscow has guaranteed the SEZ will be maintained up to 2010, the arrangements are still essentially income-oriented. The task of making the SEZ a modern production and services zone attractive to foreign investors, has yet to be fulfilled. The point was taken up at the Polish Consulate General by Mr Stephan Stein, Head of Kaliningrad and St. Petersburg Branches, Hamburg Chamber of Commerce. While confirming that the black hole expression was wrong and that the enclave had "possibilities of producing cheaper goods" (cf, for instance, the production of BMW vehicles), Mr Stein said that the lack of political will and stability in the Oblast, coupled with a lack of investments and of protection of local producers, was highly detrimental to the area. Declaring that no one knew who was leading the region, he stated that the Russian Foreign Ministry on which "everything depends", bore "a certain responsibility" for the situation in the enclave. To NATO PA delegate Kirsteins' question on whether a regional council of investors existed, Mr Stein replied to the affirmative, specifying however that it was "not efficient at all". Answering Sub-Committee Rapporteur Chauveau, Mr Stein indicated that there was a need for investments in small and medium enterprises - which constitute the basis of the enclave's economy - of up to US$ 60 million a year, specifying that Kaliningrad was entitled to transfers from Brussels through the EU's technical assistance programme, TACIS. The delegates will remember that the Oblast, through TACIS, benefits to the tune of about euro 3-3.5 million a year. By contrast, as candidates for EU membership neighbouring Poland and Lithuania will receive between 2000 and 2006, up to euro 1 billion or more a year for the former and to euro 180 million for the latter, much of which will go towards modernizing road and rail infrastructure as parts of Trans-European Networks. To many an observer, this contributes to ever widening the gap between Poland and Lithuania and Kaliningrad. NATO PA delegate Roman pointed to the need for adequate legislation to be adopted, in order to protect investors and attract additional funding. Mr Tulaev responded that legislation was being examined in the Federal Duma, with discussion on the overall Kaliningrad issue being further scheduled for April and June. He went on to emphasize the role that parliamentarians should play in this regard. ENVIRONMENT, CRIME AND HEALTH Little was said concerning the environmental problems in Kaliningrad. Governor Egorov referred to the US$ 57-million project for improving the quality of drinking water, which is to be implemented over the next five years, and pointed also to the chemical substances buried in the Baltic seabed, off the Russian coast. An appeal for environmental funding was, moreover, made at the Polish Consulate General by Mr Akinin, Chairman of the Committee on Natural Resources and Ecology at the Regional Duma. Concerning crime, it should be noted at first that the figures for criminal activities inside the enclave are apparently between 20 and 30% higher than the Russian average. Governor Egorov and Regional Duma officials were adamant in stressing that no drugs were being produced in the Oblast and that drugs were coming essentially from neighbouring countries, notably Lithuania. This was repeated at the Polish Consulate General, with Kaliningrad Region Ombudswoman Vershinina saying that once Poland and Lithuania enter the European Union, "it will be all right to say that drugs come from the EU". Drugs were described as a social problem by Regional Duma Chairman Nikitin, who further indicated that poverty, crime and poor health in the enclave were the "direct results" of the problems of the early 1990s. Counter-measures should be "of a social character", he said. Governor Egorov highlighted for his part the need for equipment at border crossings to counter land smuggling. Responding to NATO PA delegate Clapham's question as to whether an anti-smuggling strategy existed between the Regional Duma and the police, the head of security in Kaliningrad indicated that work with the local police was directly subordinated to the Federal Ministry of Interior. He said that while the Ministry was responsible for allocating funds to the enclave for anti-smuggling activities, the Regional Duma could be of influence "by initiating proposals aimed at updating criminal legislation". New proposals to that effect were soon to be adopted by the Regional Duma, he added. At the Polish Consulate General, Kaliningrad police representative told the members that no cases had been recorded of drugs being smuggled via sea and/or air - an information which NATO PA delegate Roman and others found difficult to believe. The police representative indicated also that anti-smuggling operations were being conducted under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Interior, with Lithuania, Poland and Belarus, while work was being developed to stop drug dealing in the Oblast. To NATO PA delegate Stefansson's questions as to whether drug lords were active in the enclave and which kinds of penalty were applicable, the representative replied that there was no drug mafia and that penalties were proportionate to offences. He said that one drug murder had been registered in 2001, whereas 61 contract murders had been recorded in January and February this year. With regard to public health, Governor Egorov told the members that 280 people had died of tuberculosis in 2001. Responding to Mr Stefansson's question about the unemployed military being reported to live in dire conditions, Regional Duma Chairman Nikitin and Mr Tulaev indicated that there had been a sharp decrease in the number of military in the enclave over the past decade, from 150,000 in 1990 to less than 30,000 today. They said that the main problem was "re-orientation in civil life" and that there were a few retraining centers for young officers. The health situation was tackled in somewhat greater detail at the Polish Consulate General. Kaliningrad Region Ombudswoman Vershinina said that the State system of public health was good, and that the HIV epidemic in the enclave was "a bit exaggerated by Western countries". Mr Buhtoyarov, Vice-Chairman of the Health Committee of the Kaliningrad Oblast, indicated for his part that over the last ten years tuberculosis (TB) had spread "at a much greater speed than the means to combat it". He said that this "very aggressive social disease" was resistant to all drugs currently used and that isolation of TB patients was not possible because of the limited number of beds. Mr Buhtoyarov said that he was nonethless optimistic for the five years to come, mentioning assistance being provided by Germany, Sweden and Norway. He went on to point with Ms Alla Ivanova, TACIS Local Support Office, to the programmes of syringe exchanges, to the rehabilitation centers for drug addicts and the drug prevention programmes, all of which belong to a "network of drug-combating" funded in part by the United States, France, Sweden, Denmark, Poland and Lithuania, as well as by TACIS. INFORMATION AND THE MEDIA The last roundtable at the Polish Consulate General was devoted to Civil society development and Information and the media in the enclave, with the discussion focusing essentially on the media. Mr Igor Rudnikov, the founder and editor of Novi Kalosa ("New Wheels") weekly and a member of the Regional Duma, indicated that the efforts of the Kaliningrad authorities to improve their image and to "try to present themselves as being aware of the problems and as trying to solve them", had been lasting for the last ten years. Mr Rudnikov called for the EU to be "more radical in its relation with Russia" and "tougher in its own taking of measures". "The quicker the visa system is implemented, the sooner the [Kaliningrad] authorities will take measures" to improve the situation, he said, referring in particular to the pollution of the Baltic Sea and to the flow of people from all around the world who converge to Kaliningrad. Mr Igor Rostov, the publisher of Kaskad newspapers and local TV station, pointed to the introduction of censorship, indicating that the licences of local independent radio stations were likely not to be extended for the next five years, and to physical violence against journalists. Mr Ginzburg specified in turn that physical violence had been used under the previous governorship and that the role of the media in the enclave was "more important than in the rest of Russia". Responding to NATO PA delegates, Messrs. Rostov, Rudnikov and Borys Nisnievich, from Kaliningratskya Pravda daily, said that there were not many mass media in Kaliningrad, all of which were "just the voice of the bureaucrats"; they declared that "all the tools [were] used to prevent freedom of the press", including a strong opposition from police and justice authorities, and that there were "serious barriers" to access to information. They argued that meetings between Kaliningrad, Polish and Lithuanian officials, were not covered by the local press while insufficient information prevents them from organising campaigns of explanation on the EU policy towards the enclave. CONCLUSION The NATO PA delegates were very grateful to Governor Egorov and Mr Tulaev, as well as to Polish Consul General Czubinski, for organising their visit to Kaliningrad, which was of symbolic importance to all parties. Like many an observer, the members have been of the strong opinion that enhanced dialogue and co-operation is to be pursued on the issues facing the region. They hope, therefore, that their visit will be the prelude to in-depth discussions on Kaliningrad within the framework of the Committee and/or the Sub-Committee.

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