| After the regained independence of the three Baltic Republics, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, many concrete problems did surface with respect to the maritime areas in the Eastern Baltic Sea which seriously undermined the good neighborly relations between these coastal states. Areas such as fisheries, the exploitation of off-shore mineral resources, the protection and prevention of marine pollution, legislation relating to the marine environment, activities of the coast-guard ... all of them deteriorated the normal relations between the parties in question and eventually even gave rise to direct open conflicts between them. In view of the possible accession of these states to the European Union, it will be important for these three countries to display a coordinated approach in order to align their respective maritime interests in the area. The projects intends to reveal as much as possible these underlying conflicts, to defuse them and to promote cooperation through juridical support, transfer of knowledge, joint conferences and scientific cooperation |
