The following states enjoy the status of Observer countries in the CBSS:

• France
• Italy
• Slovakia
• The Netherlands
• Ukraine
• United Kingdom
• United States

The following organisations have the status of Special Participants in the Council:

Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference

The aim of the BSPC is to develop existing co-operation between all parliamentary institutions of the Baltic Sea area (both on a regional and national level) and to discuss major regional issues.

Between sessions a Standing Committee of five parliamentarians, assisted by the secretariat of the Nordic Council, is responsible for arranging the annual conferences and following up on the implementation of the resolutions adopted by previous sessions.

The 8th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference, held in Mariehamn in September 1999, adopted the new Rules of Procedure of BSPC. CBSS enjoys the status of observer in BSPC. The Chairman-in-Office of the CBSS participates in annual sessions of the Conference and presents the work programme of the CBSS.
The 9th BSPC conference was held in Malmö, Sweden, in September 2000.

The Baltic Sea States’ Sub-regional Co-operation

The Baltic Sea States’ Sub-regional Co-operation (BSSSC) was established in 1993 as a response to the wish of the CBSS to improve sub-regional co-operation in the Baltic Sea region. The BSSSC is open to all 162 sub-regions in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Russia and Sweden. More that 100 sub-regions participate in the annual conference of the BSSSC. The objectives of the BSSSC are

• to promote co-operation among sub-regions around the Baltic Sea,
• to formulate a coherent Baltic Sea policy on the regional level,
• to represent the interests of the sub-regions towards national governments as well as European and international organisations.
  The secretariat of the BSSSC is presently located in Gdansk, Poland.

For further information on the BSSSC please visit their home page on the Internet:
http://www.bsssc.com

Union of the Baltic Cities

The Union of the Baltic Cities (UBC) was established on 20 September 1991. The UBC secretariat is situated in Gdansk, Poland. The UBC is now a network of 100 member cities from 10 Baltic Sea countries, with the following mission:

• to develop co-operation and exchange between the UBC-members,
• to contribute to democratic, economic, social, cultural and environmentally sustainable development of the Baltic Sea region,
• to follow closely the developments of the European Union and prepare its Eastern member cities to smooth transition to the prospective EU membership.

For further information on the UBC please visit their home page on the Internet:
http://www.ubc.net/

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

The CBSS co-operates with the OECD in the field of fighting against bribery and corruption. The WGEC interacts with the Anti-corruption network of the OECD. The Latvian delegation in the WGEC serves as a liaison office to the OECD and reports on latest developments. A joint project for a ‘Baltic Integrity Program’ between the CBSS and the OECD is under discussion.