The Northern Dimension policy must be targeted on dealing with concrete challenges said Christina Gestrin, chairman of the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference, when addressing the 2nd Northern Dimension Parliamentary Conference in Tromsö on 23 February. Climate change, energy efficiency, maritime safety and security and public health are major and pressing issues that require concerted efforts by all stakeholders in the north. We have always been supportive of the Northern Dimension, continued Gestrin, precisely because we believe that any viable long-term solution to the challenges of the Northern region must involve all stakeholders in the region. The Northern Dimension Environmental Partnership work has yielded very positive results, such as the waste water treatment plant in St Petersburg, but continued efforts are necessary. It is of utmost importance to sustain and develop projects within the Partnership to address the nuclear safety window, which aims at preventing and managing cross-border risks caused by nuclear waste and spent nuclear fuel. We parliamentarians can exert political pressure on governments to fulfil their commitments and obligations, and act as watchdogs to make sure they do, concluded Gestrin.