Official statement by Andreas Carlgren, Minister for the Environment of Sweden
at the Ministerial Meeting HELCOM in Krakow
Mr Chairman, Colleagues and friends,
First of all I would like to thank the Government of Poland for hosting this very important Ministerial meeting, as well as the Polish Chairmanship in guiding the work leading up to this meeting. You aimed high and in a constructive manner you have pushed us to reach the agreement today.
I would also like to thank my colleagues, Ministers of Environment, from all the HELCOM Contracting Parties, and their delegations for showing their political commitment and spirit of cooperation to agree on the actions proposed in the plan.
I would like to commend the observer organizations which in this process have contributed with important knowledge and kept the pressure on us all to formulate and agree on concrete actions and measures included in the plan.
Finally, but not least, I would like to thank the HELCOM Secretariat for their tremendous work in putting together the plan and organizing all the meetings.
Ladies and Gentlemen, We have now, with the Baltic Sea Action Plan, completed the first important phase in our task to restore the good ecological status of the Baltic marine environment by 2021.
The ceiling for nutrient discharges to the Baltic Sea and the burden sharing we have agreed on today is an innovative measure. For the first time we are agreeing on a reduction of the pollution load based on the ecological requirement of the Baltic Sea.
To reach these reduction targets we agreed that we - the Baltic Sea countries -will:
- Develop national programs, by 2010, designed to achieve the required reductions.
- Implement specific measures to improve the treatment of wastewater, including increasing phosphorous removal from 80 to 90 percentages.
- Substituting phosphorous in detergents.
- Changes in manure handling and fertilization practices to drastically reduce agricultural inputs.
- A revision of Annex III of the Convention to reduce the nutrient load from agriculture. Identification of individual pollution Hot Spots such as major animal farms, where actions should be prioritized.
The Action Plan we are approving proposes measures aiming at the highest environmental standard on maritime activities in the Baltic. In the plan we are addressing illegal discharges, maritime safety and prevention of alien species wit ballast water. In the biodiversity segment we support the efforts to protect and restore the biodiversity, including commercial fishing stocks, introduce more protected areas and develop the basis for marine spatial planning.
Our Action Plan shows the rest of the world, and in particular the EU, that we are committing ourselves to take on the leadership for one of the most polluted enclosed sea in the world. Implementing all relevant EU-legislation will improve the environment of the Baltic Sea, but the serious state of the Baltic Sea demands that we take further steps. The Action Plan will go ahead with reducing the nutrient load to the Baltic by introducing stricter phosphorous removal in wastewater treatment plants and substituting phosphates in detergents.
We are very satisfied that the Baltic Sea is high on the Commissions agenda. It gives us the possibility to assign the Baltic Sea as a pilot area within the marine directive. EU is also working on a special strategy for the Baltic Sea which will promote sustainable development by deeper integration and competitiveness of the Baltic Sea region, and addressing the acute ecological challenges.
Now we are facing the second phase - the implementation of the Baltic Sea Action Plan. It is important to underline that the improvement of the marine environment will depend on how well we implement our agreements and recommendations. There are great possibilities as several financing options are available. As soon as possible we need to convene a financing meeting to present our Action Plan to potential funding sources and identify specific projects to be implemented. We also welcome the high level Implementation group which will supervise and lead the future work. I am very content that we were able to agree to such a group.
We also need to continue increase our knowledge and learn from our action and their results. By integrating relevant scientific information into the decision-making process we will be able to define the impacts of the environmental degradation has on our society and identify further actions.
Sweden will, together with Finland, carry out a study of the value the Baltic Sea brings to our societies and economies, including a calculation of socio-economic cost of no action, a so called Stern-report for the Baltic Sea. In fact, the potential socio-economic losses are perhaps the strongest justification for a strong Baltic Sea Action Plan. We invite all countries to join us and participate in the study.
Ladies and Gentlemen, we should be proud over the Action Plan we are jointly agreeing today, but at the same time recognize that we now have a responsibility to live up to the commitments and the expectations, especially regarding reducing nutrient load. Let us continue to strengthen our cooperation around the Baltic Sea Action Plan and show the world that political commitment, scientific knowledge and partnership can make a difference.
Thank you!