Stakeholder Conference on the Development of the
HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan
Helsinki, 7 March 2006
Mr. Stefan Wallin
State Secretary
Ministry of the Environment
Finland
THE BALTIC SEA – A POLITICAL PLAYGROUND
The Baltic Sea, state of the art
Within the framework of the Helsinki Commission the Contracting Parties have taken a lot of decisions to reduce and eliminate the pollutant load to the Baltic Sea and to protect its coastal areas and ecosystems against environmental degradation. Monitoring and assessment activities are important for following up the results of the actions taken and several examples of improvements can already be seen, such as the levelling out of nutrient loads and the recovery of seals and white-tailed eagles through the ban on PCBs and DDT. However, at the same time, one can also see that there are still problems of great concern and that further actions are needed.
There are three marine environmental issues of major concern to the Baltic Sea countries which are broadly recognized. Firstly, the still severe threat from the pollutant load to coastal waters from sea-based and specifically from land-based sources and activities, especially regarding nutrients, hazardous substances and heavy metals; secondly, the use of living resources and the related over-fishing; and thirdly, the rapidly deteriorating coastal zones with the loss of biodiversity.
So far the Baltic Sea countries through HELCOM have agreed upon a 50% reduction of the nutrient load between 1987 and 2005 and have adopted several recommendations. The measures adopted by HELCOM have mainly focused on point sources of pollution and according to calculations have clearly resulted in smaller reductions of phosphorous and nitrogen than expected.
Even though the release of known toxic substances such as PCBs and DDT decreased during the 1980s and 1990s, the extensive use of other potentially hazardous substances in the countries is still a threat to the Baltic Sea environment.
Given the special character and natural conditions that exist in the Baltic Sea, we must, however, in our future use of the Baltic take its limitations and vulnerability into more serious consideration than we do today, if any further improvements are expected.
Driving forces influencing the work of HELCOM
The enlargement of and economic development within the European Union have caused important challenges to the Baltic Sea countries. How to harvest the economic benefits of growth, including freer trade, without causing more environmental damage? The economic development and growth in the future is of special concern to the Baltic Sea region. The economic development will lead to intensified agricultural production and most probably increased use of fertilizers and different pesticides. It will also lead to higher income per capita and greater demand for goods and services. The number of private cars, busses, trucks, ships and pleasure crafts will increase. Such positive development will also accelerate the pollutant load entering the Baltic Sea. In this respect, the EU legislation alone is not enough to protect the Baltic Sea and the Helsinki Convention is needed to boost the protection efforts.
I would like to underline once again that HELCOM is the only intergovernmental organization within the Baltic Sea region with the mandate to deal comprehensively with the problems of the Baltic Sea and to jointly agree on implementation of measures to preserve and protect the Baltic marine environment, to conserve natural habitats and biodiversity and to ensure the sustainable use of natural resources within the Baltic Sea region. Additionally, HELCOM's regional marine convention, serves as a legally binding instrument. In spite of the fact that the decisions are made in the form of recommendations, nothing prevents us from implementing those recommendations as legally binding ones. Therefore, we will only lose time and resources by discussing and planning any new, more powerful organization and decisions. HELCOM is as powerful and as capable of making decisions as the Contracting Parties are nationally ready for. The presence of higher-level politicians than the Ministers of the Environment is not necessary if all governments of the Baltic Sea states provide their ministers of environment with the needed mandate and if the governments are sincerely committed to national implementation.
Under this forthcoming Baltic Sea Action Plan, HELCOM's role in the cooperation with the EU will be, in addition to that of serving as the environmental focal point for actions, that of coordinator and implementing agency of matters related to the European Marine Strategy for the Baltic Sea marine environment and its drainage area.
HELCOM's role in making the Baltic Sea more sustainable
Coastal zone and watershed planning and management
Another challenge ahead is to continue the evolution of HELCOM from a largely marine-oriented body to one that also promotes effective environmental planning and management in the whole drainage area.
With this broadened perception it has become clear that effective protection and management of the Baltic Sea must be closely linked with developments on land and that in this context the coastal zones, and their accompanying watershed basins, should be considered as integral parts of a single system to be protected through national management schemes. With the growing awareness of the complex and inseparable links between marine sciences, the management of marine resources and socio-economic activities related to the use of these resources, it has become obvious that the protection and rational use of coastal and marine resources requires a multidisciplinary approach. The instrument for such an approach is integrated coastal zone management. ICZM is a process in which a coordinated strategy is developed and implemented for the allocation of environmental and socio-economic and institutional resources to achieve the protection and sustainable use of the coastal zone.
In this respect, HELCOM provides an integrated framework and instruments to foster and facilitate development of coastal zone management plans and the development and implementation of the corresponding planning and management of transboundary river basins.
Strengthening the national capacity
Some countries around the Baltic Sea still lack a coherent integrated national policy on marine affairs encompassing fisheries and aquaculture, exploitation of offshore resources, transport, defence, the environment (including nature conservation and biodiversity), coastal development, and other related subjects. The endogenous capabilities of countries are still generally insufficient to cope with the full complexity of the problems facing their marine and coastal environments and the rational management of their resources. The treatment of environmental issues in national legal systems and practices is often inadequate. The relevant national institutional structures operate then without clear mandates and without the interdisciplinary expertise needed for effective actions. This weakness of national structures also seriously hampers the effective participation of those countries in international efforts designed to protect and develop the marine and coastal environment. Finland expects sincere commitments from all Contracting Parties in the preparation of our common action plan for the Baltic Sea.
Information and public awareness
The capability of a country to deal with its environmental problems depends to a large degree on enlightened and well-informed citizens. Only such citizens can critically assess and weigh the short- and long-term benefits and disadvantages of environmental protection measures. They may also be more willing to accept solutions which at a first glance do not seem to be in their best interest. The fact that such an enlightened public is often in short supply normally stems from a lack of education in the importance of marine and coastal resources, and from possible shortcomings in public awareness campaigns and other channels for disseminating information. In the Baltic region the NGOs already represent a strong public voice and wield considerable political influence by promoting or opposing development plans and environmental policies. The preparation of the Action Plan must be open-ended and transparent.
Engaging the business communities and financial institutions
The business and trade communities and financial institutions, both in the public and private sector, are primarily interested in development activities which, unfortunately, do not take sufficiently into account the environmental consequences or the long-term economic costs and benefits from these activities for the society as a whole. The sectors of highest relevance to maritime and coastal affairs include fisheries, the petroleum and natural gas industry, maritime trade and transportation, and coastal zone developers. While virtually all living and non-living marine resources are held in common by the governments in the public trust, in most cases their exploitation is expected to be undertaken by private initiative. Except for the 1992 Baltic Sea Joint Comprehensive Environmental Protection Programme of HELCOM, not enough has been done so far to mobilize the business and trade communities and financial institutions, to tap their resources, and to stimulate their interest in enhancing the protection of the Baltic marine environment and sustainable use of its resources. Therefore, we must use this opportunity of preparing this new Baltic Sea Action Plan to make it as comprehensive and, at the same time, as realistic and action-oriented as possible by including also updating of the present list of the HELCOM Hot Spots and by coordinating it as much as possible with the renewed concept of the Northern Dimension for the benefit of the Baltic Sea.
Thank you for your attention!