Speech by President of the Republic of Finland Tarja Halonen at the WWF Seminar in Stockholm, 27 August 2008

The Baltic Sea – our joint responsibility

I would like to thank you cordially for this tribute. It is a great honour to receive the WWF Baltic Leadership Award. I appreciate very much the active and determined efforts of the WWF for our cherished Baltic Sea. Life in the Nordic countries depends very much on the state of the Baltic Sea. All of us have to acknowledge our responsibility and understand the importance of co-operation. We can only ensure a happy future for the Baltic Sea through true commitment to working together towards our common goal.

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Socially and ecologically sustainable development has become the major issue in global international politics. The well-being of humankind and nature go hand in hand. Sustainable development requires genuine care for our fellow citizens and a strong environmental awareness.

Through our personal choices, we can all promote sustainable development and assume responsibility for environmental protection and biodiversity. Non-governmental actions strengthen the enforcement and implementation of national sustainable development strategies and also encourage the efforts to agree international treaties. We all share this planet, and we must work together to safeguard its future.

For us the Baltic Sea nations, sustainable development is easily identified with the state of the Baltic Sea. Our common sea is part of our identity, and the development of the region is important for our welfare and security.

The Baltic Sea is a sea of potential. It is a channel for culture and trade. The Baltic Sea region has a population of some 90 million. Eight out of the nine countries bordering it are Member States of the EU. With Russia, the EU is pursuing close cooperation. Interaction along and across the Baltic is lively. The sea brings nations together and will continue to do so.
The Baltic Sea forms a unique natural environment. This sea of ours is almost enclosed basin of brackish water, shallow and cold, supporting both saltwater and freshwater species. These characteristics make it not only unique but also extremely sensitive. The Baltic has become eutrophicated, and discharges into the sea are currently at an unsustainable level. The Baltic Sea simply is one of the most polluted seas in the world.

The HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan adopted in November 2007 set the objective of the Baltic Sea being in good condition by 2021. We have 13 years to achieve this objective, and the situation is not good. We know that rapid action is required, and our commitments must become achievements. The sea will not wait.

A key task in this context is the efficient cleaning of community waste water. Another important task is a radical reduction in the nutrient loading from agriculture. The increasing standard of living in the Baltic Sea region is a positive development, yet it is likely to increase the load on the environment. We must ensure that the strengthening economic growth is also socially just and ecologically sustainable.

Increased shipping on the Baltic Sea requires improvements to maritime safety. If managed well, transport by sea is an economic and environmentally friendly alternative compared with many other forms of transport. It has been estimated that there are some two thousand ships sailing on the Baltic Sea at any given time. This busy traffic combined with a vulnerable ecosystem equals a great risk.

One good way of improving maritime safety would be to create a joint maritime picture of the entire Baltic Sea. This would give the coastal authorities in all countries an overall picture of shipping in the Baltic Sea and enable constant monitoring and guidance. Another possibility would be to introduce compulsory piloting throughout the Baltic for oil and chemical tankers. We could also require that ships entering the Baltic Sea must fulfil certain technical standards and that their crews have certain competence standards. Charts and navigation systems can also always be improved.

In recent years, rescue co-operation around the Baltic Sea has been further developed to prepare for possible accidents. However, there is, for example, a critical shortage of oil recovery vessels and materials throughout the region.

The countries in the region must also seriously and openly consider alternative transport routes and modes. However, these are not without their own logistical challenges and environmental impacts. There are no easy solutions.

Some results have been achieved. The Gulf of Finland Reporting System, GOFREP, which is jointly operated by Finland, Russia and Estonia, has been in use since 2004. Experiences have been good, and the system is being developed further. Under the GOFREP, ships entering the Gulf of Finland sign on and receive information on all shipping in the area. Extending this system to cover the entire Baltic Sea would improve maritime safety.

The Baltic Sea is covered by the universal rules of the International Maritime Organization, the IMO. On the initiative of the Baltic Sea countries, the IMO has granted the Baltic Sea the official status of a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area. This status must now be effectively utilized and implemented.

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We have many positive examples of concrete projects to protect the Baltic Sea. There have been significant steps in the cleaning of community waste water in St Petersburg. The results of this will be seen in the next few years. There has also been action to combat eutrophication in Poland, and new important projects are being started to reduce the amount phosphorus in waste water. And many of you have other examples of success stories. We can if we want.

Achieving better results requires co-operation at all levels. We already have the mechanisms for this; we only need to enhance and improve them to achieve tangible results. We do not need new committees or organizations; we need closer co-operation and more rapid action.

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The Baltic Sea Strategy of the EU is highly important, and Finland supports Sweden’s aim of making the Baltic Sea Strategy one of the key objectives of its EU Presidency in 2009. The Baltic Sea Strategy can help set concrete goals in developing the region. We should seek to co-operate with other maritime regions, such as the Mediterranean Union and the Black Sea region. Also the renewed Northern Dimension Policy offers an excellent framework for Baltic Sea co-operation.

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Nation states are still the principal actors in achieving international treaties and regulations. Pollution does not respect national borders. A clean sea, safe shipping and sustainable fishing will benefit everyone living along the sea. But we also need more cross-border co-operation and combining of public and private resources if we are to save the Baltic Sea. The United Nations Climate Conference will be arranged in Copenhagen in 2009. What could be better support for the conference than the achieving the targets for our Baltic Sea.

I would like once again to thank you for this great honour, and I will do my best to live up to your expectations. A clean Baltic Sea can be our heritage to future generations.