HELCOM states back Baltic Sea action plan

Key elements of an action plan to rescue the Baltic marine environment were approved by the regional protection commission Helcom at its annual meeting in Helsinki on Thursday.

The nine Helcom member states and the EU agreed on a common vision of a healthy Baltic Sea and identified ecological objectives to meet the vision. They approved a task force to take the Baltic Sea action plan forward.

The plan departs radically from previous policies in adopting an ecosystem-based rather than "problem-by-problem" approach.  The plan is unprecedented in its active involvement of all major stakeholders in the region.

The European Commission called the plan a "cornerstone for further action in the Baltic Sea region" which is "fully in line with the EU marine strategy", launched last October (ED 24/10/05 http://www.environmentdaily.com/19682).

Helcom will now need to determine the actions needed to meet the plan's environmental objectives. Thematic meetings will take place around four main issues: eutrophication, hazardous substances, biodiversity and shipping. After a final stakeholder conference next March, Helcom hopes to adopt the plan in late 2007.

During the meeting Helcom members also adopted a recommendation which requires member states to limit pollution from waste incineration.

Follow-up: Helsinki commission http://www.helcom.fi/, tel: +358 9 62 20 22 35,

press release http://www.helcom.fi/press_office/news_helcom/en_GB/HELCOM27_Outcome/,

opening statement http://www.helcom.fi/press_office/news_helcom/en_GB/Statement_AC_HELCOM27/,

and stakeholder conference press release http://www.helcom.fi/press_office/news_helcom/en_GB/StakeholderConf_Outcome/.

See also the EU marine environment strategy http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/water/marine/com_504_en.pdf.

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