Press release
HELCOM to hold 17th Meeting of the Heads of Delegations of the Member States 14-15 June
Helsinki, 8 June (HELCOM) – The Helsinki Commission will conduct its 17th biannual Meeting of the Heads of Delegations of the Member States on 14-15 June in Helsinki, Finland, to discuss working programmes, intersessional work and ongoing projects.
One of the main focuses of the Meeting will be the strategic Baltic Sea Action Plan, which is being created by HELCOM to ensure that all possible measures are used to reduce pollution in the Baltic Sea and to repair the damage done to the marine environment. HELCOM has already decided that this action plan, which is foreseen by the European Marine Strategy, will be based on Ecological Objectives, which are defined to reflect a common vision of a healthy Baltic Sea. In addition, the action plan calls for wide stakeholder participation at many levels – from international organisations and governments, through activities which pollute the sea or depend on the sea for their livelihoods, right down to individual citizens, whose choices can help to reduce pollution. The Heads of Delegations of the coastal countries are to discuss the process for identifying and involving stakeholders in the elaboration of the Baltic Sea Action Plan and the process for drawing up and finally adopting the Plan.
The Meeting is expected to make a final decision on the deletion of several Lithuanian municipalities from the list of the Baltic Sea most significant pollution source Hot Spots, based on the recommendation submitted by the HELCOM Land-based Pollution Group. Among these Hot Spots are Lithuania’s biggest city and capital Vilnius, as well as the two smaller municipalities of Marijampole and Alytus. All three cities have carried out vast modernisations of their wastewater treatment plants in recent years.
Establishment of a project to assess the risks of introduction of alien species to the Baltic Sea region through ship’s ballast water will be also among the key items on the agenda of the Meeting. The spreading of alien species raises concerns over potential effects on the Baltic Sea native species and ecosystems. Some of the species are aggressive, robust and undergo rapid dispersal and population expansion, and thus can affect and disrupt aquatic communities in the region. The findings of the project would serve as a basis for further steps in the development of measures to reduce the risks of introduction of alien species to the Baltic Sea region and facilitate the implementation of the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments.
Representatives of the Baltic Sea States will also discuss other new and ongoing projects, including the GEF/World Bank funded Baltic Sea Regional Project, the implementation of the Baltic Sea Joint Comprehensive Environmental Action Programme (JCP), as well as the activities of HELCOM subsidiary Groups.
The Meeting of the Heads of Delegations will take place at the premises of the HELCOM Secretariat in Helsinki. It will be opened by the Chair of the Helsinki Commission, Mr. Arturas Daubaras.
Contacts
HELCOM Secretariat
Mr. Nikolay Vlasov
Information Secretary
Tel: +358 9 6220 2235
Fax: +358 9 6220 2239