Press release
Stakeholder Conference backs HELCOM blue print for action in the Baltic
Helsinki, 6 March (HELCOM Information Service) – The 2nd International Stakeholder Conference on the development of the Baltic Sea Action Plan concluded here on Tuesday with coastal countries pledging to step up efforts to draw up purposeful and wide-ranging actions for the ambitious strategy, now being developed by the Helsinki Commission to drastically reduce pollution and restore the good ecological status of the Baltic Sea.
The aim of the Conference, attended by representatives of the scientific and business communities, governments of the Baltic coastal countries, the EU, as well as major regional organisations was to review the content of the initial outline of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan and in particular the proposed actions for the four top priority areas: eutrophication, pollution involving hazardous substances, maritime safety and accident response capacity, and habitat destruction and the decline in biodiversity.
“The initial outline of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan, which we unveiled at the Stakeholder Conference on Tuesday, received full support and endorsement from all major stakeholder groups,” said Anne Christine Brusendorff, HELCOM’s Executive Secretary. “It is still a very preliminary plan, but I believe we have achieved a good framework for actions. The most critical ingredient at this stage is political commitment of the HELCOM Member States to the development of the strategy.”
The conference welcomed the set of proposed actions, but emphasized that more concrete programmes and measures should be elaborated for the final action plan. Major stakeholder groups agreed that it is necessary to develop a mechanism for the implementation and funding of the action plan, as well as to set up a clear timetable for the strategy. The Conference looked into the cost-efficiency of the proposed measures. It was agreed that the aspect of cost efficiency is important when jointly identifying the needed measures. It was also pointed out that not only the cost to achieve the targets should be mentioned, but also the value of a healthy Baltic Sea as well as the cost of non-action should be emphasized.
Much discussion focused on the establishment of quota for nutrient reductions, which could be instrumental in reducing the eutrophication of the Baltic Sea. Delegates from the coastal countries agreed on the need to further look into the concept of a quota system and a possible trading scheme to implement such a system.
The programme of the 2nd Stakeholder Conference consisted of four thematic sessions on the proposed actions, targets and objectives for the main environmental issues, as well as a session on the economic analysis of the implementation of the strategy. The sessions were followed by a general roundtable discussion on the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan with the participation of high-level government officials from the coastal countries, the European Union, and representatives of NGO’s.
The outcome of the various sessions of the Conference will serve as an input to the ongoing process to develop the Baltic Sea Action Plan. It will be considered at the annual HELCOM Meeting, which takes place 7-8 March in Helsinki.
The 2nd Stakeholder Conference and the annual Commission Meeting pave the way for the final stage in the development of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan. After a series of meetings to finalise the plan, the new environmental strategy will be adopted at the HELCOM Ministerial Meeting scheduled to take place on 15 November 2007 in Krakow, Poland.
Note to Editors:
The Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, more usually known as the Helsinki Commission, or HELCOM, is an intergovernmental organisation of all the nine Baltic Sea countries and the EU which works to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution.
HELCOM is the governing body of the "Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area," known as the Helsinki Convention.
In 2005, the HELCOM Member States and the EU resolved to develop a Baltic Sea Action Plan, to ensure that all possible measures are taken to reduce pollution in the Baltic Sea and to repair the damage done to the marine environment. The development process was kick-started at the first Stakeholder Conference, which was held in Helsinki on 7 March 2006. Stakeholders from the coastal countries discussed the initial concept of the plan, including its major objectives, as well as provided input to its further development.
The highlight of this innovative, ambitious, but realistic plan is that it will be based on a clear set of Ecological Objectives defined to reflect a common vision of a healthy Baltic Sea, e.g. clear water, no excessive algal blooms and natural distribution of plants and animals. The good ecological status definition will be set based on a holistic view and by creating a balance between the health of the sea the public wants and the human influences that they will accept. With this ecosystem approach protection of the marine environment is no longer seen as an event-driven pollution reduction approach to be taken sector-by-sector. Instead, the starting point is a common understanding and definition of a sea with a good ecological balance, which is deciding the further needs for reductions of pollution loads as well as the level and extent of human activities.
The new strategy, which is being jointly drafted by the HELCOM Member States, sets a target of achieving by 2021 a good ecological status of the Baltic Sea - a sea with diverse biological components functioning in balance and supporting a wide-range of sustainable human economic and social activities.
The concept of this plan has already been widely heralded as a pilot project for the European seas under the newly drafted EU Marine Strategy Directive. The European Commission described the plan as “the cornerstone for further action” in the Baltic Sea region, and also underlined that it will be instrumental to the successful implementation of the new EU Marine Strategy in the region. In this context the new plan makes HELCOM a forerunner, and a model to be followed by other regional marine conventions around Europe.
Follow-up:
Press release on the annual HELCOM Meeting http://www.helcom.fi/press_office/news_helcom/en_GB/HELCOM28/
For more information, please contact:
Mr. Nikolay Vlasov
Information Secretary
HELCOM
Tel: +358 (0)207 412 635
Fax: +358 (0)207 412 639
E-mail: nikolay.vlasov@helcom.