International Conference to review draft HELCOM strategy to restore Baltic marine environment

Helsinki, 1 March (HELCOM Information Service) – Up to 200 delegates, representing governments, scientific and business communities of the Baltic Sea coastal countries, as well as the European Union, CBSS, OSPAR and other major regional organisations will take part in the 2nd Stakeholder Conference on the Baltic Sea Action Plan on 6 March in Helsinki, Finland, to discuss the initial outline of an ambitious strategy, now being developed by the Helsinki Commission, to reduce pollution and reverse the degradation of the Baltic marine environment.

“The purpose of the Conference is to discuss with all relevant stakeholders the content of the draft 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,” said Anne Christine Brusendorff, HELCOM’s Executive Secretary. “The financial aspects of the plan’s implementation and the cost-efficiency of measures will be also one of the top issues. The overall objective of this Conference is to get acceptance and commitments at local, national and regional levels as well as from the private sector to the implementation of this new environmental strategy to restore the Baltic marine environment,” said Brusendorff.

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. HELCOM considers this input very important and is committed to respond to any suggestion raised by major stakeholder groups in the region in order to ensure that the future action plan is relevant and can be effectively implemented in practice.

The Conference will 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.

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 the plan is that, instead of the old administrative approach of cutting different pollution loads to certain levels, 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. The HELCOM plan will identify the kind of actions needed to achieve within a given timeframe the agreed goals of a Baltic Sea unaffected by eutrophication, undisturbed by hazardous substances, with favourable biodiversity and environmentally friendly maritime 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,” said Brusendorff.

Another major highlight of the plan is that it is being elaborated with active participation of all major stakeholder groups in the region – from governments, through industry and NGOs, right down to the individuals living on the shores of the Baltic Sea.

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.

The programme of the 2nd Stakeholder Conference will consist of a four thematic sessions on the proposed actions, targets and objectives for the main environmental issues: eutrophication, hazardous substances, biodiversity and shipping, as well as a session on the economic analysis of the implementation of the strategy. The sessions will be followed by a general roundtable discussion on the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action with the participation of high-level government officials from the coastal countries, the European Union, and representatives of NGO’s.

The 2nd Stakeholder Conference on the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan will take place at the Marina Congress Center in Helsinki. It will be opened by Prof. Mieczyslaw S. Ostojski, Chairman of the Helsinki Commission.

Follow-up:

Programme for the 2nd Stakeholder Conference on the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan: http://www.helcom.fi/BSAP/2nd/en_GB/2nd_Stakeholder_Conf/ .

Media reminder: Members of the news media wishing to cover the Conference should contact HELCOM Information Secretary Nikolay Vlasov at +358 (0) 207 412 635 or send an e-mail with their name, affiliation and contact information to nikolay.vlasov@helcom.fi  no later than 5 March to arrange for credentials.

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.

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.