Fourth Meeting of the Baltic recovery plan Steering Group to focus on eutrophication

Helsinki, 27 November (HELCOM Information Service) – The HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan Implementation Group (BSAP IG) will hold its regular meeting on 2 December in Helsinki to review the status of ongoing activities aimed at restoring the good ecological status of the Baltic marine environment by 2021. The major focus of this Meeting will be on the implementation of the eutrophication segment of the action plan, which features drastic measures to curb excessive inputs of nitrogen and phosphorus that are responsible for the present state of the sea.   

According to the Agenda, the HELCOM Member States will be invited to provide specific reports on the implementation of the action plan, particularly on the development of national programmes for the eutrophication segment and their connection to the elaboration of River Basin Management Plans of the Water Framework Directive (for those HELCOM countries being also EU Member States).

One of the topmost issues on the Agenda is the revision of provisional nutrient reduction targets of the Baltic Sea Action Plan. The HELCOM countries have agreed that the current environmental and nutrient reduction targets in the plan are provisional and that all the figures related to targets and maximum allowable nutrient inputs should be periodically reviewed and revised using a harmonised approach based on updated information starting from 2008.

“The Meeting will discuss the process and step-wise approach towards the revision of the nutrient reduction targets of the eutrophication segment of the action plan, taking into account the newest information on the recent nutrient loads, as well as the latest thematic assessment”, says Maria Laamanen, Professional Secretary at HELCOM. The coastal countries have agreed that the status of the implementation of the action plan will be monitored and evaluated using the HELCOM thematic assessments and indicators. The draft integrated thematic assessment of eutrophication, which has just been scrutinized by the HELCOM Monitoring and Assessment Group, will be considered by the BSAP IG Meeting.

The Implementation Group will also review progress on the elaboration of the comprehensive list of municipal wastewater treatment plants and a list of agricultural pollution hot spots that do not fulfil the HELCOM requirements. This task is considered absolutely critical for the successful implementation of the action plan. Inadequately treated sewage and agricultural run-off are the major sources of nitrogen and phosphorus inputs into the Baltic Sea. Therefore, mitigation of excessive nutrient loads from these sources is recognised as one of the priority actions. The Meeting will particularly decide on the way of finalisation of the draft list of priority projects for accelerated implementation of the eutrophication segment of the action plan in municipal wastewater treatment and agricultural fields and presenting it to a broader range of stakeholders, including possible investors/donors.

The Meeting will be conducted by the Chairman of the Baltic Sea Action Plan Implementation Group, Finnish Ambassador Mr. Ole Norrback.

Note to Editors:

The Helsinki Commission (HELCOM), officially known as the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, is an intergovernmental organisation of the nine Baltic Sea coastal countries and the EU working to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution and to ensure safety of navigation in the region. 

HELCOM is the governing body of the "Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area," more usually 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.fi