HELCOM action plan is seen as a pilot project under the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive

Helsinki, 29 April (HELCOM Information Service) – The Helsinki Commission has officially invited the European Commission to give due consideration to the linkages between the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), including the concept of a pilot project, and the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan to drastically reduce pollution to the sea and restore its good ecological status by 2021.

“The Baltic Sea Action Plan complies with the concept of an early programme of measures required for a pilot project under the EU MSFD,” Chairman of HELCOM, Mr. Igor Maydanov said in his letter which has recently been sent to the President of the European Commission, Mr. Jose Manuel Barroso. According to Maydanov, the plan may also be recognised as a contribution to the implementation of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region.

The HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan has already been widely supported in the region and heralded as a pilot project for European Seas in the context of MSFD. The European Commission has stated that, in many respects, the Baltic Sea Action Plan is clearly a model for what the future programme of actions might look like under the Directive, and that with this plan the Baltic Sea has established itself as a forerunner in the implementation of this European legislative framework. The European Community has also described HELCOM’s plan as a cornerstone for further action in the Baltic, emphasizing that it will be instrumental for the successful implementation of the environmental segment of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region.

“The Baltic Sea marine region is shared between eight EU Member States and the Russian Federation, which are the Contracting Parties together with the European Community to the Helsinki Convention,” said Maydanov. “By virtue of this, the Baltic Sea Action Plan aligns well with the concept of regional co-operation outlined as a key element for achieving good environmental status of the European marine waters.”

Having regard to the critical status of the Baltic Sea and to the costs of fully implementing the action plan, the Chairman of HELCOM noted that the consideration of supportive action should be urgently addressed. “We consider that, already at this stage, an important form of support could be to maximise the use of EU funds having regard to the critical status of the Baltic Sea, thereby securing effective integration of environmental concerns in the real application of sectorial policies,” said Maydanov.

According to the HELCOM Chairman, this appears indispensable to ensure that the forthcoming European Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region adequately addresses urgent environmental challenges related to the Baltic Sea, as agreed by the European Council, by taking adequate supportive actions. “I am confident that this would contribute to a timely and successful rehabilitation of the ecosystem of the Baltic Sea as agreed in the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan,” said Maydanov.

Note to Editors:

The Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, usually referred to 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.fi