HELCOM launches a new project to estimate inputs of hazardous substances into the Baltic Sea

Helsinki, 16 February (HELCOM Information Service) – The Helsinki Commission has launched together with its partners a new project to identify the most important sources of hazardous substances inputs into the Baltic Sea and estimate their impacts on the marine environment. This project, named COHIBA, is part of the strategic HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan to radically reduce pollution to the sea and restore the good ecological status of the marine environment by 2021. The plan includes actions for hazardous substances, which is one of the four priority areas within HELCOM’s work, and for which the goal is to achieve a “Baltic Sea with life undisturbed by hazardous substances”.

“One of the major objectives of the COHIBA project is to identify sources of the selected hazardous substances for which there is currently scarce information available, by performing screening in municipal and industrial wastewaters, as well as landfill effluents and storm waters, especially on the eastern side of the Baltic Sea,” says Anne Christine Brusendorff, HELCOM’s Executive Secretary.

Additionally, COHIBA will evaluate the effluents jointly for the Baltic Sea region and develop safe factor limits and recommendations and guidance on how best to use the bioassays to deliver sustainable and cost-effective water quality improvements based on the Whole Effluent Approach (WEA) approach. The project will analyze flow patterns from production, processes and uses as well as to quantify releases and inputs to the Baltic Sea of the selected hazardous substances. COHIBA will also assess different management measures and options as well as their effects and cost effectiveness.

Various institutions and organizations from all the Baltic Sea countries will participate in COHIBA. Altogether there are 26 Project Partners. The Lead Partner is the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE). The initial activities to launch the project were discussed at a kick-off meeting which was held on 12-13 February in Helsinki. The Project is expected to last for 42 month, including 36 month of implementation period (2009-2011).

COHIBA is co-financed by the European Union. The Project has been approved for financing by the Baltic Sea Region Programme (BSRP) 2007-2013 and its total budget amounts to around EUR 5 million, with approximately EUR 3.8 million to be allocated as co-financing from the European Regional Development Fund. COHIBA has been chosen as one of the strategic projects within the Baltic Sea Region Programme due to its importance for the sustainable development of the Baltic Sea Region.

The project will serve both international purposes (HELCOM, the European Marine Strategy, EU Water Framework Directive, UNEP Stockholm’s POP Convention, UNECE framework for hazardous substances) as well as national activities to identify and address sources of hazardous substances in the Baltic Sea area and to reach the cessation targets for HELCOM/EU priority hazardous substances by 2020.

Note to Editors:

The Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, usually referred to as the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM), is an intergovernmental organisation of the nine Baltic Sea coastal countries and the European Community 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.

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COHIBA is part-financed by the European Union (European Regional Development Fund)

For more information, please contact:

Mr. Mikhail Durkin

Professional Secretary

HELCOM

Tel.: +358 (0)207 412 621

Fax: +358 (0)207 412 639

E-mail: mikhail.durkin@helcom.fi

Mr. Nikolay Vlasov

Information Secretary

HELCOM

Tel: +358 (0)207 412 635

Fax: +358 (0)207 412 639

E-mail: nikolay.vlasov@helcom.fi