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19.02.2009

Call for participants

      

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The Fourth Stakeholder Conference on the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan

 3 March 2009, Helsinki, Finland

 

  

Dear Madam/Sir,

The Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (the Helsinki Commission or HELCOM) is pleased to invite stakeholders from all the Baltic Sea coastal countries and regional organisations to participate in the Fourth Stakeholder Conference on the implementation of the Baltic Sea Action Plan to radically reduce pollution to the sea and restore its good ecological status by 2021, which will be held on 3 March 2009 in Helsinki, Finland.

Senior Government Officials, representatives of science and business communities, and various organizations from all around the Baltic Sea are invited to participate and discuss political, economic and scientific pre-requisites for timely and successfully achieving a healthy Baltic Sea. Keynote speakers at the opening plenary will include Mr. Stavros Dimas, European Commissioner for the Environment, Ms. Paula Lehtomäki, Minister of the Environment of Finland, and Mr. Yuri Trutnev, Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation.

A good knowledge basis grounded on thematic assessments of the marine environment, the economic perspectives of protecting the marine environment and regional co-operation for taking cost-effective measures are of utmost importance for putting the Baltic Sea Action Plan into practice, and these are three essential building blocks for successfully implementing it. Therefore, the theme of the 2009 HELCOM Stakeholder Conference is “Building blocks for a cost-effective implementation of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan”.

HELCOM’s plan is considered an initiative of the highest political importance in the region. The Baltic Sea, which can be called the motorway for growth and prosperity of the region, has enormous importance to all of us. The long term economic and social well-being of the 85 million people living in the catchment area of the Baltic Sea highly depends on the state of the marine environment and therefore, the implementation of the plan will not only restore a healthy environment but also will be a driving force for growth and employment.

HELCOM’s plan has already been heralded as a forerunner for other regional seas. It is the first bold attempt by a regional marine protection commission to implement the innovative eco-system approach to obtain a good environmental status of the marine environment. The HELCOM plan has also been seen as instrumental in implementing obligations under other international legislative frameworks, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) and the EU Maritime Policy. The currently evolving EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region is also expected to draw heavily from the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan in its environmental as well as safety and security pillars.

HELCOM has obligations to measure, monitor and assess what is happening in the Baltic marine environment and how pressures to the environment are evolving. HELCOM has made comprehensive thematic assessments covering inputs and their effects on the marine environment since the 1980s and these findings are the basis for identifying priorities for actions. Recently these obligations have been fulfilled by elaborating comprehensive thematic assessments, covering two of the four environmental priority areas of HELCOM’s work, namely eutrophication and biodiversity. A thematic assessment on hazardous substances should be developed during 2009-2010 and one for maritime activities by 2010. Furthermore, HELCOM Contracting Parties should undertake to produce a holistic assessment of the status of and pressures to the Baltic Sea marine environment for the HELCOM Ministerial Meeting which will take place in 2010 in Moscow.

The success of the Baltic Sea Action Plan will largely depend on how all the coastal countries and involved stakeholders, including international financial institutions, can co-operate to achieve the goal of a healthy Baltic Sea environment. The overall state of the Baltic Sea can only be further improved through our combined efforts and integrated actions. And HELCOM has a very important role in ensuring that all combined efforts are effective.

If you are interested, you are kindly requested to notify the HELCOM Secretariat of your participation in the Conference by filling in the attached registration form before 2 March 2009. A tentative programme for the Conference is also provided below. Please check the HELCOM web site for updates at http://www.helcom.fi/BSAP/4th/en_GB/Fourth_Stakeholder_Conference/.

We look forward to seeing you at the HELCOM Conference for discussions on how to make the Baltic Sea a more environmentally sound and healthier place.

 

 

Anne Christine Brusendorff

Executive Secretary

HELCOM

 

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Programme

of the Fourth HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan Stakeholder Conference 2009

 

Time:      Tuesday, 3 March 2009; starting at 09:30, until 17:30. Registration starts at 8:30.

Place:     Marina Congress Center, Katajanokanlaituri 6, FI-00160 Helsinki, Finland

Theme:   Building blocks for a cost-effective implementation of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan

 

(SR) = Session Reporter

 

OPENING AND INTRODUCTION - 9.30 (15 min)

Mr. Igor Maydanov, Chairman of HELCOM

 

 

OPENING PLENARY - 9.45 (45 min)

 

Baltic Sea marine environment and cooperation within HELCOM (9.45 - 10.00)

Mr. Yuri Trutnev, Minister, Russian Federation

Regional cooperation in the Baltic region as a prerequisite to protect the Baltic Sea (10.00 - 10.15)

Ms. Paula Lehtomäki, Minister of the Environment, Finland

HELCOM’s work from a European perspective (10.15 - 10.30)

Mr. Stavros Dimas, European Commission

 

 

THEMATIC SESSIONS:

 

  • NEW HELCOM BIODIVERSITY AND EUTROPHICATION ASSESSMENTS - SETTING A BASELINE FOR IMPLEMENTING THE BALTIC SEA ACTION PLAN - 10.30 (2hr 15 min)

HELCOM Integrated thematic assessment on biodiversity and nature conservation in the Baltic Sea (10.30-11.00)

Ms. Ulla Li Zweifel, Dimedia (SR)

Comment from a fisheries sector representative (11.00 - 11.15)

Ms. Sally Clink, Executive Secretary of Baltic Sea Regional Advisory Council (BS RAC)

Comment from an NGO (11.15 - 11.30)

Ms. Saskia Richartz, Greenpeace

HELCOM Integrated thematic assessment on eutrophication of the Baltic Sea (11.30 - 12.00)

Mr. Jesper H. Andersen, DHI Water Environment Health

Signs of decrease in nutrient inputs to the Baltic Sea – first results of the Fifth Pollution Load compilation (12.00 - 12.15)

Mr. Seppo Knuuttila, Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE)

Comment from Baltic farmers (12.15 - 12.30)

Mr. Markus Hoffman, Baltic Farmers Forum for Environment (BFFE)

Comment from an NGO (12.30 - 12.45)

Ms. Maria Staniszewska, Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB)

 

 

Lunch break (12.45 -14.00)

 

  • ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVE OF THE PROTECTION OF THE BALTIC SEA - 14.00 (1hr 15 min)

A “Baltic Sea Stern report” (14.00-14.15)

Mr. Tore Söderqvist, Enveco

A reflection on IFI’s work to protect the Baltic Sea (14.15 - 14.30)

Ms. Solveig Nordström, NEFCO (SR)

How a private foundation can enhance the work to protect the Baltic Sea (14.30 - 14.45)

Mr. Ilkka Herlin, Baltic Sea Action Group

Work towards emission trading to reduce airborne emissions from maritime shipping (14.45 - 15.00)

Mr. Bertil Arvidsson, Swedish Shipowners Association

 

 

Coffee break (15.00 - 15.30)

 

  • REGIONAL COOPERATION IN STRENGTHENING THE KNOWLEDGE BASE FOR COST-EFFICIENT IMPLEMENTATION OF THE BSAP - 15.30 (1hr)

BONUS programme and its contribution to the knowledge basis needed to implement the Baltic Sea Action Plan - (15.30-15.50)

Ms. Kaisa Kononen, BONUS Secretariat (SR)

The approach to set maximum allowable nutrient inputs and country-wise nutrient reduction requirements of the Baltic Sea Action Plan (15.50 - 16.10)

Mr. Fred Wulff, Baltic Nest Institute

Sub-regional risk of spill of oil and hazardous substances in the Baltic Sea (BRISK) - (16.10 - 16.20)

Mr. Peter Poulsen, Admiral Danish Fleet HQ

Control of hazardous substances in the Baltic Sea region (COHIBA) - (16.20 - 16.30)

Ms. Ansa Pilke, Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE)

 

  • ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION AND CLOSING OF THE CONFERENCE - 16.30 (1hr)          

Convened by Mr. Igor Maydanov

Ms. Mikaela Grönqvist,

Ms. Saskia Richartz,

Mr. Peter Gammeltoft,

Ms. Christina Gestrin,

Mr. Tore Söderqvist,

Ms. Kaisa Kononen,

Mr. Magnus Rystedt

 

 

CLOSING OF THE STAKEHOLDER CONFERENCE - 17.30 

 

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HELSINKI COMMISSION

Baltic Marine Protection Commission

 

 

REGISTRATION FORM

 

  

 

Fourth Stakeholder Conference

on the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan

3 March 2009, Marina Congress Center, Helsinki

 

 

 

Please fill in your name and complete address, telephone and fax numbers as well as e-mail address (in block capitals, please)

  

Name:

 

Organization:

 

Address:

 

Telephone:

 

Fax:

 

E-mail:

 

  

Please, return the completed form latest by 2.03.09

 

HELCOM Secretariat:

Satu Tofferi-Bishai

satu.tofferi-bishai@helcom.fi

Fax: +358 (0) 207 412 639