Annual HELCOM Meeting defines the shape of the new Baltic strategy

Helsinki, 8 March (HELCOM Information Service) – The Helsinki Commission’s two-day Annual Meeting ended here today with an agreement among the Member States to double efforts to create an effective programme of actions for the Baltic Sea Action Plan, which is slated to be adopted at the HELCOM Ministerial Meeting in November.

The ambitious HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan, which is currently being designed by the coastal countries to dramatically reduce pollution and reverse the degradation of the Baltic Sea, was the topmost issue on the agenda of this years’ Commission Meeting. Representatives of the Baltic Sea coastal countries reviewed the initial outline of the plan, and in particular, looked into actions for the holistic Baltic Sea Action Plan, addressing eutrophication, biodiversity, maritime activities, and hazardous substances. The HELCOM Member States agreed that the set of measures identified so far is a good start and is covering the needed actions in general, but emphasized that more concrete programmes and measures should be elaborated for the final version of the action plan.

“HELCOM has now entered the final and most crucial phase in the development of the Baltic Sea Action Plan, when all concrete actions must be identified and detailed,” said Anne Christine Brusendorff, HELCOM’s Executive Secretary. “We now need strong political commitment to agree on purposeful and wide-ranging actions in order to achieve within a given timeframe the agreed goal of a Baltic Sea unaffected by eutrophication, undisturbed by hazardous substances, with favourable biodiversity and environmentally friendly maritime activities. We also need to link the proposed set of actions to the existing funding mechanisms,” said Brusendorff.

The coastal countries’ officials looked into the cost-efficiency of the proposed measures. It was agreed that the aspect of cost efficiency is important when jointly identifying the needed measures. It was also pointed out that not only the cost to achieve the targets should be mentioned, but also the value of a healthy Baltic Sea as well as the cost of non-action should be emphasized. Additionally, the Commission agreed that it is necessary to develop a mechanism for the implementation of the action plan, as well as to set up a clear timetable for the strategy. It was acknowledged that the plan needs to be evaluated on regular basis to check the status of implementation of the actions.

Much discussion focused on the establishment of quota for nutrient reductions for each country, which could be instrumental in reducing the eutrophication of the Baltic Sea. Delegations from the coastal countries agreed on the need to further look into the concept of a quota system and a possible trading scheme to implement such a system.

The Baltic Sea countries approved a new HELCOM Recommendations on “Strengthening of sub-regional cooperation in response field”, which is to form a part of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan. It will be also supplemented by the guidance on how to quantify the needed emergency and response capacity in all sub-regions of the Baltic Sea. The new Recommendation, as well as the guidance will be submitted for adoption by the HELCOM Ministerial Meeting in Krakow.

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.

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 this innovative, ambitious, but realistic plan is that 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. With this ecosystem approach protection of the marine environment is no longer seen as an event-driven pollution reduction approach to be taken sector-by-sector. Instead, the starting point is a common understanding and definition of a sea with a good ecological balance, which is deciding the further needs for reductions of pollution loads as well as the level and extent of human 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.

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.

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