ADDRESS TO THE VIII INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL FORUM

“BALTIC SEA DAY”

ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA, 22-23 March 2007

The International Environmental Forum “Baltic Sea Day”, held annually in St. Petersburg on HELCOM’s birthday, has become an increasingly important part of the international dialogue on environmental protection issues in the region. Over the past several years, this Forum has been a big success, attracting many hundreds of participants, representing governments, scientific and research institutions, businesses and local communities from all countries of the region, and beyond. Established to support and promote the work of the Helsinki Commission, it has done a great deal of valuable work in increasing public concern for the state of the Baltic Sea, and strengthening international co-operation among the Baltic Sea countries.

The Baltic Sea Day Forum constitutes a unique occasion for stakeholders from various countries to discuss joint international actions needed to stop the degradation of our beautiful sea. The restoration of the marine environment of the Baltic Sea is a joint responsibility, involving all the coastal countries. Only together, by combining our forces, we can make it a more environmentally sound and healthier place.

In this respect, this year’s Baltic Sea Day is particularly significant as HELCOM will present the first draft of its ambitious Baltic Sea Action Plan to rescue the troubled marine environment. This plan, which we’ve been developing since 2005, includes wide-scale actions to further reduce pollution in the Baltic Sea and repair the damage done to the marine environment. Its major objective is to achieve the agreed goal of a Baltic Sea unaffected by eutrophication, undisturbed by pollution involving hazardous substances, with favourable biodiversity and environmentally friendly maritime activities.

Discussion over the development of the plan at the Forum will serve as an important input to the ongoing process to develop this new environmental strategy. HELCOM considers this input very important and is committed to respond to any suggestion raised by major stakeholder groups in the region in order to ensure that the future action plan is relevant and can be effectively implemented in practice.

Following this Forum, HELCOM will commence the final stage in the development of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan. After a series of meetings to finalise the plan, the new environmental strategy will be adopted at the HELCOM Ministerial Meeting scheduled to take place on 15 November 2007 in Krakow, Poland.

The HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan has already been widely supported by the Baltic Sea politicians at various forums, and heralded as a pilot project for the European seas under the EU Marine Strategy. The EU on its part describes the plan as the cornerstone for further action in the Baltic Sea region, emphasising that plan will be instrumental to the successful implementation of the new EU Marine Strategy in the region. While developing the HELCOM action plan, we also take into account the environmental provisions of the Maritime Doctrine of the Russian Federation, which is the only HELCOM country outside the EU in the Baltic Sea region. HELCOM’s innovative strategy in many ways will correspond and will be also instrumental to the implementation of e.g. the renewed Northern Dimension policy, the Baltic Sea regional aspects of the EU-Russian Environmental Dialogue, and the Nordic Environmental Action Plan.

As the main environmental policy maker in the Baltic Sea region HELCOM will make sure that the new strategy we are developing today will become a locomotive of regional environmental protection with common objectives, common actions, common obligations, and, of course, common responsibility.

On behalf of the Helsinki Commission, I wish every success to the VIII International Environmental Forum “Baltic Sea Day” in St. Petersburg and thank everyone who in one way or the other has contributed to the organisation of this Forum. I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank Mr. Leonid Korovin, Director General of St. Petersburg’s Public Organisation “Ecology and Business” for all the efforts he took to make the Forum an outstanding success, as well as express our deep appreciation to the officials in the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation and St. Petersburg’s Government for the valuable support in convening this event.

Anne Christine Brusendorff

Executive Secretary

Helsinki Commission