Press release
HELCOM to develop a strategic Baltic Sea Action Plan by 2007
Helsinki, 15 June (HELCOM) – The Helsinki Commission announced today that it will develop by 2007 a strategic Baltic Sea Action Plan to further reduce pollution in the Baltic Sea and repair the damage done to the marine environment. The decision was made by the Heads of Delegations of the HELCOM Member States at their regular 17th Meeting, which took place on 14-15 June in Helsinki, Finland.
The representatives of the Baltic Sea countries agreed on a tentative list of activities that will lead to the adoption of the Action Plan and decided to discuss a more detailed outline at a meeting this autumn.
The development of the plan will require input and active participation from all major stakeholder groups in the region in order for it to be relevant and eventually implemented. The consultation and involvement of stakeholders as well as the drawing up of the Baltic Sea Action Plan will be carried out between the latter part of 2005 and 2007. The finalized plan is expected to be adopted at a special HELCOM Ministerial Meeting.
“The purpose of the Baltic Sea Action Plan is to plan the way ahead for the sustainable development and responsible use of the Baltic Sea area,” said the Chair of the Helsinki Commission, Mr Arturas Daubaras. “To do this, it is necessary to have a clear vision of what people in the region are aiming for, defined by objectives and prioritised actions to reach this common goal.”
The Action Plan will ensure that every possible step is taken to improve the state of the Baltic Sea. It aims to safeguard the Baltic’s natural ecosystems while also allowing valuable marine resources to be used sustainably in the future. The social and economic effects of the measures proposed for the plan will be carefully assessed, as well as their beneficial impacts on the environment.
It has already been decided that the ongoing HELCOM work to develop Ecological Objectives for the Baltic will provide the foundation for the Action Plan. The Ecological Objectives and associated indicators will be used to evaluate the efficiency of the existing environmental measures and to provide guidance for the development of future management measures for the region.
“This jointly agreed upon set of ambitious but realistic objectives will illustrate how everyone around the Baltic Sea can contribute to the mitigation of the key issues requiring action: eutrophication, hazardous substances, maritime activities and biodiversity,” said HELCOM Executive Secretary, Ms. Anne Christine Brusendorff.
The HELCOM initiative to draw up a Baltic Sea Action Plan has already received support of the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS). In its communiqué, the 13th Ministerial Session of CBSS which was held on 9-10 June, 2005 in Szczecin, Poland, reiterated the significance of the work of the Helsinki Commission and welcomed the role of HELCOM in the development of the Action Plan. CBSS stated that the plan could also be an important contribution to the European Marine Strategy, which is presently being drafted by the EU and which foresees a separate action plan for each European sea.
The development of the Baltic Sea Action Plan will involve all the Baltic coastal states as well as other countries in the Baltic’s catchment area.
Note to Editors:
The Helsinki Commission, or HELCOM, works to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution through intergovernmental co-operation between the countries bordering the sea - Denmark, Estonia, the European Community, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia and Sweden. 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.
Contacts
HELCOM Secretariat
Mr Nikolay Vlasov
Information Secretary
Tel: +358 9 62202235
Fax: +358 9 6220 2239 E-mail: nikolay.vlasov@helcom.fi