Lithuania concludes chairmanship of HELCOM

Vilnius, 21 June (HELCOM) – The 19^th Meeting of the Heads of Delegation of the Helsinki Commission, which marks the conclusion of Lithuania’s two-year chairmanship in this intergovernmental organisation for the protection of the Baltic marine environment, opened today in Vilnius.

Addressing the Meeting, the Minister of Environment of the Republic of Lithuania, Mr. Arūnas Kundrotas stated that Lithuania is honoured to have served as the chair of HELCOM. The Minister pointed out that during the last two years HELCOM has made substantial progress in developing new measures for the protection of the marine environment.

In 2005, under Lithuania’s chairmanship HELCOM resolved to create a new Baltic Sea Action Plan to reduce pollution and reverse the degradation of the marine environment. The plan, which will be approved at a HELCOM Ministerial Meeting scheduled to take place on 15 November 2007 in Warsaw, Poland, will provide a unique opportunity to take wide-ranging and purposeful actions to achieve the ultimate target of having a healthy marine environment with balanced eco-systems for the benefit of present and future generations.

“Joint efforts are needed to protect the Baltic Sea and the creation of the Baltic Sea Action Plan is one of the results of our efforts,” said Mr. Kundrotas. “The plan is very important for the protection of the sea, it is important for the EU with regard to the development of the European Marine strategy, and not less it is important for the bilateral cooperation of the neighbouring countries.”

HELCOM has already approved the core elements of the new environmental strategy to restore the Baltic Sea - a common vision of a healthy sea, and a set of Ecological Objectives to work towards so as to fulfil this vision. The next crucial step in the development of the Baltic Sea Action Plan will be to identify and detail the kind of actions needed to achieve the agreed environmental objectives within a given timeframe for each of the four main environmental priority issues: curbing eutrophication, preventing pollution involving hazardous substances, improving safety of navigation and accident response capacity, and halting habitat destruction and the decline in biodiversity.

The final Meeting of Heads of Delegation of Helsinki Commission under Lithuania’s chairmanship will focus on further activities needed to develop the strategic Baltic Sea Action Plan. During the two day Meeting, representatives of the Baltic Sea coastal countries and the EU will particularly discuss the work done so far by the ad hoc Task Force for the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan, identify Lead Countries to develop specific parts of the first draft of the plan by 1 September 2006, as well as initiate cost-benefit/effectiveness analysis of the implementation of the action plan in co-operation with the Nordic Environment Finance Corporation (NEFCO).

The recovery of major pollution Hot Spots in the Baltic Sea coastal countries is one of the key issues on the Agenda. During the last two years, following extensive clean up efforts several Hot Spots in Lithuania, Germany and Finland were removed from the list of the Baltic Sea most significant pollution sources.

Today’s Meeting will make a final decision on the deletion of several more Hot Spots, based on the recommendation submitted by the HELCOM Land-based Pollution Group (HELCOM LAND). Among these Hot Spots are several industrial plants and municipalities in Estonia, Lithuania, Poland and Russia, which have made vast improvements in updating of their processes and/or pollution abatement technologies.

The Heads of Delegation are expected to endorse a draft new HELCOM Recommendation on conservation of seals in the Baltic Sea area. This Recommendation prepared by the HELCOM Nature Conservation and Biodiversity Group (HELCOM HABITAT) incorporates a modern concept in the protection of seals in the Baltic Sea. It emphasises clearly defined management objectives and reference points linking the seal populations to the Baltic Sea ecosystem.

The Meeting will also consider establishing an interim HELCOM Seal Expert Group to monitor the status of the seal populations and to elaborate the management plans further, a HELCOM project to assess the state of biodiversity and nature protection in the Baltic Sea area (HELCOM BIO), as well as approve the publication of the HELCOM Red List of Threatened and Declining Species of Lampreys and Fish of the Baltic Sea.

The proceedings are conducted by the Chairman of the Helsinki Commission, Mr. Arturas Daubaras. This Meeting will be the last under Lithuania’s chairmanship. The chairmanship of the Helsinki Commission rotates between the Baltic Sea coastal countries and the EU every two years. On 1 July 2006, Poland will officially take over the chairmanship of the Helsinki Commission.  Mr. Mieczyslaw Ostojski from the Ministry of the Environment of Poland will lead, as Chairman, the work of HELCOM during a two-year term, until 30 June 2008.

For more information, please contact:

HELCOM Secretariat 

Mr Nikolay Vlasov
Information Secretary
Tel: +358 (0)207 412 635
Fax: +358 (0)207 412 639

E-mail: nikolay.vlasov@helcom.fi