Press release
International Conference to discuss HELCOM plan to rescue Baltic marine environment
Helsinki, 1 March (HELCOM) – More than 150 environmental scientists, business leaders and government officials from the Baltic Sea countries, as well as representatives of the EU, CBSS, OSPAR and major regional organisations will meet at a Stakeholder Conference on 7th March in Helsinki, Finland, to discuss a concept of an ambitious action plan, now being developed by the Helsinki Commission, to rescue the troubled Baltic marine environment.
“The main objective of the Stakeholder Conference is to inform on the purpose and foreseen activities within the strategic HELCOM plan to restore the Baltic marine environment, and to get input and commitments to its development at the local, national, and regional levels as well as from the private sector,” says Ms. Anne Christine Brusendorff, Executive Secretary of HELCOM.
Last year, the HELCOM Member States and the EU decided 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 HELCOM plan, which has already been widely heralded as a pilot project for the European seas under the newly drafted EU Marine Strategy, will provide a unique opportunity to take joint wide-scale and decisive actions to achieve the ultimate target of having a healthy marine environment with balanced eco-systems even for the present generation to enjoy.
The highlight of the plan is that, instead of the old administrative approach of cutting different pollution loads to certain levels, 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. The HELCOM plan will identify the kind of actions needed to achieve the environmental objectives within a given timeframe for the main environmental priorities: combating eutrophication, curbing inputs of hazardous substances, ensuring maritime safety, and halting decline in biodiversity and habitat destruction.
Another major highlight of the plan is that it will be elaborated with active participation of all major stakeholder groups in the region – from governments, through industry and NGOs, right down to the individuals living on the shores of the Baltic Sea, to ensure that the HELCOM action plan is relevant and can be effectively implemented in practice. The kick-off Stakeholder Conference is considered as the starting point for this process. After a series of thematic meetings and a final Stakeholder Conference in March 2007 which will look into and review a first draft of a single Baltic Sea Action Plan the finalised environmental strategy will be adopted at a HELCOM Ministerial meeting currently planned for late 2007.
The programme of the kick-off Stakeholder Conference will consist of a general presentation of the aim and timing of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan, introduction on the state of marine environment, four thematic sessions on the proposed objectives for the main environmental issues: eutrophication, hazardous substances, biodiversity and shipping, as well as general comments and presentations by high-level politicians.
Keynote speakers will include Mr. Stefan Wallin, State Secretary, Ministry of the Environment, Finland, Mr. Harro Pitkänen, Senior Vice President of NIB, Mr. Bob Dekker, OSPAR Chairman, Mr. Kornelius Sigmundsson, CBSS/CSO Chairman, Ms. Marjukka Porvari, the John Nurminen Foundation, Mr. Peter Gammeltoft, European Commission, Mr. Esa Härmälä, BFFE, Mr. Gunnar Norén, CCB, Mr. Sergej Olenin, Klaipeda University, Mr. Lasse Gustavsson, WWF, Mr. Carsten Melchiors, BIMCO, and Mr. Tim Wilkins, INTERTANKO.
The Stakeholder Conference on the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan will take place at the Marina Congress Center in Helsinki. It will be opened by Mr. Arturas Daubaras, Chairman of the Helsinki Commission.
Follow-up:
Conference programme http://www.helcom.fi/press_office/en_GB/Program_Conference/ ,
HELCOM thematic reports for the Conference http://www.helcom.fi/press_office/en_GB/ConferenceVersion02/
Media Advisory: http://www.helcom.fi/press_office/news_helcom/en_GB/MediaAdvisory_StakeholderConf/
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.
For more information, please contact:
Mr. Nikolay Vlasov
Information Secretary
Tel: +358 9 62202235
Fax: +358 9 6220 2239
E-mail: nikolay.vlasov@helcom.fi