9.03.2006

Helsinki, Finland

Statement by the Executive Secretary of HELCOM, Ms Anne Christine Brusendorff at the 27th Meeting of the Helsinki Commission

Dear Colleagues,

The year behind us was a busy one but also a successful one – with HELCOM regaining her self-confidence. I would like to thank all Contracting Parties and observer organizations for their mobilization of resources and efforts dedicated to the work of HELCOM.

Nevertheless – the work does not stop here – and we have a very challenging way in front of us, where we need your continuous concentrated efforts into the HELCOM issues, and to be more specific the elaboration of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan.

Among our main achievements let me just mention that:

The Baltic marine environment was on the agenda either specifically, in general as regards regional seas co-operation, or as one element of the overall well-being of the Baltic region.

Starting from individual meetings with the environment ministers of Belarus (Mr. Leonty Khoruzhik), the Czech Republic (Mr. Libor Ambrozek) and Ukraine (Pavlo Ignatenko), the HELCOM Baltic Sea co-operation was further discussed by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs during the annual CBSS meeting, at the VASAB Ministerial Conference and by the environment ministers during the Baltic Sea informal ministerial meeting in Sweden.

However, it is not only a matter of meetings and discussions but it also comes down to concrete products where the functional HELCOM co-operation structure and work is seen as the model for an executing body. This includes the revitalisation within UNEP of the importance of the regional seas co-operation, the agreement during the World Summit on Sustainable Development on the application of the ecosystem approach to marine areas, like the Baltic, the EC Water Framework Directive and the proposal for a draft European Marine Framework Directive, including the ongoing work to develop a Maritime Green Paper.

What all of this comes down to in the end is; the application of the ecosystem approach.  And this is going to be a major challenge for HELCOM. By this 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 good ecological balance, which is deciding the further needs for reductions of pollution loads as well as the level and extent of human activities. This approach paves the best way to ensure a holistic and integrated policy approach.

This will also mean that we will see changes in the HELCOM approach on how to achieve a healthy Baltic Sea. HELCOM will no longer aim at “one-size-fits-all solutions”, but will aim at tailor-made solutions with the responsiveness of the marine environment as the starting point.

This stresses the need for not only a sound scientific foundation – but also the need to put into effect “fit for purpose” scientific information. This is going to be even more evident when we are building up our HELCOM work around ecological objectives and performance indicators.

Another main challenge in HELCOM’s work is, therefore, going to be the continuous scientific input and the mobilization of also the scientific community. One step in the right direction has already been taken with the "to-be" BONUS-169 Joint Baltic Sea Research Programme.  And, I hope, that we will see a continued trend in the number of participating younger scientists. A proof of the already high-quality of information which is provided to HELCOM is the publication of the scientific part of the HELCOM assessments in international scientific journals. 

From the increased focus on HELCOM’s work I also see two other major challenges:

One - The need for a strong/full-hearted co-ordination of efforts in the region; both between Baltic organisations and within countries; and

Two - the demand this puts on the Contracting Parties’ resource allocation for HELCOM’s work as well as for the Secretariat.

There is certainly no way that HELCOM either can or intends to co-ordinate all activities and actions in the Baltic region. But it is important to establish - via the HELCOM work - priorities for actions and in this way ensure making use of the HELCOM work to guide the mobilisation and allocation of resources.

A recent and a representative example of this is the opening of the Southwest waste water treatment plant in St. Petersburg; which earlier was one of the HELCOM hot spots.

It is my hope that HELCOM will also be able to benefit from the various activities and projects that are being carried out in the Baltic region, and that we will end up with a situation where different organisations build upon each others' work, rather than work in parallel. We are to concentrate our efforts on improving the Baltic marine environment rather than lose time by setting up new administrative structures.

To make work operational between the organisations in the Baltic, there is an increasing need to co-ordinate activities, and thereby make the best use of existing structures.

However, the activities are not “self-implementing”. While the Secretariat does its outmost to support and assist these activities, there is a growing need for countries to share their experience from other related fora, and take onboard lead country roles for specific activities. HELCOM should be viewed as a policy forum tapping into other ongoing activities and the work carried out seen as, not an addition, but rather an execution of and input to other similar activities.

The Secretariat is growing and striving. We have had an injection of expertise through several project assistants – which together with the hard core of the secretariat members is forming an excellent, tough and durable working team.

We are riding on a wave of a high-level political consensus on the importance of a healthy Baltic Sea. We should, together, make full use of this to ensure that when further developing the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan we set specific targets and timetables for real and concrete actions to be taken.

Dear Colleagues,

I can assure you that from the Secretariat's side we will do our utmost, and, I strongly believe that during this coming year we will together be able to succeed in reaching towards our common goal - an improved Baltic marine environment.

Follow-up:

press releases on the HELCOM annual meeting http://www.helcom.fi/press_office/news_helcom/en_GB/HELCOM27/

and the Stakeholder Conference on the Baltic Sea Action Plan

http://www.helcom.fi/press_office/news_helcom/en_GB/StakeholderConference2827/ ,

http://www.helcom.fi/press_office/news_helcom/en_GB/StakeholderConf_Outcome/

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:

Nikolay Vlasov

Information Secretary

HELCOM

Tel.: +358 (0) 9 62 20 2235

Fax: +358 9 6220 2239

E-mail: nikolay.vlasov@helcom.fi