03.03.2009

Helsinki, Finland

Opening Statement by Mr. Igor Maydanov, Chairman of HELCOM,

at the Fourth HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan Stakeholder Conference,

3 March 2009, Helsinki, Finland

Your Excellencies, Minister Lehtomäki, Minister Trutnev, State Secretary Karlsson, Distinguished Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great honour for me - in my capacity as the Chairman of the Helsinki Commission - to open the Fourth HELCOM Annual Stakeholder Conference on the Baltic Sea Action Plan.

The success of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan will largely depend on how all the coastal countries and involved stakeholders, including international financial institutions, can co-operate to achieve the goal of a healthy Baltic Sea environment. The overall state of the Baltic Sea can only be further improved through our combined efforts and integrated actions. And HELCOM has a very important role in ensuring that all combined efforts are effective. And that is why it is a pleasure to acknowledge that this event brings together Ministers, Senior Government Officials, representatives of science and business communities, and various organizations from all around the Baltic Sea – all with the same aim: to discuss political, economic and scientific pre-requisites for timely and successfully achieving a healthy Baltic Sea. 

Last year we devoted our time to start-up the work on the implementation of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan. And we can already state that it is – maybe to a greater extent than expected - a challenging task. The current economic situation both globally and regionally also requires specific attention when developing national implementation programmes for the Action Plan.

But I am certainly convinced - even though preparations were not always that easy, and compromises had to be made – that the Action Plan is a sign of the political commitment in the region towards achieving a healthy Baltic Sea – and a sign of the importance that is attached to the work carried out within HELCOM.

And for that reason the theme of our programme today: Building blocks for a cost-effective implementation of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action plan is of outmost importance.

The Baltic Sea, which can be called the motorway for growth and prosperity of the region, has enormous importance to all the coastal countries. The long term economic and social well-being of the 85 million people living in the catchment area of the Baltic Sea highly depends on the state of the marine environment. For this same reason the implementation of the plan will not only restore a healthy environment but will also be a driving force for growth and employment.

It is common knowledge that policy decisions should be based on best available scientific information. HELCOM has throughout her existence been providing information on the health of the Baltic Sea area, trends and the effectiveness of measures taken and used this as a basis for HELCOM’s policy making process.

We will today get an introduction to the two latest HELCOM assessment reports – for eutrophication and biodiversity, the report on eutrophication including a specific introduction on the latest trends in the inputs of nutrients – nitrogen and phosphorus - to the Baltic Sea. These assessment reports will be commented on by a representative from a sector and a NGO.

Later in the day, during our panel discussion we will have a possibility to consider whether the dialogue between the scientific community and decision-makers is sufficient, both to make sure that the scientific results are fully recognized in policy-making and that the research community is addressing the information needs of policy-makers and thus supporting the implementation of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan.

This will be followed by presentations on the economic perspective of the protection of the Baltic Sea, seen from the eyes of an IFI and a private foundation, and we will also have an introduction to the ongoing work towards emission trading with airborne ship emissions. All of this will be based on an opening presentation on the perspectives and necessity of a Baltic Sea “Stern report”. Stressing that when calculating costs of measures to protect the marine environment, one important aspect to understand is the economic impacts of environmental degradation in the Baltic Sea - and that postponing such measures will make the needed investments many folds higher.

And during our last thematic session we will hear presentations on approaches, models and projects used, and to be used, for strengthening our knowledge basis for the cost-effective implementation of the Baltic Sea Action Plan. The project managers will inform us on the just up-started work to facilitate sub-regional co-operation to ensure the availability of adequate response to accidents at sea and to identify sources and measures tackling the inputs of hazardous substances to the Baltic Sea. A joint scientific research programme, involving all nine coastal countries, and linked to and providing the knowledge basis to the implementation of the Baltic Sea Action Plan, will also be presented. Last but not least the approach used for setting the maximum allowable inputs of nutrients to the Baltic Sea will be presented – the maximum inputs that will allow us to get a Baltic Sea unaffected by eutrophication.

All these presentations will provide background for the ensuing roundtable discussion – where we, in addition to the already mentioned issue on linking science-policy and implementation, will also discuss:

-           the available financial resources, and how to ensure that they are sufficiently oriented towards implementation of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan; as well as

-           the need for strengthened “political will” as a crucial ingredient for implementing the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan. We will also discuss how to ensure and improve the recognition of the Baltic Sea Action Plan (and HELCOM) as a mechanism for implementing of not only the Helsinki Convention, but also a wide range of other international legislative frameworks.

HELCOM’s plan has already been heralded as a forerunner and a model example to be followed by other regional seas conventions. It is the first bold attempt by a regional marine protection commission to implement the innovative ecosystem-based approach to obtain a good environmental status of the marine environment. The HELCOM plan has also been seen as instrumental in implementing obligations under other international legislative frameworks, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development, the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive and the EU Maritime Policy. The currently evolving EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region is also expected to draw heavily from the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan in its environmental as well as safety and security pillars.

Now we have to show the willingness and commitment to go from programmes, to specific actions, to concrete projects and by that actual implementation. And the first such show case will be during the upcoming ministerial meeting to be held in May 2010 in Moscow.

This conference can be seen as an important step in our preparations for Moscow 2010.

I would like to conclude by wishing us all a productive and successful outcome of this conference – and not least lots of possibilities for informal contacts within the HELCOM family network.

Thank you!

Follow-up:

Press release on the Fourth Stakeholder Conference on the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan

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

Note to Editors:

The Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, usually referred to as the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM), is an intergovernmental organisation of the nine Baltic Sea coastal countries and the European Community working to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution and to ensure safety of navigation in the region.

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

HELCOM

Tel: +358 (0)207 412 635

Fax: +358 (0)207 412 639

E-mail: nikolay.vlasov@helcom.fi