The Baltic Sea shall be clean before 2020
The leaders of 11 states that surround the Baltic Sea have been unanimous about the main idea: the Baltic Sea shall be clean before 2020. The marine environment of the fragile Baltic Sea is important to the well-being to millions of people. The three Baltic States’ governments should make this message as a guiding line in all spheres of national policies.
The a recent conference of the Heads of Government of the Baltic Sea States on Environmental Protection in Saint Petersburg in the beginning of April 2013 the leaders of 11 states were unanimous to undertake active steps to clean and protect marine environment.The sub-regional Baltic Sea activity involves 11 states: 8 states are the EU members (Denmark, Estonia, Finland Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Sweden and Germany), Island and Norway have special agreements with the EU, and Russia is within the EU-Russia’s partnership agreement. All of these states take part in the Northern Dimension Environmental Partnership.
The meeting was regular twice-a-year „summit“ within the so-called Helcom-convention concluded in 1974 in order to protect sea’s marine environment, with a particular attention to combating oil and other hazardous materials’ pollution.All adjacent Baltic States are chairing the Helcom-meetings in turn: this time it was Denmark’s tour and the next „summit“ will take place in Copenhagen on 3 of October 2013.
The EU’s responsibilityJohannes Hahn, European Commissioner for Regional Policy underlined positive steps taken by the adjacent member states to safe and protect marine environment in his speech titled „Environmental Partnership remains core issue of Baltic Sea Strategy“. He underlined that environmental challenges did not recognise man-made borders: climate change, pollution, and natural disasters all require joined efforts at local, regional and national level, as well as with the European international partners.
Important thing to remember, said the Commissioner, that nature does not need mankind, but mankind cannot advance without nature. Therefore, good environmental management is central to modern economic development.The EU Baltic Sea Strategy is a relatively young initiative providing a new form of co-operation between the countries in the region. „As the Baltic Sea states develop and refine the ways of working together, argued the Commissioner, it is clear that the dominant focus must remain on the common interest in saving the sea. Without this, the two other chief concerns in the Baltic Sea strategy, i.e. connecting the region and building prosperity, make little sense.
ProgressThere are already some important progresses through the EU Baltic Strategy: the adjacent states have stimulated commitments to phase out the phosphates in detergents that contribute to eutrophication. The states have mobilised farmers to adopt better practice to avoid pollution of the sea. And the states have launched pilot investments in nutrient removal in four key municipal wastewater treatment plants.
However, to be successful, the EU and the member states need additional stimuli to work together, with full support of all the stakeholders involved in areas that have an impact on the environmental condition of the sea.
Numerous activitiesSeveral „forums“ are established with an idea of protecting the Baltic Sea. For example, the next annual forum of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region will be held in Vilnius (11-12 November 2013) and will make an analysis of the ways taken by the member states.
Another one is the Baltic Development Forum, BDR, which is holding its annual summit in Riga (29-30 May, 2013).
All states around the Baltic Sea believe in co-operating across borders to find pragmatic solutions to the challenges the region is facing. The Baltic Sea cooperation has already achieved a lot; but the states have to stay ambitious, and ensure that the pass a better place to live and work for the next generations.
Eugene Eteris, BC’s International Editor, Copenhagen Baltic-course.com
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