HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan: The Implementation Process

1
HELCOM Baltic Sea Action PlanThe
Implementation Process

• Christina Gestrin, MP, BSPC Rapporteur for the
• HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan Implementation
  Group (HELCOM BSAP IG)
• 18th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference
• The Baltic Sea Region and the New Security
  Challenges
• Nyborg, Denmark, 31 August 1 September 2009

2
May 2010 HELCOM Moscow Ministerial Meeting of the
National Programmes

• Member countries will
• present their national implementation plans
• list actions that will be taken in order to
  reach the set goals
• HELCOM IG will draw a list of water treatment
  facilities and agricultural hot spots

3
2008-2009, Important Events

• EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region
• -gt Note of the linkage between the EU Strategy
  and the HELCOM BSAP
• -gt EC has recognized that BSAP will be
  important for the EU marine strategy and
  water framework directive
• The NEFCO/NIB technical assistance fund and donor
  agreements by Sweden and Finland.

4
Progress in

• the dialogue with IMO on enforcing rules for NOx
  and SOx emissions from ships
• legislative work to support usage of P-free
  washing detergents in Estonia, Latvia and Sweden
• reaching an understanding about a proposition to
  IMO on prohibiting waste water release from
  passenger ships

5
Challenges

• The global economic crisis has not left the
  Baltic Sea countries unaffected
• Member countries that are intentionally slowing
  down the implementation process difficulty to
  achieve consensus in some cases
• Financial institutions are withdrawing their
  support to the Kaliningrad water treatment
  facility due to suspicions of corruption and
  disappointment with the entrepreneur the
  Kalingrad waste water goes untreated into the
  Baltic Sea

6

• Climate change creates an extra challenge because
  precipitation is projected to increase especially
  in the northern part of the Baltic Sea
• Increasing water temperatures lead to increased
  winter runoff and leaching of nutrients
• Increase in water temperatures will make benthic
  communities more vulnerable

7
Conclusion

• The Moscow Ministerial Meeting in May is very
  important for the continuation of the process
• Financial institutions (NEFCO, NIB, EDRB) are
  giving strong support to the implementation
  process
• Politicans should continue their support for the
  implementation process despite the economic crisis