The Ministerial-level Meeting of HELCOM took place on 3 October 2013 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Six years after the adoption of the Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP)* and three years after the first Ministerial review and update, Heads of State and Government of the Baltic States, the EU Environmental Commissioner, business communities and non-governmental organizations attended this Meeting in order to assess the progress towards reaching the common goal of the Baltic Sea in a good environmental status by 2021.
The main outcome of the Meeting was the adoption of the “HELCOM Copenhagen Ministerial Declaration: Taking Further Action to Implement the Baltic Sea Action Plan-Reaching Good Environmental Status for Healthy Baltic Sea”. The Declaration states the intention of the Baltic States to reinforce joint efforts in order to reach a good ecological status for a healthy Baltic Sea. Under the HELCOM Copenhagen Ministerial Declaration delegates established priorities to improve the Baltic Sea’s environment and fostered the future approach of the HELCOM.
Recognizing the low level of activities in implementing some measures of the BSAP, the delegates emphasized the need to urgently take actions, in particular for preserving biodiversity, improving municipal waste water treatment, preventing pollution from agriculture as well as preventing emissions and discharges of hazardous substances.
Interestingly, the Ministerial Declaration contains, inter alia, a reviewed nutrient input reduction scheme which replaces the provisional country-allocated reduction targets for nitrogen and phosphorus of 2007 to fight eutrophication.” Signatories to the Declaration decided to reinforce action to achieve, by 2020, an ecologically coherent network of well-managed marine protected areas for the Baltic Sea with the view to halting biodiversity loss. Furthermore, the Declaration reflects delegates’ decision to formulate a regional plan targeted to reduce marine litter. In the context of the Ministerial Declaration, Member States also adopted a new HELCOM Recommendation 34E/2 to enhance the safety of navigation and ensure environmentally safe maritime activities as well as the HELCOM/OSPAR Guidelines related to managing of ships’ ballast water and risks of alien species entering into the Baltic Sea. The newly-adopted Declaration also underlines that the level of underwater noise should not have negative impact on maritime life. Through the Ministerial Declaration, the delegates committed to create together with other regional actors in the Baltic Sea, such as other regional governmental and non-governmental organizations, industry and research community, the joint “Green Technology and Alternative Fuels Platform for Shipping” aiming to promote better green technologies and alternative fuels and to reduce harmful exhaust gas emissions from ships.
Overall, through the HELCOM Copenhagen Ministerial Declaration, Ministers of the Baltic States and the EU Environmental Commissioner reconfirmed the commitment to implement the Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) to reach a good environmental status for a healthy Baltic Sea by 2021.
Note:
*The HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan, adopted on 15 November 2007 in Krakow, Poland by the HELCOM Extraordinary Ministerial Meeting, is a programme to restore the good ecological status of the Baltic marine environment by 2021, addressing all the major environmental problems affecting it. More specifically, Baltic Countries agreed inter alia on four main segments: (i) Towards a Baltic Sea unaffected by eutrophication, (ii) Towards a Baltic Sea undisturbed by hazardous substances, (iii) Towards a Baltic Sea with maritime activities carried out in an environmentally friendly way and (iv) Towards favourable conservations status of Baltic Sea biodiversity. In order to reach the goal under (iii), they further agreed on eight management objectives: (a) Enforcement of international regulations – no illegal discharges, (b) Safe maritime traffic without accidental pollution, (c) Efficient emergency and response capability, (d) Minimum sewage pollution from ships, (e) No introductions of alien species from ships. (f) Minimum air pollution from ships, (g) Zero-discharge from offshore platforms, (e) Minimum threats from offshore installations.
Sources: HELCOM Commission
For Further Information:
http://helcom.fi/Ministerial2013/ministerial-declaration/
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MEPIELAN Centre
MEPIELAN Centre is an international research, training and educational centre established by Professor Evangelos Raftopoulos at the Panteion University of Athens in 2008.
Before its establishment as a University Centre, MEPIELAN operated as a successful international research, training and informational programme (2002-2007) under the scientific direction of Professor Evangelos Raftopoulos and the aegis of the Panteion University of Athens, supported by the Mediterranean Action Plan/UNEP and the Greek Ministry of the Environment, Physical Planning and Public Works.
MEPIELAN Centre is an accredited UNEP/MAP PARTNER (since 2013), a Member of the Mediterranean Commission on Sustainable Development (MCSD) (since 2016), and a Member of the Steering Committee of the MCSD (since 2019).
On 22 May 2022, MEPIELAN Centre proceeded to the development of MEPIELAN as a Non- Profit Civil Organization (INGO) for the more effective and efficient advancement of its Goals and Missions and furtherance of its activities. MEPIELAN Centre as a Non- Profit Civil Organization (INGO) is registered in Greek Law (Hellenic Business Registry, Reg. No. 16477300100) in accordance with Laws 4072/2012 & 4919/2022 as applicable
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