The marine environment - the North Sea and the Baltic Sea

Environmental problems in the Baltic Sea are particularly serious and some researchers are talking about an ecological collapse. There are many reasons behind environmental problems. Emissions from agriculture are leading to eutrophication of the sea, and emissions from industries and waste treatment plants pollute the sea with heavy metals, chemicals, household waste and environmental toxins. Even Skagerak and Kattegatt in the North Sea are affected by these problems.

Like most environmental threats, the problems in the Baltic Sea and the North Sea are of a cross-border nature. The drainage basin of the Baltic Sea is populated by some 80 million people and our marine environment is also affected by human activity far into Central Europe. Work on marine environment issues is regulated via regional marine conventions and bilateral agreements. The North Sea is included in the Oslo and Paris Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (the OSPAR Convention), which covers the north-east Atlantic, including Kattegatt and Skagerak. The Baltic Sea is primarily covered by the Helsinki Convention (HELCOM) and Agenda 21 for the Baltic Sea Region - Baltic 21. In a European perspective, environmental issues are becoming increasingly regulated via the EU, through such initiatives as the new Thematic Strategy on the Protection and Conservation of the Marine Environment (the Marine Strategy).

The EU Strategy on the Protection and Conservation of the Marine Environment

The EU Marine Strategy primarily consists of a proposal for a Marine Directive. This Directive is to protect and conserve the European marine environment and to achieve a good environmental status by 2021. It will supplement the existing Water Framework Directive, which only includes inland and coastal waters.

According to the draft Directive, member countries themselves are to formulate the targets and programmes of measures needed to improve the marine environment. This is to take place in a process in which countries work together in Marine Regions, one of which is the Baltic Sea. According to the proposal, these programmes of measures are to be in place by 2018.

International cooperation on the North Sea

OSPAR - the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic

Fifteen states and the EU Commission are working together within the OSPAR Convention to improve the environment of the north-east Atlantic and North Sea: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK and the EU Commission. The Secretariat is based in London.

The Convention deals with issues related to eutrophication, dangerous substances, radioactive substances, offshore activities in the oil and gas industries, marine biodiversity and monitoring and assessment of the status of the marine environment. At the annual meetings of the OSPAR Commission, the member countries define common recommendations and decisions on environmental regulations, and measures to improve the environment of the north-east Atlantic.

The North Sea Conference

In the mid-1980s, the countries around the North Sea initiated political cooperation to protect and improve the marine environment of the North Sea. In May 2006, Sweden held a ministerial meeting in Göteborg within the framework of the North Sea cooperation. The meeting focused on the environmental impact of shipping and fishing on the North Sea.
Shipping is a relatively environment-friendly means of transport but entails increased strains on the North Sea caused by the spread of non-native organisms, toxic hull paints and air pollution. Overfishing has led to the virtual disappearance of fish stocks in many places, which has created an imbalance in the marine ecology. The fishing industry is one sector affected by this. Decisions at the North Sea Conference concerning shipping included trying to reduce the nitric oxide emissions of shipping by 40 per cent and reducing the sulphur content of shipping vessel fuels.
At the Conference the ministers also agreed to jointly initiate a development project to organise a better administrative system aimed at minimising fish dumping. Because of the regulatory framework of the EU Common Fisheries Policy, it is currently not permitted to make use of certain by-catches in the North Sea and elsewhere, which are instead thrown overboard.

International cooperation on the Baltic Sea

International cooperation on the Baltic Sea is taking place on many different fronts. Within the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM), the Government is proactive in efforts to develop a new, forward-looking Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP), which is expected to be ready for adoption in 2007. Eight EU countries and Russia are members of HELCOM. In parallel, the Government is giving high priority to work on marine issues in the EU and attaches great importance to the EU Commission´s Strategy on the Protection and Conservation of the Marine Environment. In the EU the Government is pressing for the Baltic Sea to be classified as a pilot area. Sweden also currently holds the Presidency of the Council of the Baltic Sea States and Baltic 21 and is active in efforts to create sustainable development in the Baltic Sea region. Sweden is contributing financially in a variety of ways to improve the environment of the Baltic Sea, including support to building wastewater treatment plants in St Petersburg and Kaliningrad. Through the Baltic countries´ and Poland´s membership of the EU, the environmental administrations and legislation of these countries will gradually be adapted to the EU regulatory framework. Enormous investments will be required to further reduce emissions and pollution, to make energy systems more effective and to improve waste management in the Baltic Sea region.

The Helsinki Convention - HELCOM

For three decades, the Helsinki Convention has been working on protecting the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all types of pollution through intergovernmental cooperation between Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the EU Commission. At the heart of these efforts are the particularly sensitive nature of the Baltic Sea region and its specific environmental, economic and social conditions. Five different working groups are implementing policies and strategies and proposing issues to be taken up for discussion at meetings.

• The Monitoring and Assessment Group (HELCOM MONAS)
• The Land-based Pollution Group (HELCOM LAND)
• The Nature Protection and Biodiversity Group (HELCOM HABITAT)
• The Maritime Group (HELCOM MARITIME)
• The Response Group (HELCOM RESPONSE)

HELCOM´s work has led to improvements in several areas, but much remains to be done. To take all possible measures to reduce the pollution of the Baltic Sea and to repair the damage to the marine environment, the Baltic Sea States and the EU supported the development of a new, forward looking action plan (the Baltic Sea Action Plan- BSAP) at an informal ministerial meeting at Haga Castle in Stockholm in November 2005. This plan is to be completed in 2007 and is based on ecological objectives for a common vision of a healthy Baltic Sea. These ecological objectives will serve as guidelines in the development of new measures that should be taken in the following priority areas:

• Eutrophication
• Dangerous substances
• Biodiversity
• Maritime activities

In addition to the above, the Baltic Sea Action Plan will have a socioeconomic component which will evaluate the benefit of the measures proposed and the socioeconomic cost of not doing anything at all. Indicators will be linked to these objectives to assess the impact of the measures taken. The Baltic Sea is an important part of our lives, but has drastically changed in recent years. Problems with algal bloom, dead sea-beds and overfishing, particularly of cod, clearly show that the destruction of the Baltic Sea environment must be stopped as soon as possible to avoid further damage to important socioeconomic sectors such as tourism, recreation, fishing and human health.

The Council of the Baltic Sea States - a forum for regional cooperation

The Council of the Baltic Sea States was established in 1992 by the foreign ministers of the region and is a forum for multilateral cooperation between the governments of the Baltic Sea countries. Sweden holds the Presidency of the Council of the Baltic Sea States from the summer of 2006 until the summer of 2007. Environment is a prioritised area during the Swedish Presidency. Among the activities to take place in the Council during this period is an expert seminar on nitrogen emissions in the Baltic Sea region. Sweden will also convene an agricultural and environmental ministerial meeting in the spring of 2007 to draw attention to the impact of agriculture on the Baltic Sea environment.

Agenda 21 for the Baltic Sea region - Baltic 21

Baltic 21 is part of the Council of the Baltic Sea States cooperation. In 1998, the countries around the Baltic Sea agreed on an Agenda 21 for the Baltic Sea which consists of a concrete action plan for sustainable development in the region.

Sweden is chairing Baltic 21 from the autumn of 2006 until the summer of 2008. Baltic 21 includes eleven countries, the EU Commission, financial institutions, intergovernmental organisations and NGOs. Cooperation is intended to create an eco-region for sustainable development, including the economic, ecological and social dimensions. The main issues are to ensure that the idea of sustainability permeates all the activities of the Council of the Baltic Sea States, to take capacity-building measures throughout the region and to create visible manifestations of sustainable development in practice. Three projects aimed at rural development are underway, and another, entitled BUSTRIP, has recently been initiated on sustainable urban transport. An international Secretariat with two officials is assisting in this work.