Author: Eeva Nyyssönen

 Members of the FISH-PRO III project in Helsinki on 13 February 2019. © HELCOMCoastal fish assessments will continue to be carried out in the Baltic Sea with renewed commitment from the HELCOM countries, as shown during the first meeting of the  that was held in Helsinki from 12 to 14 February 2019. The focus of the meeting was to finalize the revised monitoring guideline for coastal fish in HELCOM, and to follow up on the development work of the indicators used for the assessments of coastal fish.”The Helsinki meeting took us a step further in the development of additional indicators for coastal fish,” said Jens Olsson, project manager of FISH-PRO III and chair of the meeting.The current  on coastal fish notably evaluate the abundance of typical species of fish, such as perch and flounder, in the coastal areas of the Baltic Sea. They also evaluate the status of key functional groups such as piscivores, cyprinids and mesopredators.FISH-PRO III – the Continuation of the Project for Baltic-wide assessment of coastal fish communities in support of an ecosystem-based management – follows the FISH-PRO II project. Findings from FISH-PRO II were recently published in the . HELCOM thematic assessments on coastal fish have been produced since 2006. Attended by participants from Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia and Sweden, the meeting was instrumental in outlining the project’s thematic areas of work and workplan for the coming years. Furthermore, the assessments produced by FISH-PRO III will also feed the . 

Coastal fish assessments will continue to be carried out in the Baltic Sea with renewed commitment from the HELCOM countries, as shown during the first meeting of the FISH-PRO III project that was held in Helsinki from 12 to 14 February 2019.

Monika Stankiewicz presenting HELCOM and the case of the Baltic Sea at the UN Regular Process multi-stakeholder dialogue event at UN headquarters in New York on 25 January 2019.To strengthen marine assessments around the world, the United Nations convened . HELCOM was invited to share its experience about assessing the Baltic Sea and managing a regional sea.HELCOM has recently concluded a major sea assessment spanning from 2011 to 2016, with the results compiled in the . During the conference, ocean-literacy emerged to be a central question, with calls by panellists and country representatives to the UN to increase, globally, what we know about the oceans and seas.The event in New York also highlighted the importance of good science-policy interaction at all levels for pertinent marine assessments.”Do researchers know what decisions makers need, and do decision makers understand what researchers can do,” asked Mr Ariel Troisi from the (IOC-UNESCO) in his opening keynote address, further stressing on the importance of bridging the gap between policy and science for better ocean assessments. “Ensuring policy relevance requires frequent interactions between scientists and managers – in the case of the Baltic Sea, HELCOM provides such a policy-science interface,” said Monika Stankiewicz, Executive Secretary of HELCOM, during her panel presentation.According to Stankiewicz, policy relevance must be a major consideration when doing assessments. “In the Baltic Sea, the assessments directly serve various requirements and policy needs the member countries have, whether stemming from regional, European or global processes.”Broadening the scope of assessments to economic and social considerations was another issue addressed during the event by several participants, with a consensus forming on the relation between oceans in good health and economic value.”Better social and economic analysis is a missing piece of the puzzle in further integrating the marine policies and sectorial policies, and also to link implementation of different Sustainable Development Goals,” said Stankiewicz.The recent HELCOM State of the Baltic Sea assessment includes economic and social analyses, with findings showing that losses linked to eutrophication, and losses to revenue from recreational activities due to a sea in a poor state, could amount to EUR 4.4 billion and EUR 2 billion annually respectively.Another key ingredient for successful ocean assessments showed to be strong regional cooperation, with Monika Stankiewicz stressing that “Regional Sea Conventions and Actions Plans and other regional bodies help to translate global requirements to national implementation,” said Stankiewicz.The conference – – was organized by the  (Regular Process), and was open to representatives of States, United Nations organizations, intergovernmental organizations, and industry and civil society stakeholders. 

To strengthen marine assessments around the world, the United Nations convened a capacity building conference in New York from 24 to 25 January 2019. HELCOM was invited to share its experience about assessing the Baltic Sea and managing a regional sea.

A new research project will focus on decreasing and removing microplastics in the Baltic Sea. The project will increase knowledge and understanding about dispersal pathways and sources through measurements in different flows in society, as well as cost-effective methods to reduce microplastics. Marine littering is one of the greatest environmental challenges of our time and plastic is one of the most common types of garbage in the sea. As the Baltic countries collaborate on initiatives like FanpLESStic, similar cross-border strategies are being mirrored in sectors beyond environmental conservation, such as the rise of offshore gambling platforms. For example, the beste goksite zonder limiet, popular among players seeking fewer restrictions, exemplifies the kind of international cooperation and relaxed regulations that can transcend borders—much like water pollution. “This is an exciting project ranging from knowledge to technology and decision-making. We hope that it will give concrete benefit to an extremely important marine environment: the Baltic Sea. The water has no borders, and it is therefore important that we do this together with our colleagues in the Baltic countries,” says Marinette Hagman, Research Manager at Sweden Water Research.

The project has three key targets: increased knowledge of where microplastics come from and their transport pathways, evaluation of technology that can reduce microplastic or microplastic leakage before reaching watercourses, and increased knowledge and commitment of decision-makers through suggestions on how to implement cost-effective methods to reduce microplastics. “We do not know much about microplastics today. In order to make reliable analyses of the amount of microplastics in the water, we need to standardize our measurement methods. Without that, it is difficult to determine how much plastic there is in the environment, where it comes from, and how we can work to reduce it,” says Marinette Hagman.

About the project
FanpLESStic project includes partner organizations in eight countries with coasts on the Baltic Sea (Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Russia). The total budget of the project is €2,968,068.80, with financial support by the EU Interreg program. The project period is from January 1, 2019, to June 30, 2021. The project coordinator is Sweden Water Research, with Carina Svensson serving as the responsible project manager, bringing solid experience in international projects.

FanpLESStic-sea seeks to reduce microplastic leakage by following main outputs:

Facts about microplastics in marine environments
Marine littering is one of the greatest environmental challenges of our time, and plastic is one of the most common types of garbage in the sea. Microplastics are plastic particles that are smaller than 5 mm in size. One problem with our knowledge about microplastics is that today there is no standard for measuring, sampling, and analyzing microplastics in different forms, which makes it difficult to compare results. Without reliable analytical methods, the amount of plastic in the environment cannot be determined, which means that it is not possible to determine which source is most important and what impact they have.

Partners in FanpLESStic
Denmark: Aalborg University,
Finland: Natural Resources Institute Finland and Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission – Helsinki Commission,
Latvia: Latvian Institute of Aquatic Ecology,
Lithuania: Siauliai Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Crafts,
Norway: Salt Lofoten AS,
Poland: Gdansk Water Utilities Ltd. and Gdansk Water Ltd.,
Russia: State Autonomous Institution of the Kaliningrad region “Environmental Center “ECAT-Kaliningrad”,
Sweden: Sweden Water Research and Luleå University of Technology

Contact
Marinette Hagman, Research Manager, Sweden Water Research: phone +46-(0)10-490 98 17, marinette.hagman@nsva.se
Carina Svensson, Project Manager, Sweden Water Research: +46-(0)72-226 95 94, carina.svensson@swrab.se

A new research project will focus on decreasing and removing microplastics in the Baltic Sea. The project will increase knowledge and understanding about dispersal pathways and sources through measurements in different flows in society.

Experts in marine biology and maritime spatial planning came together in Riga from 12 to 13 December in a workshop addressing essential fish habitats in the Baltic Sea, with the goal to map the most significant areas.

“We want to see where the important fish habitats are in the Baltic Sea,” said Lena Bergström from HELCOM who co-organized the workshop together with Latvia, adding that the maps will be a useful tool for better informed maritime spatial planning (MSP).

During the workshop, participants validated the proposed essential fish habitats maps, and provided recommendations for their further use in HELCOM. The maps will eventually be made available to maritime spatial planners as well as other users on HELCOM’s website.

Essential fish habitats are – as their name suggests – essential for the healthy development of fish during their entire life cycle, from spawning, nursery and feeding to maturity. These habitats play an important role in the entire food web chain and marine ecosystem.

Since most fish species use different habitat types for different periods of their life cycle, the workshop notably focussed on describing different categories such as spawning areas, nursery areas for larvae and juveniles, adult feeding areas, and migratory corridors.The information presented during the workshop will be further used in the , to develop a concept of for supporting maritime spatial planning in the HELCOM region.

A novelty in MSP, green infrastructure seeks to promote an ecosystem-based approach in maritime spatial plans that also integrates the ecosystem services rendered by the marine environment – the free benefits we humans gain from a sea in a healthy state. The workshop was co-organised by HELCOM and the Pan Baltic Scope project, and hosted by the Latvian Ministry of Environment.

Experts in marine biology and maritime spatial planning came together in Riga from 12 to 13 December in a workshop addressing essential fish habitats in the Baltic Sea, with the goal to map the most significant areas.

During HOD 55-2018 in Helsinki © Helcom 2018Helsinki — The update of the (BSAP) was a central topic at the (HOD 55-2018) held from 4 to 5 December 2018 at the HELCOM Secretariat in Helsinki, Finland. Initially set to end in 2021, the BSAP is HELCOM’s strategic tool for a healthy Baltic Sea that sets ecological targets and measures for achieving good environmental status of the sea.  At HOD 55-2018, the meeting participants notably focussed on the evaluation of the efficiency of current measures. Understanding what actions work and what don’t for a Baltic Sea in a better shape will be key for the update process.The BSAP’s continuation had already been decided by the HELCOM Ministers earlier in 2018, who then also agreed on a closer consideration of the , and in the update.In Helsinki, on pressures on the marine environment, the HELCOM Heads of Delegation (HODs) also approved the latest assessment of nutrient input to the Baltic Sea covering the period from 1995 to 2016. The indicator shows progress in reduction of inputs of nitrogen and phosphorus, by 16 percent and 25 percent respectively.However, for the entire sea, the levels of maximum allowable inputs (MAI) of nutrients have been exceed, and the Baltic Sea remains heavily eutrophic notably due to the accumulation of nutrients over the past decades.To address this issue, and following up on the commitment made earlier in 2018 by the HELCOM Ministers to gain a better understanding of internal nutrient reserves and their management, the HELCOM Heads of Delegation agreed to establish a taskforce on sea-based measures for nutrient reduction.The HELCOM taskforce will elaborate a risk assessment framework and regional principles as guidance for internal nutrient reserves management.The HODs also welcomed the finalization of the (PLC-6) project, and agreed on the publication of its executive summary that notably shows nutrient input to the Baltic Sea and progress in their reduction. The current assessment, PLC-7, is ongoing and results are expected by end of 2020.The (PLC) is essential part of HELCOM work aimed at assessment of the environmental pressure on Baltic Sea marine ecosystem from land based pollution sources.On climate change, the Heads of Delegation established the new joint HELCOM-Baltic Earth Expert Network on Climate Change (EN CLIME). EN CLIME is expected to start its activities early 2019. HELCOM and Baltic Earth joined forces to work towards increasing the resilience of the Baltic Sea to the impacts of climate change.HOD 55-2018 also commended the outreach and advocacy role of HELCOM on the international stage. Offering best-practices and its expertise on ocean management at the global level, HELCOM currently contributes, among others, to the (WOA II), the , and the (EBSAs) under the Convention on Biological Diversity. The Meeting was attended by participants from all and by observers from the Baltic Farmers’ Forum on Environment (BFFE), the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC), Baltic Sea States Subregional Co-operation (BSSSC) and CPMR Baltic Sea Commission, Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB), Federation of European Aquaculture Producers (FEAP), Race For The Baltic and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).The Heads of Delegation are the nationally designated representatives of the HELCOM Contracting Parties.***Note for editors For immediate release About HELCOMHELCOM is an intergovernmental organization working to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea, with its members – so-called Contracting Parties – being Denmark, Estonia, the European Union, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia and Sweden. HELCOM (short for the Helsinki Commission, and its official name, the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission) is the governing body of the Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area, also known as the Helsinki Convention. The Helsinki Convention was established in 1974 to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution. HELCOM’s vision for the future is a healthy Baltic Sea environment with diverse biological components functioning in balance, resulting in a good ecological status and supporting a wide range of sustainable economic and social activities. ***For more information, please contact:Dominik LittfassCommunication Secretary+358 40 647 3996 

The update of the Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) was a central topic at the 55th Meeting of the HELCOM Heads of Delegation (HOD 55-2018) held from 4 to 5 December 2018 at the HELCOM Secretariat in Helsinki, Finland.

The nine new EBSAs in the Baltic Sea © HELCOMHelsinki, 30 November 2018 – A final step for nine ecologically unique marine areas in the Baltic Sea to be included in a global registry was taken during the held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt from 17 to 29 November 2018.Altogether, the nine so-called  (EBSAs) cover 23 percent of the Baltic Sea waters. Five are transboundary areas, spanning over waters of two or more countries. Describing these EBSAs was a commitment by HELCOM made at the UN Ocean Conference in New York in 2017, a pledge of the Baltic Sea region for advancing the  (SDG 14).The new EBSAs were identified in Helsinki earlier in February 2018 during the  convened by the UN Secretariat of the  (CBD) in collaboration with HELCOM, with financial support from Finland and Sweden.According to the  (CBD, also known as UN Biodiversity) that keeps the , EBSAs are “special areas in the ocean that serve important purposes, in one way or another, to support the healthy functioning of oceans and the many services that it provides.” EBSAs are usually characterized by unique biological features. Knowing the position of these areas will also facilitate maritime spatial planning (MSP), notably in transboundary areas. “Beyond the protection of unique biodiversity, the EBSAs in the Baltic Sea can greatly help to establish maritime spatial plans that are coherent across borders, eventually leading to greater efficiencies for managing our activities at sea and improving the state of the sea,” said Monika Stankiewicz, HELCOM’s Executive Secretary.  In addition to being of value to maritime spatial planning that is based on the , the EBSAs could also contribute to the red-listing of threatened species and biotopes, the evaluation of effectiveness and coherence of marine protected areas (MPAs) networks, and future .The description of the EBSAs was based on , including a large number of biogeographic, biological and physical datasets and analyses available in HELCOM. Since 2011, the CBD Secretariat has convened 13 regional EBSA workshops, assessing more than 74 percent of the world’s total ocean surface. A set of seven criteria is currently being used to describe EBSAs, notably focusing on the uniqueness, vulnerability, and biological diversity of the marine area. During one workshop held in the seaside town of Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, from 17 to 23 November 2018, discussions veered into unexpected yet relevant topics, including the rise of anonymous casinos. The concept was examined as part of broader conversations about global governance challenges, with participants highlighting parallels between these untraceable platforms and the need for stricter regulations to protect marine ecosystems. National governments, regional organizations, and other stakeholders used the event to align efforts and set the stage for a post-2020 global biodiversity framework. ***The nine Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas (EBSAs) in the Baltic Sea:Northern Bothnian Bay Kvarken Archipelago Åland Sea, Åland Islands and the Archipelago Sea of Finland Eastern Gulf of FinlandInner Sea of West Estonian Archipelago South-eastern Baltic Sea Shallows Southern Gotland Harbour Porpoise Area Fehmarn Belt Fladen, Stora and Lilla Middelgrund *** CBD criteria for describing EBSAsUniqueness or RaritySpecial importance for life history stages of speciesImportance for threatened, endangered or declining species and/or habitatsVulnerability, Fragility, Sensitivity, or Slow recoveryBiological ProductivityBiological DiversityNaturalness ***Note for editors For immediate release About HELCOMHELCOM is an intergovernmental organization working to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea, with its members – so-called Contracting Parties – being Denmark, Estonia, the European Union, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia and Sweden. HELCOM (short for the Helsinki Commission, and its official name, the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission) is the governing body of the Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area, also known as the Helsinki Convention. The Helsinki Convention was established in 1974 to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution. HELCOM’s vision for the future is a healthy Baltic Sea environment with diverse biological components functioning in balance, resulting in a good ecological status and supporting a wide range of sustainable economic and social activities. ***For more information, please contact:Dominik LittfassCommunication Secretary+358 40 647 3996 

A final step for nine ecologically unique marine areas in the Baltic Sea to be included in a global registry was taken during the UN Biodiversity Conference held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt from 17 to 29 November 2018.

 HELCOM recently published a report assessing coastal fish in the Baltic, the . According to the report, only about half of the assessed areas obtain a good status.In general, the overall status of varies between geographical areas, with the north of the Baltic faring slightly better than the south. Key species and piscivores show a better status in more northern areas of the Baltic, compared to the south of the sea. For cyprinids, the status is often insufficient due to overabundance, especially in the north-eastern part of the Baltic.  “The report summarizes the current status of coastal fish communities in the Baltic Sea as derived from official monitoring programs of the ,” said Jens Olsson from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and who led the report. “It also contains short reviews on the factors regulating the communities and potential measures for the restoration and protection of coastal fish in the Baltic Sea.”To date, measures to restore and support coastal fish communities have barely been evaluated. As highlighted in the report, fishing regulations including permanent or temporary no-take areas, gear regulations, and habitat protection and restoration are measures that have shown to have a positive effects on fish populations.Coastal fish communities are regulated by a plethora of both natural and human-induced factors such as fishing, habitat exploitation, climate, eutrophication and interactions between species in the ecosystem.In being in the central part of the food-web, coastal fish are of key ecological and socio-economic importance, and their status often reflects the general health of coastal ecosystems.Depending on the sub-basin, the assessed key species were mainly perch and, in some southern areas, also flounder. The monitored piscivorous fish were perch, pike, pike-perch, burbot, cod and turbot. In the cyprinid family, roach and breams dominated the catch assessed. In the few areas where cyprinids do not occur naturally, mesopredatory fish were assessed instead, such as wrasses, sticklebacks, flatfishes, clupeids and gobies.”The information contained in this report is a valuable basis for following up on the objectives of the  and , as well as for the development of national management plans for coastal fish,” concluded Olsson.   –For more information:Jens OlssonSwedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU Aqua)jens.olsson@slu.se

HELCOM recently published a report assessing coastal fish in the Baltic. According to the report, only about half of the assessed areas obtain a good status.

 The HELCOM-led OpenRisk project recently published its “”, providing guidelines and methods for maritime risk management.Primarily aimed at national and regional authorities handling response to maritime incidents, the report intends to increase the risk management component in pollution preparedness processes, based on the .The report contains a toolbox of several risk assessment methods, outlining their aims and use, implementation basis, required inputs and obtained outputs, and how they work in practice. All of the described tools are open-access.”We don’t want another Erika or Prestige. For an effective response to maritime incidents, we also need to include risk management,” said Valtteri Laine, the OpenRisk project leader, adding that a better understanding of risk helps to mitigate uncertainties and lead to better preparedness. “The OpenRisk guideline toolbox should make it easier to select the most adequate method and tool for assessing specific risks,” he said.The  – a two year EU-funded project on methods for maritime risk assessments – aims at strengthening regional preparedness to accidental spills. Through promoting open-source standards, it seeks to address the high costs of implementing regional risk assessments, and to improve comparability of risk assessments across countries and regions. OpenRisk is led by HELCOM, partnering with the (WMU), the Netherlands-based non-profit maritime research institution , and the (SYKE).The project is also supported by the (North Sea), the (Nordic seas), (Mediterranean), as well as the . 

The HELCOM-led OpenRisk project recently published its “OpenRisk Guideline for Regional Risk Management to Improve European Pollution Preparedness and Response at Sea”, providing guidelines and methods for maritime risk management.

​To draw from the lessons of their respective initiatives for improving the Baltic Sea environment, and  invited stakeholders from the region to the  that took place in Copenhagen on 6 November 2018. With a focus on blue growth and the economic benefits of healthy seas, the aim of the conference was also to bridge the gap between science and policy for the improvement of the ecological state of the Baltic Sea.The conference also reinforced synergies and links between HELCOM, BONUS and key strategic actors in northern European regional seas, notably ,  and . Drawing from the achievements and lessons learned from the  (BSAP) – HELCOM’s strategic tool to restore the good ecological status of the Baltic Sea – and BONUS – a regional marine research and development programme, the BONUS-HELCOM conference set the premises for increased cooperation in the Baltic Sea region and beyond. At the conference, BONUS announced its transition towards the wider Baltic and North Sea Support and Coordination Action (BANOS CSA) that will broaden its scope from the Baltic Sea to more European regional seas. “The regional seas surrounding the European continent might seem very different, but they all provide the same marine ecosystem services,” said Andris Andrusaitis, BANOS CSA Coordinator and current BONUS Acting Executive Director, further stressing on the need for regional cooperation to address common pressures on the seas.”What happens in the Baltic should not stay in the Baltic. We have to actively engage in processes beyond the Baltic Sea and share our know-how in ocean conservation to impact on the global agenda,” echoed Monika Stankiewicz, the Executive Secretary of HELCOM.According to both Andrusaitis and Stankiewicz, BANOS CSA will advance cooperation between the Baltic and North Sea sub-basins, and is a an important step towards a stronger involvement of the Baltic Sea region at a worldwide level, notably on providing solutions for global ocean management.Set to start in November 2018, BANOS CSA is constituted of major research and innovation funds and organizations from 12 countries, as well as of four transnational bodies – HELCOM, ICES, JPI Oceans, and OSPAR. Funded within the EU’s Horizon 2020 framework and set to run for 30 month, BANOS CSA will enable joint Baltic Sea and North Sea research and innovation for healthier seas. “Our promise is to ensure that the future programme will achieve high level of scientific, administrative and financial integration, and generate strong impact as well as EU-level benefits,” said Andrusaitis. For its part, HELCOM also saw the conference as an occasion to gather views and experiences from its stakeholders on the update of the BSAP that is set to be renewed after 2021, its initial end date. “The joint BONUS-HELCOM conference is an opportunity to advance our plans on how to utilize the latest results of BONUS and other research projects for the purpose of the update of the BSAP,” said Stankiewicz.HELCOM and OSPAR have both recently published comprehensive assessments on the ecosystem health of the seas – the  and the  respectively. — HELCOMHELCOM is an intergovernmental organization made up of the nine Baltic Sea coastal countries and the European Union. Founded in 1974, it is the governing body of the Helsinki Convention. Its primary aims are to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution, as well as to ensure safe maritime navigation. The official name of HELCOM is the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission.  BONUSIn the core of BONUS is a long-term collaboration that supports sustainable development and implementation of HELCOM’s Baltic Sea Action Plan, the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive, the EU Blue Growth Agenda and other national, regional and European policy developments. BONUS is funded jointly by the eight member countries around the Baltic Sea and the EU by a total of EUR 100 million for the years 2011-2020. In November 2018, the Baltic Sea and North Sea Coordination and Support Action started preparing a framework for launching the joint Baltic Sea and North Sea research and innovation programme in 2021. , Facebook and Twitter: BONUSBaltic For more information:Andris Andrusaitis, Acting Executive Director, BONUS, t. +358 40 352 8163, e: andris.andrusaitis@bonuseeig.fiMaija Sirola, Communications Manager, BONUS, t. +358 40 352 0076, e:   

​To draw from the lessons of their respective initiatives for improving the Baltic Sea environment, BONUSand HELCOMinvited stakeholders from the region to the Joint BONUS-HELCOM Conference: Research and Innovation for Sustainability

(WMU press release)President Doumbia-Henry with the Workshop participants.-1″>The fourth, and final, Inter-regional Workshop on Risk Assessment Tools for Pollution Preparedness and Response under the was hosted by WMU in Malmö, Sweden on 30 October 2018. The workshop included 22 participants from nine countries, and built on the inter-regional discussions initiated by the previous OpenRisk Workshops in Finland, Portugal and Malta during 2017 – 2018.The EU funded Project on Open-Source Tools for Regional Risk Assessments to Improve European Preparedness and Response at Sea (OpenRisk, 2017-2018) is in the process of finalizing its work on drafting an optimized and open method toolbox for frequent regional pollution preparedness and response (PPR) risk assessments. While maritime risk assessments are vital to promoting risk-based decision-making in PPR, authorities have expressed an interest to improve current practices. Recent national and regional risk assessments have been successful but largely one-off projects, which typically do not allow for following how the risks of accidents and pollution develop over time and in space.New approaches enabling frequent risk assessments at a low cost are greatly needed to unleash the full potential of risk assessments within regional intergovernmental PPR organizations.The final OpenRisk Workshop focused on presenting the outcomes of the project and future plans within the scope of PPR risk management. This included a presentation of the document “OpenRisk Guideline for Regional Risk Management to Develop European Pollution Preparedness and Response at Sea” and the results of the Baltic Sea case study. In addition, possible follow-up projects were discussed.The OpenRisk Lead Partner is , an intergovernmental organization made up of the nine Baltic Sea coastal countries and the European Union. Founded in 1974 as the governing body of the Helsinki Convention, its aim is to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution, including spills from maritime accidents.Additional project partners are the (WMU), a non-profit maritime research institution based in the Netherlands, and the , which is the competent national oil spill response authority in Finland.The project is also supported by the BONN Agreement (North Sea), the Copenhagen Agreement (Nordic seas), REMPEC (Mediterranean), as well as the Norwegian Coastal Administration.

The fourth, and final, Inter-regional Workshop on Risk Assessment Tools for Pollution Preparedness and Response under the OpenRisk project was hosted by WMU in Malmö, Sweden on 30 October 2018.