Author: Eeva Nyyssönen

 Maria Laamanen is the Head of the Finnish Delegation to HELCOM and works at the Finnish Ministry of the Environment. She answers questions about the process that led to the report.What was your involvement in the State of the Baltic Sea report?I was the chair of the Core Group, which was kind of a steering group for developing the second holistic assessment. What were the main reasons for making the report?HELCOM published its first holistic assessment in 2010 and there was an agreement that there should be another holistic assessment to follow up on the state of the Baltic Sea and effectiveness of . Those contracting parties that are EU members needed this second holistic assessment for implementation of the . Can you tell us more about the process of making the report, how it came together?We started in the end of 2015. When you start a new project, it tends to be at first a little bit chaotic. I think it took one or two meetings that we got a better idea where we are aiming at and how to do it. We had quite lengthy discussions in what areas we are going to address for example relating to the Kattegat and how we should address different themes on the report. We had the example of the first holistic assessment as a basis of our work and the themes of the state of the Baltic Sea Action Plan gave the basic structure to the report. In addition, we decided to go deeper in to the theme of socio-economics of protecting the Baltic Sea because it was important to be able to show what the economic value of the Baltic Sea is and how it relates to a cost of protecting the Baltic Sea. We also improved some of the methods and tools we had, worked on further developing some and worked on the index that we use for assessing cumulative pressures on the sea. We got support from the EU that made it possible to conduct supporting projects for making the State of the Baltic Sea report. During the project, a number of thematic reports were developed, and indicators and data were updated. All of that is published but not all of it is dealt with in detail within the since there is so much material and the report aims to provide an overview. The report pulls together much of the relevant research that has been done and puts it in a simpler form to present it in an understandable fashion. If someone wants to go deeper than the report, one should go to read the thematic reports and check the data from the project.All in all, I am very proud of the report and the wide coverage of issues HELCOM achieved with it.What are the key findings and main outcomes?The State of the Baltic Sea report shows the status of the Baltic Sea in 2011—2016. It shows that we still have not reached an overall good status of the Baltic Sea. Our main challenges relate to eutrophication and changes in biodiversity that partly stem from the harm that eutrophication causes as well as pressures such as changes in fishing and variability in climate. On the other hand, we are going toward better status in many aspects. HOLAS II report trend graphs show for example that we have been able to decrease our loads of phosphorus and nitrogen. From the 1980s—1990s the phosphorus load has been cut by more than half and nitrogen load has been cut by almost a third.In addition, in terms of hazardous substances the situation is getting much better. To some extend our graphs may give a darker view of where we stand with hazardous substances because the criteria are rather tough and if even one indicator which has lower status than the standard for good status is sufficient to yield an overall assessment of the theme as non-good.We have also compiled information about marine litter. However, we have not been able to make assessments of whether the status is good or not because we have not agreed on the technical details of what is the standard for a good status yet.What needs to be done now? How can we achieve a good environmental status for the Baltic Sea?It is very clear what needs to be done: We need to work on implementing the Baltic Sea Action Plan and the further actions that have been agreed in HELCOM ministerial meetings, most recently in March of 2018.Due to some ecosystem related lags in the Baltic Sea, it is clear that we cannot reach a good status on all aspects of the environment by 2021, which is the target year of the Baltic Sea Action Plan. Nevertheless, we have three more years to go to 2021 and we need to use those years well and implement the agreed actions to make the status of the Baltic Sea as good as possible. After that an updated action plan which was agreed to be drafted by HELCOM Ministerial Meeting 2018 should ensure that we reached the good status by 2030.How will the results of the report affect the update of the Baltic Sea Action Plan?The report provides us the baseline information on the status of the Baltic Sea and tells us what are the pressures affecting the status. Wherever we have a non-good status, we need to look in the causes: what pressures we need to address with our measures and where are we with our implementation. After that, we can look into what updated or new measures we might need.The report does not give any specific measures but it points out what is important. For example, it points out that it is crucial that we reach nutrient load reduction targets that we have agreed upon in HELCOM. It is also very important that we enhance cross-sectoral aspects in sectors such as shipping and agriculture. It is important that there is coordination, coherence and cross reading between the different sectors.How will the outcomes affect future actions of HELCOM?Through the updated Baltic Sea Action Plan, for which the report serves as a basis. Through the report, we also have a very detailed and shared view on what the good status of the Baltic Sea means. We have quantified for very detailed technical aspects of the sea what is good and non-good and we have indicators for follow-up. I think that is great starting point. To my knowledge, no other international sea in the world has that. The report can offer an example how international cooperation can provide good knowledge of the state of the sea.What are the implications for the Finnish chairmanship?We have identified the updating of the Baltic Sea Action Plan as our . The State of the Baltic Sea report is very important to us, since it works as a basis for that work.The interview was conducted by Alisa Vänttinen from the Finnish Ministry of the Environment.

Maria Laamanen is the Head of the Finnish Delegation to HELCOM and works at the Finnish Ministry of the Environment. She answers questions about the process that led to the State of the Baltic Sea report.

Attending the Regional Workshop on UN World Ocean Assessment II, at Malta University on 27 August 2018 (from the left): Irina Makarenko from the Black Sea Commission Secretariat, Lena Bergström and Monika Stankiewicz from the HELCOM Secretariat, and Jo Foden from the OSPAR Secretariat.A HELCOM team presented its expertise on marine management and sea assessment during a United Nations-led regional workshop held in Valetta, Malta from 27 to 28 August 2018. Preparing for the Second Global Integrated Marine Assessment (WOA II, or World Ocean Assessment II), the workshop specifically covered the North Atlantic, the Baltic Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea regions.The are part of the so-called Regular Process – short for the United Nations . According to the UN, the assessments aim “to improve understanding of the oceans and to develop a global mechanism for delivering science-based information to decision makers and [the] public.”While the first cycle of the Regular Process focused on establishing a baseline for measuring the state of the marine environment, the second cycle, WOA II, was extended to evaluate trends in the marine environment and identify gaps. WOA II was launched by the UN General Assembly in December 2015, and runs from 2016 to 2020. During the Valetta workshop, HELCOM presented the findings from its recently concluded Second Holistic Assessment of the Baltic Sea (HOLAS II), an in-depth analysis of the ecological state of the Baltic Sea and the pressures it is affected by. The results were published in the newly released .The HOLAS II process and the HELCOM report already cover the majority of the aspects foreseen in WOA II for the Baltic Sea. HELCOM not only possesses deep knowledge about the Baltic Sea’s ecological state, but also about the management of a complex and regional sea assessment process. The Valetta meeting was opened by Carmelo Abela, the Maltese Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Promotion. It has been attended by some 30 experts, with participants from Sweden, Estonia and the HELCOM Secretariat representing the Baltic Sea region. Alongside HELCOM for the Baltic Sea, three other regional seas conventions were covered by the workshop, namely OSPAR for the North-East Atlantic, the Mediterranean Action Plan, and the Black Sea Commission. WOA II aims to support informed decision-making and thus contribute to managing in a sustainable manner human activity that affect the oceans and seas, in accordance with international law, including the and other applicable international instruments and initiatives.

A HELCOM team presented its expertise on marine management and sea assessment during a United Nations-led regional workshop held in Valetta, Malta from 27 to 28 August 2018.

Participating vessels berthing ahead of the BALEX DELTA exercise in Karlskrona, Sweden on 27 August 2018. © BALEX DELTA 2018

The Baltic Sea region’s ability to respond to major maritime incidents will be thoroughly tested once more during the BALEX DELTA 2018 exercise that will be held in Karlskrona, Sweden from 28 to 30 August 2018.

The recently published HELCOM report Baltic Sea Sewage Port Reception Facilities – HELCOM overview 2018 provides information on the status of sewage port reception facilities (PRF) and their use in the Baltic Sea area, with a focus on international cruise traffic. A total of 38 ports were assessed in the 2018 version. 

“This publication gives a comprehensive overview of the sewage port reception facilities in the Baltic Sea, and we plan to update it regularly in order to always reflect the current situation,” said Markus Helavuori, the HELCOM Professional Secretary in charge of maritime affairs.

According to the report, most ports channel the wastewater from the ships to the municipal sewer system or treatment plants, either directly through fixed reception points or using tankers or barges. Upgrades are currently underway in some ports.

The overview has been submitted for information to the 73^rd session of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 73) that will be held from 22 to 26 October 2018.

The Baltic was the first sea in the world to receive status as a special area for sewage under the IMO MARPOL Convention, Annex IV.

Under the convention that is set to come into effect in June 2021, passenger ships – including cruise ships – will be limited to discharging sewage into port reception facilities or alternatively at sea after treatment in advanced on-board sewage treatment plants. 

The report has been compiled by HELCOM based on information from port authorities, national administrations, and the cruise and port industries. HELCOM AIS data for the period 2006 to 2017 was also used.

Plenary session considering conference room papers. © IISD/ENB | Franz Dejon HELCOM shared its insights on both marine litter and the management of sea areas in the Baltic Sea region during a UN conference held in Montreal, Canada earlier this July – the 22nd meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice of the Convention on Biological Diversity ().”Marine litter including plastics is a major priority on the HELCOM agenda,” said Monika Stankiewicz, HELCOM’s Executive Secretary, during the SBSTTA-22 side-event on marine litter and microplastics. “The regional goal agreed in HELCOM is to significantly reduce the amount of marine litter by 2025 and prevent harm from litter in the coastal and marine environment.”Stankiewicz presented the , and stressed the importance of regional coordination for monitoring of marine litter and developing indicators with quantitative threshold values.At a second side-event on area-based management tools (AMTs) and their role in achieving the and , Stankiewicz also advocated for a holistic approach to the management of sea areas to halt the decline of marine biodiversity in the Baltic Sea. Her presentation was based on the findings of the recently concluded “Second HELCOM Holistic Assessment of the Baltic Sea”, summarised in the that was just updated in July 2018. As highlighted during the side-event, various human activities impacting the state of the sea need to be considered in area-based management, and, when necessary, mitigated for the benefit of ecosystem functionality. This is particularly relevant for sea areas burdened by pressures such as eutrophication and chemical pollution.The current challenge in area-based management is to reconcile the different tools to form a coherent, ecosystem-based planning and management structure. Current legal means – such as marine protected areas (MPAs) and maritime spatial planning (MSP) – need to be closer integrated with softer planning approaches, such as Ecologically or Biologically significant Marine Areas (EBSAs), and with other non-spatial conservation measures.

HELCOM shared its insights on both marine litter and the management of sea areas in the Baltic Sea region during a UN conference held in Montreal, Canada earlier this July.

HELCOM Heads of Delegation approve the process for updating the Baltic Sea Action PlanDalälven River in Sweden is no longer a HELCOM hotspotEU chairmanship of HELCOM comes to an end, hands over to FinlandThe HELCOM Heads of Delegation met at the HELCOM Seretariat in Helsinki on 14 June 2018. Photo: F. NicolasHELCOM’s roadmap for the future took centre stage during the 54th Meeting of the Heads of Delegation (HOD 54-2018) that was held in Helsinki, Finland from 14 to 15 June 2017. A key event on HELCOM’s governance agenda, it also saw the handover of the HELCOM chairmanship from the EU to Finland.Besides the review of current and recently concluded HELCOM activities and the approval of HELCOM reports, a major subject was the update of the (BSAP) beyond 2021. The BSAP is HELCOM’s comprehensive regional programme of actions to achieve a healthy Baltic Sea, and was initially set to end in 2021. Recalling the agreement taken earlier in Brussels during the to update the current plan, the delegates decided on an extension of the BSAP until 2030. In addition to the current objectives on eutrophication, biodiversity, maritime activities and hazardous substances, the updated BSAP will incorporate new perspectives beyond 2021 such as focussing on an ecosystem approach and giving due consideration to the economic and social aspects of its measures.It will also address emerging pressures such as underwater noise, pharmaceuticals and micro-plastics.The update of the BSAP particularly resonates with the region’s current desire to step up its efforts for a healthy Baltic Sea, as recently witnessed during the EUSBSR Annual Forum held earlier in Tallinn where a continuation of the plan was already mentioned and welcomed. Furthermore, the delegates decided to delete the in Sweden from the , and welcomed the intention by Sweden to continue monitoring the river. It was added in 1992 because of high levels of heavy metals originating from the mining industry – specifically cadmium, copper and zinc – which eventually entered the Baltic Sea.At HOD 54-2018, a number of HELCOM publications were also approved, including the updated . The report contains a wide array of indicators that were assessing the state of and the pressures on the Baltic Sea between 2011 and 2016.This work on indicators – unique in the world at this scale – was particularly commended by the delegates which tasked the HELCOM Secretariat to draft a document on lessons learnt to be shared with UN Environment.Other approvals were the Report on nutrients input by seven biggest rivers and the Report on input of selected hazardous substances into the Baltic Sea, two reports resulting from HELCOM’s Sixth Pollution Load Compilation (PLC-6) project. HOD 54-2018 was also the opportunity for the hand-over of the HELCOM chairmanship from the EU to Finland. The delegates acknowledged the accomplishments of the EU chairmanship ending this 30 June, especially the excellent organization of the HELCOM Ministerial Meeting in Brussels in March 2018. Priorities of the EUChairmanship of HELCOM – Results (click image for larger view)They also welcomed the that will focus on the Baltic Sea Action Plan update, the reduction of nutrient inputs and nutrient recycling, as well as climate change and fostering synergies between HELCOM work and the Agenda 2030.The new HELCOM Chair will be Ms. Saara Bäck, seconded by the Vice-Chair Ms. Tarja Haaranen, both from the Ministry of the Environment of Finland. The outgoing chair Ms Marianne Wenning from the European Union will retire from active duty this summer.Outgoing HELCOM Chair Ms Marianne Wenning (right) hands over the HELCOM keys to the incoming Chair Ms Saara Bäck (left). Photo: HELCOMThe HOD 54-2018 Meeting was attended by participants from all HELCOM Contracting Parties and by observers from the Baltic Farmers’ Forum on Environment (BFFE), and Conference of Peripheral and Maritime Regions – Baltic Sea Commission (BSSSC and CPMR BSC), (CCB), (FEAP) and (WWF), as well as invited guests from the (EUSBSR) and (NEFCO).* *Note for editorsHELCOM is an intergovernmental organization made up of the nine Baltic Sea coastal countries and the European Union. Founded in 1974, its primary aims as a governing body 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; it is the governing body of the Helsinki ConventionThe Working Group on Reduction of Pressures from the Baltic Sea Catchment Area –  – focuses on nutrient and hazardous substance inputs from diffuse sources and point sources on land, including the follow-up of the implementation of the HELCOM nutrient reduction scheme. The group ensures the necessary technical underpinning as well as develops solutions to the policy-relevant questions and needs. Marine litter and underwater noise are also coordinated by this group.

HELCOM’s roadmap for the future took centre stage during the 54th Meeting of the Heads of Delegation (HOD 54-2018) that was held in Helsinki, Finland from 14 to 15 June 2017.

​Ambassadors and representatives from the nine Baltic Sea states and the EU, and HELCOM staff at the Diplomatic Lunch in Helsinki on 13 June 2018 © HELCOMSpeech by Ms Marianne Wenning, Chair of the Helsinki Commission from 1 July 2016 to 30 June 2018, at the HELCOM Diplomatic Lunch on 13 June 2018 Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, dear Colleagues, Two years ago I had the pleasure to meet you, the representatives of the coastal countries and the catchment area of the Baltic Sea, and present to you the priorities and plans for the EU chairmanship of HELCOM. Today, I am pleased to share with you some of the accomplishments under the EU chairmanship. The past two years have included important milestones for HELCOM. One of these is the finalization of the second holistic assessment of state of the Baltic Sea this June, a major part of our priority of reaching a healthy Baltic Sea ecosystem by 2021.  Through this assessment, we have gained a comprehensive understanding of the state of the Baltic Sea and the pressures it is affected by. Most importantly, we now have quantitative indicators in place that will help to monitor the environmental status of the sea.The scale of the project is unique in the world. It is also a great example of well-functioning transboundary cooperation between the different Baltic Sea nations.In addition to assessing the state of the marine environment, the State of the Baltic Sea report sheds more light on the importance of the sea to the people living around it. Healthy ecosystems are underpinning sustainable economic growth. This is of particular relevance for maritime spatial planning, where HELCOM has advocated for an ecosystem approach that considers both the socioeconomic benefits and the cumulative impacts on the environment.Just as an example: according to the first results in 2017, the economic losses stemming from eutrophication – if good environmental status is not achieved – would be around 4 billion euros annually. In other words, our welfare depends a lot on the status of the Baltic Sea.However, from the first results, it is already clear that good environmental status of the sea has not yet been reached. Actions aimed at reducing the pressures on the sea such as the recent designation of the Baltic Sea as a Nitrogen Oxide Emission Control Area and the increased establishment of several new marine protected areas in HELCOM countries are certainly important steps in the right direction. Nevertheless, more work still needs to be done.This brings me to another milestone: the HELCOM Ministerial Meeting hosted by Commissioner Vella in Brussels earlier in March. With only three years to go towards the Baltic Sea Action Plan’s goal of reaching good environmental status of the Baltic Sea by 2021, we need to step up our efforts. We need to concentrate on fully implementing the actions that were agreed upon in the Baltic Sea Action Plan. This fact was clearly emphasized by the Commissioner, Ministers and high-level representatives of Baltic Sea countries that were present in Brussels. The Ministerial Meeting also recognized that – beyond known concerns such as eutrophication – we need to address emerging issues such as underwater noise, new hazardous substances such as pharmaceuticals, and climate change. To respond to the new challenges and our global commitments like the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, we agreed in Brussels that the Baltic Sea Action Plan will be updated past 2021. Our priority of encouraging concerted regional governance and cross-sectoral cooperation – notably with fisheries and agricultural bodies – will still be valid for this undertaking and for attaining sustainable use of marine resources.Finally, I am glad to see that the priorities set by the upcoming chairmanship of Finland will make for a smooth transition. These priorities – that include updating the Baltic Sea Action Plan, addressing climate change, and linking the Agenda 2030 to HELCOM activities – reflect the outcomes of the Brussels Ministerial Meeting and will seamlessly integrate with the current HELCOM work. Let me assure you that the HELCOM chair will be in very good hands with Finland.Ladies and gentlemen, I would now like you to join me for a toast to our continuous successful cooperation for the protection and prosperity of our Baltic Sea. 

Speech by Ms Marianne Wenning, Chair of the Helsinki Commission from 1.7-2016 to 30.6.2018, at the HELCOM Diplomatic Lunch on 13 June 2018

​HELCOM’s Monika Stankiewicz adressing the third plenary session on marine environment at the EUSBSR Annual Forum in Tallinn, Estonia on 5 June 2018. © HELCOMMarine environmental issues were high on the agenda of the 9th ESBSR Annual ForumOverall consensus: more needs to be done on Baltic Sea marine mattersThe Baltic Sea Action Plan will be updated after 2021Marine environmental issues were a high priority at the  (EUSBSR) held in Tallinn, Estonia from 4 to 5 June 2018. HELCOM participated in the plenary session on safeguarding the ecosystems of the Baltic Sea, as well as in other events, notably a seminar on updating the Baltic Sea Action Plan beyond 2021.The overall consensus at the forum was that despite good progress on marine environmental matters in the Baltic Sea region, more needs to be done to achieve good environmental status for the Baltic Sea in a foreseeable future.”We have to step up our efforts for the Baltic Sea. Following the recent [HELCOM] assessments, the Baltic Sea is not in a good shape. We need to reduce [our] impacts on the sea,” said the Prime Minister of Estonia Juri Ratas during the opening session.His comments resonated with the , European Commissioner on Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries on the occasion of the opening of the third plenary session about the EUSBSR and marine environment. The major pressure on the Baltic Sea remains eutrophication caused by excessive nutrient discharge into the sea from agriculture and other land-based sources. New threats to the marine ecosystem were also mentioned during the event, especially stemming from hazardous substances such as micro-plastics and pharmaceutical residues, and underwater noise.At the EUSBSR Annual Forum, HELCOM Executive Secretary Monika Stankiewicz presented the State of the Baltic Sea report, stressing that good environmental status for the Baltic Sea hasn’t been achieved yet, and that the current reduction of pressures on the sea aren’t enough.The  assesses the state of the Baltic Sea and the pressures it is affected by. The first results were published in 2017 and the assessment will be finalized by the end of June 2018.Stankiewicz also indicated that the , the main strategic tool to achieve a healthy Baltic Sea, will not end after its initially set deadline of 2021. “Based on outcomes of the Brussels HELCOM Ministerial meeting and analysis of measures and results, the Baltic Sea Action Plan will be updated past 2021,” she said, paving the way for future actions. The update of the Baltic Sea Action Plan coincides with the update of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region Action Plan which gives opportunity to find further synergies between the work of HELCOM and EUSBSR.The Forum was hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia together with the Baltic Development Forum in close cooperation with the European Commission, Ministry of Environment and other partners. About 770 participants from governments, international organisations, NGOs, universities, local and regional administrations and businesses came together to discuss developments and challenges in the Baltic Sea Region. The Annual Forum was co-financed from the programme of Interreg Baltic Sea Region.

Marine environmental issues were a high priority at the 9th Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) held in Tallinn, Estonia from 4 to 5 June 2018.

A new online resource compiling
data reported by HELCOM countries on input of nutrients to the Baltic Sea has recently
been made available to the public. Hosted by the Baltic Nest Institute, the is now open to all and offers annual data on
nutrient loads collected by HELCOM pollution load compilations (PLC) since 1995. show that land-based pollution remains the major environmental pressure
on the Baltic Sea marine ecosystem. Land-based sources are responsible for the large
share of total discharges into the sea both nutrients and hazardous substances.Pollution load
compilations (PLC) are carried out by all HELCOM countries to evaluate and
quantify the amount of pollutants annually discharged from land into the sea.
The data is obtained from national monitoring programmes and reporting from
industries and municipal water works. Data on airborne
deposition of nitrogen and selected hazardous substances specifically provided
by  the
(EMEP) for the HELCOM area are published as (BSEFs).Another important HELCOM
work to help visualizing data on environmental pressures in the Baltic Sea region
is the (MADS). A new section is now specifically dedicated
to land-based sources of sea pollution. It contains several interactive
maps illustrating as well as distribution of in the Baltic Sea catchment area. It also maps
information on , location of and others.

A new online resource compiling data reported by HELCOM countries on input of nutrients to the Baltic Sea has recently been made available to the public.

​Agricultural
practices and their effects on the Baltic Sea were the main focus of the Sixth
Meeting of the (AGRI 6-2018) that was held at
the Ministry of Agriculture in Riga, Latvia from 15 to 16 May 2018. This HELCOM group consists of representatives from environmental
and agricultural national authorities and observer organizations from HELCOM
countries.According to recent
HELCOM assessments,
– caused by oversupply of nutrients mainly from land-based sources – remains a major
threat to the Baltic Sea environment. Earlier in March, the recognized agriculture as one of the main contributors
to the total input of nutrients into the Baltic Sea. The HELCOM countries
therefore committed to improve cooperation with the agricultural sector in the
Baltic Sea region. The
discussed various aspects of sustainable agricultural practices in the region
and measures to reduce nutrient inputs to the Baltic Sea environment. Among
them are smart nutrient management in agriculture, innovative water management
in rural areas, revitalization of wetlands and paludiculture – agriculture on
peatlands. The decision taken
by the group on drafting regional recommendation for the use of national manure
standards addressing nutrients in manure is an important step towards better
nutrient management in the agricultural sector. The key themes of
the meeting were (i) organization of the work on regional nutrient recycling
strategy and (ii) the revision of Part 2 of – the section about the prevention of pollution
from agriculture. The group agreed on the practical steps towards elaboration
of the regional nutrient recycling strategy by 2020 under the lead of Finland.
The group decided to establish an international drafting group for revision of Annex
III in accordance with the earlier agreed scope of the revision and with the
timeframe extending to 2020.Participants also
discussed possible reasons for growing ammonia emissions in the region reported
by
(EMEP). The group decided to take a closer look into measures to reduce these
emissions applied in the countries and potential to elaborate related regional
recommendations.Read the AGRI 6-2018
meeting outcome document .

Agricultural practices and their effects on the Baltic Sea were the main focus of the Sixth Meeting of the HELCOM Group on Sustainable Agricultural Practices (AGRI 6-2018) that was held at the Ministry of Agriculture in Riga, Latvia from 15 to 16 May 2018