A major Brussels conference ‘Healthy Oceans – Productive
Ecosystems ()’ opens today bringing together those working with or in
relation to the European marine environment, with sessions on marine indicators
to assess the status of the sea which is a traditional expertise area for
HELCOM. A key aim of the HOPE Conference is to discuss progress made over the
past 5 years since the adoption of the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive
(MSFD), the problems and the solutions for improved coherence and better marine
governance. The Directive has strong parallels with the HELCOM Baltic Sea
Action Plan (2007–2021), both having the same objective to achieve and maintain
the good environmental status of the marine environment by 2020/2021 ELCOM Professional Secretary Ulla Li Zweifel will represent
long HELCOM experience in common indicator work, by joining Round 1 parallel
session on Monitoring in the morning of 4 March. HELCOM core indicators are
common for all Contracting Parties and can be used to assess the state of the
entire Baltic Sea ecosystem, including its flora, fauna and habitats, as well
as pressures affecting the Sea such as hazardous substances (e.g. PCB) and
radioactive substances. The first HELCOM core sets of indicators is ready for
eutrophication, and since last year, for biodiversity and hazardous substances,
and the work continues to develop them further by 2015. he entire HOPE conference will be streamed live via on 3 and 4 March. Twitter hashtag: #HOPE4EUSEAS ote for editorsThe Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, usually
referred to as ,
is an intergovernmental organisation of the nine Baltic Sea coastal countries
and the European Union working to protect the marine environment of the Baltic
Sea from all sources of pollution and to ensure safety of navigation in the
region. Since 1974, HELCOM has governed the ‘Convention on the Protection of
the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area’, more commonly known as the
Helsinki Convention For further information, please contact:Ulla Li Zweifel
Professional Secretary
HELCOM
Tel: +358 46 850 9198
Skype: helcom64 E-mail: ullali.zweifel@helcom.fi
Johanna Laurila
Information Secretary
HELCOM
Tel: +358 40 523 8988
Skype: helcom70
E-mail:
A major Brussels conference ‘Healthy Oceans – Productive Ecosystems (HOPE)’ opens today, and is streamed live in its entirety.
