Category: HELCOM

The Helsinki Commission has approved the deletion of the five remaining municipal HELCOM Hot Spots (main pollution sites) in Poland. These hot spots included the municipal wastewater treatment plants in Katowice, Gliwice, Bytom, Łódź and Wrocław.

On March 28, 2025, the Helsinki Commission confirmed the deletion of these sites from the list after reviewing and approving a report submitted by the State Water Holding Polish Waters.

Poland has made significant progress in municipal wastewater treatment, particularly through the implementation of the National Programme for Municipal Wastewater Treatment. The previous deletion of Polish hot spots took place in 2015, when the modernization of wastewater treatment plants in Warsaw, Poznań and Kraków were completed.

“We are very gratified by this Polish success story, which testifies to the overall success of the work on hot spots under the Baltic Sea Joint Comprehensive Environmental Action Programme (JCP), initiated in 1992,” notes HELCOM Executive Secretary Rüdiger Strempel.

The 2021 Baltic Sea Action Plan saw the countries around the Baltic Sea renew their commitment to eliminating the remaining hot spots identified under the JCP (Action HT23).

“On behalf of Polish Waters, I would like to thank all national and international partners involved for the cooperation that led to this important achievement. It is the result of consistent investment, infrastructure modernisation, and joint efforts to protect the Baltic Sea, as well as clear proof of effective international collaboration in the Baltic Sea region”, states Deputy President of State Holding Polish Waters Mrs. Alicja Michalik-Kucińska.

Overall, there are only 35 sites left from the original 162 significant pollution points identified in the Baltic Sea catchment area. Currently only nine municipal hot spots remain on the HELCOM hot spot list, located in Latvia (2), Russia (2), Belarus (3), Ukraine (1) and the Czech Republic (1).

To delete the remaining hot spots from the list, it must be demonstrated that they meet the regionally defined criteria, in this case regarding the quality of the treated wastewater and its impact on the surface water downstream. For municipal wastewater treatment plants, this includes compliance with HELCOM Recommendation 28/E on municipal wastewater treatment. This recommendation sets parameters for five-day biological oxygen demand (BOD5), total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP). Additionally, compliance with HELCOM Recommendation 38/1 on sewage sludge handling is required.

Above: A map of HELCOM Hot Spots.

About HELCOM Hot Spots

The HELCOM Hot Spot list was established in 1992 by the Helsinki Commission to draw attention to the most important sources of pollution affecting the quality of the Baltic Sea waters. Among them there were large agglomerations with insufficient wastewater management (municipal point sources), industrial areas and areas of intensive agriculture. Under the Helsinki Convention, Contracting Parties of are obliged to take action to remove hot spots from the list. Deletion of a Hot Spot requires proof that effective measures have been taken in the area, the hot spot’s environmental impact has been eliminated, and that the contaminated areas have been remediated.

Contact

Eeva Nyyssönen
Communication Secretary
eeva.nyyssonen@helcom.fi

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has been granted observer status to the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM), marking a significant milestone in enhancing collaboration for marine conservation in the Baltic Sea region.

This development fulfills a commitment made by IUCN President Razan Al Mubarak during HELCOM’s 50th anniversary celebration in 2024, where she announced IUCN’s intention to apply for observer status.

IUCN’s application was approved by the 3rd Informal Consultation Session of the Helsinki Commission in March.

HELCOM currenty has 67 observers actively engaged in protecting the Baltic Sea, including:

• 2 governments 
• 20 intergovernmental organizations (IGOs)
• 45 international non-governmental organizations (NGOs)

As observers, these entities are invited to participate in the meetings of various HELCOM bodies and are permitted to make statements. Additionally, HELCOM may extend invitations to non-member states of the Helsinki Convention to attend its meetings.

Read the announcement on the IUCN website

Contact

Eeva Nyyssönen
Communication Secretary
eeva.nyyssonen@helcom.fi

The Baltic Sea Action Plan Fund has opened a new call for proposals aiming to improve the ecological state oThe Baltic Sea Action Plan Fund has opened a call for proposals, providing a funding opportunity for projects addressing key challenges facing the Baltic Sea. The fund can finance projects with the objectives and activities outlined in the Baltic Sea Action Plan to commercial or non-commercial partners for projects in the Baltic Sea region and its catchment area. Proposals will be accepted until 18 April.

The Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) Fund is an early-stage financing mechanism dedicated to expediting the implementation of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan, which includes 200 concrete actions to be carried out by 2030, with the ultimate goal of creating a healthier Baltic Sea.

The BSAP Fund has now opened a new call for proposals, providing a funding opportunity for projects that address key challenges facing the Baltic Sea. New project proposals will be accepted until 18 April.

Financing can be awarded to commercial or non-commercial actors for projects in the Baltic Sea Region and its catchment area for demonstration purposes, project preparation and development, project implementation and institutional support. Applicants and projects that have previously received funding from the BSAP Fund are also eligible to apply. Read more about the application process and eligibility criteria and find the application form on nefco.int/BSAP.

Concrete projects supporting the Baltic Sea Action Plan

Since the establishment of the BSAP Fund in 2010, contributions from Finland and Sweden have totalled EUR 15 million, enabling the Fund to finance more than 70 projects. During the Fund’s 2023 financing round, EUR 1 million was granted for ten new projects to improve the health of the Baltic Sea.

Sectors financed by the BSAP Fund must address one or several areas highlighted in the Action Plan, including biodiversity, eutrophication, hazardous substances, sea-based activities and the elimination of HELCOM Hotspots.

How to apply for funding

• Visit nefco.int/BSAP and read the eligibility criteria
• Download the application form and fill in your project proposal
• Send your application to bsapfund@nefco.int by 18 April 2025

If you have questions regarding the application process or the eligibility criteria, you can contact bsapfund@nefco.int

About the Baltic Sea Action Plan Fund

The aim of the Baltic Sea Action Plan Fund is to help fund concrete projects, large or small, initialise promising solutions that can be scaled up, regardless of national borders. Since its establishment, the fund has financed over 70 projects. Currently, 15 projects are ongoing and 59 have been completed. These projects are spread out across the Baltic Sea watershed, including in Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden. The Baltic Sea Action Plan Fund is co-managed by Nefco – the Nordic Green Bank – and the Nordic Investment Bank and funded by the governments of Finland and Sweden.

For further information about the BSAP Fund, please contact:

Dennis Hamro-Drotz, BSAP Fund Manager/Senior Programme Manager, Nefco
dennis.hamro-drotz@nefco.int, +358 10 6180 641

Read more on nefco.int/BSAP

HELCOM has officially launched its first data call for PROTECT BALTIC, inviting stakeholders to share crucial biotic, abiotic, and supporting data on the Baltic region. This initiative aims to boost protection efforts and improve strategic planning.

HELCOM is seeking information on a large number of parameters which make up the Baltic Sea ecosystem, including benthic species, birds, bottom organic matter content, chlorophyll-a concentration, dissolved organic matter, fish and decapod crustacean species, hypoxia, sediment maps, sedimentation accumulation rates, fish spawning and nursery areas, and turbidity.

The collected data will be used to update models for both abiotic and biotic parameters, such as species and habitat distribution, as well as mapping ecosystem functions and services.

The deadline for submitting all relevant and up-to-date data, complete with metadata, is 31 March 2024.

All national data collected will be amalgamated into a Baltic-wide dataset, aligning with HELCOM’s commitment to open accessibility in line with its data and information strategy.

The underlying unrestricted data will be made publicly available through the HELCOM Map and Data service and/or HELCOM Biodiversity database, ensuring transparency and facilitating the replicability of assessments.

Contact

Kimmo Koivumäki
GIS Data Specialist for PROTECT BALTIC

kimmo.koivumaki@helcom.fi

+358 44 7071 801

After several years in the making, HOLAS 3 thematic assessments on the state of the Baltic Sea have been published, covering the period of 2016–2021. The thematic assessments are part of the third HELCOM holistic assessment (HOLAS 3), providing a holistic view of the Baltic Sea ecosystem health. 

The holistic approach highlights the interconnectedness of various environmental factors and their impact on the ecosystem. The five assessment reports each focus on a specific topic, addressing the state of biodiversity, environmental pressures, eutrophication, and the relationship between humanity and nature. The findings offer valuable insights for policymakers, scientists, and stakeholders alike.

The results of HOLAS 3 have been published in stages, commencing in March 2023, and the process will culminate in the publication of the summary report State of the Baltic Sea, expected at the end of October 2023.

A comprehensive holistic assessment on the state of the Baltic Sea is conducted once every six years. The reports result from collaborative efforts among HELCOM member states, scientific experts, and organizations dedicated to the protection of the Baltic Sea. They serve as a cornerstone of HELCOM’s work and policymaking, assisting in the monitoring of the implementation and the effectiveness of the Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP).

Thematic assessments 2023

HELCOM Thematic assessment of economic and social analyses 2016-2021

HELCOM Thematic assessment of spatial distribution of pressures and impacts 2016-2021

HELCOM Thematic assessment of hazardous substances, marine litter, underwater noise and non-indigenous species 2016-2021

HELCOM Thematic assessment of biodiversity 2016-2021 (Main report compressed)

HELCOM Thematic assessment of eutrophication 2016-2021

HELCOM Annual Report 2022 has been published. The report provides a comprehensive overview of our activities, including the achievements and challenges in the 17 different areas HELCOM works on.

In 2022, these included Species and habitats, Spatial conservation and MPAs, Agriculture, Nutrients, Hazardous substances, Marine litter, Dredging and seabed, Underwater noise, Shipping, Response to spills, Submerged hazards, Fisheries, Maritime spatial planning, Climate change, Economy and society, Monitoring and assessment as well as International processes.

The major events of the year for HELCOM included the strategic pause, change of chairmanship, and the preparations for holistic assessments of the state of the Baltic Sea (HOLAS 3).    

“At the beginning of 2022, COVID-19 gradually seemed to abate and, after two years of working in pandemic mode, hopes within HELCOM – as elsewhere – ran high that this might be the first relatively “normal” year since 2019. It was not. Inevitably, the current geopolitical crisis also seriously impacted our organization. However, it did not bring HELCOM to a standstill. Rather, new mechanisms for the work of the Commission were established, enabling continuity of operations.”

Rüdiger Strempel, Executive Secretary of HELCOM

Download the full report here.

This year’s Baltic Stakeholder Conference (BSC2023) was held last week on 9 March 2023, with the aim of harvesting ideas from stakeholders around the sea – and beyond – for accelerating the implementation of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan.

More than 200 participants from the public, the private and nonprofit sectors all sharing an interest in achieving a healthy Baltic Sea registered for the online event.

The programme included presentations and discussions on awareness raising, municipal level implementation, private sector cooperation and financing, encouraging the participants to brainstorm outside-the-box solutions for both long-standing and emerging challenges.

The online event was hosted by Latvia, which currently holds the chairmanship of HELCOM.

All presentations given at the conference as well as the memo including the session summaries are available on the BSC2023 website.

As of 1 July 2022, Latvia will be the Chair of HELCOM until 30 June 2024. The chairmanship rotates between Contracting Parties every two years, in alphabetical order.

Ms Evija Šmite, Deputy Director General and the Director of Fisheries Control Department, State Environmental Service of Latvia starts as the new Chair of HELCOM. She has worked on matters regarding marine environment protection and fisheries control in the public administration of Latvia since 1997.

The priorities of the Latvian Chairmanship will focus on:

1. HELCOM as an effective and well-functioning organisation of regional cooperation which is capable of action, including in unforeseen and force majeure situations.
2. Implementation of the updated Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP 2021), with particular attention paid to:
   1. protection of marine biodiversity
   2. advancing ecosystem based sustainable marine management by integration of environmental objectives with socio-economic goals
3. Strengthening the role of regional cooperation in the context of international ocean governance. 

Read more here about the Latvian priorities for HELCOM in 2022-2024.

Ms. Ilona Mendzina has been selected as the Vice-Chair. She is the Deputy Director of the Nature Protection Department, and the Head of Species and Habitats Protection Division of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development.

A new HELCOM leaflet summarizing German chairmanship

Coincidingly, a leaflet on current HELCOM work and to celebrate the conclusion of the German Chairmanship, ending on 30 June 2022, is now free for downloading in our website:

The success of the Baltic Sea region in nominating Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and the emerging plans regarding Other Effective Conservation Measures (OECMs) will be in key focus in a side event on 30 June 2022, taking place during the UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon, Portugal.

The aim is to present marine protection as a concrete example of the instrumental role of the regional sea conventions in implementing Sustainable Development Goal 14 – Life under water – in particular and other global commitments in general, at the macro-regional and sea-basin levels.

The side event will present HELCOM’s Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) 2021–2030 as a best practice example for an ecosystem-based approach to marine management from science to action. The BSAP provides concrete tools for reaching the regional commitments, such as the establishment of a coherent MPA network, and the “30/10 target” referring to the expansion aim of the MPA coverage to 30 % of the Baltic Sea, with one third being strictly protected. The latter has a straight link to processes under Convention on Biological Diversity as well as the EU Biodiversity Strategy.

In addition to MPAs, the event focuses on the areas that are achieving the effective in-situ conservation of biodiversity outside of protected areas, so called Other Effective Conservation Measures (OECMs), as referred to in Aichi Target 11 of the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD).

Main organizers of the event are the Ministries of the Environment of Estonia and Germany (HELCOM Chair).

UN Ocean Conference, postponed due to the covid pandemic, will be held in Lisbon, Portugal. from 27 June until 1 July, 2022.

Please find here more information about the event and stay tuned for updates.

The implementation of the Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) and the next Holistic Assessment of the Baltic Sea were some of the key topics on which the HELCOM decision makers advanced during their fall meeting, the 61st Meeting of the Heads of Delegation (HOD 61-2021), held online from 8 to 9 December 2021.

To facilitate the implementation of the 2021 BSAP, several measures were agreed on at HOD 61-2022, including the preparation of a technical guidance document and the review of the structure of HELCOM. Planning of the implementation of the BSAP actions has already started in some of the main HELCOM groups.

Also related to the BSAP, the decision makers agreed on the implementation procedures and prioritization of actions regarding the Revised Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter (RAP ML), which is the main instrument for achieving the BSAP’s objectives on marine litter. A workshop on the RAP ML implementation is planned for April 2022.

Following its approval at HOD 61-2022, a project on strengthening the HELCOM framework on hazardous substances will start in July 2022 for a duration of 18 months. The project will notably develop an action plan for HELCOM work on hazardous substances by 2024, as provided for in the hazardous substances and litter segment of the 2021 BSAP. More broadly, the project will also support further HELCOM assessment work.

At HOD 61-2022, the HELCOM decision makers also ensured that the Third Holistic Assessment of the Baltic Sea (HOLAS 3) remains on track, in particular by approving the updated workplan, numerous additional indicators to be used in the assessment, and the organization of several workshops in early 2022 to facilitate the assessment process.

One of the pillars of HELCOM work and policy making, the HELCOM Holistic Assessments provide a comprehensive overview of the ecosystem health of the entire Baltic Sea over a specific time span. The third Holistic Assessment of the Baltic Sea (HOLAS 3) covers the assessment period 2016–2021. The results of HOLAS 3 are expected to be published in 2023. The next HOLAS assessments will also serve to keep track of the implementation and the effectiveness of the BSAP.

Several HELCOM recommendations were also endorsed during the meeting, with a final adoption expected at the next meeting of the Helsinki Commission in March of next year. In addition, the terms of reference for several HELCOM bodies were also updated or approved. 

The organization of several events was also approved during the meeting, such as the joint HELCOM and Baltic Earth Stakeholder Conference (HSC2022), which will be dedicated to climate change and is slated to be held online on 9–10 March 2022

• Read the HOD 61-2021 outcome
• See the meeting documents