Category: MSP

The cooperation between HELCOM and the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) is expected to smoothen.  For the first time, a dedicated session with the representatives from relevant EUSBSR Priority Areas and Horizontal Actions was successfully organized as a part of this week’s of HELCOM Heads of Delegation representing all the Baltic coastal countries as well as the EU. The full meeting is now available online, listing all the issues addressed and decided on in the meeting for the benefit of the Baltic marine environment.Improving cooperation in practice was the key topic of HELCOM session with representatives from the EU Strategy for the Baltic sea Region. Photo: Dodik Putro.Concrete proposals on why and how to improve the synergies between HELCOM and EUSBSR have been listed in the meeting outcome. The shared goal would be to better communicate the policy directions and needs by HELCOM, which then can be met with and supported by the EUSBSR work and projects. The meeting recommended practical ways for better use of the expertise of HELCOM groups. Using the existing forums, co-chairing, back-to-back meetings, opportunity for involving Russian experts, and helping HELCOM countries in tapping into EU funding were also mentioned as practical solutions for more effective regional cooperation. The timing for the joint HELCOM-EUSBSR meeting was particularly adept, as the HELCOM streamlining process has been completed few months ago while the Action Plan of the EUSBSR is currently under revision, expecting launch at the Strategy’s Annual Forum in mid-June 2015. As per other results of the Heads of Delegation meeting, HELCOM “sub-hot spot” No. 18.1 “Construction of new sewer connections” was deleted, concerning the waste water treatment system of St. Petersburg. A large-scale environmental project for the construction of the northern tunnel collector of the city of five million inhabitants was finalized in October 2013, preventing the discharge of untreated waste water into the Neva River by approximately 122 million m3 per year. Since then, 98.4% of waste water has been estimated as adequately treated in St. Petersburg. HELCOM originally included 162 of the region’s significant sources of pollution, out of which over two thirds have since been mitigated.   Adequate reception for passenger ships was also negotiated by the Meeting, being part of the larger process of complying with the Baltic’s status as a sewage special area as decided by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) in 2011. The consultations for a joint notification on the adequacy of ports’ reception facilities will continue via correspondence early next year. The meeting was held on 9-10 December 2014 and it was chaired by the current Estonian Chair of HELCOM, Mr. Harry Liiv. ..  * * * Note for editorsThe European Union Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region () is the first macro-regional strategy in Europe. It aims at reinforcing cooperation within this large region in order to face several challenges by working together as well as promoting a more balanced development in the area. The Strategy also contributes to major EU policies and reinforces the integration within the area. The (HOD) of HELCOM usually meet few times a year. While the Annual Meeting of HELCOM remains the Commission’s highest decision-making body, the Heads of Delegation have a relatively high authority over most major issues.  The working structure of HELCOM, supported and administered by the Secretariat, comprises of the Helsinki Commission, the Heads of Delegation, and eight main working groups, together with tens of expert groups, correspondence groups and projects. The Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, usually referred to as , is an intergovernmental organization 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 been the governing body of the ‘Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area’, more commonly known as the Helsinki Convention. * * * For more information, please contact:Johanna Laurila Information Secretary HELCOM Tel: +358 40 523 8988 Skype: helcom70 E-mail: johanna.laurila(at)helcom.fi​

For the first time, a dedicated session with the representatives from relevant EUSBSR areas was organized as a part of this week’s meeting of HELCOM Heads of Delegation.

​The regional for maritime spatial planning (MSP), first adopted in the 2013 HELCOM Ministerial Meeting, is today further pushed for implementation by the eleven member states of the Vision and Strategies around the Baltic Sea (VASAB), hosting its 8th in Tallinn, Estonia. The MSP roadmap covering the period 2013–2020 is a key result of the joint HELCOM-VASAB working group on maritime spatial planning, operational since 2009.  The of HELCOM in the Conference was given by the Chair, Harry Liiv, referring to the decades’ long knowledge in HELCOM on marine ecosystems, maritime and land activities and their impacts on the Baltic Sea. “During the 40 year lifth VASAB Ministerial Conference 2014.   * * *Note for editorsVision and Strategies around the Baltic Sea () is an intergovernmental co-operation of ministers responsible for spatial planning and development of Belarus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, the Russian Federation and Sweden. VASAB is part of the network of the Council of the Baltic Sea States. The Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, usually referred to as , is an intergovernmental organization 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 been the governing body of 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:

Hermanni
BackerProfessional
Secretary for Maritime, Response and Maritime Spatial PlanningHELCOMTel:  +358 46 8509199Skype:
helcom02E-mail:
hermanni.backer(at)helcom.fi Johanna
LaurilaInformation
SecretaryHELCOMTel: +358
40 523 8988Skype:
helcom70E-mail:
johanna.laurila(at)helcom.fi

The regional roadmap for maritime spatial planning (MSP), first adopted in the 2013 HELCOM Ministerial Meeting, is today further pushed for implementation

Estonia has released its for the 2-year of the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, also known as Helsinki Commission or , which officially began one week ago. The main components addressed in the new Chairmanship priorities are pollution management; planning, management and marine protected areas; as well as assessment of environmental status and information. The nominated new Chairman is Harry Liiv, the Deputy Secretary General of the Ministry of the Environment of Estonia.  Improved plans in water management and rural development for more effective        nutrient reduction, as well as reducing the impact of hazardous substances are parts of the overall first priority of pollution management.  Moreover, drawing up a joint regional action plan on reducing marine litter in 2015 at the latest, as was agreed by the region’s countries in the 2013 Ministerial Declaration, is listed as a priority.  Other priorities for the next two years include the use, conservation and protection of the Baltic Sea regional coastal and marine areas; further work for well arranged network of marine protected areas; as well as developing of ecosystem based management principles for fish stock and other environmental resources. Monitoring of high standards, reliable data and indicator work form the third pillar of the Estonian priorities, as well as the implementation of HELCOM communication strategy adopted last spring. “I am looking forward to the labour-intensive season of fully putting into practice the plentiful Ministerial commitments from October 2013, in the path of reaching a Baltic Sea in good environmental status. There are important deadlines ahead especially concerning HELCOM monitoring programme and guidelines, as well as the major effort to describe the status of the entire Baltic Sea in the 2nd HELCOM holistic assessment”, says the new HELCOM Chairman, Mr. Harry Liiv.   “In general terms, 2014 is a major year for Estonia with regards to regional cooperation thus providing concrete opportunities for even deeper synergies. In addition to the HELCOM Chairmanship, this month Estonia has assumed the yearly presidency of the Council of the Baltic Sea. For the whole calendar year Estonia is leading the Nordic-Baltic cooperation (NB8), the Baltic Council of Ministers as well as the Baltic Assembly”, says Harry Liiv.   Mr. Harry Liiv has succeeded Ms. Helle Pilsgaard of Denmark, who chaired the Helsinki Commission in 2012–2014. The Chairmanship of HELCOM rotates between the Baltic Sea coastal countries and the European Union according to the alphabetical order every two years. Mr. Liiv will lead, as the Chairman, the work of HELCOM up until 30 June 2016.  the document HELCOM priorities during the Estonian Chairmanship. * * *Note for editors:The 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.HELCOM is the governing body of the “Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area,” more usually known as the Helsinki Convention, from 1974. * * *For further information, please contact:Johanna LaurilaInformation SecretaryHELCOMTel: +358 40 523 8988E-mail:  Pille RõivasPublic Relations CouncellorMinistry of the Environment of EstoniaTel: +372 626 2811, +372 506 4608E-mail:

Estonian priorities for the 2-year HELCOM Chairmanship also cover pollution management, improving the network of marine protected areas and data reliability, among others.

New approaches for sharing and creating data on maritime spatial planning () have been discussed by the representatives of organizations and initiatives in the Baltic Sea region in a targeted session at this week’s Baltic Maritime Spatial Planning in Riga, Latvia. The session was moderated by Project Coordinator Manuel Frias from HELCOM Secretariat.Session “e-MSP: Data needs for proper maritime planning” by Manuel Frias, HELCOM. Photo: Jonas Pålsson. “There is still much to do in the field of regional data exchange concerning the Baltic Sea even if this activity has been going on for over 100 years, and within HELCOM since the last 40 years. Today’s discussions show that the approach of HELCOM of favouring links to the original data providers via Web Map Service (WMS) and other GIS software tools improves the flow of MSP data in the Baltic Sea area. This approach helps to avoid any outdated data, a risk when copying data to a centralized database,” says Frias.  HELCOM, the co-leader with Vision and Strategies around the Baltic Sea () of Horizontal Action “Spatial Planning” in the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, has recently opened a to facilitate regional data exchange and browsing.  The Baltic Maritime Spatial Planning Forum takes place on 17-18 June 2014 and it is organized by Project, VASAB, as well as the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (), Swedish for Marine and Water Management and the of Environmental Protection and Regional Development of Latvia.  * * *Note for editors:HELCOM has created thematic and targeted on maritime spatial planning (MSP) in the Baltic Sea region, ensuring improved access to GIS and other related data. The new MSP map and data service has been developed with EU funds as a part of HELCOM’s task to implement the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region () Horizontal Action (HA) for which HELCOM is the co-leader with the Vision and Strategies around the Baltic Sea (VASAB). In addition, completed activities include the Regional Baltic maritime spatial planning (MSP) 2013–2020 adopted last year at the HELCOM Ministerial Meeting. The Roadmap is a concrete set of next steps for MSP in the region, also innovating for new ways to better include fishing and the fisheries sector to MSP. These activities have been carried out under HELCOM HORIZON Project. The Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, usually referred to as , is an intergovernmental organization 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 been the governing body of 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:Manuel FriasProject CoordinatorHELCOMTel: +358 46 850 9209 Skype: helcom23E-mail: manuel.frias(at)helcom.fi Hermanni BackerProfessional Secretary of Maritime, Response, and Maritime spatial planning HELCOM Tel:  +358 46 8509199 Skype: helcom02 E-mail: hermanni.backer(at)helcom.fiJohanna LaurilaInformation SecretaryHELCOMTel: +358 40 523 8988Skype: helcom70E-mail: johanna.laurila(at)helcom.fi

New approaches for sharing and creating data on maritime spatial planning have been discussed in a targeted session today in Riga, Latvia.

​Future implementation of the European Union (EU) Directive on Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) in the Baltic Sea region as well as exchange of MSP data are among the main topics of the of the MSP of Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission () and Vision and Strategies around the Baltic Sea (), closing today in Riga, Latvia. The EU member states of the Baltic Sea region will soon face the implementation of the MSP Directive after its final adoption by the Council of the European Union, anticipated to take place on 23 July 2014. The joint HELCOM-VASAB MSP Working Group, active since 2010, is ready to ensure the regional coherence of such implementation activities.  Efficient exchange of geographical data is a prerequisite of regionally coherent implementation of the EU Directive as well as the regional commitments agreed within HELCOM and VASAB. Today’s Meeting suggests a regional correspondence group on MSP data to support the updating and creation of regional datasets for MSP.  * * *Note for editors:According to the United Nations, maritime spatial planning (MSP) is “a public process of analyzing and allocating the spatial and temporal distribution of human activities in marine areas to achieve ecological, economic, and social objectives that usually have been specified through a political process.”  HELCOM has for years been in the forefront of MSP in the Baltic Sea and within the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, HELCOM leads with VASAB the Horizontal Action: Spatial Planning (full title: Encouraging the use of Maritime and Land-based Spatial Planning in all Member States around the Baltic Sea and develop a common approach for cross-border cooperation). HELCOM Ministerial Meeting adopted last year the .  * * *The Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, usually referred to as , is an intergovernmental organization 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 been the governing body of 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:Hermanni Backer Professional Secretary of Maritime, Response, and Maritime spatial planning HELCOM Tel:  +358 46 8509199 Skype: helcom02 E-mail: hermanni.backer@helcom.fiJohanna Laurila Information Secretary HELCOM Tel: +358 40 523 8988 Skype: helcom70 E-mail: johanna.laurila@helcom.fi

Future implementation of the EU Directive on Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) in the Baltic Sea region as well as exchange of MSP data are among the main topics in HELCOM-VASAB Meeting.

​The 35th Annual Meeting of closed yesterday evening after reviewing the current and relevant key issues related to regional policy-making on Baltic marine environment.  The Annual Meeting, involving HELCOM member parties which consist of all the Baltic coastal nations and the EU, is the highest decision-making body of HELCOM and explores the yearly developments concerning eutrophication, hazardous substances, biodiversity and maritime activities. This year’s Meeting started with a special festive flavor with the 40th Anniversary celebrating the signing of the 1974 Helsinki Convention, providing the basis for HELCOM work.  The Meeting decided yesterday on necessary steps in order to develop a Regional Action Plan on marine litter by 2015, as agreed by the Ministerial Meeting last October. Marine litter is a broad and critical concern and the Action Plan will form a regional strategy on how to deal with it in a comprehensive way. The Plan will be developed based on information on sources and amounts of marine litter, and it aims to include concrete measures to minimize the presence of marine litter in the Baltic Sea. Its development will be organized through regional workshops and with close involvement of the Contracting Parties. The proposed working plan utilizes the experience from preparing the Regional Action Plan for the North-East Atlantic within OSPAR. Another key topic in the extensive Meeting agenda was the major overhaul of the HELCOM Recommendation on coastal and marine Baltic Sea protected areas. Such protected areas are essential for maintaining biodiversity and ensuring the versatility of ecosystems. The previous similar document, HELCOM Recommendation , was adopted 20 years ago, and the Contracting Parties now agreed on the main changes in the Recommendation with only small aspects pending confirmation shortly. The main reasons for creating the new Recommendation have been the need to update the selection criteria of the marine protected areas, also concerning the newly Red-listed habitats and species; to establish a new database and ensure it is updated; and to re-assess the criteria for both ecological coherence and management aspects. Furthermore, to help reduce harmful nutrients in the Baltic Sea, the Meeting decided in principal to submit a notification on improved sewage reception facilities in Baltic ports to the International Maritime Organization (). Such a submission to IMO meeting will trigger an enforcement of ban on sewage discharges from passenger ships according to the special areas status of the Baltic Sea under the IMO MARPOL convention, which Baltic has been granted as the first sea area in the world following the HELCOM-led process.  An overview on current availability of port reception facilities for passenger vessels’ sewage, as well as on passenger traffic trends, are about to be published on HELCOM website. Almost 40 years of successful marine protection of HELCOM has been achieved through constant self-reflection. Yesterday the 35th Annual Meeting endorsed a plan for major deliverables by the organization until 2021 as well as agreed to implement a number of measures for a modernized HELCOM. The new, more streamlined working structure for HELCOM main operational bodies was to a large extent completed, to better reflect the current environmental challenges and obligations of the Contracting Parties. HELCOM will pay more attention in the future to better communicating scientific and technical outcomes to decision-makers as well as the general public.  The 35th meeting was chaired by Helle Pilsgaard, Chair of HELCOM. All Meeting documents can be accessed in  * * *Note for editors:The 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 been the governing body of the ‘Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area’, more commonly known as the Helsinki Convention.For more information, please contact:Johanna Laurila Information Secretary HELCOM Tel: +358 40 523 8988 Skype: helcom70 E-mail:  

Work starts on Baltic marine litter action plan and other current key issues reviewed on Baltic environmental policies.

​The actions in immediate future for more coherent Baltic spatial planning are in key focus in the regular of HELCOM and Visions and Strategies around the Baltic Sea (VASAB), starting today in Riga, Latvia. The work plan discussed in the 2-day Meeting will help implement the recent for regional maritime spatial planning (MSP) 2013–2020, adopted by the 2013 HELCOM Copenhagen . The two organisations, having co-led Horizontal Action on Spatial Planning for 3 years, have a stable working procedure by e.g. hosting biannual working group meetings. Another central topic in the Meeting is the preparations for the on 26 September 2014, in Tallinn, Estonia.  The Meeting will be co-chaired by the Working Group Co-Chairs Ms. Anita Mäkinen, Finland, and Mr. Andrzej Cieślak, Poland.  * * *Note for editors:A joint co-chaired on Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP), launched in October 2010, works to ensure cooperation among the Baltic Sea region countries for coherent regional MSP processes. The co-chairs are and the Vision and Strategies around the Baltic Sea (), which also co-lead the Horizontal Action ‘Spatial Planning’ of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region. The Working Group facilitates the follow-up of Regional Baltic Maritime Spatial Planning Roadmap 2013–2020, with the aim to draw up and apply maritime spatial plans throughout the Baltic Sea Region which are coherent across borders and apply the ecosystem approach. The 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 been the governing body of the ‘Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area’, more commonly known as the Helsinki Convention. For further information:Hermanni BackerProfessional Secretary for Response, Maritime and Maritime Spatial PlanningHELCOMTel: +358 (0)46 850 9199Fax: +358 (0)207 412 645E-mail: hermanni.backer@helcom.fiSkype: helcom02 Johanna LaurilaInformation SecretaryHELCOMTel: +358 (0)40 523 8988Fax: +358 (0)207 412 639E-mail: johanna.laurila@helcom.fiSkype: helcom70

The work plan discussed in the 2-day HELCOM-VASAB meeting will help implement the Roadmap for MSP 2013–2020.

In May 2013 the HELCOM Secretariat received an unexpected email from Vietnam, asking for permission to translate the book “Planning the Bothnian Sea” to Vietnamese. The book, the final report of a HELCOM-led project on planning the future of the offshore Bothnian Sea, a part of northern Baltic Sea situated between Åland Islands and the Quark (Umeå-Vasa), had been released a year earlier. The initiative has been part of HELCOMs efforts to develop transboundary ecosystem based maritime spatial planning (MSP) in the region in cooperation with VASAB, another regional organization.Even if the book had already received international recognition for its substance and particularly for its design, most of the attention so far had been European. We were charmed by this sudden overseas interest and naturally replied positively.Five months later, in October 2013, we were quite astonished when we received an email with a complete Vietnamese version of the book. Every single word and graph on the 153 original pages had been meticulously translated by Department of Sustainable Development and Response to Climate Change at the Hanoi-based . The effort and devotion that our distant colleagues had spent on our publication exceeded all our expectations. .After the initial excitement had worn off we quickly developed a curiosity on the purpose behind the translation. To find out more we decided to ask one of the Vietnamese translators, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Hai, some questions about why they thought it worthwhile to make the book, about planning in a far-away northern sea, available also to Vietnamese readers.Please find the full interview at .***For more information:Mr. Hermanni BackerProfessional SecretaryBaltic Marine Environment Protection Commission

Every single word and graph on the 153 original pages had been meticulously translated.

The Ministers of the Environment and High-Level Representatives of the nine Baltic coastal countries and the European Union, convened in a HELCOM Meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark today, have reached an agreement on a package of extensive actions and measures. This will open up new themes to be addressed in the protection of the Baltic Sea. After a year of negotiations, the new HELCOM Ministerial outcome expresses the ambition of the Baltic Sea region to become a model for good management of human activities and to steer regional actions for reaching a healthier marine environment for the Baltic Sea.  Today the Ministerial Meeting has adopted an overarching scheme for combatting eutrophication in the Baltic Sea. Within the scheme, each country commits to fulfil particular targets for reducing nutrient pollution, through measures addressing discharges and emissions from land and via air. The updated targets represent the best available knowledge and give guidance to sharing responsibility for reducing nutrient inputs originating from both HELCOM and non-HELCOM countries, as well as from shipping and sources outside the region.  Agriculture was singled out as a crucial sector for the success of reaching good environmental status of the Baltic. Regarding sustainable agricultural production, the Meeting agreed, among others, on measures that include annual nutrient accounting at farm level and environmentally sound utilization of manure nutrients to be achieved by the specific deadlines.  The future designation of the Baltic Sea as a Nitrogen Oxide Emission Control Area (NECA) under the MARPOL Convention of the International Maritime Organisation emerged as the main topic for negotiations among the Ministers. After lengthy negotiations the Meeting concluded by recalling the earlier commitment regarding the designation, and specified that it would lead to a reduction of nearly 7000 tons of nitrogen to the sea every year. The outcome further stresses that the achievement of the Baltic Sea unaffected by eutrophication relies on additional reduction efforts by shipping sector. The regional cooperation on preparedness and response to pollution especially on shoreline will now improve thanks to the adoption of an amendment to the Helsinki Convention providing the legal basis for HELCOM work. Furthermore, the new HELCOM Recommendation on airborne surveillance of illegal spills from ships enables more flexible border crossings of the patrol aircrafts, for more efficient gathering of evidence on environmental offenses.   The new Declaration also contains actions on Baltic marine protected areas. Some of them target fisheries practices with negative impacts in protected areas and others overall upgrading of the network of the areas. Furthermore, conservation plans for species, habitats and biotopes which are at risk of extinction will be developed.  New ways of biodiversity protection include a regional action plan for marine litter, to be developed within two years, as well as actions on negative impacts of underwater noise.  The Contracting Parties agreed that the implementation of all commitments in the declaration will be continuously reviewed by the Ministers. To support the continuous assessment of the state of the sea, the Meeting agreed on a new Monitoring and Assessment Strategy. Since the adoption of the Baltic Sea Action Plan in 2007, this is the second Ministerial Meeting, following the Ministerial Meeting in Moscow in 2010, to assess the effectiveness of the Action Plan and subsequent progress towards good environmental status of the Baltic Sea.  Out of all the measures and actions agreed in the Baltic Sea Action Plan as well as following up the 2010 Ministerial Declaration, about one third of agreed actions have been accomplished. Six out of ten measures have been partly accomplished or are still on-going with varying degree of implementation in different countries, and the remaining ten per cent are still to be initiated. * * *Reduction targets Changes in the country-wise nutrient reduction targets for nitrogen and phosphorus per country: 2007 – as in HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Pla2013 – as adopted by the HELCOM Ministerial Meeting on 3 October 2013* = figures after ‘+’ refer to loads originating from the country but being discharged to the Sea via another country; additional specific footnotes to the above table can be found in the text of the Ministerial Declaration * * *Note for editors:The Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, usually referred to as , is an intergovernmental organization of the nine Baltic Sea coastal countries and the European Union. HELCOM has worked since 1974 to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution and to ensure safety of navigation in the region. HELCOM is the governing body of the “Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area,” more usually known as the Helsinki Convention. Associated documents for the Ministerial Meeting at:   * * *For further information, please contact:Johanna LaurilaInformation SecretaryHELCOMTel: +358 40 523 8988E-mail: Skype: helcom70 

The new HELCOM Ministerial outcome, issued today, expresses the ambition of the Baltic Sea region to become a model…