HELCOM’s eight main groups implement policies and strategies and propose issues for discussion at the meetings of the Heads of Delegations, where decisions are made.
The five permanent groups address different aspects of HELCOM’s work:
Group on the Implementation of the Ecosystem Approach (Gear)
Maritime Working Group (Maritime)
Working Group on Reduction of Pressures from the Baltic Sea Catchment Area (Pressure)
Response Working Group (Response)
Working Group on the State of the Environment and Nature Conservation (State and Conservation)
The following time-limited groups complement the work of the permanent groups:
Group on Sustainable Agricultural Practices (Agri)
Group on Ecosystem-based Sustainable Fisheries (Fish)
Joint HELCOM-VASAB Maritime Spatial Planning Working Group (HELCOM-VASAB MSP WG)
Please see here the progress of the work of HELCOM main groups as well as expert and correspondence groups during 2017.
The revision of the HELCOM main groups was completed in September 2014 – click here for the summary slides and longer outcome