Policy recommendations (en)

Baltic Sea Parliamentary ConferenceWorking Group on EutrophicationAdoptedby the 16th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference28 August 2007 in BerlinPolicy RecommendationsContextWith a rise in both the volume and the number of instances of abnormal algae growth in manyareas of the Baltic Sea, eutrophication is an increasingly visible phenomenon. Caused byexcessive nutrient input of nitrogen and phosphorous, eutrophication constitutes a seriousthreat to not only the environment and biodiversity of the Baltic Sea, but also to tourism, tofisheries and to recreation in and around the affected waters. A healthy sea is vitally importantto all countries in the Baltic Region. Reliable and durable solutions require extensive co-operation and a committed effort from the Baltic States, all of which contribute to the problem.Not all nutrient input to the Baltic Sea originates from the riparian countries – considerablewater-borne volumes originate from countries located upstream of the rivers that feed theBaltic, while some of the airborne load originates from sources even further afield.Over the years, governments and research institutions have provided comprehensiveinformation on the causes and effects of eutrophication. A number of government initiatives inthe Baltic Region have previously addressed the issue, but until now the situation has notimproved satisfactorily. In November 2006, the EU Parliament adopted the EU Strategy for theBaltic Sea Region, which includes a number of recommendations on the eutrophication issue,in connection with the EU Common Agricultural Policy.The Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, HELCOM, is in the process of preparinga Baltic Sea Action Plan, BSAP, to be released at the end of 2007. The plan will address theserious problems posed by eutrophication. The Council of the Baltic Sea States, CBSS, is alsoaddressing the issue. A joint statement on initiatives to combat eutrophication was issued byan April 2007 meeting of high-level representatives of the ministries of agriculture and of theenvironment from all CBSS member countries.In order to address and ameliorate the unacceptable situation whereby the BalticSea suffers from an excess of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus in thewater and in the sediment, causing oxygen deficit at the sea bed, which in turn leadsto abnormal algae growth, a major loss of biodiversity, financial losses in thefisheries and the tourism sector, and a reduced quality of outdoor life for everybodyconcerned, the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference Working Group onEutrophication recommends the following initiatives and measures:General1. All governments of CBSS member states are encouraged immediately to enforce allexisting legal commitments aimed at reducing nutrient inputs into the Baltic Sea.2. The April 2007 meeting in Saltsjöbaden, Sweden, of high-level representatives of theministries of agriculture and the environment from all CBSS member countries isacknowledged and welcomed. CBSS and all its member states are encouraged tofollow up on this initiative and arrange further meetings between the ministers ofagriculture and the ministers of the environment on a regular basis, in order todiscuss the eutrophication status of the Baltic Sea and amend policy accordingly.3. The HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan, BSAP, which is based on ecological objectives, iswelcomed. All governments of the region are strongly urged to support an ambitiousaction plan, to commit to the plan, and to implement it fully.4. All governments of CBSS member states are urged to develop (or revise existing)national eutrophication-reduction plans before the end of 2009, incorporating detailedinformation on how the country will achieve BSAP targets. For EU member states, thenational implementation plan should reflect cohesion and possible synergies betweenthe BSAP and related EU legislation.5. As part of BSAP-2007, HELCOM and the governments are urged to establish andcommit themselves to a set of binding country-by-country and sub-basin-by-sub-basin targets for nutrient reduction, which will need to be achieved within a specified,short time limit, and which will allow each country to make use of cost-effectivesolutions.6. HELCOM is encouraged to make further assessments of the feasibility of developingan efficient, cost-effective nutrient-quota trade system in the Baltic Sea area.7. The existing bilateral and trilateral cooperation between some CBSS membercountries and non-CBSS members in the catchment area (e.g. Belarus and Ukraine) iswelcomed. CBSS and HELCOM should intensify this communication work and seek theactive participation of non-HELCOM and non-CBSS countries in implementing relevantHELCOM initiatives aimed at reducing eutrophication in the Baltic Sea.8. The EU members of the CBSS should individually and collectively support the adoptionof an EU Marine Strategy Directive. In parallel, the Russian government is urged toimplement strict environmental regulations on waste-water treatment, agriculture andother sectors contributing to the Baltic eutrophication. Within the framework ofexisting co-operation, the CBSS should work towards the introduction andharmonisation of comprehensive environmental legislation concerning theeutrophication of the Baltic Sea in non-CBSS countries across the whole catchmentarea – e.g. Belarus and Ukraine.Agriculture9. Each country should aim to improve co-ordination of their agricultural policy with theirenvironmental policy in such a way that the policies generate synergy effects andagricultural production policy does not counteract environmental policy.10. HELCOM and the governments are urged to specify actions designed to reduce theinput from agriculture, so that such measures may be included in the final BSAP byNovember 2007.11. All governments should also comprehensively:• promote Best Agricultural Practice (BAP) at farm level• promote nutrient-efficient organic farming in the region• promote farming techniques that help to reduce the nutrient output andmotivate farmers to introduce such methods• promote a better balance between animal production and available land.12. The EU member states of the CBSS should:• exchange experiences and strive to make the best of the existing opportunitiesinherent in the Common Agricultural Policy in order to reduce the nutrientcontribution from agriculture• secure a full and proper implementation of the EU Industrial Pollution andPrevention Control Directive (IPPC) on industrial farms• support the necessary amendments to the EU Common Agricultural Policy totighten the environmental requirements on farm subsidies – e.g. during the‘CAP-health-check’ process – by 2008.The non-EU member governments of the CBSS and the governments in the fullcatchment area are encouraged to implement and reinforce environmental regulationsin the agricultural sector.Sewage and Waste Water13. All governments are urged to establish and maintain an efficient waste-watertreatment system based on the best available technology from all of the localauthorities around the Baltic Sea, and – where relevant – to increase connectivity tosewers.14. Governments are encouraged to collaborate in order to assess the feasibility ofpotential cost-effective methods of reducing the input from scattered settlements andsmall communities.15. All governments are urged, as soon as possible, to forbid the sale and use ofdetergents containing phosphorous.16. The governments are encouraged to ensure that waste-water treatment plants andponds are designed in such a way as to prevent flooding with untreated waste water,including during heavy rainfall. Foreseeable changes in the climatic conditions acrossthe region should also be taken into consideration.17. The governments are encouraged to allocate adequate administrative and financialresources for water-system management, and sufficient provision for participation inregional and international co-operation.Airborne Nitrogen Emissions18. All governments and HELCOM are urged to take initiatives to reduce immediatelyairborne nitrogen emissions from land-based and sea-based transportation, fromcombustion processes, and from agriculture in the Baltic Sea area.19. All governments are encouraged to intensify international co-operation on thereduction of long-distance nitrogen emissions through HELCOM and the EU.Shipping and Maritime Activities20. The governments and HELCOM are encouraged to take immediate initiatives to reducethe nutrient input caused by sewage discharge from all kind of vessels in the BalticSea.21. The governments are encouraged to take initiatives to ensure that Baltic Sea portspossess facilities to store sewage water from ships.22. All Governments and HELCOM are urged to influence IMO/MARPOL to introducestricter regulation on waste-water discharge and airborne emissions from ships in theBaltic Sea.Public Awareness, Research & Development23. The governments – in collaboration with interested universities, schools, businessassociations and civil organisations – are encouraged to:•generate awareness of eutrophication problems among local authorities, industries,farmers, rural communities, ship owners, tourists and the general public. Animportant aim should be to stimulate a shift in personal behaviour and to increaseacceptance of the requisite environmental measures.•establish and fund demonstration projects for new technologies and systemsdesigned to reduce the nutrient output – e.g. means of reducing nutrient dischargefrom agriculture, small-scale waste-water treatment plants and sewage-waterreception facilities in ports, the re-organisation of land-based and maritimetransport, etc.•promote the systematic export of successful initiatives, demonstration projects andmethods developed in one country in the fields of agriculture, remote and sparselypopulated settlements, local authorities, shipping and industry, to all of the othercountries in the catchment area. The feasibility of success in other countries shouldbe assessed, and positive experiences publicised as widely as possible.24. The governments are encouraged to establish regional and national researchprogrammes in order to stimulate the development of new and improvedtechnologies, solutions and recommendations aimed at reducing eutrophication in theBaltic Sea, and in doing so provide valuable background information for politicaldecisions as well as for private and public investments.25. The MARE modelling system – a decision-support system that links ecological targetswith human activity and with assessments of scenarios for cost-effective politicalresponses – is welcomed. The governments are urged to refine the system tofacilitate calculations of, for example, the potential reductions as a result of specificagricultural regulations.ooooOoooo