LV Priorities HELCOM Presentation BSPC SC 6 03 2023

Priorities of the Latvian chairmanship ofHELCOM and challenges in the currentgeopolitical situationBy Evija Šmite, Chair of HELCOMBSPC Standing Committee Meeting6 March 2023, BrusselsAbout H ELCOM chairmanshipsThe chairmanship oftheHelsinki Commission rotates betweenthe Contracting Parties (Denmark, Estonia, EU, Finland,Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Sweden, Russia) every twoyears, starting on1July, according totheir alphabetical orderinEnglish .Priorities of the Latvian Chairmanship of HELCOM1 July 2022 –30 June 2024The Contracting Parties ofthe Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) haveagreed onavision1 ofahealthy Baltic Sea environment with richbiodiversity and resilient ecosystem which requires the continuedregional cooperation guided bytheecosystem approach .1HELCOM vision is“ahealthy Baltic Sea environment, with diverse biologicalcomponents functioning inbalance, resulting ingood environmental status andsupporting awide range ofsustainable human economic and social activities .”Objective 1HELCOM as an effective and well -functioning organisation of regionalcooperation which is capable of action, including in unforeseenandforce majeure situations .The Latvian Chairmanship will:•(i)contribute tothe preparation ofalegal framework inline withinternational law toensure that HELCOM isable toact effectively andefficiently toachieve the objectives ofthe Helsinki Convention andtheupdated Baltic SeaAction Plan (BSAP 2021 );•(ii)work toensure that therenewed HELCOM working structure ensures theimplementation oftheBSAP 2021 and theHelsinki Convention .Priorities of the Latvian Chairmanship of HELCOMObjective 2Implementation of the updated Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP 2021)Ahealthy and resilient Baltic Sea ecosystem being the ultimateobjective, theLatvian Chairmanship willpayparticular attention tothe:•i)protection ofmarine biodiversity -e.g.the“30by30”target•ii)advancing ecosystem based sustainable marine management byintegration ofenvironmental objectives with socio -economic goals–e.g.developing regional Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) processes, taking intoaccount climate change aspectsPriorities of the Latvian Chairmanship of HELCOMObjective 3Strengthening the role of regional cooperation in the context ofinternational ocean governance•UNAgenda 2030 forSustainable Development•post -2020 Global Biodiversity Framework under the Convention onBiological Diversity•other relevant regional, European and global processes .•Sustainable Development Goals, esp.those onconservation ofmarineand coastal biodiversity .Coordinating and harmonizing thework inthecontext oftheBSAP 2021with e.g.EUBiodiversity Strategy, EUStrategy fortheBaltic SeaRegion,Marine Strategy Framework DirectivePriorities of the Latvian Chairmanship of HELCOMChallenges in the current geopolitical situation•Strategic pause ofHELCOM was announced on4March 2022 bythethen -effect German Chairmanship ofHELCOM .•EUand theContracting Parties totheHelsinki Convention that areMemberStates oftheEU(“H9”)unanimously agreed that they could notcurrentlyengage inbusiness asusual with theRussian Federation inthe context ofHELCOM .Challenges in the current geopolitical situation•Suspension was announced ofallofficial meetings ofHELCOM bodies andmeetings ofproject groups with Russian involvement under the HELCOMumbrella with immediate effect .The meetings were not cancelled, butrather postponed until further notice .•The suspension has been prolonged until further notice under the currentLatvian Chairmanship ofHELCOM .However, itdoes notimply that HELCOMassuch hasceased operations .Main events in2024 organized byLatvian chairmanship•HELCOM Ministerial Meeting inRiga, spring of 2024•HELCOM 50th anniversary yearThank you!