Looking for a topic for a Commitment?

Most of the problems of the Baltic Sea fall into four categories. They are: Eutrophication (e.g. causing algal blooms), Hazardous substances (causing chemicals to accumulate in animals and humans via the food chain), threats to the biodiversity (weakening the populations of species, introduction of alien ones, as well as unsustainable fisheries practices), issues related to Maritime Activities (risks of e.g. oil accidents and emissions from ships into the sea and air).

Most topics are well investigated and it is widely agreed what should be done or how to prohibit more damage. (e.g. see Baltic Sea Action Plan by HELCOM). Some of these actions are such that they are within the reach of the EU or governments, some can be taken by individuals, cities, regions, firms, research institutions or NGOs.

Below, the topics needing attention and commitment are grouped into potential commitment maker groups. The list is not exhaustive and suggestions for more topics are welcome.

Commitments to be made by companies

Eutrophication

To contribute to nutrient reduction, companies and farms should

- Prevent pollution from agriculture

• Improve manure management, water protection measures and regulate animal density and the location of animal houses.
• Methods to reduce the internal nutrient load of the Baltic Sea should be analysed and developed. This and agricultural run-off are the two most important issues for the success of the rescue of the sea
• Develop and introduce new technologies for manure management in close cooperation with different stakeholders.
• Commit to the correct fertilization level and the utilization of nutrient balances, hibernal vegetal coverage and reduced tilling of fields, and protection zones and wetlands.

- Fish farming - the water protection involved in this industry should be intensified.

• The use of fish feed made from Baltic fish and of fish feed of vegetal origin should be promoted.

- Improve on-site wastewater treatment of single-family homes and small businesses – develop and market only treatment plants that fulfil adequate standards

- Substitute phosphorus in detergents

• A phase out of phosphorus containing detergents, including dishwasher agents should be strived for in dialogue with the industry and all countries in the whole Baltic Sea catchment.

 Hazardous substances

- Make use of information of the EU chemicals legislation REACH in order to decrease pollution

- Ban the use, production and marketing of certain substances specified in the BSAP

• The industries should commit themselves to substitute the identified hazardous substances with less hazardous substances in the production also on voluntary basis.

Biodiversity

- Improve the protection efficiency of the BSPA network

• Before the IMO Ballast Water Convention becomes the legal instrument, interim measures to reduce the risk of non-indigenous species being introduced through the discharge of ship’s ballast water should be implemented. Co-operation with ports is also needed e.g. with regard to providing adequate reception facilities for sediments in ports and terminals where cleaning and repair of ballast tanks occurs.

Maritime activities

- Promote development of effective, environmentally friendly and safe antifouling systems.

- Extend the “no special fee” system for ship generated wastes and enhance the availability of adequate reception facilities.

• Ports should ensure the adequate reception facilities and shall announce specific priority rules and services for those delivering their sewage to ports.
• All shipping companies should immediately on voluntary basis commit themselves to deliver their sewage to port reception facilities/or treat it according to the stricter nutrient reduction standards in the Baltic Sea.

- Encourage shipping companies to use ships with crew trained for winter navigation.

• Several actions could be undertaken to ensure the use of pilots onboard ships entering and leaving the Baltic Sea Area, such as including a standard clause in the Baltic in the charter parties between ship owners and the charterers.
• Accident investigation and reporting on hazardous situations should be developed.

Commitments to be made by research organizations 

Examples of possible commitments made by research organisations

• New methods to reduce eutrophication should be investigated, such as the cultivation of filter-feeding organisms, such as blue mussels, which remove nitrogen while generating fodder and agricultural fertilizer, thus recycling nutrients from sea to land.
• Methods to reduce the internal nutrient load of the Baltic Sea should be analysed and developed. This and agricultural run-off are the two most important issues for the success of the rescue of the sea
• Increase the knowledge of sources of hazardous substances, such as effluents from waste water treatment plants, to identify the cost-effective adequate management options e.g. the need for pre-treatment/additional treatment of connected industries.
• Research should be done on combating oil spills in challenging weather and ice conditions and in shallow coastal waters.

Commitments to be made by NGOs

Examples of possible commitments made by non-governmental organisations

• More education and information should be given about efficient treatment of wastewaters from scattered settlements. The quality issue of treatment plants should be paid attention to
• Consumers should be encouraged to voluntarily switch to using phosphate-free or low-phosphate detergents.

Commitments to be made by individuals

Examples of possible commitments made by individuals

• Establishment of voluntary marine protected areas in the Baltic Sea or temporary non-exploitation of certain areas. Some terrestrial nature protection areas have been established based on voluntary agreements between private owners and the state. Such voluntary agreements have included compensation for voluntary conservation.

Commitments to be made by Governments

Eutrophication

Methods to reduce the internal nutrient load of the Baltic Sea should be analysed and developed. This and agricultural run-off are the two most important issues for the success of the rescue of the sea

To reach nutrient reduction targets, the governments should

- Reduce pollution from agriculture by improving manure management, water protection measures and regulating animal density and the location of animal houses.

Adopt stringent and targeted agricultural measures to reduce nutrient losses, including fertiliser and manure management – create and introduce economical incentives for compliance

• Introduce new technologies for manure management in close cooperation with different stakeholders – create and introduce economical incentives for compliance.
• Support landowners to voluntarily create and retain a healthy ecosystem, or to establish nutrient trap areas preventing run-off of nutrients into the sea from agriculture – create and introduce economical incentives for compliance.
• Promote the adoption of new ecologically sustainable aquaculture techniques . The use of fish feed produced from Baltic fish should be promoted – create and introduce economical incentives for compliance.

- Set more stringent requirements for phosphorus removal from municipal wastewater treatment plants and introduce requirements for wastewater management for small- and medium sized municipalities.

- Improve on-site wastewater treatment of single-family homes and small businesses.

•  Promote more efficient treatment of wastewaters from scattered settlement through education, information, guidance and economic incentives so that the requirements laid down in the Decree on Treating Domestic Wastewater in Areas Outside Sewer Networks will be met by 2014. NOTE: special emphasis should be put on the technical capabilities and quality of the treatment plants on the market – quality rules should be set

- Substitute phosphorus in detergents.

• Consumers are encouraged to switch voluntarily to using phosphate-free or low-phosphate detergents, and industry is encouraged to develop increasingly better substitute detergents.
• Promote within HELCOM extensive adoption of phosphate-free or low-phosphate detergents in the Baltic Sea region on a quick timetable.

- Cut nitrogen input from airborne sources

• Strengthen the emission targets for nitrogen under the EU National Emissions Ceilings Directive (Directive 2001/81/EC) and the 1999 Gothenburg Protocol under the UNECE Convention for Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution
• Include strict requirements on reduction of nitrogen emissions from ships.

Hazardous substances

The goal of the hazardous substances segment is a Baltic Sea undisturbed by hazardous substances. To comply with the BSAP the governments should:

- Adopt environmentally friendly practices for the reduction and prevention of emissions of dioxins and other hazardous substances from small-scale combustion.

-Make use of information of the EU chemicals legislation REACH in order to decrease pollution in the whole Baltic Sea area, including non-EU countries.

•  Establish appropriate chemical product registers in order to have more reliable substance-specific information on uses and amounts of chemicals used.
• Ensure strict measures to reduce air emissions in other international fora, such as EU, UNECE Convention for Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution and the Stockholm Convention on POPs.

- Ban the use, production and marketing of certain substances specified in the BSAP.

• Phase out, substitute or restrict the use of the hazardous substances identified as being of special concern to the Baltic Sea.

Biodiversity

The goal of the biodiversity segment is to achieve a favourable conservation status of marine biodiversity.

- Develop broad-scale marine spatial planning principles in the Baltic Sea area

• Produce a comprehensive map of the Baltic seafloor – landscape and habitat mapping to support planning of marine space’s use

- Designating HELCOM Baltic Sea Protected Areas (BSPAs) and improving the protection efficiency of the BSPA network

• Build a project that encourages the landowners for voluntary conservation and establishment of marine protected areas.
• In cooperation with HELCOM, promote the entry into force of the Convention on ballast water.

- Develop long-term management plans for commercially exploited fish stocks

• Establish protected areas which are permanently/temporarily closed for fisheries to protect juveniles, spawning areas and generally avoid unwanted by-catch.
•  Promote the natural reproduction of the migratory fish stocks. Spawning areas are to be remedied in order to restore the good state of migratory fish stocks.
• Establish Individual Transferable Quotas (ITQ), instead of the current national quota system. By assigning portions of the TAC to individual fishers or vessels, the incentive to race for fish is eliminated. This should reduce overcapitalization of fishing fleets, improve safety and ideally spread the fish catch evenly throughout the season, resulting in a higher market value for fish. Additionally, since quotas are clearly designated, monitoring and enforcement should be straightforward maintaining total catch below or at the TAC.
• Arrange better monitoring and enforcement for illegal fisheries (illegal fisheries in the Baltic correspond to 35-40% of the legal catches, and even in some instances up to 50%).
• Provide information to consumers; traceability; knowing where the fish on your plate comes from.

Maritime activities

The strategic goal of the maritime segment is to have maritime activities carried out in an environmentally friendly way.

- Ratify the convention on Control of Harmful Anti-fouling Systems on Ships and promote development of effective, environmentally friendly and safe antifouling systems.

- Establish of harmonised satellite and aerial surveillance covering the whole Baltic Sea area to improve detection of illegal oil spills.

- Advance winter navigation safety by strengthening co-operation with maritime authorities from all Baltic Sea states and encourage shipping companies to use ships with crew trained for winter navigation.

- Identify gaps in emergency and response resources at sub-regional level and prepare concrete plans for fulfilling them

• Establish a “reserve for disasters” in all Baltic Sea states, i.e. commercial ships normally operating in the Baltic and offering their services during a major accident as well as combating units and equipment of private ports and oil terminals that could be deployed for use when needed
• All Baltic Sea countries should improve their preparedness for oil-spill response so that it would correspond to the risks arising from increased oil transports; this can be accomplished by acquiring new oil recovery vessels and other equipment for this purpose.

- Have a joint submission to IMO for further consideration of designation of the Baltic Sea as a special area with the aim to eliminate the discharge of sewage from ships

• HELCOM countries shall work within IMO to designate the Baltic Sea as sewage control area.

Commitments to be made by cities

Eutrophication

To reach nutrient reduction targets, the cities should:

- Set more stringent requirements for phosphorus removal from municipal wastewater treatment plants and introduce requirements for wastewater management for small- and medium sized municipalities.

• The starting point is a full implementation of existing requirements (HELCOM Recommendations and EC Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive), but due to the sensitivity of the Baltic Sea more stringent requirements for phosphorus removal are needed. Outgoing wastewaters should contain phosphorus less than 0.5 mg / l, and all cities are encouraged to commit to this as soon as possible.
• Methods to reduce the internal nutrient load of the Baltic Sea should be analysed and developed. This and agricultural run-off are the two most important issues for the success of the rescue of the sea

- Cut nitrogen input from airborne sources.

- Extend the “no special fee” system for ship generated wastes and enhance the availability of adequate reception facilities.

Hazardous substances

· Adopt environmentally friendly practices for the reduction and prevention of emissions of dioxins and other hazardous substances from small-scale combustion

· Make use of information of the EU chemicals legislation REACH in order to decrease pollution

Biodiversity

- Improving the protection efficiency of the Baltic Sea Protection Area (BSPA) network