News

October 14, 2013

Fisheries subsidies – you get what you pay for

On October 23, the European Parliament (EP) plenary vote on the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF), the subsidy package of the CFP, will take place. Several controversial amendments are on the table and voting is expected to be close, however, there are also many opportunities which can help the EU to invest in a healthier and more profitable fishing industry.


October 4, 2013

Russian representative to HELCOM receives public signatures

At the HELCOM Ministerial Meeting in Copenhagen yesterday, the signatures from the Baltic public in support of swift actions to improve the health of the Baltic Sea were handed over to the Russian delegation.


October 3, 2013

HELCOM Ministerial Declaration agreed – Environmental ministers severely delay deadlines to restore the Baltic Sea

While the Baltic Sea Action Plan will be fully implemented, the good environmental status of the troubled sea will not be reached by 2021.


October 3, 2013

RFTB hands over public call for action to Poland

The Race for the Baltic campaign delegation also met with the Polish Government representative Mr Andrzej Jagusiewicz at the HELCOM Ministerial Meeting to hand over the signatures from the Baltic public collected this summer calling for more ambitious action to restore the health of the Baltic Sea.


October 3, 2013

RFTB hands over signatures to Sweden’s environment minister

A delegation representing the Race for the Baltic campaign handed over the more than 25,000 public signatures collected this summer, calling on Baltic environment ministers to take action to improve the health of the Baltic Sea, to the Swedish Minister Lena Ek.


October 3, 2013

HELCOM still debating key issues in Ministerial Declaration

Yesterday, the HELCOM Heads of Delegation meeting in Copenhagen made good progress on the outstanding issue on fisheries and actually strengthened the wording of the declaration, but several key issues remain for the ministers to resolve today.


September 25, 2013

Wavering commitments threaten the restoration of the Baltic Sea

Earlier this week governmental representatives from all Baltic Sea countries met in Copenhagen, Denmark to review current targets in the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) for the coming Ministerial Meeting on October 3rd. The Ministerial Declaration is still lacking in clear targets and deadlines for the coming years, and a number of issues remain unresolved.


September 5, 2013

Diverging views between governments put the future of the Baltic Sea in jeopardy

Baltic Sea Environment Ministers will put pen to paper and sign the review of the Baltic Sea Action Plan in less than a month. Surprisingly, Sweden seems to be blocking any real progress, changing positions on a number of key issues.


September 4, 2013

BalticSTERN shows benefits of action to European Parliament

At a seminar today in the European Parliament, several of the authors behind the BalticSTERN report showed how the net gain of action to curb eutrophication in the Baltic Sea in line with the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan could be up to 1,5 billion EUR per year.


September 3, 2013

More action needed to safeguard Baltic Sea

In just a month’s time, the Baltic region’s Environment Ministers will meet in Copenhagen to review the Baltic Sea Action Plan from 2007. Many of the original deadlines have been missed and to reach the overarching vision of the plan, Ministers now need to recommit to the plan and set out a clear path of action.