Work
09.September 2005 - 00:00
Improving the state of the Baltic Sea
Various studies have found that the Baltic, which in practice became an internal sea of the EU as a result of the most recent enlargement, is the most polluted sea in the world.
As the second largest area of brackish water in the world, the Baltic is characterised by low salt content, its enclosed location and shallowness, which make it very vulnerable to damage from human activity. A vital element in its ecosystem is its catchment area, which is four times as large as the sea itself. As a result, water entering the sea from an extensive land area brings with it not only nutrients but also various environmentally damaging toxins. Some of the greatest threats to the Baltic, apart from the transport of oil, include eutrophication caused by nutrient emissions, which among other things generates rafts of toxic blue-green algae, a problem which recurs in the Baltic every summer.
Bearing in mind that enlargement of the EU can best be justified on the grounds that it results in better and more successful policies and decisions, how does the Commission consider that the latest enlargement has helped and otherwise influenced the state of the Baltic Sea?
What kind of measures could now be taken to urgently improve the catastrophic condition of the Baltic Sea, exploiting the new opportunities created by enlargement?
Answer given by Mr Dimas on behalf of the Commission
The Baltic Sea is indeed faced with a number of threats ranging from loss or degradation of biodiversity and changes in its structure, to loss of habitats, contamination by dangerous substances and the impact of climate change. As rightly outlined in the question, the particular nature of the Baltic Sea — a relatively shallow, semi-enclosed sea with limited exchanges with adjacent seas — makes it particularly sensitive to pressures from human activities.
Addressing the challenges faced by the Baltic Sea is crucial to enhance the state of the marine environment in the region and thus safeguard the economic and social activities that depend on it.
The enlargement of the Union to 10 new Member States in 2004 — including 4 Baltic countries indeed creates new opportunities for the protection of the marine environment in the Baltic region:
— The EU’s leverage capacity in Baltic Sea has been considerably strengthened by the accession of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. All Baltic Sea waters apart from those under the sovereignty of Russia are now EU waters. This will act as a significant boost to the successful implementation of the marine strategy in the region.
— Enlargement will also enable the Union to address more effectively land-based sources of pollution of the Baltic Sea. Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, but also new Member States that do not border the Baltic Sea but are part of its catchment area — such as the Czech Republic — have to comply with EC water legislation. Implementation of the EC’s Water Framework Directive(1) by these countries will lead to improved freshwater quality in the region, which will in turn reduce contamination and eutrophication affecting the Baltic Sea. In addition to the Water Framework Directive, implementation of other relevant Community water legislation — Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive(2) and Nitrates Directive(3)
— by new Member States will lead to further reductions in marine eutrophication.
Moreover, the Commission’s active involvement in the activities of the Helsinki Commission over the past decade is a clear illustration of its commitment to more effective protection of the Baltic Sea. In addition, the thematic strategy on the protection and conservation of the marine environment, which is presently under discussion within the Commission, aims at making an important contribution to promoting an integrated approach to the protection of the marine environment throughout the EU — including in the Baltic Sea — and beyond.
This strategy is one of seven being elaborated in the framework of the Community’s sixth environment action programme(4). These thematic strategies were conceived as a new way of approaching environmental policy, looking at themes in a holistic way and emphasising integration of environment in other policies and programmes as the main route to achieving environmental objectives.
The marine strategy is aimed at protecting Europe’s seas and oceans and ensuring that human activities in these seas and oceans are carried out in a sustainable manner so that current and future generations enjoy and benefit from biologically diverse and dynamic oceans and seas that are safe, clean, healthy and productive.
While there are measures to control and reduce pressures and threats on the marine environment, they have been developed on a sector-by-sector basis, resulting in a patchwork of policies, legislation, programmes and action plans at national, regional, EU and international levels. At EU level there is no overall, integrated policy for protection of the marine environment. The marine strategy expects to provide such an integrated approach, taking into account all the pressures on the marine environment and setting clear sustainable objectives and targets to be met through a set of cost-effective measures.
The combined implementation of the Water Framework Directive and of the EU marine strategy would bridge the gap between environmental protection of inland waters and of the Baltic Sea.
(1)
OJ L 327, 22.12.2000.
(2)
Directive 91/271/EEC: OJ L 135, 30.5.1991.
(3)
Directive 91/676/EEC: OJ L 375, 31.12.1991.
(4)
OJ L 242, 10.9.2002.
Various studies have found that the Baltic, which in practice became an internal sea of the EU as a result of the most recent enlargement, is the most polluted sea in the world.
As the second largest area of brackish water in the world, the Baltic is characterised by low salt content, its enclosed location and shallowness, which make it very vulnerable to damage from human activity. A vital element in its ecosystem is its catchment area, which is four times as large as the sea itself. As a result, water entering the sea from an extensive land area brings with it not only nutrients but also various environmentally damaging toxins. Some of the greatest threats to the Baltic, apart from the transport of oil, include eutrophication caused by nutrient emissions, which among other things generates rafts of toxic blue-green algae, a problem which recurs in the Baltic every summer.
Bearing in mind that enlargement of the EU can best be justified on the grounds that it results in better and more successful policies and decisions, how does the Commission consider that the latest enlargement has helped and otherwise influenced the state of the Baltic Sea?
What kind of measures could now be taken to urgently improve the catastrophic condition of the Baltic Sea, exploiting the new opportunities created by enlargement?
Answer given by Mr Dimas on behalf of the Commission
The Baltic Sea is indeed faced with a number of threats ranging from loss or degradation of biodiversity and changes in its structure, to loss of habitats, contamination by dangerous substances and the impact of climate change. As rightly outlined in the question, the particular nature of the Baltic Sea — a relatively shallow, semi-enclosed sea with limited exchanges with adjacent seas — makes it particularly sensitive to pressures from human activities.
Addressing the challenges faced by the Baltic Sea is crucial to enhance the state of the marine environment in the region and thus safeguard the economic and social activities that depend on it.
The enlargement of the Union to 10 new Member States in 2004 — including 4 Baltic countries indeed creates new opportunities for the protection of the marine environment in the Baltic region:
— The EU’s leverage capacity in Baltic Sea has been considerably strengthened by the accession of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. All Baltic Sea waters apart from those under the sovereignty of Russia are now EU waters. This will act as a significant boost to the successful implementation of the marine strategy in the region.
— Enlargement will also enable the Union to address more effectively land-based sources of pollution of the Baltic Sea. Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, but also new Member States that do not border the Baltic Sea but are part of its catchment area — such as the Czech Republic — have to comply with EC water legislation. Implementation of the EC’s Water Framework Directive(1) by these countries will lead to improved freshwater quality in the region, which will in turn reduce contamination and eutrophication affecting the Baltic Sea. In addition to the Water Framework Directive, implementation of other relevant Community water legislation — Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive(2) and Nitrates Directive(3)
— by new Member States will lead to further reductions in marine eutrophication.
Moreover, the Commission’s active involvement in the activities of the Helsinki Commission over the past decade is a clear illustration of its commitment to more effective protection of the Baltic Sea. In addition, the thematic strategy on the protection and conservation of the marine environment, which is presently under discussion within the Commission, aims at making an important contribution to promoting an integrated approach to the protection of the marine environment throughout the EU — including in the Baltic Sea — and beyond.
This strategy is one of seven being elaborated in the framework of the Community’s sixth environment action programme(4). These thematic strategies were conceived as a new way of approaching environmental policy, looking at themes in a holistic way and emphasising integration of environment in other policies and programmes as the main route to achieving environmental objectives.
The marine strategy is aimed at protecting Europe’s seas and oceans and ensuring that human activities in these seas and oceans are carried out in a sustainable manner so that current and future generations enjoy and benefit from biologically diverse and dynamic oceans and seas that are safe, clean, healthy and productive.
While there are measures to control and reduce pressures and threats on the marine environment, they have been developed on a sector-by-sector basis, resulting in a patchwork of policies, legislation, programmes and action plans at national, regional, EU and international levels. At EU level there is no overall, integrated policy for protection of the marine environment. The marine strategy expects to provide such an integrated approach, taking into account all the pressures on the marine environment and setting clear sustainable objectives and targets to be met through a set of cost-effective measures.
The combined implementation of the Water Framework Directive and of the EU marine strategy would bridge the gap between environmental protection of inland waters and of the Baltic Sea.
(1)
OJ L 327, 22.12.2000.
(2)
Directive 91/271/EEC: OJ L 135, 30.5.1991.
(3)
Directive 91/676/EEC: OJ L 375, 31.12.1991.
(4)
OJ L 242, 10.9.2002.