Call to stop off-shore oil extraction

delta • August 20, 2002

2002-08-20

CALL TO STOP OFF-SHORE OIL EXTRACTION IN THE BALTIC SEA

Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB) would like to express serious concerns about the planned D-6 off-shore oil extraction project by the Russian LUKOIL company. This project is located at the continental shelf of the Baltic Sea near Kaliningrad (in Russia) and the Lithuanian border.

Environmental NGOs in the Baltic region are warning that there is a high danger of environmental pollution, accidental oil spills and other negative impacts during the exploitation of the D-6 project. This project is located in the Baltic Sea, in front of the  Curonian Spit, an exceptionally sensitive ecosystem which was included to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2000. Both the Curonian Spit and the Baltic sea are facing serious threats. Long term environmental monitoring shows that the Baltic Sea in this area is rich in bio-diversity. Both the Lithuanian and Russian parts of the Curonian Spit are important and valuable recreational places with large tourism potential. Millions of dollars have already been invested in the development of sustainable tourism, nature protection and environmental projects by local municipalities, national governments and international donors. But due to LUKOIL’s controversial plan for oil extraction, all these investments and achievements are seriously being endangered. The future of the whole region could be altered from an attractive sustainable tourism spot to a devastated area.

Coalition Clean Baltic stresses that oil extraction is a major threat to Baltic ecosystems. This was also stated by the Helsinki Commission, of which Russia is part. Toxic oil residues accumulate in plankton and can be found right up the food chain. Oil spills contaminate the surface water, smothering marine plants and animals. Many chemicals in oil spills are toxic, and can have serious cumulative effects as they build up in ecosystems. Spills can also have severe repercussions for tourism and fisheries, while the necessary clean-up operations may themselves unavoidably harm marine life and coastal habitats.

As fauna and flora of the Baltic Sea are extremely sensitive to changes in the environment, there should be no further major pollution sources appearing. Any further pollution and accidental oil spills might cause irreversible negative impacts on marine environment of the Baltic Sea and the coastal zone of the Kaliningrad region, Lithuania and other Baltic states.

As relates to the project developed by the LUKOIL-Kaliningradmorneft,

Based on the recently released Environmental Impact Assessment report, Russian and Lithuanian NGO’s have stated that LUKOIL has underestimated the possibility of transboundary consequences of this project. These consequences could appear both as environment impact from regular operations as well as in case of accidental oil spills. In the information materials presented to the public, no adequate measures to show how these issues will be addressed are presented.

Also we want to stress the fact that LUKOIL and the Russian government so far do not follow international agreements on Environmental Impact Assessments, as far as it relates to projects that have transboundary environmental impacts. Specifically we would like to point out that the public of neighbouring countries is not properly informed about the plans for oil extraction. In that, project proponents do not act according to the Espoo Convention and the Helsinki Convention.


No off-shore oil extraction in the Baltic Sea

CCB recognises the efforts of LUKOIL to implement international environmental management standards and to improve its environmental performance. However, this project is not according to the provisions on environment protection taken by LUKOIL so far. The relevance of this project goes also beyond its potential negative environmental impacts. It will open the door for further oil exploitation in the Baltic Sea, which is over-polluted already. We consider that as a very negative development.

Therefore, CCB urges LUKOIL to revise its plans for offshore oil extraction in the Baltic Sea. We are calling upon LUKOIL and the Russian government not to go ahead with this extremely controversial project.


For more information contact:
Mr Janis Brizga, CCB Latvia, phone +371 9 118 112
Mr Gunnar Norén, Coalition Clean Baltic, phone +46 70 560 53 52

Joint NGO recommendations on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2027

By CCB • June 10, 2026
The poor status and decline of many Baltic Sea fish populations have been thoroughly documented over several decades, indicating that the entire ecosystem is in great distress. So far, policy interventions have not reversed, or even halted, the negative trend concerning many of these populations. The European Commission itself recently recognised in its Common Fishery Policy (CFP) evaluation report that progress on stock rebuilding is lacking and the number of stocks “ threatened by collapse due to impaired recruitment has increased during the reporting period ”. Fish populations that once formed the cornerstone of the Baltic Sea fishery, such as the eastern and western Baltic cod and the western Baltic herring, are now doing so poorly that the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) is advising zero catch for these stocks. Yet, even with the targeted fishery being closed for some years now, none of these three stocks are showing sufficient signs of recovery. The condition (such as size and weight-at-age) of many flatfish populations, such as plaice, also raises alarm bells. The salmon spawning migration has fallen short of the target level in the past three years5. As a result, even the healthiest salmon stocks are now unlikely to produce enough smolts corresponding to sustainable levels in the coming years. To address the crisis facing Baltic populations and the broader ecosystem, political will and ambition to improve fisheries management, alongside full implementation of the CFP provisions, are needed. The recent INI report on the Baltic Sea Multi-Annual Plan shows that the European Parliament recognises the importance of ecosystem-based fisheries management as well as the need for consideration of environmental legislation when making decisions on fishing opportunities.6 Fisheries managers must now act swiftly and decisively on the commitment the Commission and Baltic Sea Member States made at last year’s October Agrifish Council to rebuild Baltic Sea stocks. This document presents the joint NGO recommendations regarding Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2027, prioritising long-term ecosystem health and sustainable fisheries management over short-term economic interests. The recommendations are based on the ICES advice, the objectives and requirements of the CFP8 and the Baltic Multiannual Plan (MAP), specifically to apply the precautionary approach and implement an ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management, and the objective of achieving Good Environmental Status (GES) under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). Last year’s overarching joint Briefing Series on TAC-setting, co-signed by almost 30 organisations across the EU and the UK, including environmental NGOs, recreational fishers, and fishing rights owners, remains valid and provides further context, background and detailed explanations on the cross-cutting issues raised in this document. Read the Joint NGO recommendations on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2027 here .

Call for Consultant / Expert : CCB Shadow Implementation Plan on the HELCOM Regional Action Plan for benthic habitat restoration

By CCB • June 2, 2026
About CCB Coalition Clean Baltic – CCB is a politically independent network, uniting 28 environmental non-profit organizations, as well as partners and experts from 11 countries surrounding the Baltic Sea. The main goal of CCB is to promote the protection and improvement of the environment and natural resources of the Baltic Sea region by encouraging new and constructive approaches and engaging people to become part of the solution instead of part of the problem. CCB Secretariat is based in Uppsala, Sweden. Background The HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) from 2021 includes a commitment to develop a regional action plan for habitat and biotope restoration by 2026. This plan is expected to: Define qualitative and quantitative restoration targets Establish a prioritized list of restoration actions Provide an implementation toolbox of best practices and methods The scope of the HELCOM action plan focuses exclusively on benthic habitats and biotopes , with particular emphasis on active restoration measures . Adoption of the plan is foreseen at the HELCOM Ministerial Meeting in November 2026. Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB) recognizes the importance of the HELCOM process but also the need to strengthen ambition, improve implementation guidance, consider a source-to-sea approach, and ensure long term ecological effectiveness . Therefore, a CCB Shadow Restoration Implementation Plan will complement and critically assess the HELCOM Restoration Action Plan. The purpose of the CCB Shadow Restoration Implementation Plan is to: Provide a science-based and practice-oriented complement to the HELCOM Restoration Action Plan Identify gaps, weaknesses, and missing elements in the HELCOM Restoration Action Plan Propose concrete, implementable actions, under a source-to-sea approach, to ensure effective restoration outcomes Strengthen alignment with the BSAP objectives and broader regional and EU policies Your Role You will compile the CCB Shadow Restoration Implementation Plan with aims to: 1. Assess the proposed HELCOM restoration measures , particularly their expected ecological impact by Reviewing proposed HELCOM actions for benthic habitats Evaluating whether actions are sufficient to achieve good environmental status Identifing missing measures, insufficient ambition, or unclear guidance 2. Define recommendations on how restoration should be implemented in practice including Required scale, intensity, and geographic coverage of actions Feasibility and effectiveness of active restoration methods 3. Propose additional actions and priorities , especially where the scope of the HELCOM action plan is insufficient, such as Integration of a source-to-sea approach for better ecological coherence Passive restoration measures Including actions on riverine systems (barrier removal, flow restoration) and coastal ecosystems (dunes, wetlands, lagoons) Incorporating important fish habitats and spawning/nursery areas, as well as ecosystem connectivity 4. Align HELCOM restoration efforts with other relevant policy frameworks , including the Baltic Sea Action Plan, Marine Action Plan, EU Biodiversity Strategy, Nature Restoration Regulation, Marine Strategy Framework Directive, Maritime Spatial Planning Directive, Water Framework Directive and Common Fisheries Policy. This is a Joint efforts with WWF Baltic Sea Programme The organisations, CCB and WWF Baltic Sea Program, will produce two separate documents with separate logos and will be presented at a joint side-event at the HELCOM Ministerial Meeting in November 2026. Actions for the Consultant/Expert & products to deliver The final document of the shadow restoration implementation plan Conduct interviews with all WA Leaders and MOs of CCB working on restoration to gather concrete input Share at the end all notes of the research and transcripts of interviews with MOs Bi-weekly call of consultant + CCB to check-in on progress, problems and next steps Publications/Sources CCB Restoration Guidelines https://irp.cdn-website.com/53007095/files/uploaded/CCB+Restoration+Guidelines_Update+October+2025.pdf CCB BSAP Shadow Plan: https://www.ccb.se/publication/Shadow%20Plan Profile A college degree, preferably in marine science, political science, environmental studies, social sciences, or a comparable field Experience in political campaigning, strategic communication, or advocacy, ideally in environmental, climate, nature, or marine conservation, preferably with an NGO Knowledge about relevant political settings and frameworks in the Baltic Sea (HELCOM, BSAP, MSFD, NRRL, ...) Experience in collaborating with coalitions, initiatives and civil society actors Initiative, independence and reliability working fully remotely Excellent written and spoken English are required Contract Terms Contract Type: can be structured as a consulting contract or a fixed-term employment (for candidates based in Sweden). We are open to discuss what works best depending on your situation. Time: From 15 June until 15 Oct 2026, at 50-75% work pace. Location: Remote position. Application Process: Should you be interested in applying for this position please send your CV (max. 2 pages) together with a personal letter (max. 1 page) before 9 June 2026 to: secretariat@ccb.se *** Being an international organization, CCB’s work is carried out in English. Applications submitted in any other language will not be considered. Incomplete applications (e.g. lacking either CV or personal letter) will be also not considered. We will be reviewing applications as they come in and encourage early applications. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. *** For inquiries , contact CCB Biodiversity Officer: andrea.cervantes@ccb.se Equal Opportunities CCB is an equal opportunity employer. In the application and hiring process, CCB will not discriminate against any individual based on race, colour, sex, language, religion, national or social origin, property, disability, age, family status, sexual orientation and gender identity, economic and social situation.