Public Environmental Assessment of the Nord Stream 2: the project should not be given permission for implementation due to numerous deficiencies and noncompliance with the law

CCB • January 16, 2018

On Monday, 15 January 2018, the results and conclusions of the Public Environmental Assessment, an independent expert review of the project documentation, including the Environmental Impact Assessment and mitigation measures, were presented at the press-conference in St. Petersburg, Russia. Public Environmental Assessment was initiated and performed in accordance with Russian Federal Law on Environmental Expertise and on the basis of respective national environmental legislation.

The major conclusion of the Expert Group that performed the Assessment and that was represented by distinguished researchers, associates and professors of several leading St. Petersburg scientific institutions and universities is very clear and straightforward :

The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, that was submitted for obtaining respective permission from the environmental authorities and consequent construction permit, should not be accepted for implementation, because of

  • inconsistency of provided documentation with national and international legal requirements in the field of environment protection
  • unacceptable level of potential negative environmental, as well as connected social and economic impacts

The Expert Group also concluded that the project design cannot be  simply amended or altered without significant changes in proposed technological solutions for pipe-laying within its offshore and landfall parts.

Conclusions of the Public Environmental Assessment will be submitted to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation and to the State Service for Supervision in the field of Nature Protection (Rosprirodnadzor), that are responsible for performing the State Environmental Expertise of the Nord Stream 2 Project and issuing respective permissions if the Project’s environmental impacts are found acceptable for implementation.

Don't reopen the EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). Implement it.

By CCB • June 15, 2026
The European Commission's evaluation confirms what environmental NGOs across Europe have long argued: the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP)'s challenge is not its design, but its implementation.

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 .