The turning point for saving the Baltic Sea is now

CCB • March 5, 2018

The action plan linked to the ecosystem approach which the Helsinki convention (HELCOM) agreed upon in 2007 is at risk. The progress of the Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) has slowed down and most of the problems that were identified 40 years ago are still there. The CCB network of environmental NGOs calls upon the 2018 HELCOM Ministerial Meeting to make a strong stand for reaching the targets of the BSAP and for the parties to follow the agreed commitments.

Since 2007 the Helsinki Convention has been aiming at fulfilling its own Baltic Sea Action Plan, based on the ecosystem approach. But despite ambitious goals set on a long original timeline, the progress of the Baltic Sea Action Plan has slowed down and most of the problems identified 40 years ago are still there. At the same time political commitment, willingness and resources to solve those problems have substantially diminished.

-With the current pace of implementation, HELCOM may no longer be seen as a front runner but risk of being seen as a failed cooperation and that is not what we want, says Mikhail Durkin, executive secretary of CCB.

Studies and reports warn for socioeconomic effects of continued ecological deterioration of the Baltic Sea. As representatives of the civil society we express serious concerns on the lack of progress. The ecosystem health of the Baltic Sea remains highly unsatisfactory; in certain cases it has even deteriorated.

Adding to lack of progress and broken promises is the unacceptable trend to question science, and established process. To claim room to negotiate when there is none and openly break established rules is not only highly questionable but also dangerous. The trust and faith in the political level cooperate and to save our environment is at great risk. This is something the environment, our institutions and the foundation of the social contract cannot afford.

-Progress has been made, but often on a local level far from Ministers. The question is how we make the overarching cross sectorial policy successful, to deliver a positive spirit that the goals are achievable, says Mikhail Durkin, executive secretary of CCB.

The good news is that we know what we have to do, we have a plan and now more than before there is a better and stronger framework in the Baltic region, supported by EU policies that acknowledge that deeper coherence and more regional focused work is called for. Both EU fisheries policy and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive need a regional approach, and has funding to back it up. The turning point is here, and the foundations and plan exists. We simply ask our Ministers to be as engaged and committed as we are to save the Baltic Sea.

#IamtheBaltic #saveouroceans #everysecondbreath #wearethebaltic

Press contact: Executive Secretary Mikhail Durkin, mikhail.durkin@ccb.se ; +46 73-977 0793

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 .