Political ambition and actions fall short in the updated Baltic Sea Action Plan

CCB • October 20, 2021

 

20 October – Lübeck, Germany – The updated plan to achieve a Good Environmental Status of the Baltic Sea lacks strong commitments to protect one of the world’s most threatened marine ecosystems, say WWF and the Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB). 

 

The updated Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) [1], intended to ‘drastically reduce pollution to the Baltic Sea and restore a good ecological status by 2030’, was adopted today by Ministers of Environment and Senior Government Officials from all Contracting Parties of the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (HELCOM) and the Commissioner for Environment of the European Union in Lübeck, Germany. According to WWF and CCB, the BSAP actions fall short, and a much stronger political ambition is required for the coming 9 years.

 

“Originally, the proposed measures did indeed include many of the ambitious actions and tough decisions that are so urgently needed. Over time, however, lack of political will and ongoing political and economic disagreements between sectoral ministries have successively weakened the plan” says Mikhail Durkin, Executive Secretary, Coalition Clean Baltic .

 

Out of all measures included in the original Baltic Sea Action Plan, only 25% of national measures have been implemented by all countries. Whilst the actions that the Contracting Parties will take are outlined in the updated plan, clear political commitments on the implementation of those actions are crucial to ensure that measures are followed through on a national level.

 

In their Baltic Shadow Plan [2] and letter to the HELCOM Ministers, NGOs and scientists [3], NGOs have outlined what they believed to be some of the major failures [4] of the plan and traced these failures to the lack of political will and leadership of the governments.

 

In order for the Baltic Sea environment to improve, Contracting Parties need to significantly reduce the cumulative, negative impacts from human activities and support the development of a minimal impact, climate-resilient and zero-carbon world.

 

Despite the plan’s overall shortcomings, WWF and CCB maintain that the original intention of the BSAP remains valid and urges Heads of States and Heads of Governments around the region to take responsibility to initiate a process to actually deliver what was originally promised by their governments – to take dramatic action to save the Baltic. ”The plan contains important measures like protecting 30 % of the Baltic Sea. To reach this goal, cooperation and commitment on a regional level is of the utmost importance” says Valerie De Liedekerke, Manager and Interim Director of the WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme.

 

For further information:

 

Valerie de Liderkerke, Interim Director, WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme, valerie.deliedekerke@wwf.se

 

Hannah Griffiths Berggren, Communications Manager, WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme hannah.griffiths.berggren@wwf.se

 

Mikhail Durkin, Executive Secretary, Coalition Clean Baltic mikhail.durkin@ccb.se

 

Federica Pastore, Communication Officer, Coalition Clean Baltic federica.pastore@ccb.se

 

Notes to the editors:

 

CCB – Coalition Clean Baltic is a politically independent, non-profit association, which unites 23 member organizations and 1 observer, with over 850,000 members in all countries around the Baltic Sea. The main goal of CCB is to promote the protection and improvement of the Baltic Sea environment and its natural resources. More info at www.ccb.se

 

WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme – is an ambitious and highly influential force working to conserve and restore the health of the Baltic Sea. The programme is comprised of WWF and NGO partners in each of the nine coastal Baltic Sea countries. Representing the region’s largest membership network, the programme’s approach has been to work with public and private sector partners toward ensuring a healthy, productive Baltic Sea through sustainable, ecosystem-based management. More info at: https://www.wwfbaltic.org/

 

The update process – HELCOM launched the Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) process nearly two years ago and WWF and CCB have been active participants in the ongoing stakeholder process to develop the plan. WWF and CCB participated as official HELCOM Observers to the Ministerial Meeting today, and WWF delivered a joint statement made on behalf of the environmental NGOs, stating the concern that this plan lacks the very tough actions and commitments that are needed to achieve its objectives. For more detail on the background, goals and objectives of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan please visit: http://www.helcom.fi/BSAP/en_GB/About_BSAP/

 

  • [1] The updated Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP):
    https://helcom.fi/baltic-sea-action-plan/
  • [2] The Baltic Shadow Plan: For the future of the Baltic Sea –
    http://ccb.se/the-baltic-shadow-plan-for-the-future-of-the-baltic-sea/
  • [3] Letter to HELCOM Ministers, NGOs and scientists – 
    http://ccb.se/letter-from-ngos-and-scientists-calls-to-take-action-for-the-baltic-sea
  • [4] Major failings highlighted to the HELCOM Contracting Parties have included:No concrete measures for how countries will ensure implementation of the BSAP (for example ensuring funding and HELCOM capacity-building).
  • No concrete measures on how countries will ensure a “green recovery” post-Covid.
  • Lack of concrete, ambitious and measurable climate change adaptation and mitigation actions. The ministerial declaration should contain clear adaptation and mitigation commitments like for example phasing out oil and gas production in the region.
  • Weak formulation of commitment to the global environmental goals. The Baltic Sea states should clearly state their commitments to:
  • reaching the goals of the Agenda 2030, not just by contributing to the implementation
  • reaching the goals of the Paris Agreement

 

In memoriam of Petro Hrytsyshyn

By CCB • August 20, 2026
It is with great sadness that the Coalition Clean Baltic shares the news of the passing of Petro Hrytsyshyn, a long-standing colleague, environmentalist and true friend of the CCB family. The hospitality and warmth with which he embraced each and every one of us in Lviv will always be an example of genuine and close relation and lasting, professional friendship. For many years, Petro was Director of the Western Centre of the Ukrainian Branch of the International Centre for Scientific Culture – World Laboratory, one of CCB’s oldest member organisations in Ukraine. But it is the role he played in our family of environmental NGOs in the Baltic Sea Region that we will remember him for. Petro was one of the people who helped build, connect and sustain the international environmental community of which CCB is a part. For decades, he worked across borders and disciplines, bringing together scientific knowledge, environmental organisations, local communities and international partners around a shared belief that environmental challenges can be met through cooperation, practical solutions and persistence. Within CCB, Petro was a familiar and valued presence at conferences, seminars and joint activities over many years, representing Ukraine and the Western Centre while also contributing his own knowledge and experience to the wider Baltic Sea community. He hosted numerous CCB activities in Lviv and shared his expertise on the issues closest to him: water protection, sustainable sanitation, ecological safety and sustainable agriculture. He also represented the Western Centre in international environmental processes, contributing to discussions on environmental protection, water management and sustainable development. What made Petro's contribution especially important was that he understood environmental protection not only as a matter of policy or science, but as something that had to work in practice, on the ground. His work on ecological sanitation and wastewater management, for example, sought practical ways of reducing pollution and protecting water resources in rural areas of Ukraine. He continued this work into recent years. In 2023, Petro was among the experts contributing to CCB's analysis of the Greatest Water Management Challenges in the Baltic Sea Region, bringing the Ukrainian perspective into a broader regional assessment. More recently, he contributed to the Green Recovery Plan for the Ukrainian part of the Vistula River Basin, including the Western Bug and Syan sub-basins – work that reflected the qualities of his whole career: international cooperation, practical environmental knowledge and a commitment to the future of Ukraine's rivers and communities. For those of us who worked with him, however, his legacy is not only projects, publications and meetings. In a network such as CCB, people are the foundation of cooperation, and Petro was one of those people who kept the connections alive through changing political circumstances, new environmental challenges and difficult times that Ukraine faces as a result of Russia’s unprecedented war of aggression. He represented a generation of environmental professionals and civil society activists who understood that lasting environmental progress depends on solidarity, openness and the willingness to work together across borders. His long commitment to cooperation between Ukrainian and European environmental organisations was an important part of that legacy. CCB is grateful for the many years of cooperation with Petro, for his knowledge and commitment, for his hospitality and friendship, and for the bridges he helped build between people and organisations working for a healthier environment. Our thoughts are with his family, friends, colleagues and all those who had the privilege of knowing and working with him. Petro Hrytsyshyn 1951–2026 May the memory of Petro Mykhaylovych remain with all of us who continue the work to which he devoted so much of his life.

CCB's submission on the European Ocean Act

By CCB • July 14, 2026
We support the Ocean Act objectives for improving coherence, coordination and effectiveness of EU ocean governance. However, we emphasize that the Act must deliver truly ecosystem-based management and that reaching Good Environmental Status (GES), as defined in the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), should be established as a cornerstone of the Act.