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

 

COP30 brings ocean and water to the center of climate policy

By CCB • December 5, 2025
In Belém, in the heart of the Amazon, the 2025 UN Climate Change Conference COP30 immediately set the bar high. In his opening speech, Brazilian President Lula da Silva stressed that climate change is no longer a "threat to the future", but a tragedy that the world is already experiencing here and now, and called on countries to accelerate actions rather than limit themselves to promises. However, as is often the case in COP meetings, the political reality turned out to be more complicated than ambitions. Negotiations were difficult: the countries could not agree on a clear and binding plan to phase out fossil fuels. It is important to note that the Global Action Plan has provided a platform for discussing the development of a roadmap for phasing out fossil fuels, the main driver of climate change. At the same time, COP30 has brought tangible progress in other areas: the countries agreed to triple the amount of adaptation funding for developing countries by 2035, strengthened the forest and ocean agenda, and expanded the range of practical initiatives under the Action Agenda . COP30 consolidated the trend: from "water at the center of the climate crisis" to a holistic ocean agenda closely related to energy, food, biodiversity and sustainable coastal development. From the COP29 Water Declaration to the COP30 Enhanced Ocean Water Program At COP29 in Baku, the Declaration on Water for Climate Action was adopted , with the aim to applying comprehensive approaches to combating the causes and consequences of climate change for water basins, emphasizing also the need to integrate water-related mitigation and adaptation measures into national climate policies, including Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs). COP30 did not reverse this logic, but expanded it towards the ocean and coasts. Both processes "aquatic" and "oceanic" are moving in the same direction: integration of water, coasts and ocean into the climate plans of countries; development of nature-based solutions; strengthening transboundary management of water and marine systems; recognizing adaptation as an equal part of climate policy, rather than an "adjunct" to emissions reduction. Task Force on Oceans and the Blue NDC Challenge The international Task Force on Oceans , led by Brazil and France, was officially presented at the high-level ministerial meeting "From Ambition to Implementation: Delivering on Ocean Commitments" on 18 November, integrating oceans into a global mechanism to accelerate the incorporation of marine solutions into national climate plans. The Blue Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) Challenge encourages countries to set ocean protection targets when updating their NDCs. The goal is to transition the Blue NDC Challenge into an Implementation Task Force. Members of the Blue NDC Challenge, currently 17 countries, can adopt a broad set of actions aimed at the protection and sustainable use of the oceans.These measures include the sustainable management, conservation, and restoration of coastal and marine ecosystems, supported by tools such as marine spatial planning, integrated coastal zone management, and climate-aligned marine protected areas. Countries are also encouraged to support sustainable and climate-resilient fishing and aquaculture, ensuring ocean health and long-term food security. B razil has set a clear example: its updated NDC includes a separate chapter on the ocean and coastal zones. For the first time, the national climate plan (Plano Clima) until 2035 includes a thematic adaptation plan for these areas. Priorities include the completion of national Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) by 2030 and major programs for the conservation and restoration of mangroves and coral reefs (ProManguezal, ProCoral).

Pathway to Tox-Free Living: Policy and Action

By CCB • November 24, 2025
Leading scientists, consumer advocates and policymakers gathered on November, 18th in Brussels for the conference "From Evidence to Policy: Toward a Tox free Living Environment" . They warned that exposure to Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in homes and consumer products represents a silent but severe public health and economic crisis. New findings presented to over 65 participants by the EU Baltic Sea Interreg project NonHazCity3 , LIFE ChemBee and the ToxFree LIFE for All projects as well as revealed widespread contamination of European households by complex chemical mixtures of hormone system disrupting substances (so called endocrine disrupters – EDCs) that contribute to chronic disease and impose enormous health costs. According to the key note speaker Dr. Aleksandra Rutkowska, the home environment is a significant source of exposure to EDCs through indoor air, dust and daily contact with common products. Current research links such exposure to a shocking amount of lifestyle diseases including 22 cancer outcomes, 18 metabolic disorder outcomes and 17 cardiovascular disease outcomes. Scientists also stressed that the crisis spans generations. EDCs trigger epigenetic changes that not only affect today’s population but also future children and even grandchildren. Other effects include reproduction disorders. Over the last decade, 150 million babies were born preterm, and evidence shows that reducing the use of plastics by half could cut the risk of preterm birth by half as well.