Around the Green Baltic
Barbara Dąbkowska, March 16, 2010
The green colour of Baltic Sea waters, although may ring an ecological bell, is by no means a sign of the water’s cleanliness. On the contrary, it is a symptom of eutrophication – water looses its transparency, becomes turbid and blocked by heavy algae growth. This is a result of water pollution and yet another evidence that the sea located in the heart of northern Europe where ecology-awareness is supposed to be the highest on the continent is one of the dirties seas in the world. Baltic Sea is overexploited due to extensive transportation, chemical pollution flowing in from inland areas, overfishing, mechanical and organic waste, after war remainings. This is one of the biggest issues for all the Baltic Sea Region countries which requires cross-border actions and coordinated response.
The Baltic Sea Region is a economically, culturally and systemically heterogeneous region which consists of 9 countries with direct access to the sea. Norway and Iceland, because of the strong economic and cultural ties, are also counted in – geopolitically speaking, it is a collection of 11 states and almost 100 million inhabitants. Intergovernmental Council of the Baltic Sea States with its parliamentary counterpart Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference are the two main institutions acting towards enhanced cooperation. Both have been under hefty criticism for their inefficiency and lack of tangible achievements and are now undergoing structural reforms.
Baltic Sea Region has recently gained new importance and attention on European political scene. It consists of 8 European Union member states and is now treated as a test-macroregion which receives somewhat special treatment. European Union by assigning funds for joint investments and projects aimed to synchronise regulations and balance economic disparities gives new opportunities for enhanced cooperation in this area.
European Union Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region was established in the second half of 2009 and treats issues such as environmental protection, energy, climate change, demographics - it assigns funds to those areas in particular. These are current issues, however, all require new approaches and specific measures. There will be no real added value without matching the strategy to the real needs of countries involved. It is precisely up to the individual countries to develop common approaches and adapt strategy’s recordes to meet their actual needs. The strategy was approved in time of the regional economic slowdown, but its assumptions were developed over the years of prosperity and prospects for continuous growth. The challenge ahead lies not only in clever and efficient implementation of the Strategy but also in its skilful modification and adjustment.
Clean Baltic Sea and the improvement of the current state of Baltic waters were the subjects of Baltic Sea Action Summit, which took place in Helsinki on February 10, 2010. Upon the invitation of Finnish President Ms Mrs Tarja Halonen and Prime Minister Matti Vanhanenego to actively participate in the meeting and submit a specific statement was aaccepted by a surprising number of heads of state, businessmen, NGO representatives and ministerial delegations from around the region. King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, the presidents of Lithuania and Latvia, Prime Ministers of Denmark and Norway, Estonia, Russia, and Polish (Waldemar Pawlak), Commissioner for Regional Policy, Johannes Hahn, Environment Ministers and many more arrived to Helsinki. The presence of Vladimir Putin was the unmistakable evidence of the growing importance of the region in Russian foreign policy which has so far been very reluctant in adopting environment-focused measures and avoided direct involvement in the region’s debates. It is partly because of the Nord Stream with its controversies, Baltic energy and transport issues that Russia finally recognizes the necessity to become an active participant in Baltic Sea Region cooperation. Putin and his government have realized that it is high time to improve and maintain commercial relationships and to to work on positive regional PR.
More than 130 "Baltic Sea Declarations" were presented at the Helsinki summit. They had been voluntarily submitted by representatives of all sectors as a response to the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan - the Helsinki Commission. Such companies as for instance Siemens, IBM, Bain & Company Nordic, Swedish Shipowners' Association committed to undertake measures of Baltic Sea protection and to place greater efforts on innovations favourable for the ecosystem.
The need for cooperation and synchronization is no longer in the preliminary phase of bureaucratic arrangements. Entrepreneurs, local government and politicians have recognized the need for coordinated action, friendly legislation, increased attention and funding for the projects oriented on the Baltic Sea. Center-right political dominance in most countries is helpful in determining and shaping of a common political agenda for the region and the establishment of sound framework for private sector and civil society. To benefit from the potential of the region Baltic Sea Region one cannot ignore its problems. Pro-ecological rhetoric is becoming a standard in business and politics in the countries around the Baltic Sea.
