1. The HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan in the implementation of the EU MSFD
Juha-Markku Leppänen
WG GES / WG ESA Workshop
17 and 18 June 2013, Brussels

2. Contents About HELCOM HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP)
BSAP programme of measures:
Nutrient reduction scheme to combat eutrophication
Baltic Sea Protected Areas network
Others: e.g. inputs of hazardous substances, marine spatial planning, pollution from shipping and maritime safety, fisheries management
HELCOM GEAR Group considerations on common approach to PoM
Photo: Samuli Korpinen

3. Helsinki Commission (HELCOM)
Intergovernmental organisation
One of the RSCs
9 coastal countries & EU
Marine area:
415,000 km2
Catchment area:
1.72 million km2 (4 x size of the sea area)
14 countries
85 million people

4. How HELCOM does it?
The unique Baltic conditions require special regional consideration
Helsinki Conventions – legally binding international law
Over 200 HELCOM Recommendations
Ministerial Declarations
Regional implementation of regional and global agreements
Environmental focal point
Input to international fora (EU, IMO, and other global organisations)
Joint initiatives and projects (incl. development of common understanding and tools for the regional implementation of MSFD)
Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP)
The commitments of the HELCOM Contracting Parties are:
legally binding requirements (Helsinki Convention, HELCOM countries initiatives in IMO resulting in new regulations)
recommendations expected to be translated into national law/implementation (HELCOM Recommendations)
HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan, Ministerial Declarations and commitments undertaken based consensus and willingness to act.
The HELCOM agreed measures are implemented locally, nationally, regionally or internationally.

5. HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan
Ecosystem approach for the Baltic: HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan
Adopted in 2007 at the Ministerial level
Ecosystem-based approach to management of human activities
Ecological goals and objectives
Measures and actions for:
Eutrophication
Hazardous substances
Maritime activities
Biodiversity and nature conservation
National Implementation Programmes

6. Implementation of HELCOM BSAP
Contracting Parties: National Implementation Programmes (NIPs), including transboundary effects
Strong link to regional and global processes
e.g. EU Baltic Sea Strategy, EU MSFD & WFD, EU Maritime Policy, EU Birds and Habitats directives, EU Biodiversity 2020 Strategy, Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and Conventions and Protocols under International Maritime Organization (IMO)
joint input from HELCOM Contracting Parties to processes within international fora to reach Baltic environmental objectives, e.g. IMO, EU, UNECE CLRTAP
CP have prepared NIPs.
The BSAP also addresses transboundary pollution inputs from non-CP. Here, HELCOM is working to support the establishment of bi- and multilateral projects, involving also private initiatives funded by foundations, international financial institutions etc.
HELCOM generally complements and contributes to the harmonised implementation of various international legislative frameworks. This is also the case with the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan as the elaboration of the plan makes HELCOM’s work both a fulfillment of the obligations under the Helsinki Convention and an essential contribution to the fulfillment of the obligations of the Contracting Parties under various other international legal frameworks.
Furthermore HELCOM works to contribute to further developments in other for a, by e.g. providing recommendations to the IMO, EU, and UNECE.
Chris already mentioned the linkages to the EU MSFD. I’d like to add to that, that the HELCOM BSAP has been widely acknowledged by the EC as a forerunner and a possible pilot project under the MSFD, as the action plan is foreseen to be the tool to implement the Directive in the HELCOM countries being also EU members.
The BSAP also contributes to the implementation of the EU maritime policy and the European Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region.

7. HELCOM as the regional coordination platform for the MSFD
HELCOM 2010 Moscow Ministerial Meeting Declaration
decided to:
Develop the role of HELCOM as the main driving force of the implementation of the ecosystem approach to the management of human activities in the Baltic Sea marine area,
establish the role of HELCOM as the coordinating platform for the regional implementation of the EU MSFD in the Baltic Sea, including striving for harmonised national marine strategies for achieving good environmental status according to the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan and the EU MSFD.
To support the implementation of the MSFD, HELCOM ministers decided also to:
develop a core set of indicators with quantitative targets,
create a full indicator-based follow-up system to be placed on HELCOM web site by 2013,
review the HELCOM nutrient load reduction scheme
finish the revision of HELCOM monitoring by 2013

8. BSAP feeding into MSFD programme of measures
Regional coordination of measures is necessary for achieving good environmental status of the Baltic Sea
Examples of HELCOM coordinated action:
BSAP tackles with all major environmental problems
Biodiversity (D1, D2, D4, D6)
Eutrophication (D5)
Hazardous substances (D8, D9)
Maritime traffic (D2, D8, D10, D11)
HELCOM provides a regional platform for exchanging information on national progress and for developing a regional approach to the programmes of measures (it is inherent part of its work). Immediate example of such common regional approach is the HELCOM nutrient reduction scheme

9. Examples of HELCOM measures according to Annex VI MSFD (1)
Input controls (management measures that influence the amount of a human activity that is permitted)
management plans or measures of the marine protected areas
Output controls (management measures that influence the degree of perturbation of an ecosystem component that is permitted)
maximum allowable inputs of nutrients
The directive lists in Annex VI the types of measures that are to be taken into consideration. Those types that are of relevance from the point of view of regional cooperation on programmes of measures include the following (with HELCOM relevant examples mentioned after each one of them):
(1) Input controls: management measures that influence the amount of a human activity that is permitted (e.g. management plans or measures of the marine protected areas).
(2) Output controls: management measures that influence the degree of perturbation of an ecosystem component that is permitted (e.g. BSAP maximum allowable inputs of nutrients).  

10. BSAP nutrient reduction scheme
Goal: Baltic Sea unaffected by eutrophication
Basis: there is a maximum allowable input of nutrients to allow good environmental status of the Baltic Sea
Action: there is a need to reduce the nutrient inputs and that the needed reductions shall be fairly shared by all Baltic Sea countries

11. HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan Linking ecological objectives to Nutrient Reduction Scheme
How much does nutrient load need to be reduced to reach target for “Clear water”?
GES targets for
DIP & DIN
Secchi depth & chl-a
Oxygen debt
Macrobenthos
SAV
Non-eutrophied water
Eutrophied
water
- P: tons (42%)
- N: tons (18%)
These have been distributed to the HELCOM countries as national targets for reduction
2007 provisional
2013 revision to be finalized

12. Cost-efficiency factor
Reductions are taken where they are the most meaningful from ecological point of view
Nutrient reduction scheme provides regional framework, and the countries can use flexibility which measures to put in place to reach their reduction targets
Cooperation – countries benefit from meeting their own targets, but ALSO from reductions in the neighbouring HELCOM countries – case for close collaboration

13. Regional cooperation for establishing a ecologically coherent network of marine protected areas (MPAs)
We have reached the 10% target for the regional network of marine protected areas set by the UN CBD COP7
The current network of protected areas covers about 12% of the Baltic marine area
The network is not yet ecologically coherent
It is still not well-managed
Could be seen as a backbone of transboundary Maritime Spatial Planning
In 2003 in Bergen, the HELCOM and OSPAR ministers decided to complete by 2010 an ecologically coherent network of marine protected areas. In the Baltic Sea, the number of protected areas has increased rapidly during the recent years and today the Baltic Sea is – to our knowledge – the only marine region in the world which has reached the 10% target set by the UN CBD for regional marine protected areas networks. Despite this success, we still have much work to do - the HELCOM report on ecological coherence of the network shows that our network is still not ecologically coherent and the Baltic Sea species and habitats still do not receive sufficient protection. Very importantly, management of the protected areas is still insufficient and many activities like fishing or shipping are not forbidden or restricted in the protected areas. The Declaration that will be presented for your adoption prompts a number of actions to improve the protection efficiency of the network. As one of the actions it asks you to reconsider whether for example bottom trawling really is an activity that should be allowed in protected areas.
The marine protected areas could be seen as a back bone in the planning of the use of the marine space. Maritime Spatial Planning is currently an important part of the work of HELCOM. In addition, HELCOM has initiated activities to look into the potentiall harmful activities, still carried out unrestricted in the MPAs such as fisheries. BALTFIMPA project is under establishment to generate a generic tool for this purpose. In addition, in 2013 HELCOM plans to update the overview on MPAs and their management in the Baltic Sea. This information will be available in the HELCOM data base on protected areas and can also be used to demonstrate the coordination and cooperation on this issue under the MSFD. Further work is needed to strengthen the management plans, and partly for this reason, there is a proposal to update also the HELCOM Recommendation 15/5 on MPAs, starting in 2013.

14. Examples of HELCOM measures according to Annex VI MSFD (2)
Spatial and temporal distribution controls (management measures that influence where and when an activity is allowed to occur)
sewage discharges from ships or specific regional implementation of ship ballast water managements
co-ordination of marine spatial planning
Management coordination measures (tools to ensure that management is coordinated)
HELCOM makes possible the regional level coordination of management (transboundary maritime spatial planning and promotion of further integration of policies at a higher level)
Measures to improve the traceability of marine pollution
development of core indicators for pressures, such as nutrient loads, that are connected to core state indicators
(3) Spatial and temporal distribution controls: management measures that influence where and when an activity is allowed to occur (e.g. sewage discharges from ships or specific regional implementation of ship ballast water managements).
(4) Management coordination measures: tools to ensure that management is coordinated (HELCOM allows for the regional level coordination of management, e.g. transboundary maritime spatial planning and promotion of further integration of policies at a higher level).
(5) Measures to improve the traceability, where feasible, of marine pollution (e.g. development of core indicators for pressures, such as nutrient loads, that are connected to core state indicators).
(6) Economic incentives: management measures which make it in the economic interest of those using the marine ecosystems to act in ways which help to achieve the good environmental status objective (“no-special-fee” for delivery of ship generated waste).
(7) Mitigation and remediation tools: management tools which guide human activities to restore damaged components of marine ecosystems (e.g. generic tool being developed under the BALTFIMPA project to guide selection of sustainable/low impact fishing gear).
(8) Communication, stakeholder involvement and raising public awareness (regionally HELCOM information activities and renewal of HELCOM ITC systems, including the web site).

15. Examples of HELCOM measures according to Annex VI MSFD (3)
Economic incentives (management measures which make it in the economic interest of those using the marine ecosystems to act in ways which help to achieve the good environmental status objective)
“no-special-fee” for delivery of ship generated waste
Mitigation and remediation tools (management tools which guide human activities to restore damaged components of marine ecosystems )
generic tool being developed under the BALTFIMPA project to guide selection of sustainable/low impact fishing gear
Communication, stakeholder involvement and raising public awareness
regionally HELCOM information activities, stakeholder involvement, renewal of HELCOM ITC systems, including the web site

16. Common approach to programme of measures - 1
BSAP as the main document concerning measures and actions for the Baltic Sea as a whole
Inventory of existing HELCOM measures, the level of their implementation & effects and whether the measures are still valid and necessary
Common approach for national programme of measures with the aim to strive for regional coherence
These two slides present the initial conisderation by the HELCOM GEAR group, worki to ensure coherent impleemntation of the ecosystem approach in the Baltic Sea, including MSFD for the EU member states of HELCOM. The work will continue in months to come.
Photo by: Elena Kuzmina (Bulycheva)

17. Common approach to programme of measures - 2
Need to ensure coherence at regional level between WFD river basin management plans and MSFD PoM, taking into account the need to reach GES for marine waters.
A common set of core actions and measures
Cost-efficiency of measures requires regional perspective
HELCOM Ministerial Meeting in October 2013 should address the regional coordination of programme of measures

18. Thank you!