Protection of the Baltic sea environment
A Council Decision on the EU's adherence to the Helsinki Convention for the protection of the marine environment of the Baltic Sea was adopted on 21 February 1994. The Decision (94/156/EC) will enable the European Union to contribute fully to the objectives of the Convention and to be a party to information on the restoration of the Baltic Sea marine environment and the preservation of the ecological equilibrium. The 1974 Helsinki Convention to which the European Union now accedes was signed by Denmark, Finland, Poland, Sweden, Germany, and the then USSR. Its aim is to prevent or abate pollution in the Baltic Sea area, comprising the water body and the sea bed including living resources and other forms of marine life. To this end a Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission is established to keep the implementation of the Convention under observation, to make recommendations and review the Convention as necessary, to define pollution control criteria, and to receive, process and disseminate from available sources relevant scientific, technological and statistical information. The Baltic Marine Environment Commission will also promote scientific and technological research in the relevant fields, and will seek, when appropriate, the services of competent regional or other international organizations to collaborate in scientific and technological research and other activities in line with its objectives.
Countries
Germany, Denmark, Finland, Russia, Sweden