Baltic Summit 2004 and the New mandate for BA21 – sustainable development in the Baltic Sea Region
On the Agenda for the coming Baltic Summit 2004 is the issue on a new mandate for the Baltic 21-process.
We, the Coalition Clean Baltic (further CCB), an environmental NGO-network with 27 member organisations in 9 countries bordering the Baltic Sea, all together representing 0,5 million citizens in the Baltic Sea Region, and mandated by Council of Baltic Sea States 4th Non-Governmental Organisations Forum in Pärnu, April 2004 to act as umbrella-organisation for environmental groups in the Baltic Sea Area within the CBSS NGO Forums process, welcome the initiative of the Prime Ministers to tackle important environmental issues of the Baltic Sea Area and to develop further measures for protection of the Baltic Sea environment at the Baltic Summit 2004. Among other issues we see that decisions planned to be adopted by you on the new mandate for Baltic 21 process – an excellent tool to drive our societies towards more sustainability - are quite important ones. Read more

Five years of regional progress towards sustainable development:
Reviewing five years of regional progress towards
sustainable development and proposing future action:
Having reviewed progress towards sustainable development in the Baltic Sea Region, in its report to Prime Ministers Baltic 21 stresses that further efforts are warranted. Baltic 21 proposes that the Baltic Sea Region would become an "Eco-Region" – where "Eco" stands for both "Economy" and "Ecology” and where the Social dimension is strongly integrated. Baltic 21 is prepared and committed to contribute to achieving this through its new line of action. Read more

RUSSIAN NGOs AGAINST THE IMPORT OF NUCLEAR WASTE TO RUSSIA
DECLARATION OF PUBLIC ORGANIZATIONS
in relation to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) support of the project for establishing the international repository for spent nuclear fuel (SNF) on the territory of Russia. Read more

PINE TREES SEND A WARNING TO NUCLEAR COMMUNITY
Genetic malformations have been found on the pine trees of Sosnovy Bor, the most ‘nuclear’ town of Russia located 80 km west of the center of St. Petersburg. The mutations confirmed by the geneticists from Obninsk and environmentalists from Sosnovy Bor testify to the increased level of mutagenicity of the environment in the vicinity of nuclear-industrial complex. Read more

Resolution of the participants of Coalition Clean Baltic Annual Conference Baltic 2004: Oil Transfer on the Baltic Sea - Conflicts and Solutions, 22 May, 2004, Nelijärve, Estonia, to be submitted to the Baltic Sea Prime Ministers meeting in Estonia, 21 June 2004. Read more

Gulf of Finland Oil Transport / Spill Issues
Summary and Recommendations from May 2004 visit
Richard Steiner, Professor and Conservation Specialist
University of Alaska Marine Advisory Program
Having visited Estonia, Finland, and NW Russia briefly from May 22 - May 30, 2004 to give presentations and hold meetings on oil transportation safety / spill prevention and response preparedness, I wanted to very briefly summarize some of my impressions and recommendations.

One initial caveat -- I feel the primary objective / accomplishment of the mission was to transfer information about our experience here in Alaska, the Exxon Valdez spill, and the many safety improvements made in our oil transport system subsequently - essentially to convey the "Lessons of the Exxon Valdez" to Baltic regional authorities / citizens. The visit also may have helped to further heighten the awareness of the risks of oil shipping to the Baltic marine environment. Embassy / Consulate staff did a remarkable job in organizing presentations, meetings with appropriate authorities, and tours of three oil terminals - Fortum (Porvo) in Finland, and Vysotsk and Primorsk in Russia.

I would like to respectfully offer a few general impressions and recommendations for further consideration. These are offered in a sense of constructive, cooperative problem solving, and not in critique. The following general recommendations are simply offered in the hope that they may help further improve the safety of the oil transport system in the region. Read more

New Management Units to be Applied to Fishing for Cod and Baltic Herring in the Baltic Sea
Meeting of top fishing specialists of all Baltic Sea Countries and the European Commission. Read more

Workshop on European Coastal Indicators and Data
The European Topic Centre on Terrestrial Environment (ETC-TE) of the European Environment Agency (EEA), together with the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) organized a workshop on coastal indicators and data in the framework of the European Commission’s working group on ICZM indicators. The meeting, held in La Valette , was supported by COASTWATCH, a GMES/GSE project. The MEPA in Malta kindly hosted the workshop. Read more

Summer Camp Clean Dvina - Clean Baltic 2004.
ACTIVISTS OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL NGO's ACT AGAINST POLLUTION OF THE RIVER WESTERN DVINA AND THE BALTIC SEA.
The international camp Clean Dvina - Clean Baltic 2004 was taking place from 17 till 24 august in the area of Novopolotsk city. The activists of the environmental NGO's, who are worried about the pollution of the river Western Dvina gathered in the summer camp. Read more