Welcome to the CCB Newsletter on the Internet!
Editor: Alexander Fedorov, cei@cei.ru , Centre for Environmental Initiatives.
Please find other CCB Newsletter issues here.

Dear friends,

In the coming year 2006 I wish all of you many successes in our common efforts to make the Baltic Sea cleaner and life on its shores more sustainable. And I join all the great wishes from many CCB activists that you can find below.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to You!

Alexander Fedorov
CCB Newsletter editor

Gretings from Valdur Lahtvee, Coalition Clean Baltic Chairman

I wish Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone.

It is December, the time to take time out and to look back and look forward.

If we look back, we see that the year was not remarkably good for the Baltic Sea. Eutrofication is still not reversed in the Baltic Sea. Algae bloom this summer proved again that nutrient load to the Baltic Sea is still too big, no matter what measures have been taken so far. Perhaps now we have to start looking for new ways for protecting the Baltic Sea, new measures to cure the marine environment.

If we look into the future, I think during this year all of us in our countries have felt that the understanding has become more apparent of the links between the human behaviour, economic growth and increased consumption to damage to environmental quality. Therefore, I believe that in the coming year more measures will be taken by the people, by the countries in order to improve the environment and achieve more sustainable development around the Baltic Sea.

I wish the CCB members more strength in pushing your societies and peoples towards this noble goal.

Please find greetings from and nice photos of:
Gunnar Noren, Nina Ljungquist, Jakub Szumin, Antanas Kontautas, Aija Caune, Elita Kalnina, Maret Merisaar, Taavi Nuum, Olga Senova, and Sergey Anatskiy
here

NEWS

CCB Seminar on Sustainable Wastewater Treatment in Russia
On 30 November and 1 December 2005, the Centre for Environmental Initiatives organised and held the CCB seminar on sustainable treatment of household wastewater in small settlements and single-family houses.
Read more

Sensitive Baltic Sea areas now protected from shipping activities!
The Baltic Sea has officially been classified by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) as a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA).
Read more

Baltic "should lead EU drive for cleaner seas"
An informal meeting of Nordic environment ministers has called for the Baltic Sea to be made a "pilot project" under the newly drafted EU marine environment strategy
Read more
Find Conclusions from the Informal Baltic Ministers of Environment in Stockholm, 23 November 2005 here.

Concept of the Baltic Sea Action Plan by HELCOM
On November 3, HELCOM released the latest issue of its Newsletter featuring the concept of the Baltic Sea Action Plan
Read more
The PDF version of the "HELCOM news" issue 3/2005 can be viewed here.

Popular brochure on the draft concept of the Baltic Sea Action Plan
The Helsinki Commission released on 10 November a popular brochure on the draft concept of the Baltic Sea Action Plan, now being developed by HELCOM, in order to promote public awareness and wide stakeholder participation in the process of drawing up and adopting the plan.
Read more

Sweden - New foundation focuses on Baltic Sea conservation
Swedish financier Bjorn Carlson has established a foundation to alleviate environmental problems in and around the Baltic Sea.
Read more

Danes urged do their bit for the environment
Danish environment minister Connie Hedegaard has launched a campaign to make Danes "take more account of environment in their daily life".
Read more

Introducing the BONUS Project
BONUS is an EU 6th Framework Programme ERA-NET project with a total funding of Euro 3.03 million for the years 2004-2007. The aim of BONUS is to form a network and partnership of key agencies funding research with the aim to deepen the understanding of conditions for science-based management of environmental issues in the Baltic Sea. BONUS operates in close connection with the scientific and management actors.
Read more

Centre of Excellence on Education for Sustainable Development Established in Hamburg
Read more

The Baltic 21 Senior Official Group has approved two new Lighthouse Project candidates
aimed at demonstrating how sustainable development can be brought about in practice. These are the "Baltic Forest" Project and the "A.S.A.P." Project.
Read more

Nominations welcome for the 2006 Stockholm Industry Water Award
The nomination period for the 2006 Stockholm Industry Water Award has now started. Nominations are welcome until 28 February, 2006.
Read more

Expanded EU pollution inventory sails through
A move to greatly expand the EU's industrial pollution inventory is set for final approval this month, capping a first reading agreement reached between the council of ministers and European parliament in the summer. Reporting under the new regime will start reaching the public from 2009.
Read more

Commission tackles Member States' lack of implementation of key industrial pollution law
In its first report on the implementation of the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) Directive, the European Commission raises concerns about the slow implementation.
Read more

MEPs urge stricter EU controls on batteries
The European parliament's environment committee voted on 22 November to strengthen EU controls on batteries. The committee's position now goes to the parliament's plenary for its second reading on revised batteries legislation.
Read more

UNESCO's General Conference approves establishment of new water-related centres
The recently-concluded 33rd session of the UNESCO General Conference has approved the establishment of four new water-related centres under the auspices of UNESCO, two of which are in Europe: the IHP-HELP Centre for Water Law, Policy and Science in Dundee, United Kingdom; and the European Regional Centre for Ecohydrology in Lodz, Poland.
Read more

STREAM and SPLASH
STREAM is a river basin management instrument. It enables both policy makers and scientists to assess impacts of climate change and variability on the hydrology of river basins. SPLASH is a game for simulating integrated water management of river basins.
Read more

COMING EVENTS

International Symposium on Water and Land Management for Sustainable Irrigated Agriculture
4-8 April 2006, Adana, Turkey
The symposium aims to identify best management practices that will harmonize the sustainable use of water for agricultural production and livelihoods with well-functioning ecosystems.
Read more

Please find other CCB Newsletter issues here.