Promotion of good ecological water status

Overall goal
A good environmental status of the waters in the Baltic Sea region, where the ecological problems of euthrophication and emissions of hazardous toxic substances have been solved.

Long-term goals
- visible changes of decreased eutrophication in lakes, rivers, coastal- and open-sea waters in the Baltic Sea catchment can be observed

- the pollution load and concentrations of nutrients and toxic substances in Baltic waters have been reduced considerably

- harmful human activities, such as building of dams and other harmful activities, in Baltic river systems have considerably decreased, thereby allowing the natural processes of the river ecosystems to function and to recover.

- the citizens participation for maintaining and protection of Baltic waters and natural rivers ecosystems has increased

- the awareness and knowledge of the importance of an efficient and sustainable use of nutrient and water resources ( e.g. within waste water and agriculture management) has been raised considerably

- a visible decrease of the occurrence of alien species in the Baltic Sea.

- a visible increase of the occurrence of endangered and rare marine species in the Baltic Sea.

With special focus on the following sub areas:
Promotion of Sustainable wastewater treatement
Promotion of Sustainable River Basin Management
Promotion of Water Protection Measures in Agriculture

Activities
Lobbying
Lobbying will be performed towards the EC, the HELCOM and the Baltic region governments in order to reach the overall goal and the long-term goals of good ecological water status in the Baltic Sea. The focus for the lobbying will be to promote the application of sustainable wastewater treatment systems, including a recycling approach of nutrients from household wastewater/waste back to agricultural land, to promote changes of the Baltic Regional agricultural practices and EU's agricultural policy, CAP, towards development of more environmentally friendly agricultural production and to promote the successful implementation of the EU water policies in northern Europe, like e.g. the EU Water Framework Directive.

Information, Environmental Education and other activities to raise public awareness
Various tools for raising the knowledge and awareness will be used, like e.g. production, exposion and dissemination of information material, translations of existing material, seminars, meetings, educational River Watch activities etc. Studies and installations of ecotechnological concepts for waste water treatement will be supported as good examples of sustainable water management.