CCB Priority Area 2

Prevention of harmful installations and transports

Overall goal
Potential threats to the Baltic Sea environment and to valuable Baltic Sea coastal areas from planned and existing harmful installations, such as oil terminals and oil platforms; nuclear power plants; pulp mills; transport infrastructure and transports (in particular of radioactive materials, oil and other hazardous substances) have been solved and reduced, and the awareness on such issues have been raised.

Long-term goals
- EIA´s always to be made and followed when planning for new constructions in the Baltic Sea along the coast.

- the implementation of international conventions (e.g. Helsinki, Bonn and Bern Convention) and EU directives related to coastal zone management to be strengthened

- strategic EIAs always to be carried out for plans and projects affecting the Baltic Sea environment

- phase-out of the single-hull tankers by the year 2006 and the introduction of compulsory pilotage for ships navigating in areas of the Baltic Sea, where accidents are more likely to happen like e.g. the Gulf of Finland and the T-route .

- PSSA status granted to the whole Baltic Sea

- phase out of nuclear use in the Baltic Sea area

- reducing the demand for fossil fuel use and transports, increasing energy efficiency, energy savings and promotion of renewable energy production

- some important and valuable river ecosystems in the Baltic Sea catchment to be protected from installations and exploitation by artifical channelling on national and international level

With special focus on the following sub areas:
Harmful installations and transports
Promotion of Sustainable development in coastal zones
Harmful impacts of installations such as hydro-electric power plants, dams etc

Activities
Lobbying
In order to reach the overall goal and the long-term goals of the Priority Area CCB will highlight the risks of existing plans and potential threats to the environment by harmful installations and transports, as well as plans for exploitation of the coast and rivers, and threats like e.g. new harbours and oil-terminals in the Russian Gulf of Finland, oil-extraction in sensitive areas, building of hydro-power in sensitive rivers. The issue of ballast water and the risk with Alien species will also be targetted. Proposals and position papers will be elaborated and presented to intergovernmental fora such as e.g. HELCOM, EC, Baltic 21 as well as to the national governments concerned.

Information, Environmental Education and other activities to raise public awareness
Various activities will be performed in order to exchange and to raise the awareness and knowledge among the public, mass-media, NGO´s and other people active and/or interested in the issue. Information material, like e.g. reports, maps, posters, articles and brochures will be compiled, translated and dissesminated. Seminars and meetings will be arranged.