CCB Annual Conference Baltic 2012 & CCB General Meeting, 1-3 June 2012, Ratomka, Belarus

CCB • June 1, 2012

CCB Annual Conference Baltic 2012& CCB General Meeting,

1-3 June 2012, Ratomka, Belarus

The CCB Annual Conference Baltic 2012 and CCB General Meeting was held in Ratomka, Belarus, between 1-3 June 2012.

We now have the pleasure to invite you to Belarus for the CCB Baltic 2012 Conference and General Meeting!

This year the CCB Baltic Conference will be held in Ratomka, Belarus. The programme starts on Friday evening with registration and social event and ends on Sunday afternoon. A CCB General Meeting, working group discussions on CCB Priority Areas and an excursion will also be held during the weekend.

Further details and programme for the weekend will be provided soon.

 Important information about participation

Due to the fact that CCB has lost important funding for 2012 the financial resources for this year’s CCB Annual Conference are very limited. Because of this, unfortunately only a reduced number of participants can attend this year’s conference.

For this reason we urge member organisations to cover the travel expenses for their participants! Please inform the CCB Secretariat about your possibilities to cover, full or parts of, travel costs by own means. This will save CCB resources and can give possibilities to bring more participants.

In general, not more than one participant from each CCB member organisation can participate at this year’s conference.

We would prefer your contribution to pay for own travel costs and CCB would pay for your stay in Belarus.

Conference Venue

The Conference will be held at “Hotel Ratomka”. The venue is situated in Ratomka, about 20 km from Minsk.

The address is: st. Korickogo, 34, village Ratomka, Minsk district.

Phone number of the hotel is: +375 17 502 22 56

More details on how to get there will be provided soon.

Poster Presentations

All participants are welcome to present their work connected to CCB Priority Areas with posters. If you plan to bring posters, please send in requests for exhibition space to the CCB Secretariat.

Language

The working language of the Conference will be English.

 Expenses

No admittance fee is charged for the actual conference. However if you cancel less than ten days in advance you have to pay your own costs for meals and accommodation if no alternate is arranged. We also welcome your contribution to pay for accommodation (room + food) if possible. Estimated cost for the whole conference (1-3 June) is 80 EUR/person.

 Travel Costs and Reimbursement

As mentioned above, we urge member organisations to cover the travel expenses for their participants.

Participants from Ukraine and Belarus: The travel expenses will be covered from Sida-funding. Reimbursement will only be paid for the most non-expensive and convenient way of travelling.

Participants from Russia: There will be some funding available for a limited number of participants from Russia.

Beyond that, there are very limited funds for reimbursement of travel costs for participants from Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Poland.

All reimbursement claims from all countries must be confirmed by the CCB secretariat!

No travel reimbursements will be made without confirmation given in advance! The travel costs will be reimbursed after the conference when you submit to the CCB secretariat a reimbursement form and all your original receipts of your travels.

Please note that you have to state your requested total amount for travel reimbursement (SEK/EURO), local transport and potential Visa cost included, in the application form. To keep the budget-line for the Baltic 2012 conference, CCB can only guarantee that you will get the amount that you have stated in the application form.

When booking your travels please be aware of the CCB environmental travel policy that states that all journeys shorter than 400 km must be undertaken by bus or train. Air travel can only be considered if the distance is longer than 400km.

Application

Fill in the registration form and send it by e-mail to Sara Nilsson at the CCB International Secretariat (secretariat@ccb.se). Latest date: 4 th of May There will be no reimbursements granted after the last day of registration (due to administrative constraints) so for those of you that want to apply for reimbursement it is essential to meet the deadline of May 4th. Indicate in the form if you apply for reimbursement or not.

Please note that we only have room for a limited number of participants. We will confirm to all applicants on their possible participation in the Conference, so do not book your ticket before you have your participation confirmed by the CCB International Secretariat!

 Visa Application

Most Baltic countries need a visa to go to Belarus. For those of you who need visa please provide your passport data and home address to the CCB Secretariat as soon as possible (page 2 of the registration form), so that an invitation can be sent to you for the Visa application.

(Normally it is possible to get a visa at Minsk airport, but usually to a higher price than if you apply with the Belarusian embassy or consulate in your country.)

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact the CCB secretariat or Eugeniy Lobanov!

CONTACT INFORMATION

CCB Secretariat        E-mail: secretariat@ccb.se
Östra Agatan 53       Phone: +46 18 711 155
SE-753 22 UPPSALA     Fax: +46 18 711 175
SWEDEN

Eugeniy Lobanov
Center for environmental solutions (CES)
E-mail: lobanow@ecoidea.by
Mobile: +375 29 658 74 45
Phone/Fax: +375 17 334 53 23
We wish you a warm welcome to Belarus!  
Center for environmental solutions (CES) and Coalition Clean Baltic

Presentations & related documents upon requests.

EU Commission upholds Fisheries Law: Finland's 2025 Atlantic Salmon quota reduced after unjustified overfishing in 2024

By CCB • May 7, 2025
7 May 2025 - Yesterday the European Commission took a strong decision to deduct Finland´s 2025 Atlantic Salmon quota due to unjustified overfishing last year. This action is a clear application of the EU fisheries rules - aiming to ensure sustainable fishing practices and compliance with established quotas - and an important precedent for the consistent enforcement of fisheries law. In 2024, Finland was allocated a strict by-catch quota for Atlantic salmon, with direct fishing prohibited, except for some specific, minor exceptions. Despite this, Finland reported catching 3,162 salmon in a targeted fishery, under a claimed derogation stating the fishery was for scientific research purposes. Upon review, the European Commission concluded that these activities did not meet the legal standards for such an exemption and therefore found this claim unjustified. The number of vessels participating, 32, the number of salmon caught as well as the fact that Finland refused to re-release the salmon after conducting the “scientific research” are all reasons why the fishery cannot be considered to have been carried out for scientific research purposes. As a result, the same number of salmon caught beyond the legal limit in 2024 is now being deducted from Finland’s 2025 quota, from the same stock. “ We welcome the Commission's decision to take enforcement action and apply the law as intended. It sends a clear message to Member States that exceeding quotas will have consequences. However, more consistent enforcement is urgently needed across EU waters, especially in the Baltic Sea, where many fish stocks are collapsing and the ecosystem is in a poor state ” said Aimi Hamberg, CCB Marine Policy Officer. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Finland has already responded to the Commission´s quota reduction for Atlantic salmon by stating that this decision “is not legally justified” and they will consider taking legal action against it. As this matter continues to evolve, it is highlighting the importance of collective responsibility in managing fish stocks sustainably. Species like salmon, herring and cod , are under increasing pressure due to overfishing, climate change and habitat loss. In this context, rule enforcement is not just a bureaucratic step but a necessary action to ensure the long-term sustainability of marine life in the Baltic Sea.

CCB is looking for a Network Officer to join our team at the CCB International Secretariat (closed)

By CCB • April 9, 2025
Coalition Clean Baltic – CCB is a politically independent network, uniting 27 environmental non-profit organizations, as well as partners and experts from 11 countries surrounding the Baltic Sea. The main goal of CCB is to promote the protection and improvement of the environment and natural resources of the Baltic Sea region by encouraging new and constructive approaches and engaging people to become part of the solution instead of part of the problem. CCB Secretariat is based in Uppsala, Sweden.