Helcom Heads of Delegation Meeting, 17-18 June 2013, Helsinki, Finland.

CCB • June 19, 2013

Helcom Heads of Delegation meeting, preparing for the decisions for Baltic Sea region environmnetal minsters in October, was not very encouraging. Governments did not show strong interest to fully implement the actions for Baltic Sea environment protection that was decided on in 2007. Some countries rather seem to try to get away from the concrete actions, time-lines etc.

One positive outcome of the Helcom meeting was to establish a correspondence group, to go through the whole sections related to fisheries management, and see the need for new ministerial decisions to fully implement actions agreed upon in 2007. The Swedish delegation made such proposal after some CCB-interventions, that  pointed out that present draft proposal for the ministerial declaration would not secure the implementation of the fisheries management actions from 2007.

By CCB June 17, 2025
On Wednesday, 28 May, the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) published its scientific advice for fish stocks in the Baltic Sea . In response, environmental NGOs from around the Baltic Sea region urge the European Commission to propose, and fisheries ministers to adopt, fishing opportunities at levels well below the headline advice to safeguard ecosystem needs and dynamics and allow for rapid recovery of Baltic Sea fish populations.
By CCB May 28, 2025
Key Baltic fish populations are in crisis, warn environmental NGOs. New scientific advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, ICES, confirms the poor condition of key Baltic fish populations, several of which remain collapsed (1). EU fisheries ministers must set 2026-catch limits well below ICES advice and prioritise long-term recovery over short-term economic gains.