Diverging views between governments put the future of the Baltic Sea in jeopardy

CCB • September 6, 2013
Baltic Sea Environment Ministers will put pen to paper and sign the review of the Baltic Sea Action Plan in less than a month. Surprisingly, Sweden seems to be blocking any real progress, changing positions on a number of key issues.This week, representatives from the Baltic Sea countries met in Copenhagen to review environmental targets for the Baltic Sea. Sadly, marine conservation NGOs, including  Oceana ,  FISH ,  Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB) , and the  Swedish Society for Nature Conservation , witnessed the squandering of a chance to reach a strong agreement in time for the upcoming Ministerial meeting.

“If this watered down agreement is adopted at the upcoming Ministerial meeting in Copenhagen 3rd October, the future of the Baltic Sea looks grim,” stated Hanna Paulomäki, Oceana’s Baltic Sea project manager.

Surprisingly Sweden, which was among the forerunners in 2007 when the Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) was adopted, has now changed its mind on a number of key issues. The Swedish delegation tabled a controversial proposal on agricultural run-off applauded by the industry, which severely waters down the proposal to control over-fertilisation, a big factor behind the yearly algae blooms in the Baltic Sea. Sweden’s proposal goes so far as to make the fulfilment of already agreed targets in the BSAP voluntary for the member states – something that has rarely worked in the past

“This proposal is a catastrophe. Sweden has changed its position from the most environmentally friendly country to worst of the bunch, and now has the lowest ambition when it comes to agricultural runoff from farming. It’s embarrassing for Sweden,” added Gunnar Norén, Executive Secretary of Coalition Clean Baltic. The proposal received little support from the countries present and Germany issued some harsh criticism, but the issue remains unsolved for the moment.

The new Ministerial agreement – the reviewed HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan– is supposed to pave the way to solving the environmental challenges of the Baltic Sea and reaching good environmental status by 2020. Despite a straightforward path to reach this objective, diverging views and hesitation between different delegations are hijacking the progress.

“Even after two days of discussion, it is clear that there is a lack of willingness to proceed and stronger action is needed. Decision makers need to show courage and start implementing the targets they already agreed on”, concluded Hanna Paulomäki.

To restore the health of our sea, Baltic Sea governments need to deliver on their environmental promises.

Oceana, FISH and CCB want to see a commitment and clear actions in order to:

Restore water quality through a significant reduction of the amount of agricultural nutrient run-off; the main cause of eutrophication in the Baltic Sea.
Recover the natural wealth of fish stocks in the Baltic Sea to ensure long-term sustainability and ecosystem integrity.
Revive the biological diversity by protecting important areas from destructive practices and putting in place proper management plans and measures.

The next round of discussions, ahead of the Ministerial meeting, will take place on the 23-24 September.

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Petition launched to stop new oil and gas drilling in the Baltic Sea

By CCB • October 3, 2025
3 October 2025 - Coalition Clean Baltic, together with its Member Organization BUND - Friends of the Earth Germany and the citizens’ initiative “ Lebensraum Vorpommern ”, have launched a petition to stop new oil and gas drilling projects in the Baltic Sea . The petition comes in response to plans to exploit a deposit just 6 km offshore Świnoujście , Poland, in the transboundary waters of the Oder Estuary and Pomeranian Bay. The planned site lies at the heart of NATURA 2000 protected areas , which are vital for biodiversity, climate action, and local communities. Oil and gas extraction in the Baltic Sea poses severe threats to its fragile ecosystems. Industrial activities such as drilling, pipeline construction, and ship traffic risk polluting the water with chemicals, oil leaks, and toxic waste. Underwater noise from pile driving and increased traffic would further degrade marine habitats. These pressures add to the already critical challenges faced by the Baltic Sea, including biodiversity loss, eutrophication, and the accelerating impacts of climate change. The consequences extend far beyond nature. Local communities rely on a clean and healthy Baltic for tourism, fishing, and quality of life. Expanding fossil fuel infrastructure would also undermine Europe’s climate commitments and lock in carbon emissions for decades to come. The petition calls on the Ministry of Climate and Environment of Poland, the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM), the European Commission, and the Secretariat of the Espoo Convention to : Stop the plans for oil and gas extraction in the Oder Estuary and the Pomeranian Bay; Ban any new oil and gas extraction across the Baltic Sea; Ensure strong cross-border cooperation and communication amongst all involved states. The petition is open through the WeMove Europe´s platform and can be signed here .