Maria Jokela, 30.06.2010
The Challenge of HELCOM National Implementation Programmes
18th June HELCOM unveiled the National Implementation Programmes (NIPs) of its member states that describe country-wise measures to be taken to reach the pollution reduction targets set in the Baltic Sea Action Plan. However, few of the National Implementation Programmes are still missing as Latvian, Lithuanian and Russian NIPs are still under development. For the German part, the NIP does not exist us such, but it is based on the National Strategy for the Sustainable Use and Protection of the Seas and other relevant national sector-wise strategies. NIPs of Sweden, Estonia, Denmark, Finland and Poland are available at the HELCOM website.
The difficult planning process of NIPs reflects the various challenges related to the implementation of the Baltic Sea Action Plan. As the report commissioned by the WWF Finland Analysis of the status of implementation of the Baltic Sea Action Plan for WWF reveals, is the implementation of BSAP in many areas lagging behind the timetable and that the existing monitoring system need to be updated. According to the report the current system does not easily expose weather the implementation is on time or making progress as planed.
The challenge to achieve the good ecological status of the Baltic Sea by 2021 is clear also for Sweden, who will next take over the Chairmanship of HELCOM on the 1st of July. During its Chairmanship, Sweden aims to raise the high level political attention of the implementation actions and to strengthen the role of the HELCOM as the Baltic Sea environmental focal point and relevant policy-maker.
However, in the end the realisation of the National Implementation Programmes depends on each country’s availability to allocate administrative and financial resources to Baltic Sea protection. In the difficult economical situation international and regional funding institutions can give an important input to support countries, but in the end the implementation activities can not be solely based on external funding. This means that more cost-effective ways of implementation and cooperation need to be found.