Speech of

Mr. Fritz Holzwarth

(Head of the German Delegation)

at the occasion of

HELCOM EXTRA in Krakow, 15 November 2007

Dear Ministers,

dear Excellencies,

dear Ladies and Gentlemen,

before sharing some thoughts with you as regards today’s agenda I would like to take the opportunity to convey best regards of the Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Mr. Sigmar Gabriel. Unfortunately he is legally obliged to attend an important meeting of the Federal Budget Committee  today. He wishes the HELCOM EXTRA-meeting today best possible success.

Those of you who had the opportunity to listen to him during the annual meeting of the Baltic Sea Parliamentarians in Berlin in the end of August this year may remember how big importance he attaches to the HELCOM work and the Baltic Sea Action Plan in particular.

I would also like to take the opportunity to thank all governments’ and NGOs’ representatives for their input to the BSAP preparatory process as well as the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference for backing up the work politically. In particular it has to be mentioned that the HELCOM Secretariat has done an excellent job by managing this huge task in a notably short time.

Allow me, Mr. Chairman, to stress some particular political and strategic aspects which I think, are of utmost importance with regard to the HELCOM work and the HELCOM BSAP in particular, of course apart from the very valuable scientific and technical measures:

• Once having agreed on our all common BSAP it will be of utmost importance to safeguard funding and proper financial resources in our capitals; the BSAP will need to be backed up adequately in terms of funding if we take our obligations for implementation seriously.
• The HELCOM BSAP can and should serve as an example for other co-operations as regards good and successful co-operation with the Russian Federation -which is not a member state of the EU;
• Another crucial aspect, being a formal one as well but impacting seriously on the Regional Co-operation under HELCOM and other European Regional Seas Conventions and thus the quality of marine protection policy in Europe is the question of exclusive European competences, e.g. in the field of fisheries and agriculture. From my point of view the newly introduced and currently implemented ecosystem approach on the one hand and exclusive competences on the other have to find new models for cooperation to make both compatible. If we commit ourselves seriously to the integrated approach, we have to develop a new understanding of marine protection policy in the future in order to ensure that each of the sectors, be it use or protection, takes into account the needs of the other.

I dare to say that the perspective of exclusive competences needs to be scrutinized if we want to be successful in marine protection policy, also with regard to the upcoming EC Marine Strategy Directive. Exclusive competence must not be misused as an exclusive incentive for the degradation of the Baltic Sea and its Biodiversity.

• Having observed the HELCOM work very carefully during the last years I would like to stress that the HELCOM BSAP sets out a clear signal: HELCOM has moved from a purely scientifically driven organisation to a scientifically and politically driven one. HELCOM has developed to the trademark in the Baltic Sea. As the environmental focal point in the Baltic Sea Region it is the adequate lobby organisation for promoting the Baltic Sea’s interests.
• Having a look back it’s obvious that the Copenhagen joint HELCOM Ministerial Meeting of Environment and Transport Ministers in 2001 has opened the door for integrative policy under the HELCOM roof. And, Ladies and Gentlemen, Minister Gabriel stressed during his speech in August that it is again HELCOM, the smallest regional marine protection Commission in Europe, that has accepted the latest challenges. It needs to be stressed that it was the HELCOM Secretariat, guided by the proactive Executive Secretary, Ms. Anne Christine Brusendorff, which tackled the issue. She undertook it to let HELCOM make this important step forward. We congratulate to this big success. And we would like to propose additionally that the example of the BSAP should be fed into the system of the UNEP Regional Seas programme. The HELCOM BSAP deserves it to be spread as an example for efficient and issue oriented marine protection policy.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Let me finally stress one aspect which is currently on top of the marine policy agenda in Europe. Some days ago more than difficult weather conditions have lead to a number of sinking of ships including tankers in the Black Sea. Would the Baltic Sea be better prepared for such a catastrophe? We have definitely achieved a lot in the HELCOM RESPONSE field and yearly BALEX DELTA exercises show remarkable results. Nevertheless: Let’s follow the BSAP’s recommendation and let’s further improve our competence and ability in all fields, RESPONSE included. Having said this it might be appropriate to offer the Black Sea Commission sharing our experiences and partly new approaches with them.