First Russian KIMO Baltic Sea member

Swetlogorsk in Kaliningrad region is the first Russian municipality to join KIMO Baltic Sea.

KIMO was founded by local municipalities with a shared concern for the state of the environment 21 years ago. Today the membership exceeds 160 coastal municipalities and regions in Northern Europe.

2007/2008 the municipality of Simrishamn was instrumental in creating KIMO Baltic Sea, in order to focus on the difficulties and opportunities connected to the Baltic Sea and the coastal municipalities in the area.

Now the municipality of Swetlogorsk in Kaliningrad region is the first Russian municipality to join KIMO Baltic Sea.

On February 17, Swetlogorsk Municipality signed an agreement to join KIMO Baltic Sea, at a ceremony taking place in Palanga, Lithuania.

- We are very honored and look forward to our common work against marine pollution, the Russian Mayor Mr. Igor Partuleev and KIMO President Mrs. Monica Gripp agreed upon at the ceremony.

- With more and more members, it will be an easier task to reach a common understanding when it comes to environmental questions around the Baltic Sea, says Monica Gripp, adding that both discussions with the governments of the countries bordering the sea and work with projects focusing on marine pollution like the ”Fishing of Litter” project is essential for KIMOs success.

Do you want to know more? Please contact: jan.lundmark@kimobaltic.eu

Background on KIMO International and KIMO Baltic Sea:

KIMO was founded by local municipalities with a shared concern for the state of the environment. KIMO is designed to give municipalities a political voice at the international level, to share best practice and to find solutions to marine political problems that affect coastal communities.

KIMO has become a pioneering environmental force which has contributed to a steady reduction in marine pollution in Europe's seas. This momentum must be sustained to ensure our oceans remain healthy for the benefit of vulnerable sea-life and for the people who reside on our precious coastlines.

The Baltic Sea region is one of the most dynamic regions in Europe. A clean and healthy Baltic Sea in ecological balance is crucial for further development. Almost 100 million inhabitants live in the Baltic region today.

A clean sea is a vital factor for the people living in the Baltic. Engagement will be needed even at the municipal and regional level. Active communities are today working mainly in the various individual projects. A cohesive community organization which promotes understanding and joint action at the municipal level is currently lacking. Discussions with research institutions show that engagement between the municipal level and research level is highly desirable.

In 2007, KIMO International increased its remit to include all the countries around the Baltic Sea in the biggest expansion in its 17 year history. Representatives from KIMO and Baltic Municipalities met in Simrishamn, on the Swedish Baltic Coast, in October 2007 to discuss how they could cooperate on marine pollution issues in the Baltic Sea. The event, hosted by Simrishamn’s kommun who proposed the expansion, saw 17 Municipalities from Sweden, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia attend and resulted in a commitment to establish a KIMO International Baltic Forum as part of the KIMO Network.