HELCOM delegation pays a visit to Ukraine

Helsinki, 20 April (HELCOM) – The Chairman of the Helsinki Commission, Arturas Daubaras, along with the Executive Secretary, Anne Christine Brusendorff, paid a visit to Kiev on 19^th April to discuss possible ways to further cooperation with Ukraine on issues of transboundary pollution. During the visit, the HELCOM delegation was met by the Minister of Environment Protection of Ukraine, Pavlo Ignatenko.

“We had very fruitful talks in Kiev and I hope they will further enhance our cooperation,” said Arturas Daubaras. The HELCOM Chairman underlined that transboundary pollution coming from non-coastal countries which lie in Baltic Sea catchment area, has been identified as very significant. “With regard to Ukraine, Belarus and the Czech Republic, it is crucial for us to get data on sources of pollution and the actual loads coming from these countries into the Baltic Sea in order to address these problems,” said Daubaras. He also added that possibilities to include more detailed data on sources in Ukraine would be an important issue and could also be seen as one way of contributing to the implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive and the UN/ECE Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes.

According to HELCOM reports, the riverine loads, measured at the boarders of HELCOM countries with Belarus, the Czech Republic and Ukraine, compared with the total loads reaching the Baltic Sea, were 8 and 7 % for nitrogen and phosphorus respectively and between 5 to 15 % for selected heavy metals. The significance of the transboundary pollution for the individual sub-catchments is naturally higher compared to the total load to the Baltic Sea. Detailed data on sources in the three countries is, however, still lacking and the available data does not allow for determining further actions by HELCOM.

Ukraine has been an observer to HELCOM since 1996. The available data shows that the transboundary pollution load to the Baltic Sea coming from Ukraine is significant for some heavy metals coming via Poland and for airborne nitrogen which is deposited directly on the Baltic Sea. When comparing loads at the sub-catchment area level, it is seen that for the Vistula River measurements at the Ukrainian border were 5 % of the nitrogen and 4 % of the phosphorus compared to the load at the mouth to the Baltic Sea. For heavy metals, the reported load was up to 120 % compared to the load at the river mouth. Ukraine is the 15^th biggest contributor to the deposition of airborne nitrogen to the Baltic Sea, which is more than the contribution from Estonia, Latvia or Lithuania.

The visit to Kiev concluded a series of discussions between HELCOM and officials from Ukraine, Belarus and the Czech Republic on transboundary pollution. The Chairman and the Executive Secretary of HELCOM have already held talks with the Minister of Environment of the Czech Republic, Libor Ambrozek in Helsinki, and the HELCOM Executive Secretary has visited Minsk for talks with the Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of Belarus, Leonty Khoruzhik.      

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